OO
Me is in shock...
Is it possible to get that many review for 2 chapters?!?!?!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! XD
I can't reply to your reviews, unfortunately, cuz I'm stuck writing this in a place that doesn't have internet gasp of horror
I'll try to put this up as quickly as possible, and I'm sorry that it isn't as long as the other chapters- this one was harder to write than the others.
Just as a reminder- this IS a KaiRei fic, I'm just adding Tala in the mix for fun. He's just here to make Kai jealous evil chuckle
Warning: this is a yaoi fic, which means boy boy. Don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblades.
"..." – speech
'...' – thoughts
... - emphasis/ accent
Chapter 3
Kai stared at the prone figure in his arms, then at the mutilated mess that had been his grandfather.
Relief seemed to flood out of his every pore- he was gone.
His grandfather, Voltaire, who had haunted every second of his life, was finally dead. Kai looked again at the slave who had, in a sense, saved his life. Gratefulness flooded his senses, and Kai felt the sudden urge to kiss away the frown that marred Rei's beautiful face.
He shook himself, and reminded himself that emotions were weak, and unwanted. He was not a weakling.
Kai checked Rei's pulse, and was glad to find that the boy was fine, just probably in shock.
But now came the dilemna- how on earth was he going to explain Voltaire's death? Kai racked his mind, and decided to feed the corpse to the animals that he kept in his menagerie, and just say that Voltaire had left sometime during the night.
He smiled coldly, and stood up, cradling the unconscious neko jin in his strong arms.
Rei whimpered in his state of unconsciousness, and Kai hesitantly traced Rei's jawline with a long finger, revelling in the feel of the smooth, flawless skin under his touch.
Protectiveness coursed through his veins like fire, igniting a burning in his heart that Kai couldn't explain.
Surely he wasn't in lo- Kai shook his head. He had gone over this before. He was not in love. And that was the end of that.
He forced himself to pull his hand away from Rei's now peaceful face, and strode down the hall, and into the slave's quarters.
Unease rose in the blue haired boy when he saw the blood that stained the mouldy hay. Had Rei been injured by someone without Kai's knowing?
Kai peered around the room, and decided that the small, cell like room was no place for someone like Rei to stay. The slave could stay in his own quarters.
'For now, anyway', Kai thought hastily. 'No longer than a day. Or two.'
He walked to his own rooms, and placed Rei on his bed, and covered him with blankets, making sure that the raven haired boy was comfortable. Why was he so concerned for the slave's welfare anyway? He should be more concerned over getting rid of his grandfather's body.
Kai gave a sigh and reluctantly left the room, after shooting a final glance at the sleeping neko jin.
He returned to his study, and glared at the body on the ground as if he expected it to suddenly heal and rise again.
After a moment of silence, Kai fed the remainder of Voltaire to the carnivores that he kept in his menagerie, then returned to his office, and realised, for the first time in his life, he was free to do whatever he wished. He was able to have a lover, and it didn't matter what gender, or what class, but someone whom he genuinely loved, and nobody would be able to do anything about it.
He allowed himself a small smile, then started planning out what he was going to do first. First of all he was going to start peace talks- perhaps with the clans that were on the border between the Eastern and Forbidden lands. Then, perhaps, he could even negotiate a sort of peace treaty with the White Tiger clan.
Hours passed by as Kai planned everything out, to the tiniest detail. His concentration was finally shattered when there was the sound of a soft yawn came from behind him, and Kai whipped around, his reflexes reacting at once, his muscles tensing as they prepared for a fight.
Instead all he found was Rei standing at the doorway that was behind his desk, that connected his rooms and his study together. The neko jin's hair had somehow escaped the ribbon that usually tied it up, and his long black locks hung down his back. His half lidded, tired golden eyes peered curiously at him.
"You're awake." Kai's curt voice hid what he felt at the sight of the half asleep boy in front of him. "Took you long enough."
"My lord." Rei bowed his head respectfully.
He was inwardly buzzing with anxiety and curiosity- how in the seven realms did he end up in Kai's bed?? At least he presumed it was Kai's bed- no other room could be so highly and richly furnished. Something tugged at the back of his mind, something important... but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what had happened.
Kai paused, then asked "How are you feeling?"
Rei blinked, surprised. The seemingly cold lord was worried about him? He was worried over some unworthy slave?
"Fine, thank you, my lord." There was a twinge of pain in his shoulder, but he couldn't remember how he had hurt himself. Perhaps he had hit his shoulder before he had passed out. But why had he passed out? The more questions he asked, the more his head ached, and finally Rei decided that he would remember in his own time.
"That's good." Kai nodded shortly and tried to concentrate on his work. But he couldn't get his mind to focus on his work, and he was constantly aware of the presence of the neko jin at his back. "What are you waiting for, slave?"
Rei flinched at his uncaring tone. Perhaps Kai wasn't worried about him after all. "I- I..." he flushed when Kai raised one eyebrow mockingly. "What should I do, my lord?"
"Rest." A smirk tugged at Kai's lips, and Rei stared at him, puzzled, then bowed.
"Of course my lord." he started to walk out the other door, but a hand shot out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from going any further.
"No. In my room." Kai wondered whether he was pushing his luck when the other boy went a deep crimson and began to stammer out a protest.
Pushing his luck? Kai laughed inwardly. He was the lord of this castle, which meant that if he wanted, he could have Rei warm his bed at night. No- he had promised himself that he would never, ever do that to any of his servants. Or slaves, for that matter.
Unaware of the internal battle that was raging inside Kai, Rei approached the bluenette and knelt beside him.
"My lord?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. He wished that he didn't sound so clueless, so naive, but the conversation was confusing him.
"You shall remain in my rooms from now on." Kai smiled kindly at the scared expression on the neko jin's face. "Relax. I'm not going to bite."
'But I might...' Rei thought, grinning inwardly. 'Not that I'd mind if he bit me...' he immediately pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Kai was a lord, and even though Rei was a prince, there was no way that he would be allowed to form a bond with Kai- their lands had been at war with each other for as long as Rei could remember.
Kai couldn't read any of the emotions that clouded the slave's golden orbs. He smirked and stood up, pulling the raven haired boy to his feet.
"Come." Kai started the short walk to his rooms through the back door, after glancing behind him to make sure that Rei was following him.
They entered Kai's rooms and Kai gestured at Rei to sit down. He did so, not sure of what to do or say in the presence of the silent, crimson eyed lord.
Kai was rumaging through his second room, which was linked to the room that Rei was in. When he came out again, he was carrying a towel and shampoo and conditioner.
"Here." seeing Rei's confusion, he carried on "Some bathing things. I presume that you do want to have a bath? Unless you want to go around smelling like something dead?"
"I do not smell like something dead!" Rei growled, surprising both him and Kai.
The blue haired boy raised an eyebrow inquisitively and laughed- a genuine, low baritone chuckle that seemed to fill the room.
Rei looked mortified. "I'm sorry, my lord! I didn't mean to-"
Kai placed a finger on his rose coloured lips, wondering at their softness.
'They must taste delicious...' Kai thought, somewhat dreamily. Rei immediately fell silent, hardly daring to breathe. Their gazes locked together, and Rei found himself drowning in crimson orbs, which spoke volumes of pain and -could it be?- love.
Kai suddenly pulled away, rather abruptly, and walked over to the other side of the room, refusing to meet Rei's prying golden eyes.
Disappointed, Rei looked down at his feet. He was disgusting, he was worthless- why else would Kai turn him away?
Rei stood up, and started to silently pad across the floor, thinking that Kai wouldn't want to remain in the same room as him.
He was surprised when Kai glanced at him and shook his head. "The bathroom is that way." the older boy gently pushed him into the small chamber and hung the towel up on a hook that was on the wall.
Kai pulled on a piece of rope that hung from the ceiling, and water flooded into the large, circular object that sat at the center of the room.
"How's your shoulder?"
"How did you know that my shoulder hurt?" Rei knew that he was probably in disrespectful, but he had to know- there were so many unanswered questions.
Kai had been wondering why Rei hadn't asked about Voltaire- and now he knew. The raven haired boy had forgotten all about his and Voltaire's fight. He reached out and swiftly slipped Rei's tunic off. He gently stroked the quickly healing wound on Rei's shoulder and made sure that it wasn't infected.
"Can't you remember what happened?"
Fear coursed through Rei, and suddenly it all came crashing back to him- Kai sleeping, Kai and Voltaire's argument, then him fighting with Kai's grandfather...
Frightened golden eyes turned to watch him warily, as if they expected him to give him a beating.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." Kai assured him, not sure why he felt so protective of the raven haired beauty. If it had been Takao, or that always happy jester, Max, then he wasn't sure how he would've reacted.
"D- did I kill him?" Rei asked fearfully, thinking back to how he had kept slashing at Voltaire's body. He was pretty sure that the older man was dead, but he just had to make sure.
"Who, Voltaire?" Kai raised an eyebrow, thinking about the remains of his grandfather. "Most definitely." He checked the wound again, then started to walk out of the chamber. "Take as long as you want. If the water starts to get cold, tell me."
Rei nodded mutely. The White Tigers didn't have any of this luxury- they had always bathed in rivers or lakes, always outside even if it was a cold day.
He looked around the chamber as if expecting something to leap out and attack him- there was no way that he could get away with killing Kai's grandfather without there being consequences.
He climbed into the scalding water, and quickly washed off all the grime that had collected on his body. It felt so good to be clean again!
Although Kai had said that he could take as long as he wanted, Rei didn't want to keep the blue haired lord waiting. He wondered vaguely how Kai had disposed of the body, and what he was going to say. Kai had said that he wasn't going to hurt him- but surely a Lord wouldn't protect a slave, especially when his own safety was in question?
Rei didn't know too much about the King of the Eastern Lands, but from all the tales that he had heard about King Ylie, he was someone who acted spontaneously. If he had heard that his closest advisor had been murdered, then surely he would kill Rei instantly? Or even Kai?
The neko jin shuddered and sank lower into the now lukewarm water. He had to stop thinking about Voltaire.
He climbed out of the bath, and wrapped a towel around his slender waist, before carefully opening the heavy wooden chamber door and padding softly into the room, where Kai was sitting on his bed, staring moodily off into the distance.
"My lord?" Rei winced at the squeakiness of his voice. He was not going to show his fear.
Kai whipped around, and a weight seemed to lift off his shoulders as soon as he saw the soaked boy.
"You've finished." it was a statement, and Rei wasn't sure how to reply. Kai saved him from the usual 'yes, my lord' by carrying on. "That's good. From now on you will be my personal servant."
Rei gasped and stared at him openly. So Kai wasn't going to punish him after all?
"You will receive three gold coins a year, and you will sleep in one of my other adjoining rooms. And Rei?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"You are not, in any way possible, to mention Voltaire. He will have disappeared, and that's all. You won't mention any arguments between my grandfather and I, and you certainly won't say that you killed him. Is that understood?"
Rei nodded swiftly. He was about to say something, then hesitated and gnawed at his bottom lip. He knew that he was probably going to be punished for this, but he had to ask anyway. "My lord... I- I wish to go home."
Kai stared at him, his heart beat quickening instantly. The slave was going to leave him... Rei didn't return any of his feelings! His frustration and anger at the fact that he- the ice prince, then cold hearted lord- was actually in love with someone, and they didn't return his love, was directed in the form of a venomous glare at Rei, who gave a tiny gulp and retreated a bit.
"No." he snapped sharply, and stood up. "Now get dressed."
Rei sighed- there would be no way to change Kai's opinion, of that he was sure. "Of course my lord."
"Here are some new clothes. Don't get them dirty, because I will not get you new ones."
Rei nodded and turned his back to Kai as he peered at his new clothes- they consisted of black, billowing pants and a loose white shirt with Kai's crest embroidered onto the sleeve. Rei had always been intrigued by Kai's crest- it was a magnificent red phoenix which was surrounded by a ring of fire. His own crest was a white tiger with burning green eyes.
He heard a suppressed gasp behind him and then a cold hand press against his back.
"My lord? What's the matter?" Rei asked, turning around.
"You tried to escape." Kai's voice was matter of fact, almost cold, but the hand that stroked Rei's back was gentle.
"Yes, my lord." Rei replied truthfully. The wounds on his back still stung painfully. "Your grandfather had me whipped."
"Ah. Well there's a reason for disliking him." Kai smirked, and pulled back his hand, immediately missing the feel of the silky skin under his fingers. "My method of teaching a servant their place is much more painful. So don't even think about trying to run away."
Rei nodded dumbly, not daring to say a word. His method was even worse than Voltaire's? That couldn't be good.
Kai left the room, after shooting a last quick glance at Rei who was starting to pull on his clothes, the towel still tightly wrapped around his waist.
The neko jin felt tears sting his eyes. He was never going to be able to return home, not now. Kai wasn't going to let him out of his sight, especially since he was the bluenette's personal servant. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he tried to escape again, and there was no way that the White Tigers could know where he was...
The door suddenly swung open, and a boy around his age, perhaps a few years older, with flaming red hair and ice blue eyes walked in.
"Kai-" he broke off and fixed Rei with a suspicious glare. "What are you doing in here, slave?"
I'm a servant now, Rei wanted to snap, but bit his tongue and bowed submissively. "Lord Kai just gave me my new uniform, my lord." he presumed that the stranger was a lord, judging by the fineness of his clothes and the jewels that shone brightly on his fingers. "He ordered me to get dressed here." he paused then quickly added "Lord Kai is in his office."
The redhead snorted. "Typical. That idiot is always working."
Rei chuckled softly. "May I get you anything, my lord?"
The boy shook his head. "Just tell Kai that Tala's here. And tell him to get his ass over to me immediately."
The black haired boy's eyes widened at Tala's language, before he remembered his place and nodded hastily. "Of course, my lord." (a/n: this is set when swearing as considered extremely rude)
"Good." Tala looked him over and smirked, obviously liking what he saw. "And tell Kai that I like his taste."
The blue eyed boy's smirk grew wider- if that was possible- and he left the room. Rei stared after him, not sure what to make of the stranger. What did he mean?
And tell Kai that I like his taste... what taste? Rei frowned, confused. He shrugged and pulled on his pants, before entering Kai's office.
"My lord?" he asked, after watching the crimson eyed boy frown deeply over a piece of paper for a while.
"What?" he glanced up at Rei, and his expression seemed to soften. "Is it urgent?"
Rei smiled. "I was asked to tell you that Lord Tala is here, and that he wishes for you to -er- see him immediately."
Kai chuckled. "I bet that wasn't exactly what he told you. Did he say anything else?"
"Um, yes, he also said that he likes your taste." Rei watched, interested, as Kai's face darkened and he gave a low growl of anger.
"Did he say anything else? Did he do anything?"
"Um.. no, my lord."
"Good." Kai stood up and walked quickly to the door. He hesitated before exiting the room. "Rei? Remember that you obey only me. If anyone, and I mean anyone wants you to do something that you don't like, or don't wish to do, then you may deny their wishes. As long as it's something extremely important, though."
Rei nodded, wondering at the seriousness of his tone. He returned to Kai's- and now his as well- rooms, wondering what he should do.
Finally he decided to have a small nap. He laid down on the rug that was right next to Kai's four poster bed, and curled himself into a small ball. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
The next chapter will take me a bit longer to write, I'm sorry- but school calls (unfortunately) and I have so many projects and stuff to do... sigh please read and review!!!! And no flames please.
Me is in shock...
Is it possible to get that many review for 2 chapters?!?!?!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! XD
I can't reply to your reviews, unfortunately, cuz I'm stuck writing this in a place that doesn't have internet gasp of horror
I'll try to put this up as quickly as possible, and I'm sorry that it isn't as long as the other chapters- this one was harder to write than the others.
Just as a reminder- this IS a KaiRei fic, I'm just adding Tala in the mix for fun. He's just here to make Kai jealous evil chuckle
Warning: this is a yaoi fic, which means boy boy. Don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblades.
"..." – speech
'...' – thoughts
... - emphasis/ accent
Chapter 3
Kai stared at the prone figure in his arms, then at the mutilated mess that had been his grandfather.
Relief seemed to flood out of his every pore- he was gone.
His grandfather, Voltaire, who had haunted every second of his life, was finally dead. Kai looked again at the slave who had, in a sense, saved his life. Gratefulness flooded his senses, and Kai felt the sudden urge to kiss away the frown that marred Rei's beautiful face.
He shook himself, and reminded himself that emotions were weak, and unwanted. He was not a weakling.
Kai checked Rei's pulse, and was glad to find that the boy was fine, just probably in shock.
But now came the dilemna- how on earth was he going to explain Voltaire's death? Kai racked his mind, and decided to feed the corpse to the animals that he kept in his menagerie, and just say that Voltaire had left sometime during the night.
He smiled coldly, and stood up, cradling the unconscious neko jin in his strong arms.
Rei whimpered in his state of unconsciousness, and Kai hesitantly traced Rei's jawline with a long finger, revelling in the feel of the smooth, flawless skin under his touch.
Protectiveness coursed through his veins like fire, igniting a burning in his heart that Kai couldn't explain.
Surely he wasn't in lo- Kai shook his head. He had gone over this before. He was not in love. And that was the end of that.
He forced himself to pull his hand away from Rei's now peaceful face, and strode down the hall, and into the slave's quarters.
Unease rose in the blue haired boy when he saw the blood that stained the mouldy hay. Had Rei been injured by someone without Kai's knowing?
Kai peered around the room, and decided that the small, cell like room was no place for someone like Rei to stay. The slave could stay in his own quarters.
'For now, anyway', Kai thought hastily. 'No longer than a day. Or two.'
He walked to his own rooms, and placed Rei on his bed, and covered him with blankets, making sure that the raven haired boy was comfortable. Why was he so concerned for the slave's welfare anyway? He should be more concerned over getting rid of his grandfather's body.
Kai gave a sigh and reluctantly left the room, after shooting a final glance at the sleeping neko jin.
He returned to his study, and glared at the body on the ground as if he expected it to suddenly heal and rise again.
After a moment of silence, Kai fed the remainder of Voltaire to the carnivores that he kept in his menagerie, then returned to his office, and realised, for the first time in his life, he was free to do whatever he wished. He was able to have a lover, and it didn't matter what gender, or what class, but someone whom he genuinely loved, and nobody would be able to do anything about it.
He allowed himself a small smile, then started planning out what he was going to do first. First of all he was going to start peace talks- perhaps with the clans that were on the border between the Eastern and Forbidden lands. Then, perhaps, he could even negotiate a sort of peace treaty with the White Tiger clan.
Hours passed by as Kai planned everything out, to the tiniest detail. His concentration was finally shattered when there was the sound of a soft yawn came from behind him, and Kai whipped around, his reflexes reacting at once, his muscles tensing as they prepared for a fight.
Instead all he found was Rei standing at the doorway that was behind his desk, that connected his rooms and his study together. The neko jin's hair had somehow escaped the ribbon that usually tied it up, and his long black locks hung down his back. His half lidded, tired golden eyes peered curiously at him.
"You're awake." Kai's curt voice hid what he felt at the sight of the half asleep boy in front of him. "Took you long enough."
"My lord." Rei bowed his head respectfully.
He was inwardly buzzing with anxiety and curiosity- how in the seven realms did he end up in Kai's bed?? At least he presumed it was Kai's bed- no other room could be so highly and richly furnished. Something tugged at the back of his mind, something important... but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what had happened.
Kai paused, then asked "How are you feeling?"
Rei blinked, surprised. The seemingly cold lord was worried about him? He was worried over some unworthy slave?
"Fine, thank you, my lord." There was a twinge of pain in his shoulder, but he couldn't remember how he had hurt himself. Perhaps he had hit his shoulder before he had passed out. But why had he passed out? The more questions he asked, the more his head ached, and finally Rei decided that he would remember in his own time.
"That's good." Kai nodded shortly and tried to concentrate on his work. But he couldn't get his mind to focus on his work, and he was constantly aware of the presence of the neko jin at his back. "What are you waiting for, slave?"
Rei flinched at his uncaring tone. Perhaps Kai wasn't worried about him after all. "I- I..." he flushed when Kai raised one eyebrow mockingly. "What should I do, my lord?"
"Rest." A smirk tugged at Kai's lips, and Rei stared at him, puzzled, then bowed.
"Of course my lord." he started to walk out the other door, but a hand shot out and grabbed his arm, preventing him from going any further.
"No. In my room." Kai wondered whether he was pushing his luck when the other boy went a deep crimson and began to stammer out a protest.
Pushing his luck? Kai laughed inwardly. He was the lord of this castle, which meant that if he wanted, he could have Rei warm his bed at night. No- he had promised himself that he would never, ever do that to any of his servants. Or slaves, for that matter.
Unaware of the internal battle that was raging inside Kai, Rei approached the bluenette and knelt beside him.
"My lord?" he asked, surprise evident in his voice. He wished that he didn't sound so clueless, so naive, but the conversation was confusing him.
"You shall remain in my rooms from now on." Kai smiled kindly at the scared expression on the neko jin's face. "Relax. I'm not going to bite."
'But I might...' Rei thought, grinning inwardly. 'Not that I'd mind if he bit me...' he immediately pushed the thoughts out of his mind. Kai was a lord, and even though Rei was a prince, there was no way that he would be allowed to form a bond with Kai- their lands had been at war with each other for as long as Rei could remember.
Kai couldn't read any of the emotions that clouded the slave's golden orbs. He smirked and stood up, pulling the raven haired boy to his feet.
"Come." Kai started the short walk to his rooms through the back door, after glancing behind him to make sure that Rei was following him.
They entered Kai's rooms and Kai gestured at Rei to sit down. He did so, not sure of what to do or say in the presence of the silent, crimson eyed lord.
Kai was rumaging through his second room, which was linked to the room that Rei was in. When he came out again, he was carrying a towel and shampoo and conditioner.
"Here." seeing Rei's confusion, he carried on "Some bathing things. I presume that you do want to have a bath? Unless you want to go around smelling like something dead?"
"I do not smell like something dead!" Rei growled, surprising both him and Kai.
The blue haired boy raised an eyebrow inquisitively and laughed- a genuine, low baritone chuckle that seemed to fill the room.
Rei looked mortified. "I'm sorry, my lord! I didn't mean to-"
Kai placed a finger on his rose coloured lips, wondering at their softness.
'They must taste delicious...' Kai thought, somewhat dreamily. Rei immediately fell silent, hardly daring to breathe. Their gazes locked together, and Rei found himself drowning in crimson orbs, which spoke volumes of pain and -could it be?- love.
Kai suddenly pulled away, rather abruptly, and walked over to the other side of the room, refusing to meet Rei's prying golden eyes.
Disappointed, Rei looked down at his feet. He was disgusting, he was worthless- why else would Kai turn him away?
Rei stood up, and started to silently pad across the floor, thinking that Kai wouldn't want to remain in the same room as him.
He was surprised when Kai glanced at him and shook his head. "The bathroom is that way." the older boy gently pushed him into the small chamber and hung the towel up on a hook that was on the wall.
Kai pulled on a piece of rope that hung from the ceiling, and water flooded into the large, circular object that sat at the center of the room.
"How's your shoulder?"
"How did you know that my shoulder hurt?" Rei knew that he was probably in disrespectful, but he had to know- there were so many unanswered questions.
Kai had been wondering why Rei hadn't asked about Voltaire- and now he knew. The raven haired boy had forgotten all about his and Voltaire's fight. He reached out and swiftly slipped Rei's tunic off. He gently stroked the quickly healing wound on Rei's shoulder and made sure that it wasn't infected.
"Can't you remember what happened?"
Fear coursed through Rei, and suddenly it all came crashing back to him- Kai sleeping, Kai and Voltaire's argument, then him fighting with Kai's grandfather...
Frightened golden eyes turned to watch him warily, as if they expected him to give him a beating.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." Kai assured him, not sure why he felt so protective of the raven haired beauty. If it had been Takao, or that always happy jester, Max, then he wasn't sure how he would've reacted.
"D- did I kill him?" Rei asked fearfully, thinking back to how he had kept slashing at Voltaire's body. He was pretty sure that the older man was dead, but he just had to make sure.
"Who, Voltaire?" Kai raised an eyebrow, thinking about the remains of his grandfather. "Most definitely." He checked the wound again, then started to walk out of the chamber. "Take as long as you want. If the water starts to get cold, tell me."
Rei nodded mutely. The White Tigers didn't have any of this luxury- they had always bathed in rivers or lakes, always outside even if it was a cold day.
He looked around the chamber as if expecting something to leap out and attack him- there was no way that he could get away with killing Kai's grandfather without there being consequences.
He climbed into the scalding water, and quickly washed off all the grime that had collected on his body. It felt so good to be clean again!
Although Kai had said that he could take as long as he wanted, Rei didn't want to keep the blue haired lord waiting. He wondered vaguely how Kai had disposed of the body, and what he was going to say. Kai had said that he wasn't going to hurt him- but surely a Lord wouldn't protect a slave, especially when his own safety was in question?
Rei didn't know too much about the King of the Eastern Lands, but from all the tales that he had heard about King Ylie, he was someone who acted spontaneously. If he had heard that his closest advisor had been murdered, then surely he would kill Rei instantly? Or even Kai?
The neko jin shuddered and sank lower into the now lukewarm water. He had to stop thinking about Voltaire.
He climbed out of the bath, and wrapped a towel around his slender waist, before carefully opening the heavy wooden chamber door and padding softly into the room, where Kai was sitting on his bed, staring moodily off into the distance.
"My lord?" Rei winced at the squeakiness of his voice. He was not going to show his fear.
Kai whipped around, and a weight seemed to lift off his shoulders as soon as he saw the soaked boy.
"You've finished." it was a statement, and Rei wasn't sure how to reply. Kai saved him from the usual 'yes, my lord' by carrying on. "That's good. From now on you will be my personal servant."
Rei gasped and stared at him openly. So Kai wasn't going to punish him after all?
"You will receive three gold coins a year, and you will sleep in one of my other adjoining rooms. And Rei?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"You are not, in any way possible, to mention Voltaire. He will have disappeared, and that's all. You won't mention any arguments between my grandfather and I, and you certainly won't say that you killed him. Is that understood?"
Rei nodded swiftly. He was about to say something, then hesitated and gnawed at his bottom lip. He knew that he was probably going to be punished for this, but he had to ask anyway. "My lord... I- I wish to go home."
Kai stared at him, his heart beat quickening instantly. The slave was going to leave him... Rei didn't return any of his feelings! His frustration and anger at the fact that he- the ice prince, then cold hearted lord- was actually in love with someone, and they didn't return his love, was directed in the form of a venomous glare at Rei, who gave a tiny gulp and retreated a bit.
"No." he snapped sharply, and stood up. "Now get dressed."
Rei sighed- there would be no way to change Kai's opinion, of that he was sure. "Of course my lord."
"Here are some new clothes. Don't get them dirty, because I will not get you new ones."
Rei nodded and turned his back to Kai as he peered at his new clothes- they consisted of black, billowing pants and a loose white shirt with Kai's crest embroidered onto the sleeve. Rei had always been intrigued by Kai's crest- it was a magnificent red phoenix which was surrounded by a ring of fire. His own crest was a white tiger with burning green eyes.
He heard a suppressed gasp behind him and then a cold hand press against his back.
"My lord? What's the matter?" Rei asked, turning around.
"You tried to escape." Kai's voice was matter of fact, almost cold, but the hand that stroked Rei's back was gentle.
"Yes, my lord." Rei replied truthfully. The wounds on his back still stung painfully. "Your grandfather had me whipped."
"Ah. Well there's a reason for disliking him." Kai smirked, and pulled back his hand, immediately missing the feel of the silky skin under his fingers. "My method of teaching a servant their place is much more painful. So don't even think about trying to run away."
Rei nodded dumbly, not daring to say a word. His method was even worse than Voltaire's? That couldn't be good.
Kai left the room, after shooting a last quick glance at Rei who was starting to pull on his clothes, the towel still tightly wrapped around his waist.
The neko jin felt tears sting his eyes. He was never going to be able to return home, not now. Kai wasn't going to let him out of his sight, especially since he was the bluenette's personal servant. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he tried to escape again, and there was no way that the White Tigers could know where he was...
The door suddenly swung open, and a boy around his age, perhaps a few years older, with flaming red hair and ice blue eyes walked in.
"Kai-" he broke off and fixed Rei with a suspicious glare. "What are you doing in here, slave?"
I'm a servant now, Rei wanted to snap, but bit his tongue and bowed submissively. "Lord Kai just gave me my new uniform, my lord." he presumed that the stranger was a lord, judging by the fineness of his clothes and the jewels that shone brightly on his fingers. "He ordered me to get dressed here." he paused then quickly added "Lord Kai is in his office."
The redhead snorted. "Typical. That idiot is always working."
Rei chuckled softly. "May I get you anything, my lord?"
The boy shook his head. "Just tell Kai that Tala's here. And tell him to get his ass over to me immediately."
The black haired boy's eyes widened at Tala's language, before he remembered his place and nodded hastily. "Of course, my lord." (a/n: this is set when swearing as considered extremely rude)
"Good." Tala looked him over and smirked, obviously liking what he saw. "And tell Kai that I like his taste."
The blue eyed boy's smirk grew wider- if that was possible- and he left the room. Rei stared after him, not sure what to make of the stranger. What did he mean?
And tell Kai that I like his taste... what taste? Rei frowned, confused. He shrugged and pulled on his pants, before entering Kai's office.
"My lord?" he asked, after watching the crimson eyed boy frown deeply over a piece of paper for a while.
"What?" he glanced up at Rei, and his expression seemed to soften. "Is it urgent?"
Rei smiled. "I was asked to tell you that Lord Tala is here, and that he wishes for you to -er- see him immediately."
Kai chuckled. "I bet that wasn't exactly what he told you. Did he say anything else?"
"Um, yes, he also said that he likes your taste." Rei watched, interested, as Kai's face darkened and he gave a low growl of anger.
"Did he say anything else? Did he do anything?"
"Um.. no, my lord."
"Good." Kai stood up and walked quickly to the door. He hesitated before exiting the room. "Rei? Remember that you obey only me. If anyone, and I mean anyone wants you to do something that you don't like, or don't wish to do, then you may deny their wishes. As long as it's something extremely important, though."
Rei nodded, wondering at the seriousness of his tone. He returned to Kai's- and now his as well- rooms, wondering what he should do.
Finally he decided to have a small nap. He laid down on the rug that was right next to Kai's four poster bed, and curled himself into a small ball. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
The next chapter will take me a bit longer to write, I'm sorry- but school calls (unfortunately) and I have so many projects and stuff to do... sigh please read and review!!!! And no flames please.