Standard D/C applies.
A/N: Wow guys! This is great! I never expected to have so many reviews already. I mean, 30 reviews for 3 chapters? That's 10 reviews per chapter! Thank you so much everyone, this is great. -
Sorry for the lateness of the chapter. No excuses, so I won't give you any. I did however make this chapter a little longer then all the rest. So, read on.
:::::SHAMELESS PLUG::::::
GO READ "Never Gonna Work" under my penname. I COMMAND YOU! LoL, Jokes.
And, memo to Raku Ozzarian princess:
(I hope I spelled your name correctly)
I WANT TO READ MORE OF 'HEAT'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ::has an apoplexy::
Summary: [KaiRei, Rei-centric] Just after the world championships, the Bladebreakers are headed back to their homes when out of the blue, they're all called to China for some strange tournament. Unknowingly, the group sets themselves up to learn more about each other and their lives before the Bladebreakers. ::SURPRISE COUPLE in chapter 4…:: (Don't kill me, please…)
in this chapter there is an interesting take of mine on First Nation ceremonies. It takes the little I know about First Nation's people and applies it to a traditional neko-jin ceremony that I created.
Segreti Di Il Nostro
Rei sighed as his sensitive ears alerted him of day breaking over the horizon. Birds twittered noisily, grating on the neko-jin's nerves. Opening his eyes, Rei stared up at the ceiling over his head. Tonight was the Kshkin'ah opening ceremonies… and the BladeBreakers were going to witness it all.
It was pretty clear how the neko-jin felt on the subject… and to say he was pleased would have been a massive over statement. He really didn't want his team to witness such a sacred event as what was going to happen tonight.
A soft sigh of frustration escaped his lips as he turned his head to face the door. Groaning, the raven-haired fighter sat up and slipped out of bed. Hurriedly, he tied up his hair at the nape of his neck and walked out of the room, mentally beginning to prepare himself for the evening to come.
XxXxX
Max grinned.
"Guys! This is SO COOL!" the hyper blonde exclaimed, bouncing slightly in the seat of the mini van he and his team were riding in. Tyson grinned at him while Kenny just rolled his eyes. Kai was his usual self, quiet and broody, as the group drove to the secluded area where the Kshkin'ah opening ceremonies where to be held.
"Max, we understand that you're excited. But if you, or anyone on this team for that matter disrupts the ceremony, there is a very likely chance that we will not be permitted to watch the actual tournament," Kenny chided, and strangely enough, Max immediately stilled, the only indication of his previous excitement being the nervous tapping of his fingers against his leg.
Kai sighed softly as he crossed his arms over his chest. He would be loathe to say it, but the constant chatter of his teammates was surprisingly soothing. Thus was the case why he managed to fall into a light snooze. It wasn't long however when he was roused by Tyson's voice.
"We're there!" the blue haired teen declared happily. Kai opened his eyes to find that yes indeed, they were there. A soft groan escaped his lips as he got out of his seat, to find himself staring into the dense woods. The darkened sky hung solemnly above him and he couldn't help but wonder why this event had to happen at night. Looking up at the stars, he found he didn't care, and mindlessly followed his team to where ever this ceremony was to be held.
XxXxX
Rei sighed as he looked over at his friend and fellow warrior. Li just grinned wolfishly at him and waved a gesturing hand towards the clearing.
"They may as well find out sooner then later. I know you're worried, but Rei, we're being bonded tonight! Don't tell me that you're feeling lousy on the best possible night of a neko-jin warrior's life! Come on! Hell you might even get bonded to one of your teammates. Wouldn't that be something!" Li exclaimed. Rei offered his soul brother a weak smile.
"You know what I'm like Li. I don't want any of them to see that in me. I wanted to protect them from the white tiger. I can't do that now. Plus there IS the chance that I might get bonded to one of my teammates! I don't want to burden any of them with that!" Rei declared, running a hand through his loose hair. Li just rolled his eyes.
"Rei, you know what the elders say. Your bond is chosen by fate. You have no say in it," Li stated, rolling his eyes at his friend. Rei glared at him in annoyance before rolling his eyes.
"Whatever."
XxXxX
Kai stared at the small bonfire in the center of the semi-circle of logs that had been created for the ceremony. His gaze lingered on the dancing flames that leapt and pranced among the darkness of the night. Tyson sat on his right, staring with equal fervor at the flames, Max on the Dragoon's partners own right, his gaze subdued. Somehow, the blonde got the feeling that something big was going to happen to him tonight, and he couldn't tell what. Kenny sat on Kai's left and was busily tapping away at Dizzi who had thankfully chosen to remain otherwise silent.
The beating of ceremonial drums suddenly started to pound and Kenny snapped his laptop shut as the ceremony began.
An elder stepped out into the semi-circle of spectators. He was directly across from Kai, who gazed at him though the flames. Many from the neko-jin village were there, and many were looking at Kai in amusement. It was then that the elder chose to speak, his voice still engaging after many long years.
"Millennia ago, a time before man, a time before neko-jin, there were gods and goddesses roaming the land. They lived in a world of peace, calm and solitude. These beings each hard a guardian spirit, one more powerful then the next. The guardians, are now what we today call our bit beasts.
"The world, as was said, was calm, beautiful. There was an abundance of natural beauty, in the fields and valleys, in the lakes and rivers, in the glorious crystalline sky. The people were happy, in love with the beauty of the earth. Until that first drop of blood fell.
"There was war. There was hatred. The people fought one another, their spirits dueling other spirits until there was one.
"This one was the creator of man and neko-jin alike. He ruled with a fair hand, but was stern in his teaching. Eventually, both the creator, and his favorite species, man, forgot their neko-jin brothers, and the world went on, growing to what it is today.
"Let us remember why Kshkin'ah is so important. For us, it signifies the unity of our ancestors spirits with our own, and the blood that was spilled in order for our creation. Let it begin!" With the elder's last words, there was an explosion of music, voices, screeches, howls, roars, and whinnies as neko-jin dressed in traditional garb leapt into the semi circle to dance around the pit of flames. The mood was joyous, and many of the spectators joined in the dance. The dance lasted for a long while before the drums began to beat less erratically, and a giant hush fell over the crowd, everyone taking a seat, either on the logs placed around or down on the ground, to stare in awe at the three figures now standing at the entrance of the semi-circle.
Kai watched carefully as the trio lined up, almost as if they were ranking themselves. The one in the center stood the closest to the fire, though his face was still shrouded in shadow. He was defiantly male though. The only thing he wore was a pair of loose, ceremonial black pants, and Kai could see the definite masculinity of the figures chest and over all shape. On the first figure's right, there stood another male, dressed in a similar fashion. However, this figure stood slightly behind the first, and his posture was one of that who was only second best. On the center figure's left, there stood another, who stood slightly behind that of the second figure. This one was defiantly female, as though she wore the same pants as the prior two, she also wore a tight black tank top that ended just above her navel. Upon closer inspection, Kai found that there were Chinese characters on each of the figures, on the right pectoral. Each of them were different, and Kai could not for the life of him figure out what they meant.
The drums suddenly picked up in speed and the female figure raced forward, leaping high over the bonfire before landing hard in a crouch, directly in front of Kai. Though her face was still shrouded in shadow, her features were more discernable and the Russian's eyes widened as he recognized the familiar pink hair. Mariah looked up at him and simply smirked before leaping up again and landing smack in front of the guy who was sitting on Kenny's left. She grinned at the young male neko-jin before proceeding to pull him out from his seat, wrap her arms around him, and begin to kiss him senseless. Kai couldn't help but smirk at that.
The drums continued to play at the previous pace and volume, even as the next figure stepped out of the shadows. Kai gaped at the familiar smug expression of Li as the neko-jin began to slowly dance around the edge of the circle, passing Kai with a smirk before stopping in front of none other then Max. The captain of the White Tigers grinned as he held out a hand to the blonde whom hesitantly took it and allowed himself to be pulled up. Li leaned down and whispered a few things in Max's ear, before quickly claiming the blonde's lips. Max's eyes widened, but he allowed himself to relax into the soft kiss, his eyes sliding shut.
Kai heard Tyson growl as the White Tiger captain kissed the blonde, and Kai found himself smirking. The little blonde seemed to actually be enjoying it, so there was nothing that the slate haired captain was going to say.
Drawing his attention away from the kissing pair, Kai turned to face the last of the figures. There was something telling him that when the next figure reveled himself, things were going to dramatically change.
The lone figure took a step forward. Kai found himself holding his breath as he waited for the light to be shed (both literally and figuratively) on who this mystery person was.
The figure however, seemed to have other ideas. Instead of stepping straight out into the light, he took a step sideways, carefully slipping into another shadow before placing another foot forwards. With this, step, the lower half of the neko-jin's face became visible, and Kai couldn't help but stare at the pair of fangs protruding from the neko's mouth. Raven black hair blew in the wind that had picked up during Li's little display, and Kai found himself speechless. Or rather, thoughtless, as he wasn't really talking anyway. The figure finally stepped out of the shadows, light sparkling in familiar yellow eyes, and he moved forward, his hair loose around him, as he made his way over to the head of the semi-circle.
Upon arrival, the figure glanced down at the three boys who were isolated from the rest of the spectators. A fond smile spread on Rei's lips as he viewed the dazed expressions that adorned his teammates faces until his eyes riveted onto Kai. Slowly, and very, very deliberately, Rei reached his hand forward, palm up, an offering to his captain to join him.
Kai gazed upon Rei's expression before slowly, and just as deliberately placing his hand in Rei's and allowing his neko-jin teammate to pull him up, their eyes still glued together. Time seemed to stand still as Rei tilted his head slightly and leaned forward, before his lips gently fell onto Kai's.
As the pair's lips fused together, the drums began to speed up, and a new level of intricacy was added to the dimension as the three pairs kissed in the glow of the burning flames. The steady pounding of the drums gradually became an erratic, chaotic pulsing mess, with no real rhythm as the pairs in the center kissed. Then, in perfect unison, the drums stopped, and Rei, Li and Mariah all threw their heads back, breaking their respective kisses.
And they roared.
The sound was powerful, exciting, and even frightening. The rest of the spectators used this as their cue to cheer, or roar along with them, as the three neko-jin's took their partners by the hand, and led them from the circle, off into the night.
Then the party began.
XxXxX
Kai let himself be led by the neko-jin and was surprised to find that Rei was taking him to a small tent set up on the outskirts of the clearing. Looking briefly around, he saw two similar tents set up beside the one Rei was leading him to.
"Where are we going?" Kai asked, his voice quiet in the roar of the celebration behind them. Rei paused and faced Kai.
"We're going to the middle tent to close the ceremony we started back in the log circle," Rei explained, before moving again, pulling Kai along with him. Kai allowed himself to be pulled, curiosity getting the better of him.
Stopping just as they reached the flap that served as the door to the little hut, Rei glanced over at Kai.
"You're going to have to take off your shirt," the neko-jin stated. Kai raised an eyebrow at this comment, but deftly stripped off his shirt as he followed Rei inside, tossing the shirt just outside the door.
The interior of the tent was lit with an array of torches of varying height, and Kai looked around, only to find Rei taking his place on one of the two cushions in the middle of the tent. Rei sat down, kneeling on his legs and closed his eyes, his whole body suddenly relaxing. Kai assumed the same position on the cushions opposite of his teammate and too closed his eyes. A soft pad of footsteps sounded, but all Kai was concentrating on was the sound of Rei's breathing, and how it seemed to be the perfect counter point to his own.
A soft voice began chanting in Chinese, the lyrical smoothness of the tone relaxing Kai even further. Opening his eyes slightly, he faced Rei, who was kneeling in front of him, a little jar of black ink in his hand as well as a small brush.
Kai had to bite back a groan when saw Rei dip the brush in the ink before the young neko-jin ran the brush over one of his pectorals, placing a mark that was identical to the kitten's own there. Looking the phoenix in the eyes, Rei gently turned Kai's head to the left, placing the same mark on Kai's right cheek. It was then that Kai noticed that Rei bore even more markings, on his arms and brow that looked similar to the ones that Rei was putting on Kai.
The voice suddenly stilled as Rei sat back, his eyes still glued on to Kai's. The younger teen was the first to break eye contact, and his gaze fell on to Kai's neck. The Russian couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine at the intensity of Rei's eyes, and found himself vaguely wondering just what this would mean in the future as the smooth voice started speaking again and Rei leaned close to Kai.
Kai felt himself suck in a sharp breath as he felt Rei's lips gently brush along the skin of his neck. The voice in the background began to speak now with more passion as Rei's lips gently descended again on Kai's neck this time lingering there. Kai found he couldn't move, his eyes riveted to the spot on the wall just above Rei's shoulder.
Suddenly, without warning, Kai felt Rei's fangs drive deep into his neck, and he surged upwards, a pained cry escaping his lips as his head fell back. Rei's arms encircled the Russian teen, and Kai found he couldn't move, even if he wanted to as Rei held him close enough so that their torsos were flush against one another. Closing his eyes, Kai found himself drawn to the sensation of the pull of blood from his veins as Rei suckled softly at his neck.
"And it shall be done," Kai heard whispered in his head as Rei drew away. Blinking, Kai looked deep into concerned yellow eyes, as his ragged breath began to even out.
"I'm sorry," the Russian heard, before he slumped against his teammate and fell into the awaiting darkness, knowing he would be safe in the arms of his friend.
0000
ACK! ::hides from all the rabid Tyson/Max shippers:: DON'T KILL ME!!!!! That part with Max and Li seemed to just write itself. T-T''''''' And also, Mariah isn't going to be a total bitch! She's interesting to me, and I don't like to bash any characters, so unfortunately for some of you, there will be no Mariah bashing in this story.
Everything will be explained in the next chapter. Later days! ggj