A/N: Again many thanks to you, Devilinn, for beta-reading my fic!

Chapter Two

Unexpected Help

What happened the last time:

 "Kai..." Sister Go was still in the room and had seen the whole show. "What?!" snapped the slate haired at her fiercely and turned his head to her direction.

"Rei is deaf and dumb."

With big eyes Kai stared at Sister Go, at least for a short moment. Then after this he showed like always his frown, acting uninterested: "Ts, I don't mind if he's deaf and dumb." At the same time he appealed to her moving out of his room, what she did without another word.

Now he sat again alone in his naked room and clutched marked in his cover. He was between two alternatives: Either he sits in his seat searching for Rei and apologizing at him or he persevered further in this room and waits for the next molestation from one of those young nurses. And after all this, his pride was in his way too...

Pride: 'Pf, why should I apologize? Nobody could guess that the guy couldn't speak.'

Rationality: 'But you weren't really regardful, too. Besides he helped you find the way back to your room.'

Pride: 'Which I also had managed by myself. I'm not accountable to him.'

Rationality: ...

Suddenly somebody came in, whom Kai would never had guessed.

"HELLO SWEE~~~TIE!" 'Oh no...' It was the male nurse from before. "Go-chan told me in which room you would lie ^_____^ I'm fond of keeping you company ^o^ "

Pride: O_O Okay. Plan change. Just off!

With a sturdy swing Kai carried himself acrobatically into his wheel chair (Who said, he has a deficit with moving? ^-^ But I recommend not to imitate this ^^; ), while he took his medium-sized note book, set it in motion and rushed as fast as it was possible, out of his momentary abode passing this annoying 'man'. The pleased male nurse just grinned maliciously and set out to the next patient.

At this time Rei sat like before in the station for children and tried to easy down with sitting at the desk and painting with the kids. His feelings read of course in his face; that he wasn't intone to humour; that's why they didn't have silly pranks on him as a rule. "Reeiiii, what do ya think of my piiiic?" The same little girl, who gave him an image before, showed him again another one from her bed. "Ah, right! ^o^ " She took a coloured ball (*dingding* who noticed it in the first chapter XD ) beside her and threw it in his direction.

All of the children knew that Rei could pay them his attention, if they called his attention to them. And this was done with throwing a ball or a pillow, which the Chinese evermore took back to them. This way didn't change till now. It's true that he wasn't able to hear, but his perceptive faculty was in return for it so much better. So he noticed through the vibration on the floor and from the eye corner, that his presence was in demand.

"That's the secret."

Also at this time Kai found the children ward and was right there to solve the riddle of the bounce of the ball. Forthwith he snatched one of them which rolled over to him, watched it contemplative and imitated the shortest in their doing. He threw it. And in addition to this also systematic at Rei's head. The other one looked over his left shoulder and smiled sweat dropped stroking over the spot with his right hand where the ball did hit him. This smile didn't stay for long though, when the raven haired caught sight of Kai. All the eyes of the children where now lifted up to both boys and gazed at them curiously, which was somehow unpleasant for Rei. Something tugged at his shirt and made him turn his head again in the other way. "Reeeiiii, who is thaaat? *looks questioningly*" Well, this made him kind of speechless (filthy, I know ). But this didn't stay for very long. Then suddenly behind him he was pulled by his pony tail, so that he was stumbling backwards and was falling lateral into Kai's lap.

"Hn." uttered this one and wheeled with the nonplused Rei out of the room, who wanted to stand up from his lap if the Russian didn't hinder him doing this with seizing his arm. "Stay there." hissed he annoyed, even if he knew, Rei couldn't hear him at all. The neko-jin wasn't indeed dull to understand what Kai expected from him. Thus the Chinese remained on his lap, although it was pretty embarrassing to be driven around this area, because every eye was turned to them. He also realized that Kai ignored the gaze which was somehow admirable. Someone, who didn't care of other's opinion, had to have much self-confidence.

Properly he should be still mad at Kai, but his wrath seemed to be evaporated.

After short time Kai stopped in front of the exit of the hospital, where the nice green park was too, in which Rei had gone to look for him earlier. He motioned him with a nod to set down from his lap and to follow him on his own feet, which the other teen did without any contradictions (...).

In the park there was a table with a chiseled chessboard on it, at which Kai made a halt, stood up shakily and dropped himself on one of those stone blocks. At least he had yet the strength in his arms to rise to his feet.

Rei couldn't help but had to cast a side glance at his muscles and eye them. He was interrupted, when Kai abruptly took his note book and two pens out spreading them on the table. Amazed Rei watched him how he opened the note block, took a pen, wrote something on it and passed him at that the other pen. Hesitatingly the neko-jin received it and read the hand-written on the paper.

Kai: Can you read this?

At first Rei lop-sided his head, asked himself, what the whole thing should mean, but nodded then in confirmation. With a hand move Kai pointed on the paper and Rei started slowly to write.

Rei: What's with you? You surely noticed the fact, that I can read from your lips.

Kai: "Hn." I'm not a talkative guy. Besides it's just fair for you.

Rei: =oO=...=ò_ó= You don't have to have pity for me! I don't need any compassion!

Kai: *glare* Who says that I pity you? I feel silly if I speak alone before you.

Rei: *goingmad* Ah yes? Do you think its fun for me not to be able to speak?!?

Rei jumped up angrily from his seat with clenched fists banging on the table, threw the pen aside and would have escaped quickly from Kai had the Russian not grip his arm. The Chinese cast him a cross glare demanding him dumbly to let his arm go, but a concerned glare Kai was a match for him if not better. And he didn't allow him to tear himself away from him. Then Kai had to settle this with something he had never done before in his whole life. First he hesitated, got hardly his mouth open, but then he managed the impossible.

"I'm sorry."

It was faint, barely audible, but sufficient so that Rei could read it from his lips.

Till now he didn't know Kai not yet one day, though he knew that this wasn't one of his habits: to apologize.

It was certainly very hard to contrive those words over his lips. Besides it seemed that Kai didn't want to attack him with his words. Rather to approach him. Even though he never would admit this. And this made Rei grin.

When Kai loosened his grip on his arm, Rei scratched his head embarrassed and sat down simply before him with crossed legs on the ground. Then he pressed both hands together, compressed his eyes like this - == and begged with this gesture Kai's pardon. He knew for sure, that Kai couldn't know at the beginning, that he's deaf and dumb. He was just too stubborn to avow this.

The slate haired only turned his head aside, what should mean, that he accepted his excuse. Rei was so glad about this that he tousled his hair wildly and grinned as if he had eaten a banana transverse.

Then he started to prick his ears. No, he heard nothing! ^^; It was more like a reflex, then he sensed the vibrations of low pattering (or rather trampling), which Kai heard coming near with tearing tempo. Rei knew too well, what was coming up to them. The reason why he jumped onto his feet and whirled to the side, only to be...

"REIIIII!!!! 0 "

Bowled over by a pink haired something. It really blew his breath out of his chest, which he was used to though -,-;; The girl, now Kai had found out, sat now on Rei's belly and put his head in both of her hands, therewith he only looked at *her* and began apparently to tell him her half life story:

"ReiiiIwassoworried!Wherewereyou?!I'vemissedyousoooomuch!!!Doyouknowwhathappened?!?Maxsaid,thatTysonshouldhavesaid,thatGo-chantoldthem,thatapatientbrokeoutofhisroom,althoughhewasn'tallowedtodothis!Couldyoubelievethis,Rei?!?Thispersonmustbesuuuuuuchapig-headedfellow,whenheevenresistedGo-chan'sorders! "

It seemed that someone had blabbed out what had to do with Kai's 'escape', considering a certain male nurse ^^; 'Rei could be glad, that he didn't *hear* all this stuff,' thought the Russian for himself in this moment. Such a flood of words was beyond of endurance! And this 'something'? Did the Chinese know?(!) In any case it was visible to Rei, that it wasn't easy for him to read on her lips - =@___@=

"Hey, you, who can't distinguish between commas and full stop." Kai addressed her coolly and looked down to her in a way devaluating. The spoken one looked up to him and met unexpectedly the iciest glare she'd ever seen in her full 16 years. Coldness, rejection and disdain were to be seen and ran through her like a blood-curdling shudder, made her back away, down from Rei's belly and staring at Kai. It could be seen at her, that she was scared like a skittish animal which obeyed his mute master. Rei was very confused of this, for he couldn't get it as Kai spoke to her. Only when he touched her at her arm, she woke up out of her shocked condition and couldn't help but scowl venomously and distrustfully at Kai.

"Who do you think you are?!" she scolded to him impetuously and showed him her teeth.

Rei's eye brows knitted at her outburst, his eyes narrowed into slits. He didn't know what was wrong with her but he knew that she felt threatened by Kai. Probably her instinct for protecting the neko-jin did call her again in order that nobody may hurt him in any way.

Slowly the anger rose in him again. Compassion was the last thing he expected from someone. Why must everyone defend him when he's able to do this by himself...

With the right hand he turned her face to him and formed with his lips her name.

'Aha. So this woman is called Mariah.' Kai recognized and drew unconcerned his face away from both. He hadn't to see such a tear-jerker scene.

"But...but Rei! I just wanted to...okay. Yeah, I've understood. Yes, I do!" This was everything what Kai heard when he slowly set himself in his wheel chair again. 'Now they'll kiss for reconciliation and everything was in a good order again. God, I'm sick of this.' With a powerful push his vehicle got underway and moved as fast as possible away from either one. His target was his room anew, the only place, where he wasn't confronted with such things and where he was alone for himself...

In a train of thoughts he went crunchily over the gravel way over the ramp into the entrance hall, where many excited people were running up and down like a horde of chickens. But this was not his business The only thing he yearned for now, was his bed and a locked room for blocking every kind of disturbance. Unfortunately right this moment Rei appeared in front of his feet squatting on the floor and made Kai stop abruptly before the hospital kiosk. The neko-jin smiled as though a happy event has happened and held his note book, which he left in the park in both hands; on it could be read:

Why did you go? =^o^=

'Why did he follow me? Didn't he have something better to do than going on my nerves?' "Leave me alone!" he responded brusquely and passed Rei. The former drew on the next page a big question-mark and held it beside his questioning face while he went along next to Kai and followed him at every turn. Kai made a halt again, looked steadily into Rei's orbs and shouted barely too loud:

"DON'T YOU SAVVY THIS?!? GET LOST!!!"

And with these last words he disappeared into the next lift and left Rei standing bewildered in the corridor, where the other patients and nurses were staring at him shaken and debated dismayed at what a incomprehensible behaviour the boy in the wheel chair had.

Rei wasn't clued up. He couldn't absolutely understand it, why Kai was so mad. He only discovered in his eyes a touch of disappointment and this was the inexplicable thing for him. Disappointed cause of what?

Head-shaking he took another elevator and pushed the 5, the storey, where Kai's room also was. He somehow had doted on this boy and he stuck to his guns as long as he found out, why he wasn't open up to other person.

When he reached the fifth floor, he trudged good-humoured to the room of the slate haired, whose door was wide open and made him think: 'Why did he let his door open?' Carefully he peeked in and found a picture of...

~*~*~ "I might put an end here, ne"

Tyson: "You won't! *menaces with a baseball bat*" " O=O! Okay, okay, I go on!" ~*~*~

...a picture of comedy before his eyes. Kai sat there his left hand was fettered at the bed frame with a handcuff while the other one tried to repulse the attacks of a crazy male nurse and a spoon full of rice-pudding. Of course something of it missed the mark, what was seen on his bed as well as in his face, which was all over smeared with this adhesive stuff mixing up unsuspecting with his blue paintings. "Ah, come on my sugar babe. Please be good and eat your pap. We do want to regain your health, do we?" "I'm for damn not your SUGAR BABE! Beat it with your shitty pap and leave me alone!"

It amused the male nurse obviously to put Kai's monkey up and he wasn't the only one who had fun. Also Rei tried to suppress his mute laughter, but waved to them making them get to know that they weren't quite alone.

"Ah! Hullo Rei~~~!" yelled our gay friend joyfully and waved back to the Chinese, keeping hardly on his feet. Perplexed Kai span his head in his direction, quiiiite blushing, what was yet a mistake, then quick! "Got you, rascal!" a spoon full of rice-pudding was crammed into his open mouth. Out of reflex he swallowed this morsel and cast a death glare á la Kai to the male nurse, noticed also Rei being already on the floor, splitting his sides with laughter. Properly it's nice to see him like that when it 1. Wasn't without a sound and 2. he wasn't amusing about him and his startled face. "Get out of my room! You can thrust the squash elsewhere!" hissed he furiously, which made the male nurse leapt up quickly. "Hatata, we are really moody today!" he tripped out of the room with a fleeting eye wink to Rei, who in the meantime came down from his fit of laughter.

Now silence was back again and both of them didn't know what to do or to 'say'. Kai looked down at himself and found a pretty mess before him. All over rice-pudding blobs, at his shirt and on his fresh made cover. "This *nurse* had nothing better to do than to splash me from top to bottom!" Kai even didn't perceive that he still tolerated Rei at his place, although he had said that he wanted nobody near him. (I think he simply missed this fact ^.~ ) In any case he took off his shirt head foremost, cleaned with it his face, removed unintentionally his paintings at the same time and laid his bare upper part of his body open. Rei had to swallow hard at this sight, never saw before someone in his age that muscular like his vis-á-vis. Besides he saw Kai without his blue triangles in his face, which made him immediately somehow...vulnerable.

Also the small scars on upper arm and shoulder weren't unseen though. Concerned the Chinese walked over to him and stroke briefly over one at his left shoulder, which called Kai's attention for sure. Like being struck by lightning he gave his hand a slap and glared at him fiercely letting the neko-jin shiver inwardly for a short moment. He was aware now, what Mariah meant before when she told him feeling at Kai's side a certain coldness. But Rei wouldn't be Rei, if he wouldn't deal with it. With this he took the note book and wrote something on it without looking up to Kai. Then he gave him it back and went out to fetch some fresh bedding. He himself could also make the bed ^^

The Russian inspected the paper with the only sentence, which Rei passed him and read the following:

I will not hurt you.

It took a bit of time looking at the piece of paper, his face covered with doubt. Who could ascertain him that Rei didn't also belong to those who wanted to take advantage of him, to rid oneself of his strengths and then to throw him away like commodity, which you could always re-use? For years everybody demanded from him to work at himself for becoming later as heir the family's pride. What pride! Why should he care when he was deprived of his liberty? And Rei wasn't any different than the others. He certainly didn't to creep into friendship only to drop him at the end. Kai learned it in this way. Friendship just served to hurt other people, first in lulling oneself into security; then disemboweling him and subsequently running him down.

And this kind of trust Kai didn't want to bring up. At least he thought this till he met Rei. Now he was rattled, ranged from yes to no, though one foot was on the side of no. "Everybody can kiss my ass." muttered he in a huffish tone, didn't sense when someone stood at the door and knocked hard three times on the ground with a walking-stick. "If you think so, then I should disabuse you!" It was really his grandfather, who went up to him with thundering footsteps and swung his stick to strike out.

...

To be continued

A/N: Yeah! Finally a cliffhanger!!! XD *smirk* Those who want this to be continued only give me a review ^o^