A Beyblade Fic
By Sakin
A/N1: I've changed ONE sentence of the story. I just couldn't leave it alone, it was eating my brain. Actually, I have added in a whole new scene, just to make things interesting.
A/N2: Revised, rewritten and re-mastered.
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, or the Neko-jin, or the russian, or the hospitals in Tokyo and Hong Kong, but the plot, Min Li, Riku (Which is spelt Riku with only ONE 'k') Keira and GAIA are all mine!
Chapter 7: 'No Holding Back'
(In Hong Kong, Keira's apartment, early morning, two weeks after Ray and Co have left…)
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"How long has this been going on?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me, Gaia. I saw you. I saw what you were doing in there."
"I wasn't doing anything!"
The two girls were in Gaia's room, and Keira was looking down at her while she was sitting up in her ruffled bed, having had no time to straighten it before Keira had come rushing into her room. Now Gaia's cheeks burned with shame.
"How could you?! Would you have continued to hide it if I hadn't found out?! Would you have lied to me… to Rei?!"
"NO! No… I swear it's not what it looks like!"
"Haven't heard that one before."
"Keira! Keira, please… please don't tell Rei. Please…"
"And why not?"
"Because he'll take it all the wrong way… and I don't want to hurt him. Please!"
Keira looked at her old friend.
"Fine. But if you don't do as I say, then…"
Gaia gasped. "Are you BLACKMAILING me?!"
"Looks like it."
(Earlier this morning…)
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Gaia had woken up a little earlier this morning, and was standing in front of the mirror, feeling a little cold.
That's when it began again.
The coughing.
By the time Keira had come in, woken up by all the racket, she found a bleeding Gaia on her bed having some sort of coughing fit. There was blood all over the place, and Keira had helped her friend up, both of them scared of what was happening to them.
"How long has this been going on?" Keira had said, shouting.
And Gaia had meekly taken the berating, knowing that it was all a disguise to cover up that she was worried about her.
(Present…)
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"I have to take you to the hospital."
"NO!" Gaia stood up quickly, but then she felt suddenly dizzy, and fell back on her bed, her head spinning painfully.
"What's wrong?" Keira was instantly by her side, but Gaia waved her away, assuring her she was alright.
Keira nevertheless called for an ambulance, and when Gaia tried to make her stop, she was seized by another coughing-fit, and she quickly abandoned the phone to help the other girl.
Shortly the ambulance arrived, and Gaia was taken aboard, no matter how loudly she shouted that she didn't want to go.
(Tokyo, Tyson's grandpa's house/dojo…)
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"Hey, Kai, my man! There's a little mama on the ring-a-ding for ya, says its pretty darn ur-gent!" Tyson's grandpa announced in his strange way.
Kai looked up, wondering who the hell would call HIM. He got up, and slowly went over to the phone. His heart was skipping beats all the while.
"Yeah?"
"Um, is that Kai Hiwatari?"
(It's not her.) "Yeah, what is it?"
"There's a girl here in Chiang Fu Memorial Hospital, Hong Kong, that has been admitted into the Casualty-Unit, and she has named you as her closest living relative. You are in Tokyo right now, yes?"
"Yes, but who is she?" (Please don't let it be her, please…)
"I'm sorry. She didn't say. She just told me to tell you that she needed to see you ASAP, 'no matter what Voltaire said'. Anyway, when is the soonest you can get here? How old are you?"
"I'm 17. I'll try to get there as soon as I can."
The nurse sounded relieved. "Well, I'll write a note to the receptionist, and all you have to do is show up and tell her your name, okay?"
"Yeah, okay. Uh, thanks."
"You're welcome."
Kai looked at the floor, and frowned. He ran his hand through his hair, and sighed. Who could possibly want him that was in Hong Kong? Who, other than Mai Li?
(Chiang Fu Memorial, Hong Kong, late evening two days later…)
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"What's wrong with me, doctor?"
Gaia had undergone lots of tests and needles, and had been up and down the ward all day. Now the doctor stood in front of her, studying what looked like an X-ray and hmm-ing importantly.
"Doctor?"
The doctor glanced at her, and sighed.
"There's a cystic buildup of defective cell tissue near the middle of your spine, i.e. the area inside and around your liver and small intestine."
Gaia blinked.
"What it means, is that there is a tumor inside your liver that consists of cancer-cells, and it's too far gone to remove." The doctor looked like he was finding something difficult to say. Gaia felt an ominous premonition about what would come next.
"I'm sorry. Maybe you have three to two years left. There is nothing we can do except ease your pain."
Gaia looked at the doctor, feeling numb. "No…"
"I'm sorry."
The doctor made his escape, and Gaia stared at the spot where he had stood. She was dying. She was dying…!
Gaia looked out of the window above her bed, and sighed. She looked at the perfectly blue, cloudless sky; at the trees with their green leaves swishing and waving mockingly above her head; to the carefree birds swooping in the sky. She felt like the entirety of Creation was making fun of her, laughing at her diseased, dying body. Tears came to her yes, and Gaia found herself wishing that Rei was here for her. She lay back, and tried to go to sleep.
She'd call him up tomorrow.
(Tokyo General Airport, two days after Kai has received his phone-call…)
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"You shouldn't have lied all the same."
"Give me a break, Rei, I don't feel like explaining to everyone."
Kai and Rei were BOTH headed for China. Rei was going home at last, and Kai was going for reasons of his own. But it got to him that Kai had lied to Mr. Dickinson of all people about where he was going. He had said that he just wanted to say bye to Rei!
"You know I'm no angel, and besides, it's not up to Mr. Dickinson where I go."
"So where are you going then?" Rei challenged him. Kai looked at him, then looked away.
"It's none of your business, Rei!"
Rei watched him storm off to another seat farther away from him. Why did Kai like to be so difficult? Rei sank down into some chairs that stood behind him, and sighed.
(Why are you so pig-headed, Kai? Can't you see I'm just trying to help?)
Kai glared at the back of Rei's head, his mouth a small, tight line of anger. (Bloody Neko-jin. Stay out of this.)
(What's he competing for, Ice-Queen-Of-The-Century?)
(Can he not keep himself to himself?)
(Stupid fool WILL tell me what's wrong,) Rei sat up, determined to make Kai spill the beans;
(I will NEVER open my mouth, cat-boy,) Kai turned around in his seat to glare at Rei across the hall;
(If it's THE LAST-)
(-THING I DO!)
(Later, in Hong Kong…)
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[BBBRIING!!!]
"Hello?"
"REI?"
"Gaia! Hi! What's up?"
Rei had just gotten off the plane with Kai, and they were waiting for a coach in the bus-terminal. In the meantime, he'd called Keira's mobile phone, as the house-phone didn't seem to be working at the moment. He knew that Gaia usually borrowed it from her friend, and luckily for him Keira had left it at the hospital just a few hours earlier.
Gaia had gotten a nasty shock when the phone suddenly piped up, and had tapped each of the tiny buttons until she hit the 'Take Call' button. Completely by luck, too. Gaia WAS supposed to be back in Tiger River Village by now, like she had told Rei, but somehow it just hadn't happened.
"I… where are you?"
"I'm at the airport. Guess what, I'm coming home!"
"You're… you're in China?!"
"Yes. What's the matter? You don't sound too pleased."
"Oh, sorry, no, I AM pleased, it's just that…"
"Well?"
Rei heard her sighing. "I'm in hospital."
Kai watched his friend suddenly go pale, and frowned.
"What's up with you?"
"H-Hospital…?"
Gaia sounded like she was choking. "…Yeah…"
"(HOSPITAL?)" Kai echoed, and Rei looked at him, his face a total blank. "What the hell is she doing there?"
When he wouldn't answer, Kai took the phone off him and asked HER, instead.
"Oh, nothing, what's wrong with Rei? Why doesn't he want to talk to me?"
Kai sighed. "It's not that he DOESN'T want to talk to you; more like he can't. He's having a slight…" Kai glanced at him; "…Malfunction."
"Tell him I want him to come here, tell him to come to my hospital, Kai."
"I'll get him there, just where are you?"
"Chiang Fu Memorial. Get a cab, I don't think there's a bus that comes over here."
When he heard the name of the hospital, Kai could have sworn that this was indeed his lucky day. He could search for the person who wanted him without having to break his cover to Rei! Brilliant. Then he mentally slapped himself. How could he be smirking like this when Gaia was in hospital?!
"…Sorry – why are you in there, anyway…?"
Gaia sighed. "I can't… I can't tell you on the phone… too many people…"
"Alright. See ya there."
(Chiang Fu Memorial, reception, three hours later…)
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"Are you sure you will be fine? Sitting here all by yourself?"
"Hey, don't worry about me. I can manage."
Rei was having second thoughts about leaving Kai alone in a Chinese hospital, but Kai WANTED him to leave.
He looked uncertainly at his friend. "I don't know…"
Kai was getting impatient. "Just go, alright?! Gaia's waiting."
Rei sighed, his face looking gloomier than ever. Kai guessed what he was thinking, and touched his arm. "Whatever is wrong, you should go to her. She needs you right now, Rei."
"But… I can't help but feel a little…" he sighed, and shook his head.
"Thanks, anyway, Kai; I appreciate it. I'll… see you later."
Kai shrugged, and said: "See you later." He watched Rei walk off and waited for five minutes after he turned the corner, and skulked off to the nurse at the reception, feeling like a total hypocrite.
"Hey, I'm looking for a girl that's been admitted here."
The bored nurse hardly even spared him a glance. "Name…?"
"I don't know… but she asked for a Kai Hiwatari."
The nurse gave him a real long stare, which made him want to scream at her, but he controlled himself, and… eventually… she told him to go to the Casualty unit, room B112.
(Outside B112, ten minutes later…)
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(Right,) Kai thought, nervous;
(Here goes…)
When he saw the person lying in the bed, motionless, he gasped. It was unmistakably…
(Gaia's room…)
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Rei walked in, feeling very awkward. There was only one white bed in the room, and one chair for visitors. The window was open, and he slowly went over to close it. He wanted to avoid looking at her as long as possible.
"Don't close it. Please…"
Rei flinched at the sound of her voice.
(B112, at the same moment…)
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…It was unmistakably Mai Li. Kai edged closer, and saw that her face was turned away from him, towards the wall. He glanced at the monitor, which showed her heart's regular beating with a 'BEEP, BEEP'.
Kai sighed, relieved. It looked like she was deeply asleep. There were tubes going into her arms and chest, and he hoped that it wasn't serious. He really did.
(Gaia's room…)
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"You're here." Gaia sat up, and gave him a measuring look. Rei couldn't get himself to look at her, so he stared at the tiles on the floor instead. Even though there were no tubes or weird-looking fluids dripping into her veins, the room still had that… feeling.
Rei had sensed the same feeling around old man Mori that day he fell ill. It was the unforgettable, suffocating smell of death.
"Why will you not look at me?"
His cheeks burned with shame.
"Are you afraid?"
Rei slowly looked up, and saw that Gaia didn't look at all pale. She looked as she had always done, only a little more tired. Rei was so relieved, he went over and gave her a hug. Gaia stiffened, then relaxed, and even laughed a little.
(She's not going to die,) he thought, his arms tightly around her;
(She's not going to die!)
So why did that feeling still hang around her?
(B112…)
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"Hello, Kai."
Kai stood up, feeling a jolt inside his stomach.
"Mai…?"
She turned, and Kai felt something plummet to the bottom of his shoes. What had happened to her?
(Gaia's room…)
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Rei looked at her, smiling. "It's gonna be alright. We'll get you out of here in no time!"
Gaia felt a strong twinge inside her stomach, whether of guilt or anything else, she didn't know. All she knew was that she had to find a bathroom fast. She pushed him away from her, and ran out, looking for a toilet.
Rei sat on the bed, shocked out of words. Then he ran after her, and saw her going into a toilet. He went in to see what was the matter.
He came in on her stooping over the sink, and coughing hard. Rei was about to go and help her, but on impulse stayed inside a cubicle and continued to watch her.
Then he left before she noticed, and went back to the room, sick to his stomach. Gaia was coughing up blood. That was not a good sign. She wasn't going to be okay at all, he realized. She just MIGHT be dying.
(B112…)
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Mai had a bandage going around her head, and covering her eyes completely. Even so, Kai could see the bruises around her face and eyes, not to mention the ones on her upper arms.
Who had done this?
"Kai? I can't… you're still there, right?"
He went up to her, and she reached out blindly. Kai let her run her fingers over his face and hair, and felt something inside him go all shaky and weak. She still did it to him. Whatever 'it' was.
"I can't… I can't tell!" she said, panic in her voice. Kai quietly put his arms around her, and kissed her gently. "It's me…" he said, smiling. She turned towards the sound of his voice, and grinned, shrugging.
"I can't really see you."
"Who did this to you? Tell me so I can make them suffer." Kai said, not joking. Mai Li grimaced. "I don't know. They… it was dark."
Guilt suddenly crashed over Kai. "I'm so sorry, I should have been there, it-" he sighed, frustrated. "If only I hadn't left…"
Mai Li just sat still, letting him blow off all the guilt. Only after he was quiet did she ask: "Are you done?"
Kai looked at her. "I suppose…"
"Good. Because it wasn't your fault. And that's all there is to it."
"What's wrong with you, Gaia?"
Gaia stopped, standing at the door. Rei was turned away from her again. She felt guilt leaving a sour taste in her mouth.
"Rei…" she said, and exhaled. This was going to take a while.
"Tell me."
She went over and sat next to him on the bed. A bird was chirping happily outside, and she mentally cursed it. He turned to face the wall, and Gaia sat facing the opposite way. They couldn't have been farther apart.
"I'm… I've got cancer. They say it's my liver… they can't do anything for me. They say that I'm going to die soon."
She felt him flinching, and took his hand. When he still wouldn't look at her, she got angry. Gaia got off the bed and moved towards the opposite side. He just looked at the wall. She put her hands on his face and slowly forced him to look her.
"LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME, YOU COWARD!!!" she shouted, gritting her teeth. Rei gave her a wide-eyed stare, shocked.
"I'M THE ONE DYING HERE, NOT YOU! AND YOU STILL WON'T LOOK AT ME! WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THOSE 'I LOVE YOU'S?! DON'T THEY COUNT ANYMORE?!"
(At least he has the decency to look ashamed,) she thought, furious.
"I'm not going to spend the last of my days with a cowardly dog like you. I thought that when you came, I could at least rely on you. That I could trust you to be there for me." Gaia snorted bitterly, and dug her nails into Rei's cheeks. "GOOD-BYE, KON."
She let him go, and went to look out the window. Damn it if SHE would be the one leaving first!
"Look…" Mai rummaged under the pillow, and pulled out something white. It was his old scarf.
"I still have it. I didn't let them take that away from me!"
Kai shook his head at her, smiling. This girl…
"You had better not be wagging your head at me, young man! I may not be able to see you, but I still know what you are thinking." Mai said, smiling too.
"What did they do to you, anyway?" he asked her, but she shook her head.
"I don't want to talk about it, Kai."
"But-"
"NO, okay?"
He sighed. "Alright. Whatever you say."
She sighed too, and shrugged. "I may tell you, someday. When I think you're ready." Then she pulled his hand closer, and when he leant closer, she whispered something to him that made him blush.
"MAI!!!"
"I'm just kidding, chill out!"
Kai looked at her, just grateful that she was with him and alive, although she was thoroughly battered. He touched her cheek, and kissed her again. He just wished she could see him.
"I've… really missed you, Kai. I really have. Why couldn't you have been born in China? Why could I not have been a Li? Why, why, why, eh?" she said, the corners of her mouth trembling with emotion.
"I love you, Mai."
She gasped. That was totally unexpected, but she liked how… special it made her feel. "Say that again… please…"
Kai pulled her closer, so that their noses touched. "I am in love with you, Mai Li, and I will never leave you again no matter what the cost." She shook her head.
"Don't say that, Kai. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." He watched tears slowly running down her face, tinged red with blood.
"No Matter What The Cost." Kai said again, gritting his teeth; for once in his miserable life, he had been given a second chance, and he was NOT going to waste it. Ever.
Mai finally let go of it all, and began to sob hysterically in his arms, calling him and everyone else who had ever hurt her names, and hitting Kai because it made her feel better, and he let her vent all her pent-up anger on him because he cared.
Mai cried about the people in the village who had died because she hadn't been fast enough, because she couldn't save them, because they were too far gone. She cried about Han, and about how beautiful he had made her feel, and about how she loved him and the world had ripped him away from her mercilessly. She cried about her grandma and her ma, and about the heavy responsibility of being the only healthcare facility in a 5-mile radius.
And finally she cried about Kai himself, and how much he had hurt her when he had left her alone in her house, and she had had nobody to talk to, or be with, or care about. She cried because his scarf had nearly driven her mad, because it reminded her every second of the indisputable fact that he was OUT OF HER REACH. And then she cried because it was all hopeless, and painful, and screwed-up, and sad. And because she really hurt all over. And because she was afraid she would go blind.
And all the while Kai was there, never moving, never complaining, never leaving her. Mai finally stopped, and touched his face. It was wet, too. "Kai…?"
He smiled, and wiped his face. "Sorry. Couldn't help it." Then he leaned closer than before, and, just before he kissed her, said: "I love you, Mai Li." He glanced at the screen and saw the green heart-line jump, and smiled, feeling smug.
And then he kissed her.
Rei sat motionless on the bed, aware only of her. He watched her standing at the window, facing away from him. He looked at her white hair streaming down her back, and at her naked back in the green hospital uniform. Never had he wanted more to hold her close.
"…Gaia…"
"GO AWAY." Rei flinched, feeling actual physical pain at the coldness in her voice. He got up, and went over to her to try and get her to forgive him.
"…Gaia, please…" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off, and nearly screamed at him to: "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
He felt her rejection cut through him like a knife, and he looked at the floor, ashamed. Gaia HATED him.
"Leave me alone, Rei. Why make it all harder than it already is?"
"BECAUSE I CAN'T, OKAY?! I CAN'T LEAVE YOU ALONE!!!" Rei cried, outraged. She shook her head, silent. He stepped closer, and put both his arms around her. "I love you. I can't let you go."
Gaia shook him off, and, still turned away, delivered her harshest blow.
"Yes, well I can. Go away, Rei. I don't love you anymore."
She heard him take a sharp breath, and ignored the guilt bubbling painfully in her stomach.
"Do you… mean… that?" she heard him asking quietly. Gaia didn't care anymore; she had to hurt him because he was, even if he didn't know, really hurting her, she wanted to make him pay for not looking at her earlier on. The pain in his voice told her that she was already breaking him to pieces. Part of her was horrified at what she was doing; but part of her delighted in taking revenge on him.
"Do you… really… not love me anymore, Gaia? Is it… over?"
Rei suddenly grabbed her, and forcibly turned her around, pushing her against the window and leaning against her. She gasped, afraid he just might throw her out the window.
"Tell me; IS IT OVER?!!!" he said, his voice breaking and tears running down his face.
"GO AWAY!!!" she screamed back, hating him.
"NO!! TELL ME THE TRUTH!!! DO YOU EVEN GIVE A SHIT ANYMORE?!!!"
"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Gaia cried, and then suddenly put her head on his shoulder, too tired to fight anymore.
But Rei pushed her away. "Stay away from me. I don't need you."
"What?!"
He smiled, bitter. "How's it feel to get a taste of your own medicine?"
Gaia sank down to the floor, and sighed.
"I hate you, Rei."
He went and sat down next to her, his head aching madly. "I hate you, too."
He felt surprised when she suddenly flung her arms around his neck, and started to cry. He felt a strong impulse to cry, too, but he suppressed it. "I don't want to die, Rei," Gaia said, shaking in fear.
"I don't want you to die either."
Gaia and Rei looked for the first time that evening straight into one another's eyes. Amber met dark-brown gaze, as they both admitted to themselves that they had been horrible to each other. Gaia smiled.
"I love you, Rei. Please forgive me."
He kissed her, glad that that was over. "I love you, too. I'm sorry."
Then he picked her up, and carried her to bed. He laid her down, and covered her with her blanket, taking care to tuck her in nice and warm. She looked up at him, her dark eyes already blinking, eye-lids heavy with sleep. Rei bent down to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead, and Gaia smiled, feeling that strange thrill running down her spine.
"Thank you, Rei. I don't know what I would've done without you."
He straightened up, reluctant to leave her side. "Gaia, I…" he couldn't find anything to say. She looked so vulnerable where she lay, her dark skin shining in the softened hospital lights, her hair tousled over her pillow, framing her face in a silvery halo. She smiled, and one corner of her lips quirked upwards, her eyes half-shut.
Rei could have stood there, watching her for hours.
Suddenly Gaia stretched out her hand, and held his wrist, a mischievous light in her eyes. She pulled him closer, and he suddenly understood what she was asking. Rei's eyes widened in surprise, and his cheeks flamed red. He swallowed, trying to wet his parched mouth, and blinked at her.
She got up off the bed, and wound her arms around him, putting her head on his shoulder. She could feel the wild thumping of his heart, like a small bird trying to break free of it's cage, and smiled.
Rei was such an innocent.
Gaia looked into his eyes, and enveloped him in a hot, burning kiss, pressing her body against his. Rei did not know where his sweet, quiet Gaia had gone, and when she had been replaced with this fiery, passionate girl, but his mind had flown away up into the sky as soon as their lips met. Gaia kissed him, and Rei was beginning to lose all sense of self, his stomach was going weird, his legs had been reduced to jelly and he felt a slow fire beginning to build up inside of him.
Gaia moved backwards, and Rei moved along with her, rendered speechless and mindless.
She let him go, and he gasped for air. His mind briefly returned, and he stared at her, wondering what had gotten into her.
"Gaia, are-"
But Gaia didn't let him finish. She kissed him again, and he forgot everything except the touch of her lips, the feel of her body pressed so close to his. She turned him around so that he was standing in front of the bed, and they sank down together onto the soft mattress.
Soon, they forgot everything but each other, and the steady rhythm of their hearts beating in sync.
(Later that night…)
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Rei blinked, waking up. Briefly he wondered where he was, then felt something nuzzling in his chest. He looked down, and a sudden red flush crept across his face and ears.
Gaia was lying in his arms on the narrow hospital bed, her clothes askew and with a small smile curling her expressive lips. Rei remembered everything, and sighed, not really able to believe that they'd almost… YOU KNOW, in the hospital! He ran his hand through his already messed up hair, glad that it hadn't come loose from its binds.
He felt a small breeze caressing his skin, and realized that his shirt was unbuttoned. He looked at Gaia; she looked so peaceful, so beautiful where she lay. Rei carefully slid out beneath her arms, until he landed on his feet off the bed. He grimaced; his shoes were lying near the door, and his T-shirt was lying on the floor near the foot of the bed. He quickly got dressed (his trousers were still firmly secure!), and with a final look in Gaia's direction went outside.
Then he remembered Kai, and swore at himself. He had been so busy fighting with Gaia - among other things - that he had forgotten everything about him!
He ran towards the reception, but suddenly saw Kai walking near the hospital refreshments stall. "Kai!" he shouted, waving at him. Rei grimaced . He hoped Kai wouldn't be TOO mad.
But when he caught up with his friend, he saw that something had completely changed in his manner, and he didn't look as depressed as before. Kai smiled when he saw him, and asked how it went with Gaia. At the mention of her name, Rei couldn't help but smirk.
Kai frowned. What was Ray's problem? Just why was he smirking? Then an idea popped up in his brain, and his jaw practically hit the floor.
"You DIDN'T…?"
Rei went red as a tomato, and Kai went a little pale. "In a HOSPITAL?! Man, that's CRIMINAL."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rei denied, and Kai grinned at him, unable to believe what his friend had been up to.
"You are insane." Kai said, and slapped his back. Rei looked a bit sheepish, but proud. "You are an idiot. Rei, the goody-goody strikes again!"
"But… I didn't DO anything!!!"
"Yeah, right. Whatever."
The two boys looked at each other, and laughed. Just then, everything was perfectly alright.
Rei looked over Kai's shoulder, smiling; but his smile quickly fell off his face, and an expression of pure, green hatred twisted his face.
What the hell was HE doing here?!
Kai noticed that Rei wasn't looking too happy, and asked him what was going on. He pointed towards the far hall, and Kai saw immediately what he meant. He looked at Rei, who looked angry enough to kill.
"What's he doing here?"
A/N: Well, what do you think?