Chapter 26
Acey1: Helicopter actually, but anyway... you'll see what happens with Boris.
Werewolf of Fire: Bryan would say it all right. :p
lilmatchgirl007: High? No. And I can actually see Panas and Tala on 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'. First mission: Spencer. That guy needs help in terms of dress. And then there's Lee's new outfit...
Mizuyah: True, they don't
Ramen II: Running though a field of flowers, a hazy lens and golden light, slow motion... yes, I can actually see that. I can also see things like them running passed each other, or colliding head on and knocking themselves out. :p Too many sketch shows. And yes, Bryan out of clothes would be... nope. I will keep my mind out of the gutter, as hard as that is to do. --;;
HimekoSukie: Panas does know that Bryan loves Tala, and Tala is most likely the first and only person Bryan shall ever love. But that won't stop Panas from pining, will it. ;)
animeandraia: No faith in Overture at all. Ketsuron is going to be my apology for the crap in the first one. Problem with Overture was I had to go by a plot already laid down and detailed in Honesty and Honesty II, and I couldn't stray from it. I pity George Lucas with his Star Wars prequels. No room to move, really. Yes, a lucky break indeed. After a run like that, you wouldn't expect them to get out so easy, would you.
Chaco and Lily: My sisters and I picked up on the bit beast thing pretty much straight away, but we do that innately. And I think Tala would enjoy undressing Bryan, not the other way around. :p
GemGemJoo: He happy. :D
KuronekoHikage: They had their clothes on, but Boris was wearing rather short shorts, so lots of... uh, leg. Not good. You're thinking of writing a Kai/Ray/Tala/Bryan? Let me know if you do. I really must attempt one myself. That foursome intrigues me.
Bloody Mary: Bryan's probably like me and has scoliosis (curvature of the spine), only my curves are to the side rather than in a hunch. Just hope they don't stick a metal rod in his back too. ((sweatdrop - wince)) And all that fur bugs me. I admit it is cold in Russia during winter, but still, why?
Lady Snowblossom: Personally, I want to see Bryan with long hair, hence why I have a tendency to give him long hair in my fics. Not in this one though. That, and Tala with his hair down. I've seen fan artist pics and he looks so much hotter with it out, especially in the Japanese artwork. And Pegasus loves messing with the Falcon. It's just a thing he does. And hurry up with Chapter 19! I'll put up another chapter of Centrepiece for you. ((face hopeful - large brown eyes wide with puppy innocence))
Jay Kamiya: Panas actually technically raised Bryan, Tala and Kai when they were younger, so you could say in many ways they are brothers, though that brings in the whole incest thing...
Reiven: The start of the hyperlink was chopped off, so I don't know where to go. And his hair... exploded!?!? OO;;
Kappy Locks: It's not wrong at all. I prefer the Tala/Bryan pairing myself, though I've read some really good Kai/Tala and Bryan/Ray. Take a look at Lady Snowblossom's I'm a Father, though I must warn you that it's an mpreg. And my fic Centrepiece is a Tala/Kai/Ray with elements of Bryan/Ray. You could say I like all the possibilities between those four characters, including hooking all four of them up together!!! :D
Lullaby Lily: Actually no, no trilogy. It ends with this... maybe. And I hope you're enjoying uni. I'm in the final term of my second year. Still a year and a half until I finish my course. Hopefully it will go well. For you, that is. :D
Explanation of 'Panny': Panas, apparently, is pronounced Pan-nay-es, and when they were younger Tala was unable to say it properly, and adopted the name 'Panny'. Bryan and Kai picked up on it, and it's stuck ever since. However, if anyone else should try to call him Panny to his face, they will find their life span shortened rather significantly. :p
Back to some deep thinking by the redhead.
Disclaimer: See first page
Tala sighed, stretching as he rubbed his eyes. It had been a long night. He, Ray and Kai had managed to wake Mr Dickenson, and then they had spent an hour scouring the databases looking to see if the address was already listed. In seeing that it was not, they had contacted the appropriate people who had confirmed that they would raid the property first thing that morning, and still there was no word.
Tala admitted that he wasn't getting his hopes up. The last thing he needed was to get all worked up only to be disappointed, like he had at the Abbey. If this lead didn't check out, though, he didn't know what he would do. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
He paused at the window, gazing out into the melting snow and realising that spring was nearing. He smiled faintly, remember his and Bryan's promises to each other of how they would experience all these new things together, such as walking along rose-lined streets. That had been Bryan's wish, taking the time to admire the natural beauty that surrounded them, something they had never really been given the chance to cherish. Their past was full of the superficial, so to be surrounded by nature…
He sighed, shaking his head and shoving his hands in his pockets. The days were getting longer, so cold and empty. Yesterday he had encouraged Ian and Spencer to join several of the other bladers in a trip to the park, but Tala had chosen to remain behind. He knew he would never have been able to enjoy it for what it was worth. He was too distracted.
It didn't matter what he did, what he experienced, as all his thoughts kept returning to Bryan. Was he okay? Was he thinking of him? Did he think that they had given up? Was he even alive?
Tala shook his head, smiling at his patheticness. Talk about a one-track mind. All he wanted was to see Bryan again, to hold him, breathe in his scent. He longed for those soft, deep kisses that caused his knees to buckle, making him fall even further in love with the lavender-haired blader.
Tala gazed out into the sunshine, marvelling at the golden texture to the sky as soft clouds chased each other across the horizon. It was a far cry to the cold, overcast day that the Demolition Boys had used as they had escaped the Abbey, Tala and Bryan still weak from the torture that had been inflicted upon them. And yet they had remained strong, keeping pace with the others until they had reached Moscow, and later the BBA centre itself.
Tala chuckled as he remembered the look on Bryan's face when Ian had fallen asleep against him. It had been a look of faint confusion, faint distain, and faint amusement, almost lost within the tiredness and pain. A look that had caused both Spencer and Kai to laugh as Tala himself had leant up against Bryan, falling asleep as well.
It all seemed long ago, those days of running and hiding, looking forward to sharing their future together. Now the future was uncertain, Tala realising that it was just as hard to know what lay around the next corner out here as it had been in the Abbey.
In many ways it was harder here. In the Abbey he had known every hiding place, the location of every camera. It was a place he knew upside down, back-to-front, and though it was dangerous he was safe in the knowledge he knew where to go and where to stay away from in order to avoid trouble.
It wasn't so easy out here. It was all unknown terrain, a place where he had to tread lightly to avoid unwillingly setting off a trap that might lie just beneath the snow. Hunters might hide behind the next corner, let alone what other dangers lay in wait, ready to ju-
"Tala!"
He paused, turning and looking back, spotting Kai as the other hurried toward him. "Yes?"
"You're really hard to find when you're wanted." Kai grinned as he moved toward him, crimson eyes sparkling. "The lead checked out."
Tala blinked. "What?"
"The address in the Ultimate box. It's a facility out in the middle of nowhere, a couple of hours from here. They found it only freshly abandoned. But they were there."
"Who? Who was there?"
"Bryan and Panas." Kai gripped Tala's arms, laughing softly. "They found them, Tal. They're alive."
Tala blinked as it slowly sunk in. "Alive?"
"They're taking them to a medical facility in a nearby town to check them out, and they'll probably keep them overnight. Best bet is they'll be back tomorrow."
"Tomorrow." A smile spread over Tala's lips as faint tears collected in the corners of his eyes, long lashes brushing his cheeks. "Alive."
"It's over, Tal. You don't have to worry anymore."
The smile faded as Tala pulled himself from Kai's arms. "I wouldn't be so sure."
"Wha-?" Kai frowned, watching him. "I thought you'd be happy."
"I am. It's just…" Tala shook his head. "He may hate me, Kai. He may not have forgiven me. I'm… I'm not sure I can face him."
"Tala." Kai reached out, cupping his cousin's face in his hands. "Worry about it when it happens. Right now I suggest you try and get some sleep. You're worn ragged, and it's not a good look for you."
Tala's eyes sparkled faintly. "You just told me Bryan's coming back tomorrow. How do you expect me to sleep knowing that?"
God, Bryan and Tala are as bad as each other. They really need someone to smack them around the ears for them. Stubborn little…