Only one more chapter to go after this one! Oh, the suspense is killing me (sarcastic). Umm, in this chapter be prepared for a game of Go Fish, a very upset Kai (Kleenex anyone?), and everyone's favourite captain spilling his guts! I've tried to make this chapter a bit longer. The chapter itself is exactly 1,174 words long! Yay! OK, on with the chapter…

CHAPTER 4

I shake my head hard, despite the painful sensation it creates, trying to will away the thoughts of Max and Rei. But I know, somewhere in my heart and mind, that Max is a steadfast obstacle on the road to Rei, and that getting past him would be like trying to gun down the entire US army… when every soldier is your friend.

A bright light floods my eyes, and I suddenly realise that it was almost dark in the room before. I blink hard, over and over. The harshness of the light is fighting against my ability to open my eyes. I eventually adjust to the new conditions of my surroundings, and take a look around.

The room is small and square, with a slightly arched ceiling. It seems almost as though someone gave up halfway through decorating. The walls are splashed with creamy yellow paint, but this colouring is only lightly covering the previous coating of paint, with large patches of a sky blue undercoat left showing. Hanging from the ceiling above me is an oversized light globe, a loosely fixed fan that appears ready to fall to the floor at any moment, and a large purple dream catcher. Millions of dust particles are caught up in the delicate feathers of the dazzling tribal piece, giving it a elegantly dirty coat of soot, and making it, and the rest of the room, look even more forgotten.

The husky growl of a male's cough makes me aware again of Max's presence in the room. He is no longer sitting by the bed, but is standing in the doorway looking calm, and expectant almost. His sweater clashes horribly with the peeling peach coloured paint slathered over the doorframe.

"The others are coming up to see you now. I'll see you soon, hey?" Max smiles at me, his friendly grin making me feel slightly more comfortable being in his house. I nod, and Max leaves me. Soon after I am joined by Tyson. He struts into the room, an air of cockiness and humour billowing about him. He is followed by Rei, who has a warming, youthful presence, and then Kenny, who says everything with his smile.

Surrounded by my friends, who are no longer acting worried, I feel a little stronger. After a few moments struggling with the pillows and the weakness of my arms, I manage to sit up fully in the bed. Kenny, Tyson, and Rei have taken seats around me. Kenny is settled in the chair that Max had previously been occupying, Tyson is lounging on the end of the bed, and Rei is nearby, perched comfortably on a second bed that I hadn't noticed until now.

'So…" Tyson looks around at everyone. An awkward silence follows. "…Anyone for cards?" he produces a deck of playing cards from his pants pocket and holds them up for show. Rei giggles, and Kenny says, "Yeah, sure. Kai?"

I shrug.

"So what're we playing?" asks Kenny.

Tyson thinks for a moment, "Fish?"

"Sounds good," Rei chirps, and leaps off the bed across the room, over to me and the other two, and takes a seat on a chair at the other side of my bed. Tyson tips the cards out of their box, and deals them out to us. I look at my hand. I have a pair. Carefully, I slip the cards out of my hand and place them under the edge of my pillow. The game begins.

"Kenny, do you have any Queens?" Rei asks.

"Yeah, he's got me!" Tyson cries playfully. Rei rolls his eyes and laughs, and Kenny hands over the Queen of Clubs. And so it continues. Tyson, being Tyson, makes crazy jokes at every opportunity, and Kenny and Rei get caught up in fits of laughter more than once.

I only have two cards left now. I gaze down at them- a two of hearts, and an ace of the same suit. Upon seeing these cards, I instantly see their relation to my life. Two hearts. One for Rei, one for Max. Together. And one heart. That's me. Single and alone, bleeding inside.

I throw down my remaining cards and they bounce off the bed in an almost cartoon-like manner. My eyes burn as tears well, begging to escape from their prison. I don't fight it. Small wet patches form on the bedsheets as the salty water splashes from my cheeks.

Both Tyson and Kenny drop their cards and stand quickly. Rei leaps off his chair and kneels by the bed.

"Kai? What's wrong?" As Rei speaks, Tyson and Kenny walk from the room, not wanting to intervene. They know as well as I do that Rei is the best one to be around when you're upset.

I have my hands up over my face by this time, hiding my tear-ridden eyes. The soft skin of Rei's palm brushes against my own hands, and I slowly uncover my face. I blink out several lingering tears, and Rei speaks again.

"Are you okay Kai?"

I wipe the excess tears from my eyes with a corner of the sheet. "I'm… yeah. I'm okay."

Rei isn't convinced. He leans in closer to me, and grips my hand. A lightning bolt chill rushes up my spine. My whole body shivers, and Rei grasps my hand tighter.

"Come on buddy, what's wrong?"

"…Love. That's what's wrong Rei. It never works the way you want it, no matter what you do."

"What happened?" Rei reaches for my other hand, and holds it tightly in his. I shiver again. He notices my reactions. "What's wrong with love Kai?"

"I… shit… its really hard to… love is so…" I can't find the right words.

Rei smiles sympathetically and runs a finger along the back of my hand trying to comfort me. He has no idea, but this simple action of comfort is actually making it so much harder again for me to speak.

"Love… umm… Rei, love is amazing. Love is the hardest thing to find, the sweetest thing to have, and the most difficult thing to give up. Love is like Snow White's apple. If you're tempted by the wrong person, the poison can be deadly. But sometimes the poison takes a long time to kill off its victim. When love isn't returned Rei, the poison is so slow to act that it leaves the poor bastard who was foolish enough to fall in love, with an aching heart. I know what it feels like to have your heart broken. I live with it every day of my life. I love someone Rei, I love him more than I have ever loved anyone. I can't imagine living without him. It hurts so much. But he doesn't know. He doesn't know how I feel."

Rei takes in everything I say, thinking each word over carefully. Then he leans over and cups my face with his hands, the hint of a smile on his charming boyish face.

"He does know Kai. He knows exactly how you feel."

Yeah, so I did another cliffy. Suffer.

REVIEWS

Neko-Jenn: How could I not like your name? It's clever! Aww, poor Max. I'd feel awfully guilty if I broke up Rei and Max… but then again, I'd feel just as guilty if I left Kai without Rei. Hmm…

lil phoenix kd: Hope this chapter satisfied you, it was a longer than the others. Keep reading!

Mya Ino: Incredible?! Oo if you say so! I guess Kai just understood why he was as Max's and why he would ever drink that much… even though it was a very silly thing to do. We should all learn a lesson from dear little Kai about drinking too much. Thanks for reviewing all the time honey!

mrsalexwatkins: It's okay, you guess? Well, if you don't like it, don't read it. I suppose he got alcohol poisoning, but they only took him to the hospital coz he blacked out. They wouldn't have known he was really drunk.

nenesama: Uke? Is that the dominant one or the submissive one? Seme is the other right? I'm not too good with all these words… -sigh- Well, whatever happens, I hope you still like the fic!