Hellooo! It's me again! Another KaiRei, although it's AU. Basically, Kai's a really clever teacher guy who moved over from Russia to teach English in England, and Rei is one of his students who is in year 11. I'm English, so the school system in the story is then English system of GCSEs and the like. If you don't understand something, stick it in a review and I'll explain it in the next chapter! Oh, uh, year eleven is 15-16, the final year of secondary school. During the story, Rei is 16, and Kai is 19. Them having a relationship is actually illegal, but I don't think it's so wrong if you look at the age gap. Anyway, I'll stop waffling now! Happy reading, and anyone who reviews is a total angel!
"Hey Mr. Hiwatari..." Kai blinked.
"Do I know you?" The boy in front of him shrugged.
"I'm Rei. Year eleven. You're taking over our English lesson for today...eleven A2."
"But...that's not till after lunch..."
"I just wanted to say hello." There was a short silence. "Is it true that you speak three languages?" Kai frowned.
"Yes. Why?"
"Really? Wow, how do you remember so much? I guess you speak Russian, 'cause you're Russian, and English...what's the third one?"
"Japanese...why do you want to know?"
"No reason!" Rei strolled away, leaving Kai feeling rather strange.
He walked into the English classroom and looked around. Surprisingly, Rei was not there. Kai quickly forgot about him and got on with teaching the lesson. Rei did eventually get there, twenty minutes late. Kai looked at the clock angrily. "Where have you been? The lesson started twenty minutes ago!" Rei shrugged.
"I was just busy, that's all."
"Excuse me!" Rei went to sit down, but Kai continued. "I did not ask you to sit down. Where have you been?"
"Nowhere!"
"Get out."
"What?" Rei asked, surprised.
"I said get out, as in 'get out of this room or I will send for the head teacher'. How dare you speak to me so insolently!" Rei snorted and wheeled around, slamming the door behind him. Kai glowered. "Get on with the exercise." He snapped to the rest of the class. He pushed open the door and found Rei leaning against the wall, glaring into mid-air. "Who do you think you are to speak to me like that!"
"I'll speak to you how I like! You're not my dad or anything!"
"That is not the issue- your attitude is! Where were you when you were supposed to be in my lesson?"
"It's none of your business!" Kai saw red.
"Do NOT adopt that condescending voice when you speak to me! I'm not the stupid little schoolboy in great need of an attitude adjustment! -My- future is worked out fine, but yours won't be if you continue to act like this! I know it must be irritating to have your teacher go on maternity leave so close to your GCSEs, but this kind of behaviour does you no favours!"
"I was with my boyfriend. We've just had an argument. That's where I was, not that it's any of your business. Yeah, you heard right, boyfriend!" He sniffed. "I guess no-one told you about the resident gayboy Rei Kon? Anyway, was I supposed to just walk in and go, 'yeah, sir, sorry I'm late, my boyfriend just yelled at me and I felt like committing suicide, then I remembered I had English'!"
Kai regarded him silently for a moment. "Go back inside. And in the future, NEVER speak to me like that again, or we will argue, and I will win." Rei shrugged and walked back into the classroom. The class had degenerated into a yelling mob. "QUIET!" He hollered. There was immediate silence. "Get on with your work."
Kai looked around the deserted park, feeling calm and at peace with himself. His first week at his new school over, and it hadn't been too bad. Except for that incident with Rei, no-one else had caused him any trouble, and he got on well with the other teachers, especially the other Russian-born language teacher, Tala Ivanov. They had promised to meet up some time and drink vodka together, but Kai needed some time to relax, so he had gone for a walk.
It was late, he knew, but it wasn't dark yet, owing to it being April and as such quite light of an evening. He rounded a bend in the path, and stopped short. There were two people ahead of him, shouting in some foreign language. The taller, bigger one lashed out, sending the smaller one to the floor. "HEY!" He yelled. The assaulter ran, and Kai went over to the figure lying prone on the floor, sobbing. It was-
"Rei?"
"Oh Christ...not you as well..."
Kai knelt down beside him and examined his bleeding nose. He touched it gently, feeling for a break. He sighed with relief when he found none. "It's not broken. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." Rei struggled to his feet, then keeled over to one side with a cry. "Shit! My ankle!" Kai caught hold of him and held him up.
"Hey, it's okay, I've got you. Are you alright? Who -was- that?" Rei leaned against him and Kai could feel him shaking.
"My boyfriend...ex-boyfriend..." Rei burst into noisy sobs and Kai held him close, anxious.
"Rei? Why did he hit you?"
"Because I told him it was over!" Rei clutched at him, burying his face in Kai's shoulder. Kai stroked his back and then pulled him away slightly. "Rei, are you okay?"
"Do I l-look okay?" Rei sniffed, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. Kai shook his head.
"Come on. You need to get home..." Rei nodded and tried to stand on his own. However he couldn't and had to reach out for Kai again, wincing. "It...it hurts..." He whimpered. Kai hesitated for a second, then picked Rei up, arms under his thighs. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai's neck, snivelling.
"Rei? Where do you live?"
"N-Newton Grove..." Kai shifted him to the left slightly and started walking.
"That's only round the corner from where I'm staying..." He smiled slightly, but Rei only sobbed and grabbed him harder round the neck, half throttling him. After a while of being carried, he loosened his grip. "How old are you?"
"Nineteen."
"What's your first name?"
"Kai."
"Kai Hiwatari...it doesn't sound Russian..."
"My father was Japanese and my mother was Russian. I grew up in Russia with my Grandfather." More silence, then;
"Kai?"
"Mm?"
"I'm sorry I was so rude before...I'm not...I'm not normally like that..."
Kai turned the corner into Newton Grove and paused. "Rei...can you...not tell people about this? If people hear about it...I could lose my job..."
"For helping me?"
"I don't make the laws...but..."
"No, I won't say anything...I'm not going to tell people about that bastard..."
"Who is he?"
"Lee Chang. I thought we could be friends since we're both from China, but...well...around here, if you're gay, there's not much choice of who you date. And Lee...I don't even like him...but..." Rei attempted to explain, and failed miserably.
"Is it so rare to be gay here?"
"Yeah."
"It was different in Russia. I never had a problem finding a boyfriend in Russia...I never considered that there just weren't so many gay people around here..." Kai almost hit himself. Why exactly had he said that? Was there anything -more- stupid that he could have said!
"Wait, you mean...you're gay?"
"It's not exactly something I publicise, but yes. Which house is it?"
"That one." Kai took Rei up the path and let him down gently. Rei let go of him, then changed his mind and pulled Kai down into a soft kiss. "Thank you..." Kai started to kiss him back, but then stopped.
"I'm sorry...I can't...this is...well, it's illegal until you leave school..." Rei nodded, then hugged him.
"See you tomorrow..." He whispered. Kai blinked as Rei let himself into the house, calling out cheerfully in Chinese. Kai stood there for a few moments, then turned and started walking away. He didn't notice Rei watching him from his bedroom window, sighing dreamily. "Kai Hiwatari, huh?"
Kai collapsed on his bed, kicking off his shoes. There was a strange feeling in his stomach...a kind of warm, tingling feeling. He looked over at the clock and sighed. He was exhausted- he hadn't really slept the night before, so... He yawned, then sat up, unbuttoning his shirt and slipping it off, hurling it over into his wash basket. He followed it with his trousers and socks, and then turned on his alarm clock, setting it for half six the next morning. He clicked off the light and lay back. He was asleep in seconds.
"Morning Mr. Hiwatari." Kai looked up from his book to find Rei standing outside the staffroom door. He nodded in acknowledgement and walked past him. As he did so, he felt a hand ghost over his backside and turned. A flick of ebony hair showed Rei's retreat. Kai stood for a second, gobsmacked, then walked back out into the corridor. Rei was gone. But...Rei knew that they couldn't have a relationship...he obviously hadn't -meant- to touch him...had he?
"Now, what do you think Jack is searching for in this chapter?"
"Oh, penis!"
"No, Mr. Kon, I don't think he is searching for penis. Put away whatever that is you're messing about with and open your book, that might help. Now, what is Jack searching for? Think about his earlier problems. What is it that he wants? Yes, Mr. Granger?"
"He wants to knack Ralph!"
Kai sighed. "Yes, but why? What is he going to gain from 'knacking Ralph' as you so elegantly put it?" He pointed to Rei, whose hand was raised boredly.
"He wants revenge, because he's been humiliated. He thought he and Ralph could be friends but things between them just weren't...compatible."
Kai nodded, mind unpicking the double meaning of Rei's words. He set the class on to reading the rest of the chapter and sat there musing about what had happened last night. After a while the bell went, and the class milled out, desperate to get out and have their lunch break. "Mr. Kon, can I have a word?" Rei pulled a face at his blond friend and waited by the door, expectant. Kai frowned. "Come over here, please." Rei shut the door and walked over. Although, Kai mused, it was more like a prowl than a walk.
"What is it, sir?" He asked, voice low. Kai blinked.
"Your answer, just then...were you making references to what happened last night?"
"No." The refusal was too fast. Kai frowned.
"I'm sorry, but it just can't happen. You're still a student."
"No-one would have to know..." Rei moved closer, too close, far too close for comfort. Kai stepped away, turning his back.
"I worked hard to get here. I was put up two years in school and college because I worked so hard. I can't just throw that away for a crush on a student."
"Then...after we leave school..."
"Maybe." There was an uncomfortable silence. "You can go..." Rei took the hint and left Kai staring out of the window. That tingling feeling was back again...
"Kai?" Kai turned and found Rei standing there.
"What are you doing here?"
"Nothing. Why?" Rei asked, standing up off the bollard he'd been leaning against. Kai regarded him suspiciously.
"Nothing?"
"I might have been waiting for someone..."
"Oh?" Kai said enquiringly, trying to keep the flirtatious tone out of his voice. He walked down the steps of the library and Rei followed him, brushing up against him lightly. "Don't you want to know who I was waiting for?"
"I can guess." Kai carried on walking, letting Rei walk beside him. "What do you want?"
"You, but until school ends I'll settle for knowing you better."
"Illegal. But not as illegal as shagging you."
"Well my Mum's out...your place or mine?"
"Neither. I'm going round Tala's tonight, I have to go and find an off-license that sells proper vodka."
"Tala?"
"Well he's Mr. Ivanov to you."
"What, Mr. Ivanov the absolute nutter? Why do you want to spend time with -him-?"
Kai looked over at Rei. His golden eyes glittered with...was that jealousy he could see there? "We Russians have to stick together, you know! Anyway, he's not -that- much of a nutter..." Rei glared.
"Yes he is. I had him last year. He throws pens at people and he can't use the computer properly."
"And that qualifies a nutter?" Rei didn't reply. "You can come with me to the off-license if you want..." Rei brightened up slightly.
"You know, you look really different outside of school."
"So do you." Said Kai evenly, eyeing Rei's Chinese-style tabard and trousers, and the delicate plimsolls on his feet. His hair was loose too, whereas at school he had it braided. Kai had to admit that Rei's hair was very nice...dark bluish-black, streaming down to the backs of his knees. He suddenly felt an odd desire to bury his hands in it and feel it running through his fingers, smooth and silken-
"Kai? Hello? Are you in there?" Kai jumped and shook his head.
"Sorry, I wasn't listening...what did you say?"
"I said, which off-license are we going to?"
"Well I know there's one behind the park..."
Many hours later Kai was walking home through the park, half drunk and whistling cheerfully to himself. He passed by the children's playground and stopped short. There was someone there... Someone who was currently flinging themselves around the various obstacles, leaping over seemingly impossible distances, hanging off tiny ledges. A braid flew out behind the person, and so even in his state of inebriation, Kai could tell who it was. He went over and leaned against the swings. Within seconds the flying shadow landed beside him, panting. "Kai? What are you doing here?"
"I was coming back from Tala's. That was...amazing. Where did you learn to do all that?"
"I just can. I didn't learn. I just...know where to put myself so I don't fall." He moved closer, the fingers of one hand trailing up Kai's arms to his shoulder, neck, and cheek. Kai watched him leaning closer and closer, vaguely aware that he shouldn't be doing this, and then their lips connected and he totally forgot about everything but the warm lips pressed against his own, parted, begging for his tongue. As the kiss deepened, Rei moaned and moved into Kai's arms, letting Kai's hands explore his perfect body. After a while they broke apart, and Kai gasped. "No! I-I'm sorry...I...this just isn't right..." He whispered, turning and striding away, leaving Rei alone in the darkness.
"Mr. Hiwatari?"
"Yes?"
"I...um...I..." Kai turned from where Rei was standing by the window. Rei blushed, then stepped forwards, pulling Kai into a kiss just as the door opened. Kai heard it and almost died. Why did Rei have to chose NOW to decide to kiss him! He broke away, gasping. "What are you doing!"
"Kai...Mr. Hiwatari..."
"Kai?" Kai looked up, a fake look of abject shock and disbelief on his face. Rei turned and saw Tala standing there, then burst into tears and ran, pushing past Tala and sprinting away. Tala came over to Kai as he collapsed onto his chair. "Kai, are you okay? You look a bit..."
"Did he just KISS me?"
"Uh...yeah. Didn't you know? Rei's gay. I thought everyone knew. He must have found out that you were too, and...thought maybe you would be interested."
"But...that's not right! He's still in school!" Kai exclaimed, trying to play everything up to make it seem as if neither he nor Rei had done anything wrong. Tala shrugged.
"Not for long though. Maybe you should think about it. He's...well, he's not ugly. And he's a pretty okay guy, I guess. It's only a month or so till year eleven leave..." Kai almost dropped to his knees and sang hallelujah.
"You really think so?"
"Sure. I'm not going to tell anyone. Just tell him to keep it out of school until he leaves officially. You coming?" Tala waved his keys in the air. "I'll give you a lift if you want."
"Yeah...okay..."
Just a note: Rei saying "Oh, penis!" Was borrowed from my friend Peachmelba- she actually said that in an English lesson we were in, but we sit right at the front (don't we sound nerdy?) so our English teacher heard. He just looked at her like she was mad! Well, she is, but that's not the point… Anyway, she said I had to credit her with the line. The rest's all mine though! R&R, I'll think you're groovy if you do! Oh, and the book they're studying is 'Lord of the Flies'- I have to do it in English, so I thought I'd put it in the fic.
