I'm ba-ack! The second chapter is a bit shorter than the first, but meh. Thanks to all the people who reviewed, I really appreciate it! Oh, and Iwonn- GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary…Education or Excellence, I can't remember which. It's a type of exam we do over here in England. You do a GCSE for every subject you study (bah, studying!).
In this chapter I introduce Parkour- free running. If you don't know what it is, just put in and have a look at the site. I don't actually do Parkour, I don't even know that much about it apart from what I saw on a documentary once, but I think it suits Rei, so I put it into the fic.
The English school system starts with nursery (kindergarten) and then you go into reception for a year, then from years one through to six. That's all in a primary school, and you leave when you're 11. Secondary schools run from year seven to year eleven. You leave secondary school at sixteen, in year eleven. If you want, you can then go on to do year twelve and thirteen in college till you're eighteen. Basically, take your age and take five away from it and you have what year you are.
You do SATs in year nine, that stands for Standard Assessment Tests (but later on no-one really cares about them!) and then in year eleven you do GCSEs, like I explained above. Poor Rei-Rei is starting his GCSEs in this chapter and it ain't pretty!
Kai hefted the books in his arms, working out his plan carefully. He knocked at Rei's door and was greeted by a pretty Chinese woman. "Yes?"
"Oh, hello Mrs. Kon. Is Rei here?"
"Yes of course. Who are you, dear?"
"I'm his English teacher. Ah, one of my colleagues asked me to drop these books off to him on the way home. He left them in maths this morning."
"Oh, right! Come in please, Mr..."
"Hiwatari." Kai stepped into the hall and Rei's mother disappeared upstairs. Rei appeared at the top of the banister a second later.
"Oh. Mr. Hiwatari..."
"Hello Rei. Mr. Hartley asked me to drop these off for you. He said could you please...check the notes?" He said, as if trying to remember. He hoped Rei took the hint as he handed him the three textbooks. He turned to Rei's mother with a polite smile. "It was nice to meet you Mrs. Kon." She smiled back and opened the door for him, and he strolled out into the night.
Rei picked up the first textbook by the spine and shook it. A folded sheet of paper fell out. He opened it and read, his eyes devouring the words hungrily.
-Rei,
I've been thinking it over, and you were right. It isn't long till you leave school. If you're okay with keeping a relationship entirely out of school until you -do- leave, then...well, come to the park, where you were jumping about before. I'd like to talk to you.
Kai.-
"Rei?"
"I...I don't have a problem with keeping it outside of school..." He sat down on the bench next to Kai and moved closer. "I just...I really like you...you aren't like Lee..."
"What was Lee like?"
"A total bastard. But you're not. You helped me...and you've been...kind to me..."
"I haven't really."
"Kinder than a lot of people around here. It's not easy being foreign...especially when the only other person who shares your culture is a total idiot..."
Kai considered this for a minute, then laid his arm around Rei's shoulders. "I like you Rei. And my heart is telling me to stick with you. But my brain is telling me that you're still a student..."
"Our exams start next week, and then another month and I won't be a student at all!"
"I know that...I have to mark about a thousand exam papers..."
"I thought they were externally marked?"
"Which is why I have to do some random nowhere place's tests. For rubbish pay, even though my pay is rubbish enough to begin with..."
"Oh." Rei leaned a little closer. "Maybe...I could help you mark them?"
"Illegal."
"Everything's illegal according to you..."
"Only the things you suggest. Although...I wouldn't mind if...you came over sometime. I mean, my flat's tiny, and it's really boring and horrible, but-"
"I'd like that." Rei smiled and then turned it into a smirk. "I'm the age of consent, Kai...maybe I could spend the night one day...well, night, if you know what I mean..."
"Ille-"
"-gal. I know. But rules are made to be broken, Kai...or at least some rules are..."
"You would want to? Spend the night, I mean..."
"Of course I would, but..." He blushed. "I'm a virgin."
"I gathered as much. Don't worry, I'm not some kind of sexual predator."
"Well I'm free tonight..."
"Mm. If we're going to have a relationship, can I make some rules?" Rei nodded. "Okay, first one. My hands are not going below here," He traced a line across Rei's stomach with his finger. "Until the last exam is finished and you leave school. Two, no-one, and I mean no-one, hears about us being together."
"Fair enough, but I want to make one too- third one- you have to promise that you mean it when you say we can be together after I leave school."
"I promise."
"Well then." Kai tightened his hold around Rei's shoulders and sighed.
"It's late. You should be going home and doing revision..."
"Teacher."
"I am. And I'm telling you to go home and study." He placed a soft kiss on Rei's cheek and stood up. "Come and see me after school tomorrow...only, if Tala's there, wait, or he'll go all weird..."
"I told you he was a nutter!" Sang out Rei as he walked in the opposite direction to his newfound boyfriend. He paused and turned. "Goodnight, Kai!"
"Night Rei. See you tomorrow." Rei smiled and blew Kai a kiss. Kai caught it theatrically and pressed it to his chest. Rei laughed and waved, then ran back home.
"Kai?"
"Rei. I've got a new rule. In school, don't call me Kai. People might think it's weird..."
"Okay then, Mr. Hiwatari." Rei sat down on the desk and sighed. "It was geography today. I'm -rubbish- at geography..."
"What is it tomorrow?" Kai glanced over the exam timetable on his desk. "You don't do French, do you? You're in the German half...do you do history?" Rei nodded glumly.
"I hate exams. And my mum keeps pestering me and my grandmother does as well. They're driving me mad!"
"Well...if you wanted somewhere quiet to study...you could come round mine. I'm going home now anyway."
"Yeah, okay!" Rei brightened up considerably and shifted off the desk, settling his heavy bag on his back.
"Hey, Kai- Oh...uh...yeah..." Tala hovered in the doorway then laughed. "See you tomorrow!" Kai smiled at him and he disappeared. Rei bit his lip and then burst out laughing. "I -told- you he was a nutter!"
"Okay, okay, fine, he's a nutter. Coming?"
"Kai..."
"Yeah?" Kai looked up from his book. Rei waved his revision guide at him exasperatedly.
"This is driving me insane! It's so BORING!"
"Have a nice time with your F in history then."
"Kai..."
"I have absolutely no sympathy for you."
"Can I have a hug then?" Kai smiled, opening his arms. Rei flumped down into them, cuddling himself up close. Kai stroked his hair gently and Rei sighed. "What time is it?" Kai looked at his watch and shrugged, moving Rei slightly and causing his hair to cascade over them both. "About seven. You know, I've always liked your hair..."
"Mm. Kai...you know when you saw me in the park before..."
"Yeah."
"Well you know I was jumping about and stuff?"
"Yeah..." Replied Kai, wondering where exactly this was headed.
"A guy saw me doing that and offered to teach me about Parkour..."
"Parkour? free-running?" Kai tightened his hold around Rei and smiled. "I could see you doing that. You'd be good at it."
"So you don't think it's a bad idea?"
"Not unless you get hurt..." Rei was silent for a while, then sighed again.
"There's a Parkour team coming to town."
"Oh? When?" Rei mumbled something. "What? I can't hear you through your hair..." He brushed it aside and saw that Rei had an uneasy expression on his face. "What's the matter?"
"They're...they're coming during my exams."
"Your exams are more important. You know that don't you?"
"I know."
"But you're not entirely convinced?" Kai regarded Rei seriously. Did Rei really understand what he was talking about?
"I know it'd be stupid to skip out on my exams...but if I could make a name for myself in Parkour...I was just talking to that guy, and...it's interesting. I...wouldn't mind making a career out of it..."
"Parkour can wait." Rei smiled and nuzzled into Kai's chest.
"You're right. Why are you always so right, Kai?"
"Because I am. Now are you going to finish your revision? Or do I have to make you?"
"Make me? Now how would you go about doing that?" Kai rolled over and Rei fell to the floor. He stuck out his tongue childishly, then picked up his book again, trying to absorb himself in the life of Florence Nightingale.
Again, if there's anything you don't understand, just say (I know the school system in England is confusing- I'm in it!). Oh, and in case it's not the same wherever you come from, GCSE grades go from A(it shoudl be Astar, but the damn thing won't let me use asterisks) to G. An A star is really good, but a G is really bad. C is good, and D is average. Anything from a C up is considered a pass. An F (which Kai says Rei will get if he doesn't study) isn't the lowest grade, but people would say 'I bet I've got an F' because F generally stands for failure. Which is kind of mean, but I guess that's letter association for you!
