Hello!
How are you guys? As you can see, I'm back! Had a great time skiing, and I didn't fall once. How's that for skill? Nah, just kidding…I really suck at skiing. You know what? My glasses broke! The glass fell out. Grrr…thin means I can't see as good as usual, but I'll manage till I get new ones. Thank you so much for all the reviews, leading subject seems to be "poor Tala"…yeah, starting to get to many reviews to answer. This will be the last time I answer them all, but if you give me a direct question, I'll answer it!
ray-is-sexy: Had a great time skiing! Didn't fall once:D
katten: Yatta! Glad you're back! Jag åkte blades I Åre under lovet, så därför uppdaterar jag nu.
Hikaru-chan-4ever: I do? Oh…sorry, didn't realise I did…weird…I really do? Where? Anyway, so happy you enjoy the story!
giftoftheelves: Hehe…I'm trying to keep the comments as short as possible, but it doesn't work. I do realise they become too long sometimes. That's why I'm gonna stop answering the reviews. :P
crystalblueRussianangle: I've missed you too! Phobia against ants is actually worse than you might think, especially during summer when I spend a lot of time outdoors as an instructor on a sailing-ship. We stay at different islands every time, and there's often so many ants…you just can't kill them all. The skiing took place here in Sweden, at a little mountain called Åre-skutan (oare-scoutan) nowadays, I don't skii, only blade (ironic huh?). Scary about the carbon-monoxide! Shudder!
darkness-fire-tiger: Yatta! I will!
Anime-Manga-MAD: Hehe…sorry for keeping you waiting, but…kyaaaa, don't get down on your knees and call me that! Scary XD! I always crash when I ski. On that, I'm the champion! However, this time I didn't fall even once. And I had a great time! Well…thanks but I'll stay my ground- I'm not a fantastic writer!
Jennchow: HAH! That sure was an odd review XD
KendoSakuyamon: Hello "new reviewer". I own a master Dranzer, but my specialised blade is Wolborg. If you're like Eiri, you'd probably like me. Or put up with me at least, since I'm a mixture of Tohma and Ryuichi. Sorry to say it, but I'm afraid I don't understand your answer on the fifth question in chapter 10…sorry!
Soul's Eclipse: Actually, I have two characters I could pair him up with…just can't make up my mind. I didn't like Tala at first either, but now he's grown to becoming my favourite!
Reis1gurl: Thanks!
Yoko-obssessor: Good! I didn't have the time to write during my vacation, too much to do! I did have fun though!
Kiko cat: This is asap. "You look at my story and think wow you're good"?…Hahahaha…man, you're killing me!
Ping-chan: I think it's 13 volumes plus two extra (gravitation remix…although those two only contains hentai sex) 13 episodes of the anime plus two extra (Gravitation OVA…again, only sex) You think I'm a good writer? Thanks!
UlTiMaTe KaI LuVa: No, organisers doesn't give a shit! lol Yeah, Tala is pretty lonely. Now, here's the update!
Tsunami-girl: Yeah, I like that description! Bryan…I kinda like him…but I can't seem tosqueese him in the story. It's driving me nuts! I want to let him come forward a bit more. I think I'll save Tala's love for the sequel…I think… Yo, I accidentally deleted your e-mail…sorry! I didn't even get to read it. Argh, I'm so stupid!
blackartofchaos: No, It's not poor me. My own fault! I like snow! Not the wetness though, and I WAS a cat in previous life :P
M.S.K: I like TalaxBryan, but this time…I'm not sure whether to turn the situation in that direction or not…thanks a lot!
Mya Ino: Hiya! It wasn't that good…(blush) I thought of Bryan too, but then…I don't know… Seems you had a strange Monday…yikes, I would have shut down the telephone! Actually, I would have loved it if you had followed…but I had a great time anyway (now, that didn't sound that good…) Luv ya! -cami
Disclaimer: …Don't own.
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:chapter 13:
:Back in town:
Kai was on his way down the dark marble stairs. It was eight o'clock in the morning and he had only slept for about two hours. And on top of it all, he had woken up alone, Rei nowhere to be seen. The phoenix was moody and tired and the others were gonna have a hard time being around him since he would strangle the one who dared to approach. And, if Tala felt any better, he was going to suffer for forcing the bluenette to leave Rei in the middle of the night…or maybe not.
Kai sighed as he opened the door to the breakfast buffet. To his surprise and relief, everybody sat calmly talking in smaller groups. He searched the room but couldn't see Tala anywhere. Though, he soon spotted the raven-haired beauty sitting by the window in the company of Oliver. The Russian gave a weak smile, feeling a little happier, and walked over to them. He approached Rei from the back.
"Hi" he whispered into the neko-jin's ear, causing him to jump. For once, he hadn't heard someone coming and he was startled.
"Jesus Kai. God you scared me!" he coughed.
"Sorry" the Russian sighed and sat down as he eyed the tiger suspiciously. He, Rei, was wearing a sweatshirt which went from silver-grey at the collar and ended in black around the waistline and black jeans. As usual, he had wrapped his hair. Kai himself was wearing a silky lavender shirt and beige pants. "I missed you this morning." He smirked teasingly but Rei didn't respond. Kai frowned at the cold treatment and gazed at Oliver. The French blader smiled at him.
"We figured that we shouldn't disturb you since you were up practically the whole night, and we are going into town now." the phoenix turned his attention back to Rei.
"Is that the reason?" he chuckled. The Chinese nodded and took a sip from his coffe.
"Yeah" he answered simply. "And we should probably get going." He stood up, followed by Oliver. Just as the neko turned to leave, Kai grasped his wrist and promptly made him stop.
"Wait" Kai whispered. "When will you be back?" Rei rose his eyebrows in confusion. He threw the emerald-haired teen a questioning look, but he just jerked his shoulders.
"Later" Kai didn't look that pleased with the answer and since he didn't let go, Rei added. "I don't know when. Don't think to much of it." Kai sighed and unwillingly released the Chinese. He couldn't explain it, but somehow that icy treatment made him feel weird. As the two teens left, he slammed his forehead down at the table, raising questioning eyes around the room. He was back to the grumpy mood, although now it was comparable to the mood Bryan commonly was in, in other words much worse.
"Good morning my fellow buddies and opponents" Kai looked up at the voice he recognised as belonging to team Russia's red-haired captain. Tala was standing in the doorframe, wearing black jeans and a metallic-green top, smiling happily. Kai groaned and slammed his head back at the table. "Hi, Kai" the wolf greeted as he sat down on the opposite side of the table. He still had an angry bruise on his right cheek.
"Fuck off, Ivanov! I'm so not in the mood for you!" the bluenette growled.
"…?…Oh, hehe. Guess I ruined your sleep last night, huh?" he laughed and ran his hand over the tinge of purplehe had caused onKai's face.
"How did you guess" Kai replied sarcastically.
"Don't be like that! I just wanted to thank you" the wolf smiled.
"For what?" Kai mumbled in a tone that said he couldn't care less.
"For being there. I don't know what I'd do without you" Kai looked up and was met by two adoring, thankful, ice-blue eyes. He felt his cheeks heat.
"Uhm, yeah…don't mention it" the phoenix scratched his head and looked away. Tala smirked at the reaction. He always acted the same way whenever he gave him that look. The look that said-I'll do anything for you, -I'll always be there for you, -I love you. Tala shook his head and smirked invitingly.
"What are you up for today, sweetie?" he asked and teasingly stroke the bluenette's hand. Kai jumped at the touch and jerked away.
"None of your business!" he answered coldly.
"Really? Well, I'll have to guess then" Tala thoughtfully rubbed his temples. "Lets see now…" Kai shook his head and leant backwards. Suddenly, Tala slammed his hands down at the table, causing Kai to fall off his chair out of surprise. "I got it!" the wolf sneered triumphantly as Kai locked his glare at him and crawled back onto his seat. " Rei went into town with his dear friend Oliver and left you by yourself. That explains why you're so angry, and it means you don't have anything planned." Kai smirked.
"Let me guess, you…"
"…Asked them on their way out." Tala returned the smirk and leant forward. "Wanna accompany me?" the bluenette frowned suspiciously.
"Where to?"
"To the bedroom" Noticing the uncomfortable expression in Kai's face, Tala burst into laughter. "Into town. Aw, you are so freakin´ adorable, I want to hug you to death!" Kai coughed at the words which purpose was to be a compliment.
"No thanks"
"Come on! I'll buy you a smoothie or something." the wolf laughed. Kai sighed. Why did Tala have to know about his big weakness…yes, ice cream.
"Right, why not?" he murmured, surrendering.
"Yay, great! Then come on!" Tala grasped his wrist and dragged him with him.
………
At the time, Oliver and Rei were half way to their destination…in a Limousine.
"So, what do you wish to do?"
"I don't know. Maybe shop some clothes." Rei replied the teen sitting beside him.
"Sure thing, but then you have to tell me what's wrong." the tiger looked down at his feet and blushed.
"Nothing's wrong" he mumbled.
"If you say so" Rei frowned at Oliver's acceptation of his answer and sighed.
"It's just that…"
"Yeah?"
"No, never mind"
"Okay" It was silent for a while before Rei growled.
"What the hell does he want from me!"
"What?"
"You heard me! I said what the hell does Kai want from me! I've given him everything he's asked for. I spent the last days solemnly with him, leaving everyone else outside. I've done everything he asked for, including sleeping with him. But is he satisfied with that? No! He still follows me around like a dog. Damn, I've given him everything I can, so why doesn't he just stop it? It hurts…" he went silent. "…he's hurting me…" Rei raised his hand and placed it on his chest. "It hurts when he's near"
"Rei. Do you realise why it hurts?"
"…No. But it's a different kind of pain from all the other times. I just want him out of my life so that it stops hurting…so that…we…he and I…can go on with our lives." Oliver looked at him. The golden eyes were dull and his hands were shaking. The French teen bent forward and placed a little kiss on his forehead. Rei shivered from the touch and nuzzled into Oliver's chest. Oliver stroke his hand through the ebony hair.
"Poor Rei, you don't see it, do you?"
"See what?" Oliver smiled at his questioning look.
"I can't tell you that. It's one of those things you have to figure out on your own."
………
The music was beating through the bluenette's body, the same music which had been played the previous day. Kai leant backwards and closed his eyes. He smiled when Tala started to sing along with the music. It didn't sound bad at all. In fact, it sounded great, just as all the other times. He gazed at the ice-eyed blader. He was so different from the night before. He was himself again.
"So sweetie, what do you wish to do?"
"Don't know, don't care" Tala laughed at Kai's answer.
"Just as always. Too stubborn to think of something. So that means I get to pick what to do." Kai chuckled. Every time Tala decided what to do they always eneded up doing something crazy or…and humiliating. Like the time he, Tala and Bryan got so drunk they went into nearest bar and stripped. Good thing Ian and Spencer were there to stop them before they went too far. Or the time Tala decided that he and Bryan were newlyweds and attached buckles to the Limo. Or the time he made them play clothes-poker…It always ended that way.
Tala slid the vehicle into a parking spot and gracefully jumped out. "Ah, fresh city air"
"Yeah, Yatta" Kai murmured.
"Hehe, I'm gonna make you fell better. Give me your hand!"
"What!"
"Just give it to me!" Kai sighed and did as he was told. As he did it, he felt something against his wrist and heard a clicking sound. He looked down and narrowed his eyes at the sight of the metal handcloves decorated with soft purple fur.
"Tala, you idiot!"
"Now, let's go have fun!" Tala grinned and leapt forward. Kai had no choise but to follow, since the other end was attached to Tala's wrist, and strangely enough, Tala was stronger than him. On the other hand, a life time in the abbey would do that to a person.
………
"What about this then?"
"Meh, it's too…"
"Too what?"
"I dunno. Too girlish." Oliver looked down at the white blouse the neko just rejected.
"I think it's nice."
"Well, you're the one who's gonna wear it" Rei was bored. Although he liked shopping, spending three hours at the mall with Oliver was more or less a nightmare. They had already bought tons of stuff, which Oliver were the one paying for. On Rei's list, there was a pair of black latex pants, a red top with V-shape bound together with strings, a pair of lime green gloves, white flip-flops (who knows where he found those in the middle of the winter), a bandana with the sign of the tiger and blue face paint for his costume.
Oliver had more, three shirts (one green, one pink and one black), two pairs of blue jeans and one pair in red, a white basker, hair-jelly, two blouses, two pairs of white shoes, bunny ears (claiming them to belong with his costume) and a purple scarf.
Rei sighed and collapsed on the floor. "Any idea what time it is?" he murmured to the French blader.
"Yeah, time for lunch!" Rei glared at him. He didn't feel like eating at all. Oliver's smile faded. "I'm sorry! I forgot" he whispered in a sad voice.
"It's okay. And, after all, I'm doing progress you know"
"That's good!" The amethyst-eyed teen held out his hand and helped Rei to his feet.
"Thanks!"
"Anytime" Oliver eyed him from the feet and up. "You're still way to thin Kon"
"Yeah, I know. Guess it came with stress and depression." Oliver shook his head.
"It's too bad! When I first met you, you were the last one I expected to get eating disorders."
"Yeah, me too!"
"But I'm gonna see to that you eat something now."
"Hey, if you don't remember I ate a lot that night with Kai"
"1: Dou you realise how long it's been since then? 2: Did you really!"
"…Uhm…well, a little" Rei scratched his head. "But I'm not hungry"
"How about some fruit and sherbet then?"
"Kay, I guess I can agree to that"
"…You're strange Rei-chan. You don't eat anything, except candy, berries and fruit" Rei laughed at the comment and followed his comrade out of the store.
………
"Faster!" Tala shouted over his shoulder as they ran down the street. Everone had their eyes fixed on the (can you blame them?)
"Stop!" Kai shouted back.
"No, not until we get there!"
"where exactly are we going?"
"Don't worry! I saw it yesterday. You'll love it!"
"Really" the phoenix growled ironically.
"Yeah, really" Tala replied. They kept on running until they reached the square. There was a lot of people walking in the area and every single one of them stopped at the spot when the two teens ran across it. Kai soon saw what was coming.
"TALA! NO! STOP!" he desperately tried to hold back, but too late. Tala took one more step, then jumped, dragging Kai with him. With a loud splash they 'dove' straight into the huge stone fountain. The bluenette yelped when he made contact with the water, expecting it to be cold, but it turned out to be the other way. As they both surfaced from the knee-high water, people started to laugh. Tala joined but Kai slowly sank in the water, red as a tomato. "Taaalaaa!" the phoenix growled quietly between his teeth.
"Isn't it great! They have warm water so that it won't freeze during the winter."
"…I've noticed." Tala giggled at his comrade and stood up, lifting Kai's arm with him. "Ivanov, it hurts! Come back down here!" Tala quickly unlocked the handcloves. Kai fell back into the water, resulting in even more laughter from the people watching them.
"Feelin´ better?" the wolf sneered.
"…You really are a basket case, Ivanov!" the bluenette smirked and splashed water over Tala's already drenched body. Tala laughed and started to hunt him around the fountain. Kai yelped and uncharacteristically joined the game. Tala finally got a hold of Kai's wrist and spun him around. Kai, not prepared fell backwards into the water, dragging Tala with him. People laughed even harder as Kai went under with Tala on top of him. The wolf lifted Kai's head to the surface, and Kai gasped for air, coughing up a little water. They started to laugh, but as their eyes met, their laughs and every other sound started to fade away. The moment seemed to last forever. Kai laid there, fully aware of the warm body on top of him. They could hear the heartbeat and the breathing of one another and they both breathed heavily. Tala bent down and captured Kai's lips in a passionate kiss. Kai moaned in protest and pushed Tala's face away. "Don't…" he begged.
"Okay" the ice-eyed teen pulled away and stroke the hair out of his eyes. Kai coughed and smiled when Tala offered his hand to help him to his feet.
"So Mr. genius…how will we get dry?" Tala sneered at him.
"Oh, I got a pretty good idea!" Kai blushed and scratched his head; Tala burst into laughter. "How come you relate everything to sex? I meant that we'll go buy some new clothes." Kai blushed even more and narrowed his eyes.
"And who's gonna pay for that?"
"I" Tala smirked.
"You?"
"Hai. You're not the only one with money, Hiwatari. So, lets go!"
………
"This is actually really good!" Rei mumbled, referring to the cherry sherbet in front of him.
"Well, for costing 6, you'd expect that it's good" Oliver said, taking another bite of his hamburger. They had been at the restaurant for about an hour, and Rei had eaten a fruit salad plus this sherbet he currently ate.
"Well…shall we headback?"
"Do you want to?"
"I don't know. Maybe. Since Tala said he was going to ask Kai out, I guess I'll get the time to be alone." Oliver chuckled at him.
"You do realise that Tala didn't mean it that way, do you?" Rei didn't respond. "…did he?"
"Probably. It wouldn't surprise me, since he's in love with Kai." Oliver cracked an eyebrow.
"He is? Do you think it's serious?"
"Yeah, I do." Rei said with a weak smile.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"What I'm going to do about it? I'll tell you, not a fucking shit. It's not my problem. He can go out with every one in this part of the world and I still wouldn't give a shit!"
"Okay, sorry. I just thought that he maybe meant a little more to you, or that you'd care about the fact that he's in love with you, not Tala…but I guess I was wrong." Rei sighed.
"You ARE wrong. He doesn't love me. No one loves me."
"That isn't something you could know about. You can't read others minds, Kon. How could you possibly know?"
"Well, if someone would have loved me, they wouldn't treat me like shit!"
"No, Rei. They wouldn't. But keep something in mind, has he really treated you that bad?" the neko was about to say something, but stopped. He stared out in the air. "You see Rei, you are trapped in your own despair. You have to let someone in. You can't get yourself out of this by yourself."
"I'll be fine" Rei mumbled and looked away.
"Will you really? I'm your friend Rei, I do love you…but in another way. Kai too is your friend. And believe it or not, but he does love you. So the question is, will you accept that he loves you or not?"
"Let's say he does 'love' me, what will happen?"
"That's up to you"
"Me?"
"Will you be able to love him back, or will you push him away?" Rei didn't answer. He just looked down at the table. "Isn't it time you stop running Rei? Isn't it time you change your reality? Life isn't as bad as you think, you're never alone." he smiled and put his hand on the Chinese's. "Let's head back." Rei nodded and once again followed the French teen out the door.
………
"This, I will have!"
"Are you serious!"
"Pretty, yes" Kai shook his head at the white silky sleeveless blouse Tala was trying on. He also wore dark grey jeans. Kai was wearing a red shirt and black pants. "So, are we satisfied now?"
"Yeah" Kai replied simply and followed the wolf to pay. As they walked out of the store, many eyes were on them. The two of them sat down at a table at a daily bar and Tala immediately ordered a banana split and a milkshake.
"Excuse me, are you two Hiwatari-san and Ivanov-san?" Kai glared at the young girl standing beside them. But Tala smiled.
"Yeah, that would be us"
"Really?" she blushed. "Uhm, may I please have your autographs?"
"Sure thing, sweetie. What's your name?"
"S-sara" she stuttered. Tala smiled and wrote down his name at the paper she had given them. Kai unwillingly did the same. "Oh, thank you so much! My friends are gonna die" she smiled.
"No problem!" the wolf sneered as she ran off, beaming with happiness.
"This sucks!"
"Aw, come on Kai…don't you like fans?"
"Not that. I meant this whole thing!"
"What whole thing?"
"With Rei" Tala stiffened and got a strange expression in his face.
"So, what's the problem?" He managed to spoke out.
"I don't know. I get the feeling he's only trying to get into my pants."
"Heh, who isn't?"
"Fuck you, Tala!"
"In what position?" Kai sighed and put his hands under his chin.
"If that's all you have to say, you can go."
"I'm sorry. What do you think is the cause?"
"Actually, I know what it is. It's his previous relationships. he hasn't told me, but I know he's really suffering from broken heart. I just don't know what to do about it."
"Are you sure? I mean, maybe he just doesn't love you" Tala realised his mistake when Kai frowned and looked away. "I'm so…"
"Don't be. It might be the case. But I sure hope not" Tala felt his heart acre and sighed.
"I know he does." his whole soul hurt at the words. "I know he loves you. He just hasn't realised it yet."
"How do you know?"
"Because there's not a single soul that wouldn't. One can't dislike you, except for a few people. But the truth is, that he wouldn't have been with you in the first place if he seriously rejected you."
"I don't know"
"Think about it, has he said he doesn't love you?"
"No, but he hasn't said he loves me either."
"Hm" Tala smiled. "But let's assume that your idea is correct,. Then you must let him have his time. he has to figure it out for himself. You can't do anything about it. Just keep encourage him, and don't loose your hope." Kai smiled at him.
"Thanks"
"Anytime. What do you say? Shall we return to the hotel?"
"What about this?" he said, pointing at the two ice cram objects.
"We'll take them with us"
"Okay" When they walked out of the mall, Tala frowned. His whole body seamed to be heavy, and so did his heart.
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Wahhhh! That's soooo long! And it contains too much Tala, doesn't it? Also, a few revelations and clearings.
Well, some people have said that they miss my questions. The reason I took them away was that people seemed to just answer the questions, not saying what they thought about the chapter. But I guess I can ask things if you want to, so here you go:
1. What is your ONE favourite colour?
2. What do you prefer, yaoi or 'traditional'? Why?
3. What country are you from?
4. (If reluctant to, you don't need to answer this) Are you straight, gay or bi?
5. If your soul had a colour, what would it be?
6. Are you a boy or a girl? (I don't expect there to be any guys, but you never know)
7. How old are you?
Much colour here, but what the heck. Review, and even if you answer the questions, don't forget to review on the CHAPTER!
See ya!
