Okies, here's the third chapter. I got so many reviews, I was kinda shocked! Thanks to all the people who reviewed:
Darkangelintheshadows: ...Kai might be okay...and he might not...you have to read down the page to find out!
Lullaby Lily: I think Tala's cute whatever he does...but then he -is- my favourite character...gotta dig that hair...
Kaei Kon: I always imagine Tala having a gun. It's from a picture I found on a website one time where Tala's holding a launcher, but it looks so much like a gun it's scary. In the end, my friend had to point out that the 'gun' actually had a ripcord...
Ropponmatsu III: Your review made me feel all fuzzy inside. Thanks for being so kind!
Just that good: Tala losing his temper just seems right to me somehow...he seems like that kind of guy.
Skimmie: Here you go, I updated!
Renanimeangel: Mm, when I end up with a shiny shiny floor I usually end up totally re-writing it. I have a sort of deep-seated hatred of over description, because before my yaoi days, I read a lot of het, mainly Final Fantasy. There was this one story that I absolutely loved, but halfway through a 40,000 word epic they started shiny shiny flooring it and absolutely RUINED it! I never did find out if Cloud and Aeris got together because I couldn't force myself to keep reading it...
BloodyShadows: It's interesting that you think Rei will get angry with Kai...I suppose that seems the obvious choice, but it isn't actually Kai who Rei loses it with. Kai's unconscious when the temper loss starts. Heh, guessy game: if it's not Kai, guess now who it is and then see if you're right further down!
DarkMaesth: Another review that made me feel fuzzy! Thank you for being so kind about my writing!
Chinese Fairy: Suicide? That wasn't what I had planned... It probably would have been a good idea, but I've got most of the next chapter written already. Thanks for the suggestion though! If you really want to see Rei dead, I'm working on a one-shot at the minute which contains that very thing. It should be up sometime in the next couple of weeks or so.
Ellen: It was kind of supposed to be a bit light-hearted, to make Bryan seem nice and not a stress-head like Tala... And about that memory thing, I'm like that- sometimes I'll be watching TV, there'll be an advert break, and in the space of three minutes I'll forget what I was watching in the first place!
Delores L: Sorry I wasn't logged in last time I reviewed your fic, but I was running late for school and I needed to get some breakfast.
Frostt: I didn't actually know your fic existed until you told me! I'll have to read it sometime. Mine was spawned (as most of my fics are) from a pretty picture in my head (well, not so pretty) of Kai hitting Rei. And then I had to find a way of making that picture plausible. My friend Peachmelba suggested drugs, and that seemed to fit, so, Kai the druggie as born.
LaDyFiCtIoN: 'Hero' was intended as a metaphor, but more for the sort of importance of heroin in Kai's life. I never really thought about him sniffing crack- I wanted to make it horrifying, so because I hate needles, the most horrifying way for me to put it was to have him injecting himself.
Helen: I hurried! Scroll down and the next chapter is there, in all it's angsty glory!
Yumi-Ulrich4ever: Uh-huh, Max has a confession to make. Can you guess what it is? Meh, you'll find out soon anyway...
Shinigami tenshi: Yeah, he did go and get it checked out. It wasn't actually broken, just looked that way. Sorry for not actually saying in the fic! I suppose it could have been fractured. That happened to me once- I fell over and it hurt so much I thought it was definitely broken, but when we got to the hospital they went 'nah, it's not broken.' Three days later they phoned me up and said they'd looked over the x-ray again and realised my wrist was actually fractured…I know it's not the same thing, but you'd think they would have noticed the -first- time they looked at it! I know in the story Tyson said it was broken, but he's not a doctor and he was exaggerating (like always).
Keisan: It's all just a big mess of angst at the moment, but you can get a lot of fluffy goodness out of angst (although the fluff won't be around for another chapter or so after this one…)
DarkLightJak: Heh, glad you liked it.
Animeobsession: Thanks for being so kind! You made me feel all fuzzy inside…
"Boys?" Tala, Rei, Bryan, Max, and Tyson looked up from their sodas as Mr. Dickenson came into the cafe. "They said..." He smiled. "They said he's stable. He's going to be alright, they think." Rei let out a cry of happiness and jumped to his feet.
"Can I see him?"
"Well, yes-" Rei shot off. "But he's not awake...oh well."
"Kai, oh God, Kai I was so worried about you..." Rei curled up in the chair next to Kai's bed, one hand reaching out to stroke the Russian's cheek. "I don't care about you pushing me down the stairs, I don't care about any of it, I just want you to get better...will you get better?"
"Nnn..." Rei blinked. The nurse had said Kai would stay asleep... "Unh?" Rei leaned forwards and a hand grabbed his front. "Rei...I need..."
"Kai..." Rei swallowed. He knew what Kai wanted. He reached up to the panic button on the wall and prodded it as Kai pulled him closer. His eyes were bloodshot and demonic looking, and he was shaking. "I need it...I can't stay alive without it..."
"Kai...I-I can't..." Rei laid his hand over Kai's but Kai only tightened his grip, glaring. "Kai, I can't bring you any...d-drugs!" He protested, tears filling his eyes.
"That's because you're USELESS!" Rei started to cry. This wasn't the Kai he had saved, had loved, had defended. This was a possessed Kai...
"KAI! Get off him!" Tyson and the others appeared in the doorway, and the blue-haired boy ran forwards, striking Kai across the face. Kai rolled with the punch and then bit Tyson savagely, drawing blood, snarling like an animal. Tala came over as well, pulling Tyson away and trying to pin Kai to the bed. Kai wasn't having any of it. He kicked and struggled like a demon, until a nurse appeared in all the confusion and stuck a syringe into his leg. As he felt the needle enter his skin, Kai relaxed completely, as if that was the most natural feeling in the world. Within seconds, his eyes had closed.
Tyson growled angrily. "He's flipped. He's gone nuts." Rei shook his head, sitting next to Kai and stroking his cheek.
"He's not Kai."
"Rei, of course he's Kai." Tyson said, folding his arms and glaring. Rei shook his head.
"He's not. He's not Kai."
Tyson was about to reply scathingly when the nurse spoke up. "I think he's trying to say that it's not Kai acting like this, it's the drugs that are controlling him. Mr. Dickenson's already paid for him to go to a private rehab centre when he gets out of here. Once they get him over the drugs...that's when you'll get the Kai you know back. Until then, he has an addiction that he can't get over by himself.
"Heroin's a drug that makes people feel as if they need it to live...even more so than other kinds of drug. However your friend got into it, it's a hard...well, it's an impossible trap to get out of on your own."
"He got himself into it." Tyson said harshly. Rei stood up, fists clenched.
"You don't even know why he did it! How can you think so badly of him when you don't know the full story? It's easy to get addicted to something!" He yelled. He took a step closer to Tyson and his voice rose to a scream. "You're acting like a total idiot! You never show him any consideration at all! Ever!"
"What? Rei, you're upset, why don't you just calm-"
"You told him he didn't have any emotions last week! You called him a psycho druggie when he needed us to help him! Now you're saying he's crazy! Why don't you just shut your stupid fat mouth!" Tyson's mouth fell open at the sight of Rei so angry. "Stop pretending like you know everything, because let me tell you, YOU DON'T! You might think Kai's disgusting but to me, YOU ARE! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"
Tyson backed away slightly. "Rei..." Rei burst into a flood of angry Chinese and turned his back, braid whipping out behind him. He paused after a few seconds and took a deep breath. "I could forgive him more easily. He has a reason to act like this...but you...you're just an idiot. You're a stupid, overweight, intolerable moron. You're a judgemental idiot." He turned, eyes narrowed dangerously. "If this is a day of judgement, Tyson, why don't I judge you? Shall I assume you bounce around like an idiot all the time because you're afraid of being still because it's like being dead?"
Tyson flinched- Rei had hit the point exactly. "Shall I assume you try to make friends with everyone because you're scared of people not liking you? Because deep down you're afraid that they'll hate you and want to hurt you? Shall I assume that? Even thought it might not even be true? Oh, and I've got a good one. Should I assume that you're weak and pathetic because you can't even admit it to yourself that you're gay?"
"W-What?"
"Don't think I haven't noticed you watching me. Call it a cat's sixth sense. Only your eyes are never on my face, are they? They're never on Max's, or, for that matter, Kai's!" Tyson made a choking noise in the back of his throat and ran out. Rei bared his teeth, grinning at everyone's shock. "Did you all assume that just because I never tried to hurt any of you meant I didn't have the power to? Well you've hurt me. You've hurt me more than Kai did by hitting me. You've stopped believing in him...you don't believe that he didn't want this to happen.
"-You- don't believe in him. But I do. You can stand there and insult him all you like while he's asleep, but while I'm here you'll get every insult back!" He looked around the shocked faces of all the others. "I told you...I love him. And I understand that if he was in his right mind...he wouldn't act like this at all. So I'm going to wait for the real Kai to come back. I'm not going to abandon him. I'm not going to judge him, or criticize him."
"Rei...we haven't abandoned him, or anything like that. We're angry because he hurt the one person who cares about him the most." Said Bryan quietly, going over and laying an arm around Rei's shoulders. "Max, will you go and find Tyson and bring him back here?"
"Don't bring that idiot back in here." Rei growled.
"Rei, do you even remember what you said to him? Granted, you're upset and you're angry, and you look like you haven't slept in days, but I think you two need to talk." Tala said, flumping down in the visitor's chair as Max left.
"I don't want to talk to him." Tala laughed softly and looked over at Kai.
"Tch. Even when he's asleep he's a trouble causing little bastard..." Rei glared. "I mean that affectionately. Anyway, I grew up in Moscow. I know all about this crap. I know it probably isn't his fault. There are a million ways of getting into drugs. He's still a stupid little tosser for not telling anyone though." Rei glowered ominously, but Tala only smirked. "Hey, retract those claws, tiger-boy. I should be the one ripping into you- you've got my boyfriend draped around your shoulders."
Rei blinked. "...I'm sorry."
"Nah, it's alright, you can borrow him." Tala said, winking. Rei shook his head.
"I-I'm sorry for losing my temper like that...I -never- lose my temper..." He looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry."
"Tyson?" Max walked into the toilets, still calling for Tyson. "Tyson, are you in here?" There was a snuffling noise and a scuffle of feet. "Tyson?"
"Go away..." A tearful voice choked out from inside the cubicle.
"Bryan told me to come and find you."
"Don't care."
"Tyson..." Max sighed and went over, climbing onto the sinks and then peering over the top of the cubicle. Tyson was sitting on the lid of the toilet, knees pulled up to his chest. "Tyson, are you crying?"
"Go away..."
"Tyson, he didn't mean it, you know. But he's upset about Kai."
"Hn." Tyson sniffed and shrugged. Max climbed onto the soap dispenser and leaned over, only to have the dispenser crack and fall. He hit the top of the cubicle and flailed wildly, dropping over the side and landing straight on top of Tyson. They ended up in a heap on the floor, both blushing. "Um...sorry." Max muttered. Tyson gave a small squeak and tried to struggle away, but found himself unable to untangle his legs from Max's. "Tyson...about what Rei said...I...I don't think he was right. Because..." Max's blush deepened further. "IthinkImightbegaytoobutIdidn'twanttosayanything!" Tyson blinked.
"Really?" Max nodded, then reached out tentatively and touched Tyson's cheek.
"I've never...um...I've never actually had a boyfriend before...um..."
"Am I...your boyfriend?" Tyson whispered. Max laughed nervously.
"If you want to be..."
"Um. I...don't know how boyfriends are supposed to act..."
"...You think I do?" Max hesitated for a second then crawled onto Tyson's lap, leaning against his chest. Tyson cuddled him closer, wiping his eyes with one hand and trailing the other around Max's waist. "I don't...want to go back there when he's this angry."
"He didn't mean it."
"...It's true, though...it was all true..."
"But we have to go back."
"I don't want to."
"Please?" Max turned his best puppy-dog eyes on Tyson. Tyson looked down and sank under the spell.
"I...suppose...if we have to..."
"Tala? I think he's fallen asleep..."
"I haven't." Rei replied, opening his eyes. "I was just...thinking. Meditating standing up." Tala shrugged.
"If you'd rather do it sitting down, I need a smoke..."
"-A- smoke." Bryan said warningly as Tala walked out of the door. Rei sank down into the chair and looked at Bryan enquiringly. "He's supposed to be giving up, but considering the situation, I'll let him have one. You want a drink?"
"No. Thanks for asking though."
"Well I'm down the hall if you need me. Just shout."
Bryan left as well and Rei looked over at Kai. The Russian was sleeping curled up on his side, a breathing mask over his mouth and a drip stuck in his hand. The nurse said he'd done something to himself when he struggled, but Rei hadn't really been listening. He'd just been worrying. "I don't know what it's like at rehab...I hope they're kind to you...Mr. Dickenson said you'll be going in the next couple of days and we won't be able to see you for a few months, but I don't mind, as long as you come back okay." He yawned and got up, lying down on the bed beside Kai and curling up against him. When Bryan came back a few minutes later he found Rei snoring gently, snuggled up next to Kai and sleeping peacefully.
A short while after that, Tyson and Max returned, Tyson looking over at Rei warily. Bryan smiled. "He's asleep. He didn't mean what he said, you know. After you left, he said he was sorry for losing his temper like that." He looked at his watch. "Mr. Dickenson said he'd be back at eight."
"What time is it?"
"Ten to. I'm going down, I need to find Tala and make sure he hasn't smoked himself into the floor... Besides, my legs are going to sleep in these trousers. If we don't come back up then we've already gone home, okay?" Bryan retrieved the two bike helmets from under the chair and picked up his jacket, walking to the door. "If he wakes up...Rei, I mean...don't blame him for getting angry. Try and keep his mind off it, if you can."
Tyson nodded, and Bryan disappeared out into the corridor.
Next Chapter: Kai writes Rei a letter, Rei gets angry again, and Max suspects that Rei is mad (although these events are not necessarily linked).
I know I made Rei go a bit crazy, but the poor guy hasn't slept much in a while and he's worried about his little Kai-Kai. Plus, I just decided to have some fun and make him lose it. It was a good way to wring that confession out of Max…
The reason I made Rei so mean was because he's nice to people. I know that sounds stupid, but people wouldn't be paranoid about Rei hurting them or teasing them about their secret fears because they trust him, which is why it hurts Tyson so much when Rei turns on him- Rei knows exactly how to hurt him and beside that, Tyson didn't think Rei would ever be the one to make fun of him for being afraid of the things he's afraid of.
One of my friends is like that- she's really nice and rarely loses her temper, so people trust her with secrets and aren't afraid of opening up to her, but that means that when she DOES lose her temper, she always knows exactly what to say to hurt you the most.
Thanks for the replies about what I should finish first (if someone said they couldn't choose I put a vote for each of them):
Scary Boris perving on Bryan: IIIIII
Rei and Kai at a health spa 10 years after the Bladebreakers split: IIIIII
Six for each of them…D'oh! If anyone else wants to comment about which story they think I should finish first, your input would be appreciated!
And once again, even if you really have no interest whatsoever in what I write next, please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! I appreciate all the reviews people leave, but, as ever, flames will be used to toast marshmallows.
