Sorry all, but this is a really short chapter. As always, thanks to all who reviewed!

Endoh Chiaki: I'm glad you like it! And no, the story with scary Boris the pervert is probably going to turn out KaiBryan (I've never tried that pairing so I thought it would be a good challenge!).

Lullaby Lily: Mm, that distance thing kind of does make sense... I want to do Religion Philosophy and Ethics next year when I start college, so I'm into all that kind of stuff!

Firefairy42: Yeah, it was about Peachmelba (PM just makes me think 'Prime Minister'!).

Ellen: Heh, you can find out who corrupted dear little Kai next chapter. This one's a sort of filler between the third chapter and the fifth (and most likely the last) chapter, so there's not all that much going on...

Darkness-fire-tiger: I'm glad you liked it!

Yumi-Ulrich4ever: Ah, sorry, you'll have to keep waiting a little longer to see if Kai comes home fully okay. Like I said above, this is sort of a filler chapter...

Animeobsession: Oh, are you one of those calm people who go absolutely mad occasionally? Trumps for you (that's a good thing, by the way)- my best friend's like that!

Chinese Fairy: Yeah, the health spa fic does have KaiRei- I've been trying a lot of alternative pairings lately, so I decided I had to have something traditional to balance it!

Just that good: Yeah, Rei gets angry again. Although, not as angry as before. I'm glad you're liking the story so far!

Darkangelintheshadows: Um...can I take it as read that you want me to do the health spa one first? I'm glad you like the idea, but I only counted your vote as one...sorry. I didn't think it was fair to count all fifteen of them, but I'm glad you like the idea that much!

Shinigami tenshi: Naw, it didn't sound like a criticism. Heh, thanks for noticing that I tried not to make Rei into a pathetic crybaby. Don't know if it worked as well as I wanted it to, but still.

Mika: I know he's OOC, but he is an addict- they usually behave differently to how they normally would (not that I know really, but that's what all those anti-drugs speakers always say).

Helen: You know, I hadn't actually thought about them having a sauna together...hehe, you gave me a pretty picture of them doing just that in my head- thanks! I like it when I get pictures in my mind like that, that's where I get a lot of my fic ideas from!

Delores L: Um...I'll give you a bit more in-depth info about those two stories:

Scary Boris the Pervert: Boris decides he likes the look of Bryan and tries to...you know...with him. My friends Peachmelba and Firefairy42 have read what I have so far of this one and they both said it's one of the most twisted things I've ever written...

Kai and Rei at a health spa: Rei is working in a health spa. Kai comes to the spa after an accident, and the two spend the next few weeks together.

Sorry my bio's confusing...


For a couple of months, they didn't hear anything about Kai, or how he was. It was obvious to his friends that Rei was still on edge with worry- he hardly slept, and for that reason he was quick to snap, especially if anyone mentioned Kai. However, when a brown envelope stamped from 'Starting Over' (the place Kai was staying) came, he brightened up considerably. He practically skipped into the living room and ripped open the envelope.

Rei,

My psychologist says that I have to write to you. I hate it here. They've put me on medication and it makes me sick and I'm always shaking. Everyone's always nice all the time and I hate it. They won't give me anything, and the food's disgusting. They're always having room inspections and coming in and prodding and poking in my stuff. I hate them all.

Kai Hiwatari

(the druggie)

Rei looked down at the folded sheet of paper and felt his eyes flood over with tears. He hadn't been expecting a miracle, but...it sounded more like they were hurting Kai than helping him... He shrugged off the comforting hand Max laid on his shoulder and went upstairs, getting out a sheet of paper and a pen and writing a reply.

Dear Kai,

Please be strong, and don't give up. I'm waiting for you to come home, and until then I'll always be thinking of you. I hope it gets better for you soon. I just want you to know that I love you.

Rei.

PS: Don't call yourself horrible names like that.

However, when Rei asked Mr. Dickenson for an address to post his reply to, he was horrified to find out that he wasn't allowed to send Kai anything at all. He slammed his hands down onto the desk, furious.

"Why won't you let me send him anything? He sounds like he's having a horrible time! Surely a letter can't hurt him!" Mr. Dickenson sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rei, but part of his therapy is being totally cut off from the people he's hurt and left behind. Maybe you could give him it when he gets back?"

"IF he gets back!" Rei hissed, storming out. He stalked the few streets back to Tyson's and looted a stapler from Tyson's bedroom before stapling his reply viciously to the back of Kai's letter, cursing. Everyone seemed determined to make everything harder for Kai when he needed help!

Kai continued to send letters, getting slowly more and more remorseful. Rei wrote replies to them all, signing each one with the same words: 'I love you'. He kept them in a box under his bed, and God forbid that anyone went under there- Rei was likely to kill them. Whenever anyone mentioned Kai, they were met with a glare that would make warlords shiver in their boots, and on the one occasion when Tyson dared to say that Kai was mad for taking drugs, he had recieved a teapot to the head. Rei was constantly on edge, but that all changed when he opened another of Kai's letters, about four months after he'd gone into rehab.

Dear Rei,

I know you probably hate me for everything I did to you, but...my psychiatrist keeps telling me that if I'm ever going to get over everything that happened, I have to be honest to the people I hurt, and I can't think of anyone I hurt more than you. At the minute, the only image I can bring to mind of you is when you were lying on the floor after I hit you. I can't remember it all that well...I can only remember your eyes, really. You looked scared...angry...betrayed. I'm more sorry than you could imagine...could believe.

I think I feel so guilty because the more I've sat here and thought about it (it's not like there's anything else to do around here), the more I've realised that- and I know this will sound strange, coming from me- I've realised that I love you. I know that you come from the kind of society where homosexuality isn't...appreciated, but they keep telling me that honesty is the best policy, so I'm being honest.

I don't expect you to return my feelings, or to forgive me for what I've done to you, but I just wanted you to know. I'm going to be coming home in the next week or so, but I'll only stay a couple of days and then I'm going back to Russia- I don't want to stay and cause you any more trouble.

Yours,

Kai Hiwatari.

Rei looked down at the letter and laughed out loud. Tyson jumped and looked up, startled out of his doze. "He's coming home!"

"What?"

"He's coming home! Next week!" Rei leapt up and hugged Tyson, then laughed again and ran upstairs, flinging open Max's door and bouncing inside his room. Max looked at him strangely, wondering if he'd finally flipped. "Max, he's coming home!"


Once again, sorry for the shortness. The next chapter WILL be longer. And, unfortunately, it will be that last.

Next Chapter: Kai comes home, Rei lies to Tyson, and Tyson and Max fight over sugar.

Votes so far:

Health spa: 9

Scary Boris: 9

And here was me thinking ties only happened in movies! Opinions are appreciated, if you want to contribute!

Please R+R!