Thanks for your comments! throws out Tala plushies As you should all be aware of by now, this fic is now rated R, but I really think that pertains only to chapter twenty. As a whole, I'd say it was PG. Possibly PG-13 for Tala's potty mouth. Ah, what the heck, for the language in general. There. Don't sue/report me. :D

Oh, and what you're about to read is a horrible massacre of the legal system. I'm a John Grisham addict, but I don't know the first thing about the law. Well, I know enough to live, but that's about all. I've totally warped the visitation rights in jail just for this fic. The mistakes are all mine. They're on purpose, too. Enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-One

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Kai unsteadily opened his eyes. His head ached terribly, as if someone had taken a hammer to it, and his vision was blurry. Very slowly, the world came into focus. There was a dank ceiling above his head, hard ground underneath his fingers, a dirty scent in the room…

Memories of the night came crashing down into his mind, and he closed his eyes with a groan. He felt tears gathering in them and he sniffed deeply, bringing up a hand to brush them away. He remembered what Cleft had done, and the sudden mention of the man's name caused him to glance around the small cell to see where he was. To his great relief, he found him fast asleep, snoring slightly. Kai gently tried to push himself into a sitting position, but collapsed back down when pain lanced through his body. He recalled the doctor's warning to refrain from any kind of intercourse and wondered if he really was going to die of internal bleeding.

Deciding that he was not going to lie in the middle of the floor where Cleft had brought him down, he dragged himself to the other side of the room, biting back his cries of pain. The entire hall was eerily silent. Kai cursed every single one of the cowards who had turned their heads on what they knew was a crime. He didn't have very much energy to stay angry, though, and after a moment, he leaned against the wall, dropping his head into one hand while the other supported him on the ground. Everything had gone so dreadfully wrong that he could hardly sort out his thoughts.

What's Tyson going to think when he finds out? He thought miserably, feeling like a complete failure. His head was throbbing by now, and after a moment he clutched it in both hands, trying to will the pain to stop. He couldn't think like this. He closed his eyes and the only sounds in the cell were Kai's breath coming out in small gasps and Cleft's steady breathing.

His hands slowly fell to the ground and for a long while he didn't move. His mind moved quickly and it was as if his life were passing before his eyes. He saw Voltaire and Boris when he was a child, the abbey, the Blade Sharks, the Blade Breakers, traveling the world, the plane crash in Russia, Boris and Voltaire older, the World Championships, the breakup of his team, the prep school, meeting Wyatt, his teenage years, graduation night, college entrance exams, Rei, Caleb, Tyson, Tala—

He forced down a mental barrier to keep him from driving himself insane with all the damned memories. He was tired, so tired, but also ready to tear something to shreds in his weariness and frustration. At the moment all of his anger was directed to Cleft for what he had done. But whenever he thought of that, his anger was replaced by misery, fear, a huge sense of loss, and apprehension. Tyson. What would Tyson say? Would he call him a slut and dismiss him right there? Would he never want to lay eyes on him again?

Kai shifted his position with difficulty. He was sore all over, but the pounding in his head was becoming less prominent with each passing minute. His eyes hurt. He massaged them gently and wondered what he would do if Cleft awoke. One thing he was sure of. He was never going to go through that again.

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Rei had had an exhausting night. Tyson had proved to be a humungous handful, but he couldn't blame him. If he were Kai's boyfriend, he would probably have acted even worse. Tyson didn't want to do anything but see Kai, but Rei had decided to heed Tala's advice and not let him go. Numerous yelling matches had erupted during the night, all of them ending with Tyson in tears and Rei feeling worse by the minute.

Wyatt had stayed for a while, upon Rei's request. The poor boy had looked frightened half to death, and Rei didn't want to let him loose just yet. After a warm dinner and a talk with Caleb, Wyatt had thanked them both and said he would be leaving. He had plans to crash at his dorm, and he wanted to visit his parents but couldn't leave town until the police had questioned him. He left soon after, and Rei had told Caleb to go to bed; it was getting late. The young boy had reluctantly gone, and then Rei had proceeded to get Tyson to bed. It had been hours before Tyson finally succumbed to sleep, and by that time, Rei was bone-weary. The Chinese blader had collapsed on the couch, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The sound of birds singing and the morning light streaming through the windows woke him. He opened his eyes slowly, noticing that there was a blanket draped over him. Someone must have put it there after he fell asleep. He suddenly shot straight up. Tyson could have left during the night! He pushed the blanket aside and stumbled to the guest room. Opening the door, he was relieved to find Tyson tangled up in the sheets, sound asleep. With a sigh, he shut the door and turned around, coming face to face with Caleb.

"Good morning, Rei," Caleb greeted with a smile. The smile quickly turned to a frown. "You fell asleep on the couch last night."

Rei dragged his fingers over his face. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I just conked out."

"You've been working too much and not getting enough rest." The slight blonde boy hooked his arm through the crook of Rei's and they walked to the kitchen together, Caleb with an accusing look on his face. Rei couldn't help smiling.

"Again, I'm sorry." He shook his head. "This whole thing with Kai… it's got Tyson… well, you saw him last night."

Caleb nodded. "I don't blame him. Here, let me make breakfast today." The pair had reached the kitchen. Rei began brewing coffee and Caleb opened the fridge to reach for a carton of orange juice.

"You want to make breakfast?" Rei asked. Caleb gave him a charming smile.

"Yes. And I remember you telling me that Tyson eats a lot, so I'll make sure to make an extra helping for him."

"Hopefully he's not too depressed to eat," Rei muttered, kissing Caleb on the forehead before walking down to the guest room again. Tyson was just stirring. Rei stepped inside.

"Hey, Tyson," he called gently. "It's morning."

Tyson mumbled something, opening his eyes all the way and rubbing his face. "Rei? What am I… oh, yeah…" his voice trailed off. Rei looked down in sympathy. He had never once in all his years of knowing the boy seen him so grief-stricken. Tyson had always been the one coaxing the others to never give up.

"Did Tala come back? Or call?" Tyson asked suddenly.

"No, he didn't."

Tyson growled. "Well, I am not waiting for him. I'm going to see Kai today and that's final!"

Rei saw no point in arguing. "All right."

The other boy blinked. "That's it? You're just going to let me after all you did to keep me here yesterday?"

"I guess. I think you should see him."

Tyson pushed back the covers and stood, yawning widely. He raked a hand through his tresses and then was still for a moment, seemingly pondering.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" he asked quietly. Rei closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, this is Kai we're talking about."

"But he's different now," Tyson cut in quickly. "I've seen a side of him that I never knew existed. I didn't know he was even capable of… depending on somebody else. I mean, when we were younger, he did everything he could to stay away from us. I always pictured him as a shield of some sort, someone who could do the impossible. He bailed us out a lot."

"I get you completely," Rei said with a small sigh. "He's changed a lot."

Tyson shook his head slowly. "No. He hasn't changed. He's always had the same nature as now. He just hid it inside all his life." He was quiet for a minute, and when he looked up, he saw Rei's amber eyes glistening. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Rei shook his head. "It's just when I think about it… how can he not hate me?"

"Rei, I know for a fact that he doesn't hate you," Tyson said in a firm voice.

"Do you really? Has he actually told you face to face that he doesn't hate me? I led him on for years, and then I ripped out his heart and stepped on it!"

"That's all in the past," Tyson said, now slightly uncertain. He was fairly sure that Kai didn't hate Rei, but the subject had never come up. In the days after their newly formed relationship, Tyson had avoided mentioning Rei's name at all, and after that, he had forgotten about it. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure that Kai had forgotten what happened. "I'm telling you exactly what I think is true, Rei. Kai's probably not ready to be your friend just like that, but he doesn't hate you. He wouldn't do that."

Rei was silent for a moment. "There're times I wish the whole thing had never happened."

"We all have times like that," Tyson said softly. Rei seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts and gave Tyson a weak smile.

"Anyway, Caleb's making breakfast for you."

"Uh, you know what? I'm not really hungry. I think I'll just head out to see Kai now."

Rei gave Tyson a sharp look. "You're not hungry?" he asked, arching a brow.

Tyson cringed under the look. "I promise, I'll eat right after," he said hastily. Rei glared for a moment longer and Tyson scampered to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Ten minutes later, he appeared in the living room. Upon finding it empty, he stuck his head through the kitchen door.

"Good morning," Caleb said cheerfully. As much as Tyson hadn't wanted to admit it, he found the kid irresistible, and was almost certain that Kai would think the same. Rei came up behind him.

"Tyson, are you sure you're not going to stay?" he asked. "I really think you should eat breakfast first. It's not healthy skipping meals."

"I swear, Rei, you act so much like a mother hen." Tyson slipped towards the front door. "I'll come back here afterwards. I just have to see Kai."

Rei sighed and nodded. "I hope he's all right."

------

The drive took just under an hour, giving Tyson too much time to think. The last thing he wanted to do was sit idle and reminisce. Kai was the only thing on his mind, and he hoped to God that he was all right. He shivered as the memory of how Kai had kissed him last floated through his brain. It had felt so much like he was trying to say goodbye.

After dwelling on that thought for a moment, Tyson had decided not to think at all for the rest of the way. He turned the radio on loudly and focused on driving. He always thought he had an overactive imagination, anyway.

By the time he entered the prison, he was itching to see Kai again. Just one look would calm him down considerably. The place was darkish and gave Tyson a bad feeling, not really helping his mood. There was a desk at the front with a man idly flipping through a manila folder, and Tyson approached him quickly.

"Good morning, sir. I'm here to see a, ah, friend," Tyson said, trying his best to look confident and put-together. The man looked at him critically.

"And you are?"

"Tyson Kinomiya." He smiled.

"And who are you planning on seeing?"

"Kai Hiwatari, sir."

The man grunted. "Voltaire's grandson, eh? You know the boy killed someone, right?"

"It was in self-defense," Tyson ground out. He snorted.

"Right. Hey, Ivan, do you think this kid is okay to see Voltaire's grandson?" the man asked. Another guard who was standing around, seemingly doing nothing, looked up.

"Uh… he's not feeling well."

"He isn't?" Tyson asked. "Well, you know he's sick, right?"

"Uh-huh. I don't think he's up for visitors right now," Ivan said. Tyson narrowed his eyes. It was obvious the man was trying to hide something.

"I came all the way down here just to see him. I don't know what you're trying to hide but if he's hurt in any way, I'm going to—"

"Oh, shut up," the man at the desk snapped. "Ivan, can he see him or not?"

"I guess…"

The man looked at Tyson. "You don't have very long. When I tell you to leave, you leave, understood? Ivan will be watching you the whole time, so don't try anything stupid."

Tyson nodded. Ivan sighed and stalked down the hallway, passing rows and rows of cells. Tyson's eyes passed over them nervously as he followed. Inside, he was cursing everyone he could think of for sticking Kai in a prison like this. The place was mostly quiet, as if the people had given up. Everyone seemed listless.

"He should be… right here," Ivan mumbled, looking at a clipboard in his hands. He glanced up at Tyson and beckoned him closer. His boots scraped on the ground as he moved up a few cells and stopped. He tapped on the bars with the board.

"Hey, you're Voltaire's grandson?" he asked.

"I was," a soft voice answered.

"Kai!" Tyson skirted around Ivan to stand before the cell.

"Tyson?" Kai asked, alarm rising in his voice. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes and looked up. He was sitting on his knees on the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Tyson answered. "Are you all right?"

Kai felt his breath catch in his throat, and he didn't answer. He had sat in the cell for hours thinking about how Tyson would react when he told him what Cleft had done. Cleft had been sleeping for a good part of the time. When he awoke, however, he had begun throwing obscenities in Kai's direction. Ignoring him had been harder than he had thought.

"Kai," Tyson said, kneeling down so he could look into his eyes. "Talk to me."

Kai didn't lift his gaze from the floor. Hearing the concern in Tyson's voice hurt, but he knew he had to tell him. He felt a tremor go through his body and both heads turned when they heard Cleft speak from his perch on the other side of the room.

"Oh, so you're Tyson?" he asked lazily. Kai saw him give him a wink and he turned back around.

"Goddammit," he whispered. Tyson glanced at him, confusion on his face.

"Yeah, I'm Tyson. Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, no reason. I remember Kai mentioned you last night. He wished you were there."

Kai let out a shaky breath, closing his eyes briefly. His fears held him in a viselike grip. Tyson gave Cleft an uncertain look and slowly turned back to Kai.

"Hey. Why aren't you talking to me?" Tyson's voice grew worried. "Are you mad at me?"

Kai shook his head. "No."

Cleft laughed cruelly. "He's probably mad at himself because he enjoyed it."

Tyson again looked confused, this time concern mixing in with the look on his face. "What's going on? What happened here?"

"Tyson…" Kai raised his head slowly and looked into Tyson's deep brown eyes. They seemed to expand and Kai watched as his face crumpled.

"Who did that to you?" Tyson asked dazedly. Kai's eyes had lost their luster and Cleft had left an impressive bruise on the soft skin of Kai's throat with his mouth. It was reddish and Tyson found it painful to look at.

"He did," Kai said softly, his eyes flicking toward Cleft and back. "Tyson, he—" He suddenly stopped when he felt Cleft's hand on his shoulder. Tyson stood up.

"Oh, Kai, you look so sad," Cleft said mockingly. "Do you really think that your little boyfriend is going to care about you once you tell him what happened? That you're used?"

"Get your hands off of him." Tyson's voice trembled slightly and Kai couldn't tell if it was because of shock or anger at Cleft's statement. Cleft blew out his breath loudly.

"God, you people are impossible. You want to know what happened? Last night I came onto him and decided to claim him as my own. So I did. It was fun. And I know you enjoyed it."

Tyson was shell-shocked and Kai felt like crying until he died. His anger flared up suddenly. He couldn't stand even being near Cleft now.

"Get away from me," he said darkly. Cleft clucked his tongue, that mocking grin still on his lips. Then he had the audacity to lean down and plant a kiss on Kai's forehead.

"You sick mother fucker!" Kai all but screamed in rage and despair as she shoved Cleft away. "Haven't you put me through enough?! Don't touch me!"

"Just what is going here?" Tyson demanded, Kai's cry cutting deeply into his heart. He turned to Ivan who had been standing idle the whole time. "What the hell are you running here, a prison or a whorehouse? How could you let something like this happen?"

"Look, the people in here are being pun—" Ivan was cut off as Tyson stood, grabbed him by the lapels of his shirt and slammed him forcefully against the wall.

"Punished? Punished? That man raped my boyfriend in a prison cell and you're going to brush it off as punishment?" Tyson snarled in his face.

Two more guards seemed to materialize out of nowhere and Tyson found himself being pried off of Ivan and pulled a few feet away from the cell. Ivan let out a huge sigh and brushed his shirt off. He slowly fumbled for his keys and picked out the proper one.

Kai had his eyes closed and was shaking badly, one hand clutching his head and the other weakly holding himself steady on the ground. Tyson tried to struggle his way out of the guards' grip, but they weren't letting him go.

"Kai," Tyson said softly, his eyes glistening. He wasn't sure if he could even hear him. "What did they do to you?"

"I'll have him moved to a separate cell. Alone," Ivan announced. "Right now, I think your visit is over."

Tyson had a helpless look in his eyes. "I'm going to get you out of there, Kai. I don't care what I have to do. I will."

"That's enough," a guard holding him said roughly. "I advise you leave before you get into any trouble."

Tyson had no choice but to go. Kai didn't look up to watch him leave; he seemed oblivious to everything around him except his own pain. Moments later, Tyson walked through the doors and into the bright morning sunshine. He stopped at his car and took a deep breath, blinking his tears away.

"How could I have let all this happen?" he asked aloud. There was no one around him. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, remembering his promise to go back to Rei's afterwards. He climbed into his car, feeling unbearably sad. Kai had been stripped of his virginity and his pride, and Tyson recalled the way he had looked at him back there. His eyes had been full of hurt and grief, so unlike the Kai he had known when he was younger. The Kai he had grown up with used to smirk at others and look down upon them, knowing that he was so much better. Seeing the way he had looked down on himself back there just… hurt.

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TBC

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Now I know jail visitations don't go like that. You go to a separate room with that mesh wall thingie and all that good stuff. Like I said, I changed it just for this fic. Anyway, I'm leaving for Michigan on June 14th, and considering how much time I take to write these chapters, I don't think chapter twenty-two is going to be done before I go. ;; I'll only be gone for ten days, though, so hopefully it won't be too much of a wait. Thank you again for staying with me for this long! I love you, people. :D So, Tala's whereabouts should be revealed in the next chapter (not that it's a huge mystery, or anything). --;; I think Sam should also make his final appearance. All right, let me shut up before I tell the whole story right here. Review, please and thank you. ;)