Well, after that whole site not showing review things, here's the new chapter! Replies to those reviews which I had to email the mods about to even see:
Endoh Chiaki: Yeah, Rei had to come back and set Kai straight, but he ain't coming back no more! Muaha!
Tenshi-Tara: In this fic, Mariah is his sister. And she's not a nice sister either!
Darkangelintheshadows: You thinks right- I made Mariah a bit evil, but I don't like her anyway- she gets in the way of all the good Rei yaoi!
BloodyShadows: Yup, horrible Mariah, come all the way to Russia to torture her brother.
Kaei kon: Well I can't say I'm entirely happy about your friend not asking permission- if she ever wants to translate any of my stuff, tell her to ask, or I might end up reporting her- I'm very picky about people using my stuff since someone plagiarized my Initial D fiction. However, seeing as she credited me, I suppose it's okay. Can you give me the id number of the story she posted, so I can have a look at it? Also, tell her to come and ASK if she wants to translate the other one. If you could give me her pen-name that'd be good as well.
MikeyWaysgirl: He can't! That's why this story is a KaiLee!
Delores L: Meh, Chemistry schmemistry. I was always going to fail it, I don't know why I bothered taking it. I'm glad you're starting to like KaiLee!
Animeobsession: It does! Chocolate cake is a very strange invention, used to make people high on sugar!
Ellen: No, you did review, the site just went a bit funny. And yeah, Mariah's going to screw everyone around.
Curtis Zidane Ziraa: Error? Mariah? Nope. And she doesn't even know Lee's gay yet...
Mini-Murderdoll: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far!
Rejiita: Poor Rei. But it's pretty good for Kai!
Naka the blood-red Cherry: Thank you for leaving such long reviews! A lot of people have said that I write the hatred gays face very well, but I always put that down to living in a town where the word 'gay' is a common insult- 'meh, that's a gay tree'. It escapes me how a genderless tree can be gay, but still. My town is very unforgiving towards gays, so I understand that kind of situation very well.
Super Chicken: It sounds like a good idea, but as a rule I don't do requests, and I'm AWFUL at writing sci-fi. I'm glad you suggested it to me over others, but I'll have to say no. The last time I tried to do something sci-fi it was so bad I was ashamed.
Helen: But I had to kill him off at -some- point... The only character I use a lot in fanfiction who I haven't killed off so far is Bryan, I think... -Bryan runs and hides from evil Yazzy-.
"Kai?"
"Mm?"
"I made you breakfast..." Kai looked up, puzzled. His room was red...so why was the pillow he was using blue? "Um...would you mind telling me why you came and invaded me in the night?" Ah. Now he remembered. He scratched his nose as Lee sat down beside him.
"I had a dream. I think I love you."
Lee choked on the mouthful of orange juice he was drinking, and Kai had to rub his back before he regained the power of speech. "W-What did you say?"
"I said 'I think I love you'."
"Um?" Kai looked up at Lee, still confused by his feelings, then, out of instinct more than anything else, kissed Lee firmly on the lips. "D-Do you mean it?"
"Yes." Lee blushed, a fine band of pink spreading across both of his cheeks. "I love you. Do you love me too?"
"...I think so. But...what about Rei? I...would feel guilty to think that somewhere up there he might be watching us..."
"I think he would want us to be happy. Don't you? Rei wasn't selfish, you know that, you knew him just as much as I did. Besides...he told me not to spend my time crying about him. I wouldn't defy his wishes like that, especially not...if I managed to find someone I could love as much as him."
Kai looked over at the plate of pancakes on the bedside table, then dipped a finger in the syrup, lifting it to Lee's mouth, inviting him to take it. Lee took hold of his wrist, holding Kai's hand still as his pointed tongue darted out to lap up the sweet juice. Kai smiled. Another difference. Rei had been a sucker, not a licker. Stifling a laugh, Kai shook his head. Taken out of context, that sounded incredibly rude...
He became suddenly aware that he was no longer sitting upright, and that there was a warm weight pressing down on his stomach. He looked up and saw that Lee's eyes were ablaze with passion and he looked...almost predatory... The neko-jin leaned down, and Kai thought Lee was about to kiss him, when Lee carried on down and-
"Oh..." Kai sighed with pleasure as Lee bit his neck gently, then moved down to his shoulder, lapping up the spilt blood as he split the skin.
"Kai..." Lee looked uncertain. "Are you still comparing me and Rei? Because..." Kai pressed a finger to Lee's lips, silencing him.
"No. I'm not. Not any more, anyway. Because..." He smiled. "I've realised...how different you both are..." He pulled Lee closer, so that the neko-jin's head was resting on his collarbone. "You know...Rei never wanted to be seme...I've always wondered what it's like to be an uke..." Lee swallowed.
"But...I couldn't-"
"Why?"
"I...I..." Lee raised his head, blinking. "Do you...really want that?" Kai didn't reply at first, only pulled Lee into a dizzying kiss, before pulling back and gazing up into Lee's eyes.
"Make love to me, Lee..." Lee swallowed nervously, hearing his own whispered, lustful words.
"I don't know if I can..."
"Try..." Kai breathed, feeling his pulse start to race. "Please..."
"Master Hiwatari?" Kai jumped awake.
"Hnuh?"
"Master Hiwatari, there is a young woman here to see you and your guest, sir. I did not think it wise to show her in directly, given your...ahem...current state." Kai looked up at his butler in total puzzlement, then realised where he was, who he was with, and what he was, or rather was not, wearing. He sat up, sought out his clothes and pulled them on in record time, all the time wondering who it was.
When he was satisfied with his appearance, he leaned over and kissed Lee's temple, then left, following his butler to his study downstairs. His hand rested on the polished handle of the door for a second before twisting it and walking in, surrounded by the comforting green of the decor. However, the person in the room clashed horribly with the peaceful green, dressed as she was in a pink jacket, pink trousers, and pink shoes.
"Mariah?" Kai was torn between shock and rage. How dared Mariah come here?
"Where's Lee?"
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Kai, I know he's here!" Mariah cried, standing up.
Kai glared. "Did I deny that he was here? No. I was merely wondering why you spoke to me so rudely. Lee, for your information, is probably still in bed." Suspiciously, Kai glared at Mariah. What did she want? Was she going to get Lee murdered as well?
"Probably?"
"Yes, probably. I am afraid I cannot tell you the intricacies of your brother's life here, because I am out most of the time. What exactly do you want here, by the way?" Kai's voice was taut and his polite words strained.
"I want to see Lee!"
"You want to, do you? Well I want never gets. And someone like you most certainly never gets. Feel free to look for him, but also know that there are four floors to this house and some five hundred rooms, and about a thousand corridors. Happy hunting." He turned, walking towards the door, but Mariah grabbed his arm.
"Don't go! I need to see him!"
"Why? Are you going to find some way of getting him killed as well?" Mariah looked puzzled.
"What? Why would I do something like that?"
"I don't know, but I do know that it's YOUR fault Rei died!"
"It wasn't!" Mariah cried, voice shrill. "He said it wasn't!"
"Bah!" Kai wrenched his arm out of Mariah's grip and stalked away.
"Father's dying!" Mariah yelled after him. "He wants to see Lee before he dies!"
Kai paused and turned. "Your father was the one that killed him...how can you expect me to have any sympathy for him, or for you? Lee and I...have gotten closer. He told me everything that happened before...before Rei..." Kai was forced to admit that his acting skills were nothing less than perfect. But he knew that he would continue to act and lie if that meant he could protect Lee. He could still bring to mind how Rei had looked, covered with blood and unmoving, and knew how easily that could become Lee. He wasn't going to let it happen a second time.
Mariah looked at him for a few seconds longer then burst into tears. "None of us wanted him to die! Please! Let me see Lee! Just for a few minutes!" Kai felt himself wavering.
"Fine, but when I tell you to go, you go!" He snapped. Mariah nodded and followed him back up to Lee's room. On the way there, Kai's mind was working overtime. How could he stop Mariah from finding out about him and Lee? After all, if he just walked in, Lee was likely to kiss him, or hug him, especially if he was only half awake still...
As they got to the door of Lee's room, Kai thought of the perfect solution, one that would suit the haughty host he was playing. He rapped on the door. "Lee, your sister is here to see you. Are you dressed?"
"Um...yes..." Kai opened the door and Mariah ran in. Lee was standing by the dressing table, looking puzzled, even more so when Mariah ran over and flung her arms around him. He looked at Kai over the top of her head, mouthing 'Does she know?' Kai shook his head, and Lee looked heartily relieved.
"Mariah? What are you doing here?"
"Lee, it's father! He's ill!"
"Oh."
"Lee, he wants you to come home! He says travelling is all very well, but you have to go back!" Lee sighed.
"Mariah...it's not that simple any more. I've started a new life, I don't think I could go back that easily."
"But Lee, he wants you to take over for him! The tribe has to have an assassin, it's -traditional-!" Lee's face paled and he pushed Mariah away.
"Never!"
"But-"
"NO! I'll never do what he does! Ever! You can go back and tell him that! I watched him kill the best friend I ever had and I'm not going to do the same to other people!"
"Lee...you would disobey his dying wishes?" Mariah looked slightly horrified, but it was lost on Lee.
"Yes, I would!"
"Mariah." Kai spoke loudly, and Mariah turned. "You should go."
"No! Lee, you have to come back!"
"Mariah, I said no, and I meant no." Lee backed away, then walked over to Kai. Kai looked at him questioningly, shocked as Lee wrapped his arms around his waist. Mariah's mouth dropped open. "You-!" She pointed at Kai. "You've turned him!"
"Mariah, he didn't 'turn' me! Why do you think I left home? It was because I didn't want to end up strung up and knifed to death, and I couldn't face it that Father would be the one who would have to do it!"
"How can you? How can you do this to us all? It was bad enough with Rei but now you!" Lee growled, a ferocious snarl that left his lip curling.
"How dare you? How dare you come here and demand that I become a killer, and then condemn me for being what I am?" Kai watched, horrified, as they lapsed into shrill, angry Chinese, screaming at each other. They carried on like that for a couple of minutes before Mariah struck Lee across the face. Lee's head snapped back and he touched his cheek before giving an angered roar and slapping Mariah as well. "GO ON THEN! TELL THEM!" Mariah screeched with rage and launched herself at Lee, only to be met by the barrel of a gun.
"Calm down." Came a haughty, cold voice. Mariah glared up at Kai, hissing. "He told you why he's not coming home. Go and grass him up if you want to. But I'll warn you, if anyone comes here, -anyone-, there will be trouble. For the first part, all of my staff have guns, and all of them know how to use them. Secondly, I'm going to warn my grandfather. There will be surveillance. There will be plain-clothes assassins on the premises. I won't let you destroy another thing I love."
He clicked his fingers and the butler appeared. "Escort her to the gate, please." With a nod, the butler led Mariah away. Kai turned to Lee, tucking the gun back into his pocket. "Lee...are you okay?" Lee's fingers traced over the four bleeding scratches Mariah had carved down his face. He was shaking visibly, and as Kai watched, his legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to the floor.
With his twitching hands, Lee reached up and ripped off the necklace he always wore before hurling it away. Kai understood the gesture; the necklace was the only thing Lee had kept of the clothes he'd had when he'd come to Kai. The shirt, dark red, the trousers, black, all of them new, but Lee had kept the necklace, to remind him of home. With Mariah's rejection, he in turn rejected his family, and his home.
Kai knelt down beside him, stroking Lee's hair as he cried, tears hitting the floor, staining the carpet with dark circles. "She said...she said she's going to tell them..." He choked out. Kai cupped Lee's abused cheek and tilted his head up, kissing him softly.
"Don't worry."
"But...but my parents...my grandparents...maybe it would be better to go back..."
"No! You know what's waiting for you back there!" Kai yelled. Lee looked into his eyes and Kai could see guilt and fear glaring out of Lee's gaze.
"Why should I live when he had to die? If it's a crime, we both committed it, so why-? If it's not right...is it wrong? And if it is right...then why did they-? Why did they kill him?" Kai put a finger over Lee's lips.
"If I'd known what he was going back to, I wouldn't have let him. And I won't let you. Not any more. Not after..." Kai swallowed. "Because I love you." He leaned forwards and crushed his lips to Lee's, fingers seeking out the buttons of Lee's shirt and opening them one by one, hands worshipping the smooth skin beneath, pushing Lee down until his back hit the floor. "I love you so much..." He whispered. "Can I love you, Lee?"
"Oh God yes..." Kai kissed his way down Lee's neck and stomach, making the neko-jin writhe and moan.
"This is right, isn't it? You can feel it..." He moved back up, straddling Lee's taut stomach and leaning over him. "Love isn't wrong. Not like this. You shouldn't have to die for loving someone. Even if people don't agree...it's what you believe that counts." Kai took a deep breath before continuing. "Can I make one last comparison between you and him, Lee?"
He waited for a nod before speaking again. "He always cared more about his family and his dignity than he cared about his own feelings. He was too absorbed in everyone else to find time for himself. I think he knew what would happen when he went back, in some way... Don't do that to me, Lee...don't go back there just because your parents would want it. Don't do it because it's the right thing to do because it isn't!" His eyes filled with tears as his voice dropped to a whisper. "It isn't..." A single tear spilled over, trickling down his cheek to land on Lee's skin as he pressed himself against the neko-jin's chest. "Don't leave me, Lee..."
"I...oh God, Kai..." Lee sat up, holding Kai tightly against himself. "I...I know I shouldn't go back...but..."
Next Chapter: The last, unfortunately, and it's more of a sort of epilogue than a chapter. If I give you too many hints it'll spoil it, so I'll just say that...someone gets a letter.
R&R please!