Disclaimer: See previous chapter.

-Kai-

Alone, he sat in the desolate solitude of obscurity. A hue of silver from the moon cast its shadow onto the floor, through the blinds but in the corner, he paid it no attention. Only the darkness mattered because there, he could hide the pain that consumed him entirely.

''Rei.'' A masculine tone spoke, shattering the ominous silence that engulfed the room as much as the dark did.

He had not heard the knock, or the entrance of his place opening. The door, unlocked, let the owner of the voice calling out to the lost soul inside the temporary residence. It was no use; no answer came to the waiting ears that made footsteps crack upon the wooden floor.

''Rei…''

Once found, the tangled mess of ebony looked up at the uninvited guest with drowned eyes and circles of black and fatigue adorning the faded and lifeless face. Knees huddled to his chest; they slowly fell parted, as he accepted the offering hand, hauling him to his feet. Standing, he looked back down to the floor, bangs hiding his pained visage.

''Kai…''

Kai watched; his ruby orbs empathetic to the gold ones that cried away all the riches of joy and happiness, now only hollow molds, faintly stained of that once color as his fingers tilted the chin upward. The hurt, so vivid made his heart sink.

Rei blinked, and then clenched his eyes tightly as the embrace they entwined in caused a lump to lodge in his throat. All the pain he had not cried for day's worth of isolation wanted release and burned as he fought it back. He stubbornly resisted the inevitable that was only natural in his miserable time he lived.

A whine emitted from the travel seat left in the hall, outside the room, one so familiar that he had not heard in weeks. The child, his friend's, stabbed at his heart with every sob and whimper, weakening him more so, cracking the wall of the dam that contained each droplet of water threatening to spill soon.

The young male Gou born before his still unsure daughter shrieked for his father that did not move for the persistent wails just yet. He stayed comforting as he rubbed a hand from the slender waist up the back hidden by an ivory shirt and ebony hair cascading loosely, until a few inches above the bare, tiny feet.

However, Rei finally broke and crumbled, letting the tears flow freely in abundance as his whole body trembled. He folded under the haunting memories and let his pride wash away in a stream down his cheeks along with his never-ending agony. Kai offered his shoulder and did what he could. What any companion would do for another in tragic moments that tore one apart.

''I am so sorry, Rei.'' He whispered soothing words of condolence.

Rei stepped back, removing his arms from the neck they encircled, looking up at the sympathy he warmly received. Nodding, he gestured to where the noises still rang from, letting him attend to his duties. A faint but not wan smile, barely visible, twitched on the lips that breathed out gratitude.

''Thank you, Kai.''

Better recollections filled the aching spirit as his treasured thoughts from the past returned, as did his pals, all one by one, each there to help. Even the coldest did not feel as frigid as before. Time did not promise to heal all wounds but he would take whatever necessary of it to patch up the fallen shards.

-TBC-