SS-Welcome to the next installment, hopefully it's to your liking.

Tym-Food is to my liking.

SS-Thanks for letting everyone know, Tyrannomon. Anywho, we'll get started quickly today, so no individual thanks this time. But all of the reviews are awesome! I think I got twelve just for the last chapter!! *happiness* ^U^ Thanks everyone!

~Bluumberry~, //MadMaddie\\, #Devlinn Reiko-sama#, *CRaZy NeK0-JiN*, ::Platinum Rei::, ^Sarcasmcat^, ))Shaka Dragomir Nocturnus((, devilburns, []Syaoran-Lover[], ``Dark Willow (aka: Admiral2``, /\Donkey-Chic/\, and {Waves-Sama}

*huggles* Just because I'm not doing individual thanks doesn't mean I can't mention everyone ^^ Arigatou!

~*~*~*~

Loving Legends

Chapter 9 – The new hunter

Disclaimer: See previous chapter

~*~*~*~

            A door opens and closes, soft footsteps approached a figure sitting in the shadows. "Did the new hunter take the job?" The latter asked before the guest sat down.

            "Yes, he's already in the forest setting up some traps." The first person smirked.

            "Good. Tell me about him." The second sat down across from him, taking out a little notebook and reading off what he had written earlier.

            "He's a middle-class hunter. Noted for overdoing his snares, but hides them very well."

            "What is his specialty?"

            "Just as you requested, flying creatures. He uses traps that set off according to how much air pressure is around them." The first person nodded and leaned back in his chair.

            "Excellent." Closing the notebook, he tucked it away in his coat pocket and crossed his arms.

            "Do you really think this is going to work?"

            "Of course. Once Mr. Hiwatari sees what an interference our new hunter is, he'll reconsider our earlier proposition." The response was quick and smooth. He was obviously very confident about this.

            "Guess that means we won't have to check up on him anymore."

            "I highly doubt it. We just need to wait and reap the benefits of our plan."

~*~

            As soon as Kai collected a bundle of leaves, he make a knot around the top of the small bag, tied it to his belt, and began his descent down the mountainside. His spirits were slightly lifted now that he had finally discovered how his ability was activated, but his feelings on what he had to do to trigger it…were a bit hazy. Was it a good thing? Sure, being around Rei was nice (Especially now that there was less enmity between them), but he couldn't figure out just how nice it was.

            'And what was with that little incident just before the pigeon came in? It was nothing, right?' Now that he was a few feet from the bottom, he carefully jumped down, careful to avoid any stray rocks and debris. Kai noticed Dranzer coming towards him, and he outstretched his arm, giving her a place to land.

            {Master Kai.} Noticing the bag tied to his belt, she chirped and hopped up to his shoulder, nuzzling his hair in thanks. That action spoke for itself.

            "You're welcome, Dranz." He proceeded into the forest, unaware of the figure keeping a close watch on him as he went. It was a good thing he had another alarm system. Dranzer was soon aware of another's presence and began looking around. Kai slowed his pace and quickly scanned the area. He whistled to her, telling her to find the person immediately.

            While she flew off, Kai quickly made his way to a nearby tree and climbed up to one of the higher branches, waiting for Dranzer to smoke out the follower. He looked around, whoever this person was he was fairly elusive. 'Could it be another hunter? Maybe it's one of the lower class ones. But why would he be following me?' As he moved to reach a higher spot, something small and hard hit his head. 'What?' Grabbing hold of it, he examined it carefully. It was a miniature barometer, and a string that led into the leaves suspended it. Kai stood up carefully and pushed some of the foliage away, revealing a mesh net, one that was a bit more high-tech than the one he carried on his belt. The weights along its circumference were spiked, and specially designed to send electric shocks along the wires of the net.

            "Hn…now how could a hunter below my class possibly afford a trap like this?" Glancing at the neighboring trees, Kai could almost make out the weights of the other nets, which were made to look like fruit or nuts. Kenny had showed him this model once. It was pricey, but it could certainly do the job. Then again, he could do the same without the trap, so why waste his money on it?

            *CWAAAR*

            Snapping his head towards the direction of the noise, Kai smirked. Dranzer had found the tag-a-long and was chasing him. Running his hand along the string, the bluenette chuckled as an idea popped into his head. He looked out from his spot on the branch and took out his pocketknife.

            "C'mon Dranzer, lead him over here…" After a few seconds, Kai spotted the person running out of the bushes like mad.

            "Help! Someone help me!!" He yelled as he continued his sprint.

            *CWAAAR*

            She didn't let up on her pursuit though, and prepared to dive into him.

            "HELP ME!!!" Pressing her wings closer to her body, Dranzer was seconds away from striking him down. However, that was close enough. Kai blew two sharp whistles, causing the phoenix to break out of her plummet and soar up through the canopy. "What?!" No longer than a second after that, Kai slashed through the string and the net came crashing down on the guy. "Hey! What's the big idea?! Let me out of here!" Kai merely shook his head as he jumped down from the branch.

            "I'd stop struggling if I were you." The boy caught in the net turned and gasped.

            "I-It was you!" He should have listened. Turns out all of his moving triggered the electric shock of the net, giving him a quite a surprise. "AAHHH!"

            Kai whistled again. "Dranzer!" Hearing her name, the faithful phoenix tore through the leaves and came to a slow and gentle landing on her master's waiting arm. He stroked her plumage with pride. "Good job." She chirped sweetly, a complete opposite of the terrifying shriek she released earlier. He then walked over to the net, which had halted on its electrical assault.

            Now that he had stopped moving, Kai could actually see him. The boy had a light shade of red hair, which was held back by a blue bandana. He wore a blue shirt with a beige, explorer-type vest over it. His shorts were also of a tan color, and the belt around his waist held a few items too. They were just common tools for hunters that specialized in traps. Focusing his attention on the guy's face Kai smirked; he didn't look very happy about the little jolt he had just received.

            "Damn trap…" The bluenette suppressed a laugh. .

            "You must be a very inexperienced hunter."

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" Pulling out a knife of his own, the boy proceeded to free himself, only to receive a jolt once the metal hit the wires.

"And you don't know what you're doing. You can't cut through that kind of trap, not if the electric trigger is still in tact." It wasn't like Kai to offer advice like this, but if he wanted answers, he first needed the boy to be free of the net. Plus, the sparks that came from the weights of the net might cause a fire if it wasn't dealt with soon.

"I knew that, I was just trying my luck." Now aiming for the weights, the boy disabled the trigger and cut through the net. He was free in a minute or so. "And I didn't need your help, ok?"

"You could have fooled me, Johnny." Normally, Kai wouldn't have small talk with someone who was tailing him, but he recognized this hunter. Johnny was one of the middle-class hunters in town. He hung around the university and often talked to Robert about things he had heard about from other seekers. They went back, but were hardly friends. "So, would you mind telling me why you were following me?" The redhead crossed his arms.

"I wasn't following you. Why would I want to? If I want to catch something, I'd have to stay away from you. After all, that bird of yours scares anything worth catching away."

*CWAR*

Kai restrained her, though he'd love to let Dranzer wreak her havoc on him, it wasn't the time or the place. "I'm not in the mood for your humor, Johnny. Tell me why you were following me. And while you're at it, why did you put up so many of these traps if you don't know the first thing about them?"

"I already told you, I was not following you. So don't flatter yourself, Hiwatari. As for the traps, there's no law keeping me from putting them up." He turned, prepared to leave. "I have a very large bounty waiting to be collected, so I decided to bring out the big guns." Kai narrowed his eyes.

What kind of a bounty was so valuable that it required traps of such magnitude? Not only were they expensive, they were also very complicated and precise. After the nets were set up and secured, the barometer had to be placed near the trunk of the tree and close to the actual net. The reason for the barometer was because the snare was designed to catch flying creatures. It has to be set for a certain pressure (caused by the flap of the creature) and when the being passes by, if the pressure matches that of the barometer, it will cut the string, releasing the net onto the creature.

'What is Johnny after?' Kai remembered that the pressure set for that barometer was pretty high. So whatever he was hoping to catch must be fairly large. Even Dranzer couldn't set it off unless she was trying to create a whirlwind right in front of it.

"Heh, since that's over, I'm out of here." He didn't get farther than four steps before Dranzer flew ahead and stopped him.

*CWAAR*

She flung her tail out, driving him backwards. She even let out a few spurts of fire, just to add to her ferocity. Johnny glared at her and then pivoted around. "Hey, tell your little canary to get out of my way! I got places I need to be!"

"You certainly didn't seem in such a rush before my Dranzer drove you out of your hiding place." He didn't respond. "Who gave this request to you? What are you after?" It was definitely a command. And it did not surprise Johnny. "I'm not going to ask again." Figuring that he wasn't going to be able to leave until he answered the bluenette's questions, he shrugged.

"I don't know who asked for my services." He stated.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "How can you not know?"

"I just got this letter in the mail telling me to go to the Yuki shrine." He tugged at his bandana. "He said that if I was interested in a large bounty, I should meet him there to discuss the details." Kai stiffened slightly.

'It must be the same person who sent me the letter in the first place. Damn…whoever he is, he isn't giving up. And that means that Johnny is after Max.' As he continued on his train of thought, Johnny continued to talk.

"He even showed me this picture of what I'm supposed to get. It was really blurry, but I could have sworn it was human."

{Master Kai.} Dranzer's chirp brought the bluenette back, and he quickly made up his mind.

'I have to convince Johnny that this is all a scam. If I don't, and Max comes out here, I'm sure he'll get caught. I'll bet every barometer here is set for the pressure Max creates. I don't know how this mysterious client figured it out, but they have to be set for him.' Johnny stared at him, waiting for a response.

"So, is that good enough for you, Hiwatari? Can I go now?" Kai sighed.

'If I don't lead him away from this mission, Max will be in danger. Rei won't forgive me if I went back on my end of the deal. Man, I never would have guessed my part would be so taxing.'

"Listen, Johnny. By any chance, in this photograph, did the creature have yellow hair?" He seemed to be thinking back, racking his brain.

"…I think so, why?"

"And the client said it had some 'heavenly qualities', right?" Johnny crossed his arms.

"What are you getting at?"

"Let me save you some trouble, Johnny. This is a scam."

"A scam? How?" Kai walked up to him.

"This mysterious guy came up and asked the very same deal of me no more than a day ago. It's just a wild goose chase. There's no such creature in the Umber Woods. The picture was probably altered, that's why it's so blurry." He seemed to buy it, for a second.

"If that's true, why would someone go through all the trouble?" Kai choked a laugh.

"Why else? To send you off and keep you busy. See, if you're off chasing this 'heavenly creature' then you'll pretty much be out of the hunting picture for a while. Other seekers can come and take everything that you could have gotten." It was quite convincing…however…

"Come on Hiwatari, that's the lamest excuse you've ever come up with!" Kai silently cursed, but persisted.

"I thought it would have been rather obvious to you, Johnny. I hunter of your skill and experience must be the envy of many young, aspiring seekers. Is it that farfetched to believe that one of them would pull a stunt like this in hopes of claiming your creatures?" He was utterly disgusted with himself. The mere thought of repeating that load of lies made Kai sick. But he had to say something to steer him away.

Johnny shrugged, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Well, it isn't that unbelievable I suppose…" Kai smirked. If there was one thing he could count on about Johnny, it was his ego. It was his Achilles heel, and the best part was, he was completely unaware of it.

"Can't you see, Johnny? This mysterious client never showed you a fraction of the bounty…he could be bluffing. All you got were letters, right? There's no collateral. This guy is sending you on a wild goose chase." The redhead began to fume.

"I can't believe he tricked me!"

"Most than that, he made you waste your time and money. You had to set up all these nets…spent all that money…for nothing." Kai clapped his shoulder and began walking away, with Dranzer close behind. "Hn, see you later, Johnny." Kai didn't actually leave; he took cover behind a nearby tree, waiting to see the boy's reaction.

"That double-crossing son of a…argh…I think a little chat is in order." With that, he left. Stomping back to town, wholly blinded by his anger. He didn't even notice the bluenette when he passed by. (1)

Kai stepped out and smiled as he patted the back of Dranzer's neck. "Well, that takes care of him. For now anyway…"

~*~

            Trygle flew off right after they reached the end of the tunnel. Actually, first he got Rei's word that he wouldn't be auctioned off, and then he left. It seemed he planned on accompanying Rei every time he went to meet up with Kai; to see and make sure Dranzer was ok. After the little heat problem that morning, he didn't want to take any chances. That was all right with Rei. He didn't mind the company, and he would be useful if an emergency arose.

            Max greeted Rei as soon as he spotted him walking towards their tree. It had been an uneventful morning for him, aside from Grypholyion's check-up a little while ago.

            "What happened? What did you tell him?" Max smiled.

            "Don't worry Rei. I told him you were Driger, and that you'd be back really soon." The raven-haired boy sighed in relief as he leaned against the sturdy bark. The last thing he needed was trouble with the griffin.

"That's good. For a minute there, I thought I'd blown it on my first try." Rei let himself slide down the trunk of the tree, coming to a gentle stop on the rustling grass. Max preferred suspension and extended his wings to keep him in the air.

"Well?" The blonde asked curiously. The older boy glanced at him.

"Well what?"

"How did it go? You didn't get into any more arguments with Kai, did you?" Thinking back to their little tiff before Dranzer had cooled down, Rei pursed his lips in contemplation.

"…Not really."

"So you did."

"I didn't say that."

"But that's what you meant, right?"

"Not really."

"Rei."

"Max." The younger sighed.

"Was it about him being a bounty hunter?" Crossing his arms, Rei shook his head.

"No, but thanks for reminding me…" Max quickly covered his mouth with his hands and laughed nervously.

"Whoops." He rubbed his arm absentmindedly. Deciding to change the topic before that can of worms opened yet again, the blonde thought back to what he saw back when he was coming back from the other side of the mountain. "Hey Rei, when you were in the cave, did you look out into the town's side of the forest?" The raven-haired boy shook his head slowly.

"No. I mean, I did…but I wasn't really paying attention to what I saw. Why?" He shrugged.

"It's probably nothing, but when I was coming back that day, I could have sworn I saw something. It was like, a flash of light." Rei nodded, his ears now pointing straight up. "I didn't have time to check since Robert was coming back, but it didn't seem like something from an Umber Wood creature." He turned to him. "Do you think it matters?" There was a pause between the question and the answer, but not a long one.

"Maybe it was the sun or something. Don't worry about it Maxie, I doubt it's anything to be concerned about." The blonde smiled and flopped down beside his best friend.

"Ok. I shouldn't have worried about it." His smile grew to a grin as he leaned against Rei's shoulder. "Guess this means I'm growing up! I'm beginning to worry about the little things!" The older boy patted his hair reassuringly.

"It'll take more than that to make you a grown-up. Let it go Max, I'll become an adult before you do."

"Oh yea, huh…" Max poked his arm playfully. "You'll deal with all those weird grown-up things first, won't you? Soon you'll be taking responsibility for what I do…"

"I already do that."

"And then you'll lecture me about things…"

"Mm…I only did that once or twice."

"Then before you know it, you'll be in love and stuff…"

"I…" He drifted off, his mind unable to summon words to complete his sentence. Thankfully, Max was on a roll and hadn't taken notice of it.

"Oh no! Soon you'll be just like Robert! Ahk! Two Roberts and no Rei!" He clung onto the dark-haired half-breed's arm lightheartedly, his chuckles beginning to die down a bit. Rei, however, was mostly oblivious to his friend's fun.

"Then before you know it, you'll be in love and stuff…"

'That…that is not going to happen to me. Who is there for me to feel that way about anyway? Robert keeps us confined here most of the time, so I couldn't meet anyone even if I wanted to.'

"Fine, I won't. I doubt I could fit through that small opening anyway." Happy with his answer, Rei smiled and brought his head down onto Kai's shoulder as he sighed in relief. He had no idea his action had made the older boy shiver; Rei just liked the warmth and feel of his skin.

'Kai?! Now I know I'm losing it. We're barely friends, and besides…he's a bounty hunter. What kind of love could grow from a hunter and the hunted?' About a second after that thought had processed in his mind, Rei sighed and mentally kicked himself. He had used the 'L' word.

~*~

            The train rattled along its squeaky tracks as it crawled to the next town. The passengers paid no heed to the infrequent bump or jostle, it seemed ordinary to most of the daily commuters anyway. While it did shock the newcomers, they didn't complain, after all, this was the fastest way to the neighboring town without the aid of a mythical creature.

            One occupant was getting quite frustrated though. The 'occasional' jerks of the train continuously disrupted her writing and contemplation. Her classmates were talking good-naturedly in front of her and seemed unconscious to the ups and downs of this 'magnificent' machine.

            "Oh!" The recent bump had caused her to write off of the page. "Stupid train…" She muttered under her breath as she went to fix it with her stubby eraser. "I might as well do this when I get to town." With that she closed her notebook and stared out the window. "There's no use attempting to do it now."

            "I've never known you to be a quitter, Emily." Turning her head, she managed a small smile as Robert, one of her teacher's assistants, took a seat next to her. "You usually finish a problem no matter what."

            "Yea, but this is different. I was just trying to figure out something my friend, Kenny, told me earlier. It's not that important. I can do it later." He nodded.

            "Now that you mention it, why didn't Kenny come along? I thought he'd be the first to sign up for this trip." She sighed and began tapping her pencil against the cover of her notebook.

            "He was going to be…until his friend came. Since she arrived all he's done is spend time with her."

            "Someone from class?"

            Emily tilted her head. "She's in the environmental studies class. I know that she's learning about the Umber Woods and its creatures, but her costume was quite unusual." He glanced at her.

            "Her costume?" Nodding, the orange-haired girl began telling Robert all about 'Deliah' and her unusual outfit. While the older boy seemed to be paying full attention, with each new detail she described, he began wondering if this girl was really who she claimed to be.

            'Why would a faerie cross into town and make herself known? More importantly, how did she get Lady Eleanor's permission and change into human form?' Emily continued talking and Robert leaned back in his seat. 'I hope this has nothing to do with Rei or Max.' He shook his head lightly. 'No, even they couldn't pull this off. I must be jumping to conclusions too quickly.'

            Though their topic of conversation stayed on Kenny's new friend and her almost-suspicious qualities, it soon changed to what they would be doing the next day as they neared their destination, Amidaru town.

~*~

            Rei absentmindedly toyed with his wrap of hair as he leaned against the tree trunk, his golden eyes staring impassively into the dark, starlit sky. Max slept peacefully nearby, wrapped in his own fluffy wings. The raven-haired boy occasionally checked on him, but every time he did, his mind would wander to their conversation earlier. It was all that he could think about. No matter what he did the rest of the day, his thoughts centered on Max's words and his reaction.

            'Why am I even thinking about it? It's late…I got to get some sleep, otherwise I'll be late tomorrow.' Sighing, Rei muttered a cruse under his breath. What would happen tomorrow when he went to meet up with Kai? If he couldn't stop thinking about the bluenette now, how would he fair during their lesson? Especially with the discovery of Kai's ability and what triggers it, Rei was sure things weren't going to go well for him and his rampant thoughts and emotions.

            He shook his head. 'Max said something simple and frivolous, I'm just overanalyzing it.' He told himself, trying to sway what his instincts urged him to admit. Rei drew his knees up to his chest and rested his arms on them. 'I bet I'll forget all about this in the morning.' Truthfully, Rei knew that wasn't going to happen. His mind revolved around the idea of him actually having feelings for Kai; there was no way he would be able to disregard it if the older boy was near him, talking to him, touching him to talk to Dranzer…

            Dropping his head onto his arms, he groaned. "I am not falling for a hunter…" It was barely above a whisper, but he feared that was already too loud. Saying it gave it a form; it was the first sign of sure denial. There wouldn't be much rest for Rei tonight; that was unbelievably obvious.

~*~ Next morning

            Kai walked through town rather slowly the following morning. Despite his normal amount of rest, he was exhausted from the tossing he did last night. Put simply, he didn't sleep. Why? Though he wouldn't admit it to himself, the stoic hunter had been thinking (or obsessing) about his previous lesson with Rei.

            He suppressed a yawn as he neared the entrance to the forest. 'Damn. What was I doing? I shouldn't be dwelling on something that's already happened. Not that I was, looking at Dranzer just reminded me about it. Reminded me about my ability, how it's activated, the warm feel of Rei's soft sk--' Kai stopped, which alarmed the weary Dranzer, who sat on his shoulder, nodding on and off. Because the older boy had experienced a fluke case of insomnia, she couldn't sleep either. She could sense his restlessness, and willed herself to stay awake and try to calm him down until he could sleep again.

            {Master Kai? What's wrong?} The bluenette shook his head and resumed his pace. His faithful phoenix remained silent; any questions now would only fall deaf to his ears.

            'I need to forget about him. I have to remember why I'm doing all of this in the first place. Anything I feel doesn't matter, in the end, he'll be in Tala's hands.' Kai barely acknowledged the fact that he had entered the Umber Woods already; his mind was focused on his thoughts. 'I have to concentrate on getting Rei's absolute trust. Then I can finish my job and move on.' Breaking from his deliberation and taking in his surroundings, he changed direction and headed for the cave. It was almost time. "What I feel for him means nothing, I'm only deluding myself." He mumbled.

            Dranzer lowered her head. She couldn't catch everything, but what he said couldn't have been anything good. {When will you start putting yourself before your responsibilities?} She got a response, but it wasn't one she had hoped for. A sensation coursed through the phoenix as they went deeper into the forest…something didn't seem right. Then she noticed it. {What?!} Taking flight from the boy's shoulder, Dranzer turned about and rammed her head into Kai's middle, effectively stopping him.

            He finally escaped his daze-state and eyed her a bit angrily. "Dranzer, what are you doing?" She chirped at him, trying to make him see the whole picture. He scanned the area and shook his head. "What?" Giving an exasperated sigh (If possible) she flew near one of the trees and landed rather roughly on the ground. Less than a second later, it collapsed. If she didn't know it was going to happen, the bird would have fallen victim to the trap.

            Kai mentally kicked himself for being so unobservant. His thoughts of Rei had completely thrown him off. "Thank you, Dranzer." She quickly regained her happy demeanor and returned to his shoulder, grateful that the old Kai had regained control. "A ground trap?" Walking around it, the bluenette became aware of the multiple number of traps strewn about the forest floor. Not to mention the increased quantity of aerial snares hidden among the leaves. "Who would…?" Kai's crimson eyes narrowed upon realization. "Johnny…"

            Lightly tugging at his scarf, he stormed off towards his destination, taking note of the traps and avoiding them easily. Though this new revelation had taken his mind off of Rei, it wasn't much better. Not only did he have to destroy the snares, he also had to find the middle-class hunter and set things straight. Kai couldn't afford to waste anymore time. The first and most efficient solution that came to his mind was getting Rei to help…then again…

            "Just wait, he'll think I set these up and am trying to catch him with one." Dranzer tilted her head in confusion. The only word that she understood was the boy's name.

            {Master Kai?}

            "Never mind." Like it or not, the bluenette needed the boy now. There was no avoiding him. "Sabotage." He muttered. "It's like someone is bringing us together on purpose…" Spotting the waterfall, he turned and glanced up, his aggravated crimson eyes searching for the cave.

~*~

            Thanks for the notice, Rei! Could you have given me anymore of a heads up?! Trygle spat, sarcasm dripping from his exasperated tone. Rei sprinted below him, hastily tying his headband around his forehead as he made his way to the cave.

            "Look, I already told you that I'm sorry, ok?! I…I didn't get much sleep last night and my body decided to bath in the sunlight a bit longer than usual." His answer was a tad understated. The raven-haired boy's musings about his situation with Kai had driven rest out of his system for many hours the previous night. He had promptly shut down the moment he paused to check on Max and even then spent the early morning in an uncomfortable slumber.

            "Besides, who made me your alarm clock? You know when I'm supposed to meet Kai, why didn't you wake me up?! Why weren't you already awake?!"

            The eagle huffed and descended a bit. I forgot, ok? It's not like I've been doing this for months or anything. That and…I like sleeping in. With that said and their journey to the cave coming to an end, Trygle extended his wings and began climbing up the sky, leaving Rei alone to fume.

            "Lazy! You are so indolent, you hypocrite!" He would have yelled it out, but since he was doing this against Robert's will (And Grypholyion's for that matter), there was no need to voice his opinion in that manner. Their babysitter was already gone, as it seems this was the time he went to check on everything. Hopefully Max would remember to cover for him again.

            Finally reaching the mountainside, the half-breed gracefully ascended the rocky slope and met the golden bird at the entrance. Even then they didn't let up. The two were probably very late, so they continued their dash through the cave, only relenting when the doorway stopped them. In a sloppy conduct, Trygle and Rei pushed the boulders away, went through, and arrived to…an empty cave. Both immediately collapsed.

            Trygle flapped his wings in a tantrum-like manner. I…I can't believe it! We rush over like mad and they…they aren't even here!!! Slowly getting up and leaning against the wall instead (2), Rei brushed strands of his wind-blown hair away from his face (His hair is out of the binding, as he had no time to redo it).

            "W-Well, at least we aren't…late…" The livid eagle glared daggers at the panting boy.

            If…If I wasn't so tired…I'd hurt you… Rei managed a smile and stood, his breathing beginning to return to normal.

            "Like you could…"

            {Don't tell me you two are going to argue.} Both turned to see Dranzer flying towards them. {Where have you boys been? Master Kai and I have been waiting for you for a while.} Despite his fatigue, Trygle managed to get off the ground and flew next to her.

            What are you talking about? You just got here.

She shook her head. {No, Master Kai and I have been waiting for you two. He's down on the ground. He needs to talk with you Rei-neko.} The raven-haired boy shook his head without hesitation.

"I can't, Dranzer. I…I can't leave the mountain." There was no point giving away his real reason if he didn't need to. As expected, she didn't accept it.

{But it's very important. You have to come down.} Trygle eyed the boy curiously. Would he crack and break his promise to Robert?

"I'm sorry Dranzer, but I will not leave this mountain."

{Why?} She persisted.

The young boy scratched his neck. "I just can't." Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, the phoenix turned around.

{Fine, but you'll have to explain it to Master Kai yourself.}

Rei lowered his head with a sigh. "I know…" When Dranzer returned to Kai, Trygle retreated to the nervous half-breed.

Rei, you aren't going to go, are you? He shrugged, biting on his bottom lip in frustration.

"I don't know…"

You can't. Didn't you tell Robert that you wouldn't? He nodded. Then I guess you'll have to come up with some excuse for that hunter.

Rei ran a hand through his dark tresses. "That's what I'm dreading…" A rather loud whistle caught Rei's sensitive ears and he walked over to the edge of the cave. Kneeling, he peered over. He was right; it was Kai. The bluenette motioned for him to come down, but he shook his head firmly.

Kai glared at him. "What does he think he's doing?" Glancing around to make sure no was around, he decided to call out to him. "Rei, get down here." A bit worried about whether or not his voice would carry, the boy simply shook his head again. Then he signaled for the older boy to come up instead. "Why?" The stubborn half-breed didn't respond. He merely gestured for him to meet him. Cursing, Kai grabbed onto Dranzer's legs and whistled for her to bring him up.

{You're kidding, right?} His inexorable stare proven her wrong, and with all her might, she flapped her blood-red wings and lifted them off the ground. {You owe me a lot, Master Kai…} It was easier than she had originally thought, however, her body was a bit worn when she reached the top.

Rei goggled at the sight of a half-grown phoenix lifting a teenage human up that high. "Kai…how could you make Dranzer do that?!"

Once safely in the cave, he let go of her talons and landed softly. "Well you wouldn't come down and I had to make it fast." His devoted phoenix practically fell onto the bluenette's shoulder and he massaged her in an affectionate style. "Thank you." He whispered, her response being a knowing chirp.

"Sometimes I wonder why she puts up with you."

Kai glared at him and pretended that he didn't hear that. "Rei, why didn't you come down when Dranzer asked?" Turning away slightly, Rei replied in a quiet tone.

"Because I can't." Walking up to him, Kai tilted his head and met his wavering gaze.

"Rei…" As the half-breed moved away again, the bluenette couldn't ignore the sight of the boy's falling hair, or the brief touch when it grazed his fingers. Kai backed away and shook his head. "Rei, I need you to come down, there's something we have to do." The raven-haired boy absentmindedly rubbed his arm.

"Kai, I can't. Whatever it is, just take care of it yourself." Pushing his long hair over his shoulder, he headed back towards the hole in the mountain. "If it's that important, we can just pick up the lesson tomorrow, ok?" Apparently it wasn't ok.

"I need your help." Once again, the older boy's hand had found its way to Rei's and grasped it lightly. "My half of the deal requires to me keep Max out of harm. I'm fulfilling it, but I need a bit of assistance for this part." Glancing over his shoulder, Rei stared at him. At the mention of his angel's name, he took interest.

"What do you mean?" Walking slowly, Kai began leading the hesitant boy away from the exit and closer to the entrance of the cave.

"It seems some hunter has either seen Max or heard of him because there are some high-tech aerial traps set in my side of the forest for him." Golden eyes widened in alarm.

"How do you know they're for him?" His voice was laced with worry, which caused Kai's mahogany eyes to dim.

"Because the pressure is set for a large creature, and I'm betting that's Max." When they reached the edge, the bluenette sighed. "Look, I'll explain how they work later. The snares can be destroyed, or at least disabled, but there are too many. That's where you come in. Help me take them down and afterwards, I'll go talk with the hunter who put them up."

Rei's ears twitched a bit. "You…know who it is?"

He nodded. "I have a fairly good idea." There was no need to tell him who it was; that would just distract the boy. "Are you going to help me or not?" Rei would have answered with a strong 'yes' in a heartbeat if it weren't for the promise he had made to Robert. The raven-haired boy loved razing those terrible snares, especially for Max, but…

"I-I can't." Kai was a bit taken aback. He thought the boy would jump at the chance to wreak a little havoc against hunters, so why was he declining?

"Why not? These are the traps that you hate, the ones that endanger your friends' lives. What's stopping you?" Rei looked away, asking Trygle for help. He stepped up for him.

Listen hotshot, if Rei doesn't want to, then you can't make him. He has his reasons, right kid? He nodded.

Kai turned to the eagle. "This is for Max's safety, as well as the safety of other Umber Wood creatures such as yourself. Isn't that reason enough?"

Rei bit his lip. "I want to Kai, I really do…" The bluenette pulled at his arm.

"Then let's go. We got to start now when it's early and most people are still in town." The younger shook his head, which was beginning to hurt from all the arguing going on inside and outside.

"No." Using his other hand, he removed himself from Kai's grip. Being a little too forceful, he fell down. "Do it yourself." Kai couldn't believe this. The blonde's life was involved and he wasn't making a move to help.

The older boy shook his head. "Fine. If you don't have a problem with this, then I'll just leave. And the traps can stay up for all I care." Rei glanced at him. "Since you aren't going to hassle me about it, why should I waste my time taking them down? Who knows, maybe they'll actually catch something." He kneeled down and prepared to climb down. "See you tomorrow. Oh, and I hope Max has the same resolve as you to stay on your side of the mountain, because if he crosses over, there'll be one less half-breed for me to keep track of." After the older boy disappeared, Dranzer nodded to them and flew after the boy, leaving Rei to ponder over it.

Kai's indifferent words hit him hard. He didn't know Kai was going to leave the snares up. Just the opposite, he thought the bluenette would take them down without his help. He really didn't care.

Rei growled and slammed his fist into the ground, his ears vanishing as waves of black hair covered them. 'He was only going to do it because our deal forced him to. But since I'm not helping, he's quitting? He can't do that. It's his job to keep Max out of danger!' His eyes slitted in realization and his claws unconsciously came out. 'That hunter. I'm not going to let him sneak out of the deal that easily.' Seeing that glint in Rei's eyes, Trygle flew over to him.

Rei, don't tell me you're going… The raven-haired boy smirked. You can't! You promised Robert that you wouldn't cross over!

"Yea well, I made this pact with Kai before I talked to Robert, so technically it takes precedence over the other." The eagle nearly fell.

That is not how it works!!! Rei began his way down the mountainside and Trygle dove after him. Rei, stop!

"Listen Trygle, it's not just that. Max's life is in danger and I will not sit back and let some hunter litter the forest with his despicable traps." He glanced down and continued his trip. "Kai's right, all the creatures are in danger. I need to protect them."

Trygle whined. Rei…

"Are you coming or not?"

Giving up, the eagle followed. But this is supposed to be Dragoon's job… He couldn't let Rei go without him. In this side of the forest, the boy was vulnerable. And he knew Grypholyion and Driger would be after his blood if anything happened to the youth.

            Already on the ground, Kai wiped the dirt off of his hands and brushed some of it off his pants. "Stubborn half-breed…" He readjusted his scarf and waited for Dranzer to come down. "If he doesn't care, then why should I?"

            "Because it's part of our deal!"

            "Hn?" Kai glanced up and saw Rei coming down. He suppressed a grin.

            When the raven-haired boy reached the bottom, he walked up to the bluenette and pointed accusingly at him. "We had an agreement, Kai. You have to keep Max safe, and if that means taking down all these traps, then you're going to do it! I don't care if I have to baby-sit you; you are going to remove them!" Grabbing the boy's wrist and parrying it away, Kai stared at him for a while before answering.

            "I know that. I was just asking for a little help." Rei blinked. "Shall we get started?" The boy fumed a bit…he had been tricked. His temper and pride had always been his downfall, and here was another example. Kai had gotten under his skin with his trademark cold attitude and Rei had reacted. There was no need for physical fighting anymore. Since the older boy had discovered this useful technique, all he had to do was weave his words around the younger boy and wait.

            Though, there was always a little repercussion. And Dranzer decided to cut in before it happened. {Now that we are all down here, why don't you explain how the traps work, Master Kai?} Taking his cue, Kai led Rei a little way into the forest, where most of the snares were found.

            "Uh…" It was then that Rei dropped his anger and noticed that the bluenette still had control over his wrist, and he tried to pull away. It wasn't that the feeling wasn't nice; it was just…Rei wasn't too confident about how his body would react to things in this state. "Kai, do you mind?" He motioned to the contact. "I'm not going to leave."

            "I know that, but the pigeon needs to hear about this too. That way he can help. And while you could explain it to him later, this just saves us time."

            {Well…that's one reason…} Dranzer muttered under her breath. Kai ignored it and began telling the two about the aerial traps first, those were the easiest ones to disable. All they needed to do was destroy the electric trigger in the largest weight attached to the net, and then cut the string holding the barometer. Kai would dispose of the collected nets later. As for the ground traps, they were a bit harder to take out. The snare itself was easy, but locating it was the difficult part. About ninety percent of them were marked with small sensors resembling mushrooms. They were distinguished from regular mushrooms by their orange spots (The regular ones there were red). After disabling that, the pitfall was harmless. It wouldn't activate, so they could be left alone.

            "I'd guess there are about 150 aerial traps and 100 ground ones in the immediate area."

            Rei sighed. "There's no way we can take out all of them in one day. The way you described them, we'll miss about half of the ground ones and fall into a quarter of them." Kai squeezed his hand reassuringly.

            "We don't need to worry so much about the ground ones. It's the aerial ones we have to worry about. Those are easier to remove, and if we work quick and efficiently, we'll have taken out the ones closest to the mountain." Rei glanced at him. "We don't need to demolish every one of them, so don't work that way. Chances are you'll get trapped in one if you concentrate on ridding the forest of them all."

            Nodding, Rei turned to Trygle. "You got all that, Trygle?"

            He took flight from where he was on Rei's shoulder and started looking around the forest. Don't worry about me, Rei. I'll be fine. Before taking off, he asked Rei one last question. Uh…you're sure none of those thingies are set for my pressure, right? Because…I can be pretty strong when I wanna be.

            The raven-haired boy contained his laughter. "Yea, I'm sure." He quickly turned away and chuckled as Trygle accompanied Dranzer.

            Laugh it up, Rei. Laugh it up… He proceeded into the forest, with the phoenix in toe.

            {Don't worry; I'll look after him.} She quickly caught up with him, and the sound of attacks commenced. Smiling, Rei freed himself of Kai's grip and started into the woods.

            "Ok, let's do this already."

            "Rei, wait. There's something about the ground traps I forgot to tell you about…"

            He shook his head. "I heard you before. Orange spots…I got it."

            Kai tailed him. "No, it's not that. Some of the ground traps can't be identified with the mushrooms. A couple of them are virtually invisible to us."

            Rei glanced over his shoulder, a knowing smile on his face. "Kai, you may not realize it, but with my ears, claws, and tail came impeccable senses. If there's a trick, I'll see it a mile a—ah!!" The ground practically opened underneath him and prepared to swallow him.

            "Rei!" Swiftly reaching over, Kai wrapped his arms around the boy's chest and leaned back to steady himself.
            "Ehh…" Staring down what seemed like a bottomless pit, Rei gasped and grabbed one of Kai's hands out of reflex. After regaining his breath, he spoke. "…Thanks…"

            Kai smirked, whispering a soft "I told you so…" right next to one of the boy's sensitive ears. The half-breed shivered from the warm sensation and leaned closer to him.

"Ka-" He stopped midway when he noticed a net that was suspended a few inches under his feet. "What's that?"

            Lifting his head from Rei's soft hair, he glanced down. "Hn?" Before an answer came, another problem arose. From the opposite end of the hole, a wiry cage lid began closing the top of the pit, nearing the raven-haired boy's body with each passing moment.

            "Uh…Kai…!" Eyeing the moving bars, the bluenette cursed. Pushing off the ground, Kai pulled Rei out of the deep ditch one or two seconds before the cover sealed off the hole. Hoping that there were no more surprises attached to the trap, both relaxed. "…Thanks…again…"

            "I really wish you'd listen to me…it would certainly make my job a lot easier…" Smiling into the bluenette's stomach, Rei laughed.

            "But where's the fun in that?" Awareness of their positions obviously hadn't registered in either's mind yet, as they seemed quite content. And why shouldn't they? Rei was lying on his side, cushioned by the bluenette's body, and the older boy's arms were holding the half-breed safely around the chest. Perfect. Too bad they had to notice and ruin the scene (For every R/K fangirl out there…).

            'Wait a minute…'

            'Oh no, don't tell me I'm…' Quickly letting go, Kai waited for Rei to sit up, which he did about half a second later. Both stood up, turned away from each other and dusting themselves off.

            'I shouldn't have saved him. He would have been ok.' Feeling the heat in his cheeks, Kai cursed at himself. 'No…I wouldn't have let him fall. I don't want him to get hurt.' He tugged at his scarf, a bit uncomfortable. 'Damn it…what the hell did he do to me?! I wasn't like this before…'

            Rei combed the tangles and stray leaves out of his hair, which he had yet to wrap up. 'Great job Rei. Now he probably thinks I'm the clumsiest person in the world!' Tearing off another piece of his sash, Rei began to tie his hair up into a ponytail. It was better than nothing. He certainly couldn't go the rest of the day with it hanging loose like that. 'Wait, why do I even care what he thinks? Is…is it because he might care about me?' Shaking his head, he made a knot and smoothed out the rest of his hair. 'No, he only saved me because…well, because he needs my help. And it would be a lot more work getting me out anyway.'

            Each satisfied (more of less) with their inferences, they turned to face each other. Rei started since Kai seemed a bit startled. "Um…I'll be more careful. I didn't mean to trouble you."

            The bluenette nodded and desperately suppressed a smile. During Rei's apology, he concluded that the younger boy looked quite cute with his hair tied back like that. "It was no problem." He mumbled as he walked over to the trap. "At least you know how it works now. Once something falls in, that net catches it and tangles it up, bringing it straight to the bottom. Then the cover traps it inside." He glanced around and made his way to a bush nearby. He reached in and pulled out a small green box. "And this, is the trigger." He held it out so that Rei could see it and then crushed it in his fist. "Destroy this and the snare will be harmless, ok?"

            Nodding, Rei watched as the boy let the pieces drop through the mesh openings of the wiry cover. "I won't get caught off guard again, don't worry."

            Kai smirked. "Good. I'd hate to spend the day fishing you out of them." Rei raised an eyebrow and hit him playfully with his tail.

            *CWAAR*

            "Dranzer?" They both said in unison. Carefully avoiding any possible ground snares, the two slowly headed towards the phoenix, hoping she hadn't been caught.

            Kai had reached her first, and sighed upon the sight he saw. "…"

            Rei slapped his forehead lightly. "…Trygle…" By the looks of it, Trygle had tried to take out another aerial trap, but it fell on top of him. He was also carrying the other nets they had removed earlier so it was a tangled mess. Stepping forward, the raven-haired boy began freeing him. "Man…you're embarrassing me…"

            Can you just drop the jests and hurry?! I feel like a fish in here! Shaking his head, Kai kneeled down and helped out while Dranzer searched and destroyed any nearby ground traps. It was going to be a long day…

~*~*~*~

(1) No offence to any Johnny fan-people, I just need someone that Kai dislikes (that's a short list ^_^). He's ok with me. Flame if you must, but make it constructive ^^

(2) Just a word of advice…don't sit or lie down after running long distance or anything of the such. It isn't good for your heart.

SS-All right, I'm done for today. Hope everyone enjoyed what my imagination and sheep muses cooked up. Oh, and please excuse my grammar and/or spelling errors…I looked it over, but some always manage to sneak away from me. ^^;; Guess I'll see you next time! Tootles!

Tym-Yea, and next time might be a bit longer. See, the authoress (aka my caretaker person) is on Spring Break now, that's why the installment came out quicker. She'll continue of course, it'll just take a little longer since school will be starting up again. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review! It could get chapter 10 out faster. *hint hint* ^.\/.^ This is Sleepy Sheep's dino-digi saying…Ashes!