SS – Hey everyone! Did I say that I'm sorry yet? (Over two months!) Well, I am very sorry, but I'm here and ready to continue! School is out for me and my buddies, so if I'm not out wandering with them (after my vacation), I should be able to concentrate on this little story of mine! Well, that's the idea anyway.

Tym – Wait a minute…didn't I say there would be a surprise? There certainly is! Within a week or two, we're going to upload a companion piece to LL that will contain some KR fluff and still keep within this storyline! Why wait? Well, for one: it'll spread the joy of updates (aren't those rare nowadays?). And two: it's plot is almost parallel to LL, so for those who are easily confused by similar stories, it won't be as dizzying.

In any case, we can worry about that later. Let's get to the chapter right now (Two months…again)!

Loving Legends
Chapter 16 – His own conclusions
Disclaimer: Please see the prologue or a previous chapter.
Note: We'll be backtracking just a bit. This chapter begins a few minutes before Rei was captured. Enjoy.

Tala trudged down the alleyway and soon crossed over into the streets of Shimpi Village. The sun was setting, and most of the residents were clearing out – most likely back to their homes – so the redhead didn't have to worry about letting his thoughts wander, he probably wouldn't bump into anyone.

'…Maybe he won't be there. Yea, it'd probably be better if he wasn't.' He was referring to Kai of course. His case for keeping the hunter to the agreement was still solid, but he wasn't sure if he could stand seeing what the reaction would be.

'What are you trying to do…what do you need the half-breed for, Kai?'

The wind took a violent swing and turned on Tala, nearly whisking away his charcoal-colored jacket. It was only resting around his shoulders, but now the boy clung to its collar, waiting for the gust to subside.

'Don't tell me even Mother Nature is on that hunter's side.'

Of course, that would be very wishful thinking. The air was calm soon enough, and Tala contemplated putting on the darn thing, if only to prevent him from straying into the Umber Woods. The surprise gale had him taking cover so close to the forest border, he practically disappeared beneath the trees' foliage. He ended up hanging onto the jacket; it wasn't that cold anyway. So he continued on, spying Mr. Black's residence not too far from where he was. From the outside it certainly didn't look like it housed the largest organization for hunters.

"That little cottage could double for a bed and breakfast if it had a new coat of paint." Tala muttered, almost in an attempt to make himself laugh. His spirits were not in the highest of places at that point. Still, he tried to shrug it off. After all, it wasn't very professional or business-like to go into a meeting while still worrying over personal problems. 'Feh, since when did Kai's welfare merit my thinking over anyway?'

It was time to go. Shaking his head, Tala brushed his bangs aside and took short steps away from the woods.

'…'

And then he quickly darted back, pressing against one of the larger trees along the border. Something had caught his peripheral vision the moment he had proceeded to go. Someone was there. At least, Tala figured it to be a someone. Though he could have sworn he saw something swish away from the body. A tail?

Quickly observing his surroundings, he weaved past trunk after trunk, careful not to step on anything or let his jacket snag on stray branches. Why was someone walking in and out of the forest? – And heading to the upper part of town no less.

'All right, I'm doing the same thing, but come on, who'd really walk over here? It's late and everyone is going home.' From what Tala could see, it wasn't a hunter. No, never in this part of the woods. Any hunter who was even worth mentioning knew that this was Kai's area to work in. They wouldn't be foolish enough to get on the bad side of someone who possessed a very protective phoenix. The redhead also ruled out any of the leftovers since this person was clearly stealthy and watchful – he hardly made a sound while walking and knew how to conceal his footprints – which, to be truthful, was something "newbies" and amateurs weren't capable of. With all of that gathered, one question came to his mind,

"Who is this guy?" It was barely a whisper, not even qualifying as a breath.

He continued to pursue him, whether it was out of sheer curiosity, or an excuse to not confront Mr. Black just yet, Tala followed. Though he didn't have to go too far. Whoever it was suddenly stopped. That was helpful to the redhead, as it let him catch up a bit. As he made his way forward, he couldn't help noticing just where they were. Rich landowners occupied most of these upscale houses, either them or corporate executives who preferred the quite life of a suburban town like this as opposed to Amidaru. In fact, the only person Tala knew who lived around here and who still worked in Shimpi was Kai.

His body stopped, long, wispy bangs floating out before slowly falling back before wide blue eyes. '…No…' To his knowledge or not, Kai's exceptional mansion of a house was only a little ways away. And it seemed like this person was heading right for it. Tala's eyes narrowed with a stern glare and a light huff. It was impossible. Even if, by some unbelievable stroke of luck, it was the half-breed he was tailing, there was no chance that the creature would risk exposure to come all the way to the blue-haired boy's house. 'How does he even know where Kai lives!' That was proof enough. The boy shook his head, ridding himself of that stoic expression. It was probably some haughty hunter feeling out the new territory. 'Well, he's going to get quite a torching from Dranzer when Kai finds out about this.' Deciding to forget all about his crazy assumption, Tala threw his jacket over his shoulder and prepared to walk out.

"Augh--" He was stuck. "What the…" Looking over his shoulder, Tala could have slapped himself right there. The hem of his jacket had snagged on a low branch when he had so confidently and smugly thrown it just a second ago. Yes, there it was, sway in the light breeze, laughing at him for his action. "Shut up." He muttered to no one in particular as he gave it one or two sharp tugs. It was bound to get ripped in this process. Running a hand through his hair, he turned and headed for the boundary, hoping to see which tree it was connected to so that he could climb it and be rid of this embarrassing situation.

But then, that's when the person caught his eyes again. That's when, despite all of his doubt and reasoning, the person provided bullet-shattering proof that the redhead couldn't ignore. Just then, for a brief moment, the figure he had been following stepped out of the woods' cover to look around, and after getting past the golden color of his eyes and the shining length of his raven-colored hair, Tala noticed something he couldn't believe he hadn't seen before…a pair of green-striped, white fur cat ears.

ooo

Lavender eyes gazed up at the old wooden sign above the doorway. It was already half covered in moss and clearly falling a part, but never replaced. He guessed it's the way it's always been. In fact, he couldn't even read the words on it anymore. No one could. Then again, if you didn't know what the place was, you didn't need to bother going in.

Cling Cling

He stepped inside, letting the door close on its own with a rickety thunk. The place was pretty morbid at first glance. Barely any light sifted through the dusty blinds, the wooden floorboards and furniture strewn about were so dark they appeared to be charred, and the faint smell of smoke pervaded the air. However, he didn't wrinkle his nose or attempt to wave the air around with his hand, this was something he was accustomed to.

"Do you need something?"

Sometimes, there was a helper or two around the front desk either filing, organizing, or running errands. Today it was a young girl in a drab, beige dress. She had just come down from the staircase on the right, holding a pile of papers – most likely progress reports – in her arms.

Leisurely taking off his coat and hanging it on the rack off to the side, the boy nodded and proceeded to the stairs. "I'm just checking in on something," he said casually, never making eye contact with her. And she let him pass. That was how it worked, act too suspicious or reliant on the help and you probably weren't ready or qualified for the second floor.

Upon ascending the last step, the boy turned to his right and walked down the hall. There were one or two other doors, but those weren't for him, he kept straight, reaching for the knob of the door at the end of the floor. He knocked four times, with barely a second between each, turned the knob clockwise, and then reversed direction. It yielded to him, and he entered.

"Ermmm…" A stiff neck lifted an even stiffer head up to meet his guest. Aged, almost tired-looking gray eyes gazed at the figure as he shut the door and waited. This boy knew what he was doing as he kept his vision directed at the desk rather than the man himself. He paused, coughed once and gave a respectable bow.

The older man, closed his eyes, removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When he nodded, a grumble crawled out of his throat along with his welcoming words, "You've always been so formal, Bryan. What a terrible habit." He got up and walked over to one of his shelves. "What a terrible habit indeed…your current employer must work you to the bone."

The young boy walked over to the desk and brushed some of the dust off of it. "We all have to hold the short end of the stick sometimes." He eyed what the elder was doing and held his hand up. "I'm not here to request anything, it's all right."

Turning with a smirk, the old man coughed a laugh. "Who said I was getting something for you? Actually, I was just digging up your old records…for fun." He had to open a rusty cabinet and scour the folders inside for a few seconds before he pulled out a rather thin file. "Hmph, maybe this won't be too interesting."

"Mr. Black, you don't have to--"

"I want to. Besides, I already have Tala's file on my desk, I mind as well get yours." Bryan moved aside as the old man pulled out his seat and sat down. Actually, he was no older than fifty, maybe early sixty, but after years of hunting – and then the accident – his body wasn't left in the best of conditions. "After all, you two were a team, can't have one without the other." It was then that he looked around in curiosity. "Speaking of the devil himself, where is Tala?"

Sighing, Bryan tapped his fingertips against the wood of the desk. "He's…busy. Listen, Mr. Black, I came here to ask you something--"

"Now I remember why your folder is so thin. You only accomplished thirteen missions under my authority. Then you took a leave but continued helping Tala." He patted the redhead's thick stack of papers. "That boy never really enjoyed a good hunt alone."

Bryan closed his eyes and counted off, it wasn't polite to mouth off to him. "Please, I just need to ask you something about Kai--"

"Ah, yes, my pride and joy…" Though there was definitely sarcasm in his voice, it wasn't complete mockery. He leaned down and pulled one of his drawers open. It seemed like a good portion of it was labeled K.A.I. Yes, he only kept his most skilled hunters' profiles and records in the side drawers of his desk. "Now that boy can hunt! Heh, perfect record…excellent finishing times…reminds me of me, when I still had my youth." He coughed throatily, though when he spoke again, his voice was still rough and broken, almost as if there was gravel in his windpipe. "And what a trademark, that phoenix of his is one first-rate predator--"

"Please, Mr. Black!" Bryan demanded the older man's attention before he went off about how incredible the blue-haired boy was at his job. "Excuse me, but I'm a little pressed for time." His tone resumed its normal presence. "I came to ask if Kai has come here recently, for any reason at all."

Slowly closing the drawer, Mr. Black rested his arms on the table and coughed. He hated being interrupted, but let it slide, if only because Bryan was associated with Tala, and was a normal visitor. "Kai?" His eyes searched the room, as if looking for the answer. "No, no he hasn't been here in quite some time." He picked up his glasses and searched his pocket for his cleaning cloth. "I'd assume he's busy trying to finish Tala's request." A raggedy piece of material was eventually pulled out and he began cleaning his lenses with it.

Turning to the side, Bryan exhaled. That was all he needed to know. He wasn't aware of all the details, but he knew that Tala was not happy about Kai coming here. It was all he talked about when he came home the other day. Now he could ease the redhead's mind just a bit.

"Why?"

"?" Bryan was caught a bit off guard when the question was presented to him. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Mr. Black glanced up at him and then put of his frames. "I asked, why? Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, just curious to see if he brought any information about the mission." He silently congratulated himself for coming up with that quickly and without a stutter. He hated it when he was put on the spot and ended up stuttering.

"No, he hasn't. It's quite odd really, usually Kai would have informed me of his progress by now." He coughed again. "Quite odd indeed."

'You don't know the half of it…'

RING RING

"Oh," Bryan reached into his back pocket and removed his discreet phone. The message on the small screen was simply a word: Red. '…Tala?' Wondering what the matter could be, the lavender-eyed boy glanced at Mr. Black. "Please excuse me." After seeing a nod, the boy headed out the door and closed it behind him lightly. He flipped the bottom down and pressed the green button. "Yes?"

ooo
Backtracking just a bit…

Tala held the figure close to his body, careful not to let any part of the jacket fall open. He was surprised at how easy it was to catch the boy…creature. He thought it would have been a bit more difficult. (1)

'I hope he didn't think I was Kai…'

That would have been quite the situation. Thankfully, the drug would keep him unconscious long enough for him to call for a van to pick them up. Part of him still couldn't believe it. This was the half-breed! This was what had caused so much trouble for him and Bryan for the past few weeks. One creature…one boy…

Ice blue eyes grazed over the calm face. Save for the ears, he appeared normal. He could have been just a regular boy in the crowd given the right cover, and he probably acted like any other person. He certainly seemed that way when he was trailing him not too long ago. Could it be, that his personality – his attitude…was it just as unique as any other human? He then must feel the same sensations and emotions that Tala would. The two of them, maybe they weren't too different…maybe to the point that, someone – who wasn't aware of the ears and tail – could have been friends with him. Even more than that, someone could actually…

'Is this what happened to you, Kai? Did you start wondering? Could you have started to…' he pulled back, bringing his eyes back on the road ahead of him. 'Is that why you tried to keep him away from me?'

Sooner than he thought, Tala had reached Bryan's home. There was no time to question, he had to get them both inside and call for that van.

'I guess it doesn't matter anyway. It's all done now.' He quickly kicked off his shoes and laid the creature down on the couch. His gaze only lingered for a moment before he reached for the phone…however…

"Damn, I forgot." His previous actions had in fact damaged the phone's base unit and left a terrible new ring tone as thanks. Setting it back down on the cracked base, Tala pulled out his mobile phone instead. There wasn't any time to waste.

"Yes?"

"Sir, you can send over a van now."

"My, my, that was certainly fast. Am I to assume it'll be you and Bryan that I am picking up, or just--"

"I have the creature, sir. There's no need to involve either myself or Bryan in this."

"…"

"…Sir?"

"Tala, I don't think I need to remind you not to interrupt me in the future, do I?"

Quickly catching the harsh undertone, the redhead picked himself back up. "N-No, sir! My apologies--"

"Don't apologize. There's no time for that. Just don't let it happen again, understood?"

His breathing nearly hitched. "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now, is it just the one?"

Taking another reassuring look at the peaceful boy on the couch, Tala nodded. "Yes, sir. I could only confirm one so that is all that I have."

"Well, one's enough then. Excellent work."

"Thank you, sir."

"I will send over the van right after I call Johnny."

The alien name struck Tala. "J-Johnny! Sir, what do you need him for--"

"Are you questioning me, Tala?"

The redhead closed his eyes tightly, biting himself for his mistake. "No, sir. I was merely curious."

"…"

"…" He had hoped that would be enough.

"We'll be needing the corresponding creature for the one you have, as well as some…targets to test out the product's true strength." His voice was slightly amused, though it certainly didn't seem like a good thing.

"I see."

"In any case, I won't trouble you with frivolities like that. Your part of the mission, as well as Bryan's, is accomplished as far as I'm concerned. Just make sure the creature gets to me in one piece."

"I will personally see to it, sir."

"As I expected. Well then, I will see you soon, Tala." The line went dead, and the boy retained his grip on the cellular momentarily before ending whispering his reply:

"Yes…see you soon, Boris."

He closed his phone and pocketed it carefully before falling onto the opposing chair. Replaying the end of the call in his mind, Tala could only shiver at the thought of having to "test" the product against targets, which would probably be other mythical creatures. His gaze fell upon the other and it softened considerably. He was just a child, no older than Tala. Would he be able to endure them? He knew what those "tests" would consist of. The redhead wasn't around when the original experiments were done, but he'd seen the video notes, and the horrifying expressions…desperate screams that were never heard…the walls of the testing room, he presumed, were still drenched in the blood of…the products…

Tala buried his head in his hands, resting his elbows on his knees. He thought it would never happen to him or Bryan, so they joined, if only for the money and the thrill. Though, that was a while ago, that was before Boris had heard the rumors – half human-half animal beings roaming throughout the Umber Woods – that's when things took a nasty turn. Suddenly, it was either digging up enough of their old hunting skills to find these creatures, or be the first humans to undergo the experiment since the first explosion on that stormy night…

"We're safe now…" he whispered to himself, trying to calm down. "Bryan and I…we're safe." Standing, he pulled out his phone again, he'd have to call Bryan and tell him the good news. The news that they were…ok…

He pressed the speed-dial, not that he didn't already know the other's number by heart, but he surmised that he wouldn't be able to press the right buttons otherwise. Tala found himself staring at the half-breed again. He even went as far as gently pushing stray locks of raven-colored hair aside, away from his face. Did he have a name? Yes, he probably did. Did it matter now?

"No, it probably doesn't…"

ooo
Back on track now

"Yes?"

Resuming his composure, Tala coughed and spoke. "Bryan, I've got him."

He raised a brow. "Got who, Tala?"

"The creature, the half-breed." He corrected himself, feeling the need to. "He's here at the house. I just called Boris. He's sending a van over to get him right now."

Lavender eyes lit up slightly. That was certainly good news. "Really? So Kai finally came through?"

Giving the floor a hard stare, the redhead regretfully nodded. "Yea, he came through all right…" It wasn't completely untrue. After all, it if hadn't been for the blue-haired hunter and his visit earlier, Tala never would have gone out and stumbled upon the boy. "Anyway, where are you?"

"I'm with Mr. Black."

Tala blinked. "…Mr. Black?" He echoed.

"Yea. Listen, how about I come back to get the money for him and Kai while you see the creature off? Or, are you going to stay with him during transport to the factory? That might be a better choice." His voice was neutral as usual, but inside the fireworks were going off. This was the break they were hoping for.

Rubbing his forehead with the palm of his hand, Tala shrugged. "Uh, yea…ok. Eh, I'll probably be gone by the time you get here, but…you can call me. I won't stay there long." He paused, the question gnawing at the back of his mind. "By the way, is Kai there?"

"…In the office? No." That was odd, if Tala just got the creature… "Isn't he there with you?"

Realizing his second mistake, he was about to make up for it, until a rather alarming honking noise broke his train of thought. Tala placed his hand over the receiver and looked out the window. It was the van, or rather, a very 'inconspicuous' truck. "Never mind. The van is here for the half-breed. The money is in the first drawer of the dresser in our room. It should be in a mahogany box." Damn it. The color was automatically associated with… "I-I'll give you a call if anything important happens." He hung up quickly. There were fewer questions that way.

Bryan barely had time to mutter a "Got it." Before the ring tone caused him to pull away. He assumed the driver had been demanding, and left it at that. Boris' men were all like that. Grabbing the knob, he opened the door and presented himself to Mr. Black with a smirk.

"Bryan," the gruff voice called out.

"Mr. Black, you'll be happy to hear that the job has finally been accomplished. Kai just delivered the creature to Tala."

The older man nodded. "Ah, good, good. Didn't I tell you that Kai was excellent?"

Suppressing the urge to laugh, the boy merely nodded. "Please get the contract prepared. I'm heading back to the house to get the money since Tala will be seeing the creature back to our superior."

"Very well. I will see you shortly then." He scribbled something down and tore it out of the packet. "Give this to my helper downstairs, she'll know what to do with it." He then opened one of the top drawers and took searched for the specific paper. "It is a girl today, correct?"

It just killed him. The old man hired these people to help and he didn't even know who it was that was helping keep this place running smoothly. "Sure." Taking the paper, Bryan barely glanced at it. "And yes, it's a girl."

He continued searching for the right document. "Good, good."

Shaking his head, Bryan saw himself out and headed down the hall and down the stairs. His mood certainly improved. They were safe now. And he knew that Tala had been very worried about that as of late.

"Finished?" The young girl walked back from one of the cabinets, meeting Bryan as he reached the last step.

"Yes," he the handed her the slip of paper. "Mr. Black said that you'd know what to do with this."

She took it lightly, skimmed it, and then smiled. "Ah, yes, thank you." She made her way to the front desk and began inputting the data on the computer. "Just a moment." And so she continued typing while Bryan backed away to the side, hopefully it wouldn't be much longer.

ooo

Kai slipped into his shoes, and then readjusted his scarf before reaching for the handle of the door. Dranzer flew to his shoulder that second. She had been urging him to get out of the house and over to Mr. Black's office for the past day or two and she had finally succeeded. She knew that he wanted to put off deciding what to do regarding Rei and it wasn't very productive. Of course, she had her own opinion of the matter, but she didn't tell him. It was his choice, she was just helping him get out there and make it.

At least he knew where he was going. Dranzer knew that he was prone to daydreaming lately – just looking out into anything that could catch his attention for a minute or two and take his mind off of this choice – and it wouldn't be good if Kai just happened to collide with something along the way. She was worried about him, very worried. But despite the chirps she'd whistle and the bit of pressure she exerted on his shoulder, he'd remain unresponsive. It was a quiet walk to the office.

'Dranzer worries too much. She doesn't have to, I've already decided.' His right hand fingered something in his pocket. 'I guess I just needed a push. It was so hard to leave the house though, ' he exhaled slowly; it was actually a fair-weather day. He smirked. 'With Tyson at Kenny's house…I could have stayed at home all day…'

ooo

Tala helped the associate load up the half-breed into the back of the van. (2) The door closed with a rather loud clank, and he was handed the key. Grasping it firmly, the redhead inserted it into the lock and turned it clockwise. It was done. Releasing the breath he was unaware of, Tala patted the thick door. There was no escape now.

"Will you be coming along, Mr. Ivanov?"

Giving the man a curt nod, he headed towards the front of the vehicle. "Yes, I think I will." Climbing into the front seat, the redhead placed the key in his pocket and waited for the other to get in and take his place at the wheel. The heavy truck started with a cough of smoke from the tail pipe, and it steadily began its journey back to the base. It was a bumpy road, but none of the intrusions seemed to be enough to wake the still slumbering half-breed.

Tala kept his face forward, eyes on the path, though certainly not thinking about it. Something else was on his mind. He closed his eyes. 'It's not right…' he knew it wasn't, but that didn't mean he was going to trade places with the boy. That wouldn't be right either. A silent sigh escaped his lips. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

ooo

Bryan was contemplating leaving at this point. The girl was still at the front desk, working her fingers away at the keyboard and he was still standing there, looking like a regular idiot. He should have gotten a look at the paper Mr. Black had given him. Maybe then he'd know if this was important or not.

'Can I leave?'

She had told him to 'wait just a moment,' but he really wasn't one to wait without a reason why. However, since it concerned the mission and it's closing, it was worth it.

She paused for a second, the singular click-clack sound of her fingertips striking the keys suddenly brought to a stand still. "Excuse me," she began in a business-like tone. "But this is taking a bit longer than I had expected. You may leave if you wish." The typing continued.

'Now she tells me.' Kicking off of the wall he was leaning against, Bryan nodded as he went for his coat. "Fine. I'll be back soon anyway to give Mr. Black the money."

"Oh, why didn't you say so? You didn't need to stay if you were coming back." She mentioned a-matter-of-factly, not even bothering to stop her work.

Suppressing a temper reaction, he just put his jacket on and mumbled something under his breath about common courtesy and common sense and where it had gone. "Right." Reaching for the door, he was mildly surprised when the handle turned and the door opened on it's own. Looking up to see who the person was certainly gave him a bigger shock. "…Kai."

Sure enough, the blue-haired boy and his phoenix met his gaze and held it briefly before walking in with a brief greeting of, "Bryan." With no coat to speak of, Kai brushed right past the rack and headed for the staircase, letting his scarf flow behind him. Not even the girl asked for the nature of his visit. His reputation was answer enough.

"Hey, Kai," Bryan called out to him, though under any other circumstances, he probably wouldn't have. When the other merely glanced over his shoulder, the lavender-eye boy continued. "Good work finally capturing the half-breed for us."

He stopped. His foot hadn't even reached the second step, but Kai just froze.

Bryan smirked. "I was getting a bit worried about you really," he walked across the threshold. "But I suppose it was unnecessary since you are Kai Hiwatari." He laughed, playing off what Mr. Black had told him earlier. "Stick around, I'll be back in a minute with your bounty." The only sounds after that were of the door closing and the keys clacking. Kai was in such a shock his breathing wasn't even heard. Even Dranzer was somewhat in a trance. She didn't need to be psychic to understand what had just happened.

"…Kai…Master Kai, w-we aren't sure." She reasoned with him, trying to pull a reaction from him. "Master Kai, let's go to Mr. Black. He will be able to confirm everything for us! Master Kai!"

"Excuse me, Mr. Hiwatari." The helper called out from behind her desk.

Kai barely managed to turn to her. His eyes were glazed over, an expression crossing his face that would have made any deer caught in the headlights jealous.

"Some of the other businessmen here will not appreciate the noise your phoenix is generating. Will you please handle it?" Without waiting for a response, she went back to work.

Dranzer quirked her head, unaware of what the girl had said. Still, she continued her words. She tried to break the boy of the spell he was apparently under. "…Master Kai, please--"

He placed a hand over her beak, muzzling her to the best of his abilities as he hurried up the rest of the stairs.

The girl barely glanced around. "Thank you."

ooo

Once Kai hobbled over the last step, he practically fell against the adjacent wall as if he'd just ran through hell and back just to get to that spot. His hand eventually slipped off of the phoenix's mouth, ungracefully taking its place at his side once again.

Dranzer was hesitant now. His action had been so abrupt; he didn't even try whistling to her to be quiet. Her next lines were spoken just loud enough for him to hear, "Master Kai?" She looked ahead. Having come here many times before, she knew that Mr. Black's office was right down the hall, no more than a few yards away. He'd be able to confirm or deny this. After all, Bryan could have been joking. "Please, let's go to the office. It's not that far." The firebird nudged the side of Kai's head. "Please, Master Kai…"

Crimson eyes strayed from their spot on the floor to the door straight ahead of them. It really wasn't too far. Too bad he wasn't even thinking about it. When he gazed in that direction, the twin lights on either side of the door was all he noticed, that and what it reminded him of.

'…Rei…'
The raven-haired youth turned towards the person he had connected with. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He stood up slowly and dusted himself off while the other merely shrugged it off.

Kai ran a hand through his hair as he glanced at whom he had bumped into. "It's…" That's when the hunter got a good look at the boy's radiant, curious golden eyes; they were…amazing. "…ok."

He blinked. The thoughts that ran through his head the first time he saw the boy were still vivid and sharp…warming even. However, 'Bryan…what he said couldn't be right,' What if he never got to see those eyes again? 'Still, when was the last time that stick in the mud cracked a joke?'

Kai shook his head and took a real look at his surroundings. His feet (and Dranzer) had brought him here, and now he had another reason to go to the office. Fisting his hands at his side, he began walking towards the last door at the end of the hall.
Golden eyes caught on and lit up. For the first time since this whole situation began, Rei smiled. It was pure, true. "Well…all the same, you'd better take your time. I'll see you when I see you."

Kai matched his grin. "Yea, sure."

'It won't be the last time…' his hand reached out and snatched the knob. 'Even if it is true,' the hunter practically ripped the door aside, meeting the unusual gaze of his proprietor sitting a little ways from him. 'Rei, I'm coming soon.' He crossed the threshold, now resuming the predatory stride he was well accustomed to.

"…Kai." Mr. Black stood up while he straightened out the papers he was holding. "What a surprise. You hardly ever come down here unless by my request." Grabbing a small wooden object near him, he dabbed it in a pad of ink and stamped the top paper of the pile. That did not appeal to Kai at all. The stamp had Mr. Black's seal on it, which could only mean that he was confirming the closing of a…

"Bryan just stopped by. He told me of your latest accomplishment. Did you happen to see him on your way in?"

…a contract.

"Yes, I greeted him on his way out. He said he'd be coming back soon." The hunter surprised himself with his collected tone just then. Even Dranzer couldn't help but acknowledge the boy's gift for neutrality and detachment in emotional situations…though it was in disappointment, not approval.

"Yes, yes, very good." He placed the stamp back on the desk, swiveled the papers around and picked up a pen. "While we wait for him, why don't you give me your John Hancock right here?" Mr. Black tapped the sheet with the cap of the pen. "Though, this should be second-nature to you by now." He added with a bit of mirth. (3)

Kai however, didn't seem to catch the amusement. He stayed situated between the two chairs in front of the desk, casting the contract a rather poisonous glare.

"Kai?" Mr. Black coughed, covering his mouth in the fold of his sleeve. "What's wrong with you? Let's get that signature." This time, he laid the pen down and took a seat, his interest in the boy's coma-like status increasing.

'…Bryan was right. Rei's…' he bit back any kind of response his body wanted to give off from the news. 'But how? He's safe in his area of the Umber Woods. How could he be captured! I'm the only human who knows the way in!' A touch of anger burned through the venom in his eyes. 'Rei. Did you cross over? Could you have…you weren't worried about me were you?'

"Kai."

"!"

The man's firm formation of his name brought him out of his thoughts. Mr. Black was starring him down, honing in on the blue-haired boy's troubled mahogany eyes over the rim of his thinly framed glasses. "What is the matter?" Each word was enunciated carefully, slowly. "Have you lost your ability to walk?" His hand swept over the contract. "Your signature, please."

Kai's hand twitched; he strode over to the desk like a nail to a magnet. It was mostly out of habit, so despite what he was feeling, the hunter picked up the fountain pen with ease and let it guide his hand to the bottom of the document. At the point, the older man nodded and went back to the other papers that required his attention, confident that Kai's episode (or whatever it was) was over and business was once again business. However, had he kept a closer eye on the boy, he'd see that nothing was happening. The pen never touched the scratchy surface of the contract.

'…You did cross over. That's the only explanation. Bryan – no, Tala…did he find you?' His grip on the pen tightened. 'Were you careless again, Rei? You were! You must have been to have let…' Kai closed his eyes tightly, ignoring the brushing of Dranzer's feathers against his skin. "…Damn it." He muttered.

Gingerly lifting his head up, Mr. Black eyed the boy momentarily. "Excuse me?"

Shaking his head, the confused hunter slammed the pen down against the table with an enraged shout, "Damn it!"

The other stood up as quickly as he could, pushing his chair back in the process. "Kai, what is wrong with you?" He moved to confront the boy, but instead met a terribly irritated phoenix. "S-Stop it!" Dranzer swarmed him, determined to give Kai his space. "Kai, calm this creature down this instant!"

The little squabble fell short of the blue-haired boy's attention. No, he was still glaring at the penunder his hand and the contract on the desk…the diminutive compilation of letters on paper that caused so much trouble for him.

"I didn't go through all this…just to let him get caught like that." His words were spoken in an acceptable volume; thankfully, Dranzer's caws and squawks were at a higher decibel. "All of the planning and work I put into this…it's just not right." A shadow of vengeance colored his blood red eyes. "I amthe only one who has the right to catch Rei." Lifting his hand away from the pen, Kai carefully picked up the first page of the contract, held it gently between his forefingers and –

SSSHHHHHHHHRP

Scored the useless piece of tree mulch without a second thought.

That, of course, got both Mr. Black, and Dranzer's attention.

"Kai! What in the world do you think you're doing!" He asked outright, his tone resembling that of a father's when scolding his child.

As Kai turned to face him Dranzer was greatly relieved to see that his facial expression had finally returned to normal. Eyes were slightly narrowed, brows weren't the least bit furrowed, and a confident smirk graced pale lips, this was something she hadn't seen in quite some time… "I'm just doing what I feel like doing." Charily placing the pieces on top of the others, Kai picked up the pen once again. "You'll forgive my rude behavior, but I've suddenly realized that I have some place I need to be." Removing the cap with his teeth, he held the pen vertically and, with one elegant stroke, speared the tipthrough the pile of papers.

He swore he saw Dranzer grin…if it were possible that is.

Taking the cap from his mouth, Kai capped it on the other end of the pen and turned around, now facing the exit. "I've got…to be with someone." Striding to the door, it almost opened for him, only halting his movement for a split second. Then he did something that really confirmed his return to his old self to the phoenix, he whistled for her.

"Master Kai!" She happily flew from her spot facing off against Mr. Black to the blue-haired hunter's side, chirping her gratitude that he had finally gotten his act together.

He waved her chirps away, a serious mask sweeping his once calm face. "I never thought things would play out like this, but now that they have…" he shook his head. "We'll have to act fast and hope that we're lucky enough to find what we need before Rei's unreachable." He gritted his teeth. "We'll start with Kenny."

Dranzer almost lost her wind, nearly falling from her flight. "Kenny?" Neither of them had seen much of the little brunet as of late, what with everything that's been happening. And with Rei's immediate health on the line, why go to him of all people? "Why him, Master Kai?"

Rounding the corner and practically soaring down the stairs, he quickly answered: "We're going to need some information."

"Information?" She still didn't understand. "Shouldn't we corner Bryan and ask him then?" The two of them hurried past the girl at the front desk and out the door, not that she would have bothered to say anything to them otherwise.

"He would never answer that. Besides, it's too suspicious." He motioned for her to follow him down a different path, away from the main street of the village. There was less chance of running into said lavender-eyed boy now. "Kenny will know," he reasoned, taking another turn and almost losing Dranzer in the process. "And he'll know not to get involved."

"If you say so, Master Kai." She stayed a hair behind him, cautious not to get tangled in his scarf. 'Can he really handle this on his own?' She was never one to really question him, but this could get messy. 'He'll need help.' As much as the phoenix hated to go against him, she rather do that than have him end up in a dangerous position all alone. Giving her wings a stuttering flap, she bolted up and turned, heading off in a new direction.

Noticing the loss of heat, Kai glanced over his shoulder, finally breaking his stride. "Dranz?" She was already a good distance away, feigning ignorance. "Dranzer!" He called again, but she didn't heed him. "What?" It was an odd sensation. She hardly ever disobeyed him. It was a good thing he knew at least one way to gain her full attention. Brining two fingers to his lips, he gave two sharp whistles, demanding her direct obedience.

Yielding to an old habit, she broke off her path and mildly turned around. A hard gaze fell upon her, and she didn't shy away from it. Complying, if only for a bit, she neared.

Not wanting the whole village to hear his message, he shortened it to something she would still understand. "Why?" It wasn't much of a question from the tone of his voice.

"You're going to need help." She dare not see the look on his face after hearing that. You didn't need to know Kai long to know that he didn't want to accept help unless it was a matter of certain life or death. "I'll find the location and meet you there!" There wasn't much Kai could do about that. He let her fly away. Though, he probably would have gone after her, order her to return to his side and stay there if he had the time of day. However, since this wasn't the case, he had to let her go and continue to Kenny's house. It wasn't much further.

'Why is Dranzer doing this? She doesn't how much I hate help. It's already bad enough that I'm going to Kenny – Kenny – of all people for assistance.' There, up ahead, he could already see the brown and beige door. 'And I bet I know who she's going to ask…' he shuddered at the thought. At that point, Kai wasn't sure if he was more worried about what was going to happen to Rei, or what was going to happen to him if something happened to Rei.

ooo

"Sorry about that, Emily." Kenny waited for the girl to scoot over so that he could take his place on the sofa again. "Di – I mean, Deliah isn't feeling well." He sighed and slumped into the cushions. "I don't understand it, she was fine this morning." (4)

"Well, some of the students in my class are coming down with something too, maybe it's influenza season again."

'Heh, yea right. Like a mythical creature can catch that.' He shrugged and picked up his cup of cocoa. "Uh, maybe, yea." The aroma calmed him some, and he took a good sip. "Anyway, I gave her some tea and another blanket. She was shivering."

"I see. Then it must be the flu. Hopefully she doesn't have a fever."

Placing the mug back on the coffee table, he sat up and nodded to her. "Let's hope. Oh, but now we're getting sidetracked." He tried to redirect the conversation back to the original topic that she had brought up a little while ago. "So, you were telling me more about your trip to Amidaru?"

"Ah, yes." She smiled. "We were on out way out of the university when Robert pointed out a rather unusual house near the river." The orange-haired girl picked up her own cup, holding it between her hands, reveling in its warmth before taking a sip.

"Really? What was so unusual about it?"

"He said that no one has lived there for almost a decade. A wealthy family used to call it home, but then the parents mysteriously died, leaving the child alone." She paused, letting the steam from the drink slowly evaporate off of her glasses. "Shortly after, Robert said that the child disappeared as well."

"Boy…t-that's kind of eerie."

"And since then no one has even gone in to check its condition for selling. Everyone's afraid that it might be haunted." Leaning back into the cushions, she closed her eyes and smiled. "Of course, I don't believe in all of that stuff. It sounds like a silly ghost story." Drawing her knees up, Emily shrugged. "I wanted to go in and check it out myself, but Robert said that the town had sectioned it off. No one's allowed inside."

Kenny practically shivered. "Well that's good! What if it really is haunted?" He fought off the quiver tugging at his lips. "Besides, it'd be disrespectful to the owners! I mean, what if that little boy happened to come back? You'd be intruding."

A soft laugh echoed through the house. "Oh come on Kenny, be realistic." Emily said, putting her mug back on the table. "If he hasn't returned in ten years then he isn't coming back at all." She kept the ends of her laughter to herself, seeing how it bothered the other. "Anyway, Robert said that that was all he knew. There wasn't much information about it really," Pushing herself forward, she continued. "Some say it could even be a legend – nothing more than a story to attract people to the town." She concluded in a matter-of-factly tone. From the sound of it, that topic was over, and that was a good thing to Kenny.

"Yea…sure…" he slumped, uncomfortable with the discussion.

Pursing her lips together, Emily decided to change the subject to something completely different. "Say, do you think it was a good idea to let Tyson watch over Deliah? I mean, I could do it instead."

"It's all right, Emily. Mm, Deliah knows Tyson a bit better, so it should be ok." It was the best idea; after all, he had never seen Dizzi sick before. What if something weird happened because she was a mythical creature? It was already hard explaining why she had to stay with them; Kenny wasn't sure if he could manage telling Emily why the room suddenly exploded with fairy dust or whatnot.

He brought his cup up to his mouth. 'Yup, better leave that to Tyson.'

ooo

"Hm…" Sighing, Tyson wrung out the cloth over the small basin on the table and placed the soft material on Dizzi's forehead again. She was still flushed, but it wasn't from the blankets. "What happened to you?" He mumbled, brushing back some of her pale blonde hair from her face. She wasn't asleep, but was coming in and out of consciousness every minute or so. It definitely worried the boy.

"…Tyson?"

He managed a smile, patting her shoulder. "It's all right, Diz. Just go to sleep, ok? That's how we get better faster."

"But…I'm not a h-human." She let her eyes flutter open, straining to see the other, who was sitting on a chair next to her bedside. "Where's Kenny?"

Tyson frowned. Her voice was so strained… "Downstairs talking to Emily." He pulled up the comforter, making sure that it covered most of her upper body. "Maybe you should take some medicine."

She shook her head, causing the little towel to fall. "No, that's not for me. Human medicine…it won't help me at all."

"All right." Picking up the towel, he set it near the basin. It didn't appear to be doing its job anyway. All it did was mat strands of hair to her forehead. "You know," he rested against the back of the chair. "I didn't even know that mythical creatures could get sick. Or, at least get sick like we do." Crossing his arms, the boy pondered over it. "I mean, you look like you have a fever or something…"

Taking deep breaths, Dizzi turned her head back to the middle of the pillow, closing her eyes briefly. "There must be a reason." She exhaled. "Spirits like me, we're more tuned to the earth, even more so than the animals since we take care of nature." A pause. "Something important must be happening, or…maybe about to happen…"

"Ok, I guess that makes sense…but, is that something going to be good or bad?" Silence answered him. He blinked and peered over at the girl. "Dizzi?"

She had fallen asleep once again. This time, her chest seemed to be rising and falling at a fair rate, it was a good sign. At least her breathing wasn't labored like it was in the beginning. Reaching towards the table, he took the cloth again, dipped it into the cool water, and patted it dry just enough to prevent dripping. He placed it back where it was. This time his smile wasn't forced.

CLLINNN – CRRRUNK

Whipping his head around, Tyson steadied himself, nearly falling from the sudden noise downstairs. "What the heck!"

ooo

"K-Kai?" Both Kenny and Emily stood at the blue-haired boy's sudden and obtrusive entrance. It wasn't like him to make such a noisy appearance, and even less likely for him to be seen without Dranzer right behind him.

"Kai, shhh!" The brunet pointed to upwards. "Di – Deliah's not feeling well! Try to keep it down--"

"No time for that, Chief." He pointedly looked at the laptop next to the cup of cocoa on the table and then lifted his gaze to catch the younger boy's. "I need to speak with you privately, now." Tossing his scarf behind him, the hunter quickly made his way to the back of the house, probably to kitchen.

"E-Er…ok." Kenny rarely saw the other in this kind of frenzy; it must be important. Picking up the sleek, black item, he turned towards Emily and nodded a bit. "I'm sorry about this, Emily, but this seems pretty urgent. Can you just wait a bit?"

"Well, I guess, but--"

"That's great, thanks!" He hurried off after the blue-haired boy, barely catching his friend's curious stare. 'What could be the matter? Kai's never this pushy—well, there was the time…'

"Kenny."

"O-Oh, yes!" Caught up in his own thoughts, he hadn't even noticed that he had pretty much passed the kitchen altogether. Backtracking just a bit, he practically tripped in, letting the swinging door block off intrusions. "Sorry about that." He walked up to Kai, vaguely noting that he was staring at the clock. Shaking it off, he set his laptop on the counter and opened it, ready to work. "So, what's all this about? You hardly ever barge in like--"

"Factories."

"Uh, what?" The word had been so sudden and unexpected that Kenny wasn't even sure if that was what Kai had said. Thankfully, the hunter didn't seem to mind repeating it without getting frustrated.

"Factories, abandoned ones most likely." His gaze was still held by the clock, the ticking of the second hand most intriguing.

"Er…ok." Hearing the beeping noise confirmed that the machine was wide-awake and ready to comply; however, the boy was still hesitant about typing in the word of choice. "What about factories…abandoned factories most likely?"

"I need the location of the closest one, now." Even though his tone had been deadly calm, Kenny knew there was more to it. Still, he typed in the appropriate words and specifications, making sure that his fingers continued to move and produce the click sound so that he looked busy.

'What in the world does Kai need this information for? Shouldn't he be more concerned about finding that creature that Tala asked of him? Or if he's still trying his other plan with Rei…shouldn't he be off doing that?' The main page popped onto his screen, so he continued the search. 'What in the world does old factories have to do with any of this?' Finally something useful made its appearance. The description was right, and there was even a map, but the location…wasn't that where…?

"Um…here, I think this is what you're looking for." Stepping aside, Kenny carefully watched as Kai turned his attention to the digital screen, crimson eyes scanning over the data and narrowing when the information was absorbed and analyzed. The minute he was finished, Kai took hold of the hit the escape key – alarming Kenny – and turned the machine off, darting out of the kitchen soon after with a whisper of a 'thanks' as the brunet's only form of compensation. This was truly perplexing.

"Kai?" Eyeing the laptop, the younger boy grabbed it possessively and followed after him once again. "Kai! Hey, wait a minute!" Zooming out of the room, he virtually skidded across the hard wood floor near the main door, only to find Tyson trying to get answers out of a, by now, very vexed Kai.

"What do you mean 'it's none of my business?' You expect me to ignore the first, and probably only time you ever freak out?"

Drilling an intimidating glare into the other's person, Kai attempted to 'reason' with his roommate again. "I am not freaking out. I'm in a hurry. So get out of my way." Forcefully removing the roadblock, the hunter wasn't all too surprised when Tyson grasped the hand that just shoved his aside.

"Yes you are. I can see it behind this act. You are completely twisted about something."

"Twisted?" Doing just as he said, the older blue-haired boy painfully coiled Tyson's arm – effectively freeing himself – and then pushed his backwards, right into Kenny's flabbergasted frame.

Unable to stand the intrusion, Emily nearly stomped over to demand an answer for this behavior. "Kai, what do you think you're--"

"Don't get yourself involved too, Emily." He pivoted and disappeared out the front door almost as quickly, though not as loudly, as he had first entered. "And don't any of you dare follow me." It was thought to be a given, but with that audience, it never hurt to take the precaution. They loved to follow.

Holding in a growl of annoyance and disbelief, Emily turned her attention to the boys, who were helping each other up. "Tyson, Kenny, are you two ok?"

Picking up his hat and dusting it off, Tyson gritted his teeth and nodded. "Yea, I'm ok. It's just…" he rubbed his arm. "What is that guy's deal! He's even more uptight than usual."

Giving the whole situation a wonder, the orange-haired girl motioned to Kenny. "Kenny, what did he say to you? Back there, what did he talk to you about?"

"He didn't really talk about anything." Glancing down at his laptop, he shook his head. "He just wanted me to find the location of the nearest factory…an abandoned factory."

"A factory?" Tyson echoed. "What the heck does he need to know that for?"

Catching the brunet's gaze, Emily backed up a tad, trying to make sense of the thought that just occurred to her. "Why…why would he need to go there?"

Getting the feeling that he was out of the loop, Tyson voiced his question clearly. "Go where? What are you two thinking?"

"When I put in the search, the closest factory of any kind that showed up according to the specifications," he paused, wondering why on earth Kai was going there. "Was the one that exploded ten years ago."

ooo

Kai stayed off to the side, close to the edge of the forest boundary. He didn't want to be seen, but still had to be within range in case Dranzer came back to him with…help. He knew where he wanted to go, but wasn't quite sure of the way. The directions from Kenny's map weren't too clear, or all that reliable since it was fairly old. He doubted anyone needed to go there for years now, well excluding Tala and his proprietor of course.

'I remember him talking about his boss's whereabouts once. It was just after we made the deal…'

Kai pulled back, a little incredulous of the redhead's response. "He works where?"

Tala didn't even try to suppress his laugh. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Besides, since when were you so inquisitive?"

Mahogany eyes tried to see past the humor etched across the other's face. "I'm not. It's business."

"If I recall correctly, it was never mandatory for the employee to know where my boss does his work." He stood up, ready to leave. "All you need to worry about is getting me those creatures."

Kai remained seated. "Don't worry about that, you'll get what you asked for." He raised his head. "However, seeing as I do have a lot of other jobs to do, I could just put this one on hold," the hunter smirked. "Yours is quite a special request after all…"

Though he didn't say anything right away, Kai could see that Tala was unnerved as his grip on the top of the chair tightened considerably. "It's just an old factory." He growled.

"…A factory?"

He shrugged. "Don't ask me why, he just told me that it holds valuable information, so it's the appropriate place." Glancing back at the other, the redhead narrowed his apparent glare. "There, is that good enough for you?"

"…" Closing his eyes, Kai kept his arms crossed and stood up, ready to walk away. "I suppose." His destination was in the opposite direction; he started walking away.

"I swear I don't know why I ever got acquainted with you." The blue-eyed youth muttered, taking his leave as well.

"Same here." Came the almost inaudible response, which was fine. The next time they met, he hoped, would most likely be their last.

Of course, that wasn't how things ended up.

'Never thought I'd be doing this…' he eyed the road ahead of him, slightly moss covered and darkening with each passing step. It was leading him at least halfway to Amidaru, almost parallel to the train tracks connecting the two towns.

'Going against Tala, possibly destroying my relations with Mr. Black, questioning myself,' the wind picked up, attempting to slow him down, but merely causing his scarf to furrow noisily behind him. He wasn't going back.

Reaching into his pocket again, Kai pulled out the item he had fingered earlier. It was still clean (oddly enough, he had washed it), and still reminded him of one person. 'I'm doing this for you, Rei,'

A droplet of rain pelted his bangs, trailing down until it fell onto his cheek. It wasn't long before the chilling torrent followed. "Damn." Giving his head a shake, Kai gripped the material and deftly tied it around his wrist. Perhaps it would better remind him of why he was doing this if the cloth was always in view. Breaking off into a sprint, the hunter took off, soon losing sight of the railway as his path diverged into the forest. 'You'd better still be alive by the time I get there.'

The tail of his scarf disappeared as the storm began to reach its full potential. Any passerby didn't have to know the recent happenings of the village to know that the night wouldn't be a very good one.

1. The majority thought that Kai was the one who captured Rei…that certainly surprised me…
2. All of Boris' men are just associates. It's much easier that way and it shows something about how he views his employees.
3. When someone asks for your "John Hancock," they're asking for your signature. Not too many people will tell you that anymore though...
4. In chapter eight, Dizzi was introduced to Emily as Deliah, a friend of Kenny's from the university.

SS – I had hoped to fit more of the general plot in this one but…it came out unusually short time wise. Actually, this whole story happens in a short time span…goodness… Maybe it reads a bit fast, I hate it when I do that. I hope that wasn't the case! And I apologize for grammar mishaps and, once again, for the lateness of this update.

On a more personal note, I'm hop-skip-jumping to Europe for two weeks with my family. :big big big grin: Obviously there won't be an update (like I ever upload another chapter within two weeks of the previous), but there will be a lot of bus time since it's a tour. What can I do during a long bus ride (not to mention the plane ride over there – we're talking a total of 14 hours!)? – Write! I'll definitely give it a shot. My hand shall work, even if it's with a pencil and paper!

Tym – Yea…I won't be hop-skip-jumping anywhere yet, not that it'll make much of a difference since I can't write/upload the chapter for her…well, I could, but…

Ok, here's the part that probably made this chapter look terribly longer than usual – the replies! SS skipped out last time so these could get messy…

Shadow Tigress a.k.a. Kit: …Should I be hiding? YEA! I took…much longer than usual! I'm sorry. I try, really I do! And I don't like putting up my reasons because they always come across as excuses, so just bare with me. I'll always turn out something sooner or later.

Syaoran-Lover: You don't have to listen to what I type about Kai and Tala's relationship! :hides: No, really, I remember what I told you. As late in the game as it is I'm still adjusting things to fit the ending (needs a rewrite), so…it's hard to keep their situation platonic, or however you want to see it. Tala used to be a hunter, but decided to work for Boris later on because it was a better deal than freelance. And I think I already cleared up Kai's situation. It was supposed to take this long – one of the only things that went right – simply because things aren't always straightforward and solved in a pinch. …Enjoyed a double chapter, huh? :smile: Boy, you must have thought I died since that was a 3-4 month gap of no alert.

Chibi Kitty: Oh no, I'm not dropping this little story. I love it too much! Even though the updates are sparse, I'll always come through. I don't want the journey to end either! But I'd rather it come to a decent end then drag it out and continue it with clichés and whatnot. Enjoy the ride until the conclusion comes! Don't worry, I write slowly, so it'll be a bit more.

KaisPhoenix: Well I'm glad you decided to drop by. I do that a lot, too. One of my favorites didn't reel me in until it was in the last chapters, which was good…I think. Anyway, sorry, but I am one of those authors who give out updates once every…one to two months. But I'm working on that, and I always compensate with something special. Like this surprise ficlet, I think you will like it a lot. You must be psychic or something!

Porticulis: Hey, hope you're doing all right. I didn't know it was possible until now, but you really didn't sound well from your reply. Please get better and I'll keep writing. And it's ok! I leave reviews for authors to hurry up and update without any helpful commentary sometimes, too. I know that I can count on you for help when I need it, thanks. I'll head on by myself for a bit though, just to see if I can bring this story to a close on my own, with my own mistakes.

Avampiresdilemma: You know, sometimes I wish I knew what was going to happen next too…oh! Well, in other stories. Yea… Hm…endings. I never thought my story would happen upon one of those. Well, in my head the story just goes on forever, but I guess I will need to put the end out there. Expect any and every kind of ending! Though I am quite the sap for the childish: "…and they lived happily ever after," it doesn't always happen in real life. All I can say is enjoy what leads up to it, and be prepared for anything. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Neko-jinned: Hm…that is quite a tough choice…I guess my storyline didn't help any, ne? Well, I wouldn't know who to choose either. However, seeing as I still think like a child, I'd go with Rei, who…at this point…is much more innocent than Tala. lol. Yes, the story is closing (though quite slowly), but I promise my next project will portray Rei in a better situation so that you can breathe easier! :smile: GASP. A book? The horror. J/k.

Lots of thanks and cookies to everyone else who also left SS a nice word or two or three to read and to guilt her into finally sitting herself down to write!
buck-tick, ChaosMaiden, Ilex-Aquifolium, Da-Ku Hisaki, CrossHunt-s, Shadowed Heart...Darkened Soul, toboewolf7, ChibiNekoSakura, Pickle-Kitten, Kitty, saFire flamE, .at least i know im a sinner, and Devlinn Reiko-sama!

Woot! You guys are all that and a bag of Teddygrams! We're both lucky to have your attention for this story. Thank you so much! Now, probably the day she has to take off, SS will give me the disk with the surprise to be uploaded, and it'll be up to me to pick a day to submit it, so be sure to watch out for it! This is for all of you, so I hope you enjoy it! Right now she's finishing it up while I close this chapter, so I'll go, you guys can leave, and SS will eat her Newtons and save the story onto the floppy. Thank you for stopping by, and we'll catch you next time! Ashes.