Salutations! Yep, I know that I said September but my parents seem to have forgotten the whole computer ban thingummyjig… not that I'm gonna remind them! This is the chapter you've all been waiting for when we finally see what will decide the fate for poor little Kai-kun! Parts of this chapter may seem weak and that's because I had a small case of writers' block. Hopefully it will be gone soon!

Due to the new ban on answering the reviews, I can't do that. Stupid new rule. But if you want me to e-mail you your answer, just tell me in your review, k? And I can still answer any questions you might have about the story here, I think. So I'd like to thank:

sproxy23, Kuro1107, storm-of-insanity, Crazymainey, EagleFox, CyborgRockStar, Betrayed by Darkness, Shizuka-Yuki, safaia-kurome, AnimeBando33, PandaPjays, Yumi-Ulrich4eva, Wolfchilde, lolly pop 3, blueraven, Kinaua, personne du monde, and lil'angelgrl. Your constant support and funny reviews are what keep me from getting writers' block!

Chapter 7: Ready and Waiting

'Well now I'm back in the middle of the day that starts it all.
I can't begin to let you know just what I'm feeling.
And now these red ones help me fly,
And the blue ones make me fall.
And I think I'll blow my brains against the ceiling.'

Headfirst for Halos, My Chemical Romance

General POV (This is getting to be a habit… lols)

It's a dark night, and cold too. Which is to be expected, as it's January. But no cold can match the coldness of one particular man's heart. He stands at his window, scowling out at the world with a face like a hurricane.

His name is Voltaire Hiwatari.

He's angry, very much so. This is the second night in a row that his grandson has not returned to the house, and he can only think of two possibilities; that Kai has either run away or taken shelter at one of his friends.

Surprisingly, the latter annoys him more. He doesn't care much about his grandson, indeed he treats the child like crap, but what does matter to him is that everyone adheres to what he wants.

Without question.

Scowling, he takes another gulp out of his glass and clenches his fist. When Kai does come back, he will make him pay, that much he knows -

There's a knock at the door. Well, actually, thumps. Quite a lot of them. He frowns; it has been a long time since anyone dared to call at this house. Growling in frustration, he leaves the room to answer the door.

Three police officers are standing there. One of them, obviously the most senior, stands up straighter and begins to speak.

"Good evening sir. Are you Mr. Voltaire Hiwatari?"

He glares at them with every self-righteous air that he posses. "I am. What business do you have here, officers?"

"We're extremely sorry to disturb you at such an ungodly hour, but I'm afraid that this is a very serious matter that can't wait."

"What do you want, officer?"

The man draws back slightly but doesn't back down from his job. "I'm afraid that we need to take you in for questioning, sir. We have received allegations from a reliable source that you are guilty of abusing a young person in your care and as such, we need to investigate." He looks almost apologetic.

"You're arresting me, is that right?" He briefly considers killing the three officers then and there, but decides against it. It would just be more evidence that would just increase his chances of going to prison, and he doesn't want that.

"I'm sorry sir. If you would just walk this way…"

He follows with a dignified bearing, but inside, he is raging at his grandson. He doesn't want to go to prison. No. What he wants is to rip his grandson limb from limb for betraying him.

"I need to read you your rights; You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You are entitled to a lawyer. If you do not have one or cannot afford one, the stare…" the officer recites as they enter the vehicle.

He's hardly listening, too consumed with rage at his grandson to even think about trying.

Yes, he has a lawyer, and a damn good one too that will get him easily out of this ridiculous case.

And when I'm out, Kai will suffer. I will make sure that he pays dearly.

Kai's POV (This is about two days after what just happened, in case you're interested)

I sit in the hospital bed, but I'm more of a combination of bored and nervous now rather than ill. Apart from a few occasional twinges in my stomach and head, I feel physically alright; after all, I've been worse. The rest of me is another story.

It's strange; I always imagined that my friends, if I told them, would push me away, ignore me… I don't know… but I couldn't have been further from the truth. They showed me an understanding that would have never expected from them before any of this happened. It makes me feel kind of ashamed for doubting them.

And strangely, hopeful. Something I thought I'd never feel again. Just knowing that they truly value me as a friend, a person is more than enough. More than enough reason to maybe, just maybe, carry on living. At least for a little longer. It's like I can finally see the light that means I'm coming to the end of a long, dark tunnel.

But then I think about how they're determined to go against my grandfather, and I start worrying. They have no idea of what he's like, that he could easily find some way to crush every one of them. And that worries me, so I'm back to square one.

I watch, bored, as the nurse leaves the room at the call of someone. As she leaves she glances almost guiltily over her shoulder at me. I frown. I'm not stupid. I know that something's going on that I don't know about, and I want to know. Not knowing things really annoys me.

I hear agitated, half-whispered voices outside the room.

"That's not fair! I always get the short straw! I want to draw it again!"

"Fair and square, Tyson. We've had three draws already, so it's your call." My frown deepens. Something is definitely up. The door bursts open and the rest of the team come spilling in.

I watch them as they stand awkwardly, none of them meeting my eyes. They must have something to tell me that isn't so good. Well, no point in beating about the bush…

"What do you want?"

Tyson shifts uncomfortably. "Errm… I don't know if you've heard… but, your grandfather… um, he's been arrested." My heart suddenly shoots up. Arrested? The police actually managed to get that far? But Tyson's still speaking.

"The thing is, I think they want you to give evidence or something… I dunno, we don't know all the details, we overheard these two people talking about it in the corridor, how are we supposed to know?" I leave Tyson to his babbling.

Give evidence? Me?

But it's my best chance of ending all this for good.

I can't do that…

Fear's just a mental thing. Overcome it. No more playing by his rules. I'm not going to be a pawn anymore.

I've made up my mind. I'm sick of living like this, so this is it. My chance to end it, but still carry on living. Maybe there's finally some hope.

And if he wins…

I push that thought to the back of my mind. I'll face that one if it comes.

"I'll do it."

The look on Tyson's face is almost worth all those moments of indecision.

"Say what?"

"I'll do it," I say again. "I'm sick of playing by his rules. So I'll do it."

Stunned silence. Max finally breaks it.

"Good for you! We're behind you all the way!" he says, grinning slightly and earning nods from the others.

"And… well…" I try to find the right words to say what needs to be said. "Thank you for listening to me."

"Hey, we're your friends right?"

I'm ready. I might be afraid, but I'm going to do what needs to be done.

If my friends are prepared to, why not me?

ghost: Ugh. That was not one of my better works. BTW, in case you're all wondering, there's a court scene coming up soon! (Dances) Yay, court scenes! I love writing them! Well, I'll cyas later!