Tainted Blood

Chapter 15

by. SilverWolf-Ryuki

A/N: One of my poems was chosen for Urban Voices... Yay...

Here's another chapter, enjoy.

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Kai awoke with a startle, drenched in cold sweat. He felt his injuries complain, but ignored them, as he learned to do since this whole fiasco started.

He could remember it so vividly. The way that his hand stung when it touched Black Dranzer... and how the darkness spread from his fingertips into his heart...

Kai looked around the room. He saw Mariam on the bed, barely visible. He looked down and saw that he had been cleaned of his cuts and covered with a blanket. There was a pillow under where his head used to be too. He was on the heavily carpeted ground, as he soon realized. But the difference was little – the carpet enough seems like a bed.

His eyes softened. He looked at the piece of cloth so tightly gripped in his hand. I can't do this anymore... I almost killed Rei... Even though he has a sacred bit-beast, chances are, he's not going to bring it EVERYWHERE with him...

I need to...

Kai fought to get up. He limped towards the door and frowned as he passed Mariam.

What do I need to do? What if she was next?

Slowly, Kai reached the door, and he opened it with a light click that was barely audible. But as he was about to slip through, Mariam's eyes opened slowly.

"Where are you going?" She murmured.

Kai froze. He took a deep, shaky breath. "Washroom, I'll be right back."

Mariam nodded and turned the other way to go back to sleep.

With darkened eyes, Kai left, closing the door as softly as he opened it.

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"No pancakes! I am sick of pancakes!"

Rei glared at Tala. "When was the last time you HAD pancakes?"

"I don't eat pancakes, period." Tala grumbled.

Rei peered at his menu, a phone in his hands. "What about cake?"

"...Cake for breakfast?"

"OK, OK, what about coffee and muffins?"

"Sure..." Tala sighed. Better than pancakes...

"I'm still going to get pancakes. I love maple syrup! Whoever invented it is brilliant." Rei said firmly, his eyes sparking.

"Native peoples taught the Europeans of North America to make it." Tala mumbled as he fished through the mini-fridge in their room for a cold bottle of water.

Rei shook his head and dialled a number and ordered their breakfast.

Around 3 minutes after he ordered, a continuous knock came from the doors. Tala was pleased. He gulped down water. "Good service," He commented. Rei grunted, walked towards the door and scratched his head. His hair was surprisingly neat for the morning.

The knocking turned into pounding.

Rei walked faster towards the door and swung it open. Mariam stood there, her eyes looked serious and she was frowning.

"Is there something –?"

"I ... I can't find Kai." She whispered.

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"He came for you yesterday," Mariam said as she sat on Rei's bed. Rei and Tala both faced her, sitting on Tala's bed, waiting for the story.

"I know," Rei said simply.

"Dangerous," Tala muttered.

"It's my fault I didn't have my bit-beast. I just thought that nothing would happen, and plus, it didn't fit in the pocket." Rei frowned. "When was the last time you saw Kai?"

"He stumbled in a few hours after midnight... I cleaned up his worst injuries and went to bed. Then..." Mariam's frown deepened. "I saw him for a few seconds this moment. He said he was going to the washroom..."

"The idiot was probably guilty for nearly killing Rei,"

The three turned to see Ren in the doorway, dressed ready for fight and cleaned. Rei looked at the clock nearby. It was 7:00 in the morning. It reminded him of those people who get into suits the moment they wake up.

"Probably," Tala nodded in agreement. "Should we look for him?"

"Yes,"

"No,"

Mariam glared at Ren. "Why shouldn't we?"

"He'll turn up. He knows that the whole thing is more important than Rei. He knows that finding Dranzer will cure this all... even if it means sacrificing one of his best friends." He nodded towards Rei.

"What if he's out to kill himself?" Mariam demanded.

"Kai wouldn't do that." Rei said with confidence.

"That's weak," Tala nodded. "He knows it... running from a mistake?"

"And also, he cannot kill himself," Ren added. "Black Dranzer finally found a decent host. Do you think it would really let the host kill himself?"

"I don't know," Mariam grumbled.

Someone knocked.

"Come in," Ren called.

The door opened. Mariam turned and closed her eyes with a small smile.

"Hey," Rei greeted.

It was Kai, dressed in room-service uniforms, wheeling a cart with several trays on it. It was their breakfast.

"Consider this an apology," Kai said as he started passing the dishes out.

"Idiot," Mariam mumbled.

"I deserved that," Kai passed her a plate.

"Pancakes..." Tala wrinkled his nose and peered over to Rei's plate. He had muffins and coffee. They looked at each other with raised eyebrows and switched plates.

Ren walked over with a chair and took a plate with bacon and eggs on it. He started to eat without a word, a smug look on his face, just for Mariam.

Kai sat down in a chair he brought and started on his own food. He barely finished one of the pancakes when the door opened.

"Master Robert wishes to see you," A man dressed in butler clothing bowed at them. "In 20 minutes, at the grand meeting room, he expects all your presence."

"We'll be there." Tala mumbled and shoved a forkful of eggs in his mouth. "Soon..."

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A/N: Heya... another chapter. It's kind of useless... Rei's OK, obviously. I mean, why would I kill one of the most important characters in the fic before they get to America? Anyways... hope you liked it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. xD