WR: ok look I have just started 6th form, and it is FAR more work and assignments than last year, especially with the subjects im taking; Biology, psychology, geography and archaeology… so ya, lotsa work, and guess what.. that means rather slow updating… and with the rate I update at anyway that means REALLY SLOW. Anyhoo, enough stalling, here we go, now last time I left you JUST as Kai walked in….

The glass slipped from her hand, and shattered with a delicate tinkling on the polished wood floors. An inferno raged within her… he was here? Her throat was dry, but she had nothing to quench it with, her hands trembled, and her breath caught in her chest. Her knuckles on her other hand turned white from gripping the table top, and all sound seemed to have been cut off.

Something touched her hand, and with that contact all her senses came rushing back, and the babble of talk surrounded her once again. Emily's cool palm rested on her fist.

"Hael? Are you Ok? You've gone as white as a sheet…"

The Russian took some time to find her tongue, and get her words out.

"Why… why is Kai here?" She gasped out, still in a state of shock.

Mariah chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"Well I guess he came down to check that his ball room isn't getting trashed by us having our party." She said.

"His ball room?" She hissed.

"Ya…." Only now did Mariah start to understand that Hael actually had no idea who owned the place. If that was so then her mother had clearly not wanted her to know… "Oh… well." What could she say now?

"Hael, your in the Biovault Abbey, the most advanced scientific complex in the World, Kai is the president, he owns, runs and lives here." Emily said softly. "Your mother probably didn't want you to know so you wouldn't be upset."

"Upset? Emily.. the man left her down there in…"

" I need you to take me to him…" Hael interrupted. Her two friends looked at her as if she was mad. The bronze haired girl was staring pleadingly somewhere over their shoulders, and she looked about ready to cry.

"Hael… you cant be serious, I mean… this is Kai!" Emily breathed.

"I know perfectly well who it is Emily, and I want to speak to him." She said, standing up determinedly. "Now, are either of you two going to take me to his table or am I going alone?" she asked brusquely.

Mariah opened her mouth to reply, but her eyes drifted back over to Kai, there he sat.. the man who had put her beloved friend through so much pain, and for the first time she found herself unable to speak, so she closed her mouth again.

Hael scowled and turned away from them, she headed towards the door, reasoning that Kai was likely to sit around there in order to make a quick escape if necessary. She waked between tables, her fingers dancing over their surfaces so she didn't walk into them. She jumped as an arm slid to her hips, and she cursed herself for not hearing Tala approach.

"Tala," She breathed turning to face him, "I need you to take me to the table where your friend Kai is sitting." She said to him.

Tala sniggered and looked down at the sole inhabitant of the table directly next to them.

"Anything for you." he muttered, and a satisfied smirk lit up his features as he saw Kai's hand tighten marginally around his glass.

Tala gripped Hael's shoulders, turned her around and sat her neatly in a chair beside Kai, and slid into place beside her, making it painfully obvious that his arm was still on her hip.

"Someone here to see you Kai." Tala said, a cold smile on his lips.

Kai bit back a scowl.

"So I see." He muttered and swigged his drink. He had not counted on this, he didn't even know why he had come down here tonight, he had notwanted to have anencounter with her… especially not like this, with Tala here nothing could make it worse. A tornado of emotions roiled within him, and it took all his self control to stop from tearing her from his arms, and pounding him into a bloody mess.

Hael fumbled awkwardly with her hands, and finally seemed to pluck up the confidence to reach out. Her finger tips searched till they found the material of his sleeve, from there she was able to grip his wrist and rest her palm upon his arm.

"Kai, I don't know what to say, its been so long… how have you been?"

A tremor ran through his body at her touch, a touch which he had ached for every day and night, his eyes slid shut for a moment, revelling in it. Then he snapped back to reality, and realised who else was here…

She felt his arm tugged away, and that deep throated growl she remembered so well. But her hand felt cold on the bare table.

"That is none of your concern." He muttered, the cold words were like poison on his tongue.

She frowned and drew her hand back.

"Oh come now Kai," Tala said, his broad smile still on his face, "she only asked you a simple question, surely the President of the Biovault Abbey can answer a pretty face."

Kai glared at him, considering the consequences of hitting him in the middle of that smug face…. In the back ground a song came on and a scattering of people paired up and started twirling… Before he knew what he was doing, he had shoved his chair back, reached down, taken her hand in his and tugged her to her feet. She gasped in surprise, managing to catch her balance before she fell against him.

"We're dancing, now." He muttered, and led her to the cleared space. He glanced back over his shoulder and felt a rumble of satisfaction to see the sour, and infuriated look on Tala's face.

Before he realised it, he found himself in the middle of couples which were twirling slowly, and he stopped and faced her. He breathed deeply… the simple task of putting his hands on her seemed impossible, his body would not respond… He blinked as he felt her hand lead his to her hip, and she slid her other into his own. Without a word they started to turn.. only then did Kai hear the lyrics of this song… and his heart seemed to do a barrel roll…

You with the sad eyes,
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness, inside you
Can make you feel so small

Oh why did it have to be this song? A terrible ache grew inside him, and unconsciously he pulled her closer, his eyes sliding half way shut, all of the pain he had suffered, all the emotions which had torn into him for almost three years, since the first day he had seen her… it was nothing compared to what he had put her through…

But I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow,

"Why did you do it Kai?" She murmured, the hand that was on his shoulder slipped around and rested on the back of his neck, her thumb tracing slow circles… Kai didn't answer, he couldn't. Slowly the song drew to a close and he gently let her go, although his hands felt so warm and perfect on her skin.

He paused, looking at her, and opened his mouth…

"I… good luck for tomorrow," he said quietly. He turned his back on her and strode away, he seemed to be able to breathe again, yet the further he got from her, the greater that ache grew…

It seemed a terrible eternity till he was back in his room, and the heat of the scotch burned his throat, he winced at the strong taste and sighed in pleasure as the pain eased slightly. He drank more.. until the room seemed to spin pleasantly before his eyes, he placed the empty bottle on the table, however as he turned he stumbled against it, knocking the glass object to the floor, where it rolled under a desk. This however went unnoticed to him, as he saw someone standing just inside his door.

Tala stepped forward, all pretence of good humor and merriment gone, his blue eyes were steely and cold.

"Kai, what a surprise to find you here…" he muttered.

"What are you talking about.. these are my private quarters, get out!" He snapped back.

"I know Kai… remember, I grew up here, just like you. I was always the better blader, I was always smarter, I was always more ambitious than you… yet. It has been you Kai.. you that has taken everything from me. As we grew, you were always the favorite, you were always more feared. In school, people thought it was me who was your lackey, and you're the one who got all the credit for my brilliant prank to leave that little blind rat in the mines…. And now look at you Kai, you are the one who owns the Biovault Abbey… Do you know where I have been? I have been working… just to pay my rent, I've endured jobs that I never thought someone of my standards would ever have to do… cleaning.. waiting… and sitting at check-outs…." As he spoke, the madness in his eyes glinted, even in his state of inebriation Kai could see it. "…But now, now Kai, I have the one thing that you want…. I have her."

Kai snarled and stepped forward.

"I don't know what your talking about Tala…" He said.

"Don't feed me that bullshit Kai. You loved her in high school, and you're the one who donated that money under my name, you're the one who charged no fee for the use of these facilities, you're the one who has watched her since the first day she arrived here." He paused, and a wicked grin split his face. "I'll tell you this Kai, she's great in bed…"

A sick pleasure flooded him as Kai's head shot up, what a lie….

"The little thing was totally inexperienced when I first met her.. she had no idea how to do things… she was is so terrified of making mistakes that she does anything I tell her. I can see why you were attracted to her Kai, her body is fantastic, and amazingly flexible…"

He got no further, as Kai's fist connected sickeningly with his nose. There was a crunch, and his hand flew to his face, but blood still gushed between his fingers. He chocked back a sob of pain, but it gurgled and died in his mouth which had filled with the metallic tasting fluid too.

"Get out of my quarters Tala… your rather drunk and just walked into a door, you had better get to the infirmary before you harm yourself further." Kai said.

Tala glared at him, furious hate blazing in his blue orbs, he then turned and left. Kai followed him to the door, and watched him stumble down the corridor, dripping blood. He then shut the door quietly and walked to his desk, pressing down on the intercom.

"Send someone up to clean my office, and the corridor which leads down to the infirmary… there was a small accident." He muttered into the speaker.

"Yes sir." His secretary's clipped voice answered.

Kai sighed… Why did he get the feeling that the events of today were just the start of many …

WR: Well my readers that's it for today… in the next chapter.. she has her operation! WAAAA! Ahem… yeah.. R&R!