Title: Innocence

Author: PandaPjays

Chapter Title: Rejection

Rating: T

Warnings: See First Chapter

Disclaimer: See First Chapter

Author Note: I've decided that I have bad karma. It's a long weekend and so of course I got sick on the first day /grumbles at fate/ That, and also tomorrow my best friend is going to Poland for 6 weeks so I'm going to be having a very lonely six weeks... Ok and that's enough self-pity!

And words that are like : This : are Tala's inner computer talking

Kai's eyes widened as he felt Tala's weight on him. What the hell is he doing? He wondered desperately. He placed two hands on Tala's chest and pushed, making the redhead fall off him and on to the floor.

Tala didn't even try to break his fall, landing in an undignified heap.

Kai sat up and looked down at Tala, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What was that about?"

Tala sat up painfully, a look of deep hurt in his eyes.

"That was what you make of it." He replied simply. When the look of confusion didn't leave Kai's face he continued. "When I lost to Tyson I never understood why I was ok about it. How could I accept defeat knowing the consequences in store not only for myself but also for my team? It was while I endured those consequences that I figured it out. You were the one who trained Tyson. He would never have been that good without you. And so in essence I lost to you. And I was ok with that. You are the only one I could accept defeat from. I would do it willingly and accept any punishment I received because of my loss happily. I would do all that because it would make you happy and your happiness is the most important thing to me. I love you, Kai, and I would do anything to make you happy."

He looked up at Kai from his position the floor with a small gleam of hope in his eyes.

Kai sat back and drew his legs up underneath him, distancing himself from Tala. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, slowly taking in what the other boy had said. How could I have missed that? If he felt that way about me surely I would have noticed, then another thought occurred to him. How will I tell him I don't feel the same?

Tala continued to look up at Kai hopefully. He had resolved to tell Kai about his feelings on the plane to Australia; he couldn't keep it a secret for any longer. Now he had told him and was waiting for Kai's reply. He hoped that Kai returned his feelings, but there was no guarantee that he would. At least now he would know. Tala began to study the carpet.

"I-…" Kai began before trailing off. He had to let Tala down gently but had to get his message across. He didn't feel the same way about the other Russian and had to make that clear to him or he would just give him false hope and that was even crueller than letting him down. Why do I not like Tala in that way, anyway? He asked himself. As far as I know I've never felt that way about someone but what if I did and I just didn't know it? What if I actually liked someone else? He quickly dismissed that notion. No, I would know if I felt like that about someone and I definitely don't feel that way about Tala.

At the sound of his love's voice Tala looked up again at Kai, before seeing that he was lost in thought again. He does know that this tension is killing me, right?

"I am honoured that you think of me like that, I really am…" Kai began again. "…But I don't feel the same way about you, I'm sorry Tala. I only feel friendship towards you and nothing more. I can't pretend to feel anything more or less because that wouldn't be fair to me and it definitely wouldn't be fair to you."

The room lapsed into uncomfortable silence. Tala thought that he could hear his heart and the small thread of hope that it held shatter into a million pieces.

Kai sighed and stood up, avoiding Tala's gaze.

"I have to go and check to see what everyone else is doing"

Saying that he exited the room, leaving Tala to his own thoughts.

The red-haired Russian shut his eyes, refusing to let tears pass. He knew that there had always been a chance of Kai rejecting him. He had known it when he sat on the plane; he had known it when he discovered his love for Kai.

That knowledge held no comfort for him.

Why did I try? He asked himself. Why did I even bother? I knew that he could never love me. How could perfection love someone like me? I don't deserve to even be in his presence, let alone be his lover. Why did I even try?

Tala did not dare open his eyes. If he did he knew that he would release the tears that were building up behind his eyelids. Not even when Biovolt was experimenting on him had he allowed himself to shed tears. He had always been able to have the hope that he would escape from that hell. Now he had and his small light of hope at the end of the tunnel had turned out to be a train.

Was life worth living anymore?

He was faintly aware of a mechanical voice in the back of his mind.

: System Overload :

: Defensive protocol activated :

He stood slowly, drawing all of his pain and hurt inside himself. It went to join all of the hurt that Biovolt had inflicted on him, deep inside the recesses of his mind. When Biovolt had tried to make him into an emotionless machine whose only purpose was to win they had programmed him so that any emotion that was too large was shielded from him so he would not have to deal with it.

Now Tala could think back on what had just happened without any of the emotions that should have been attached to the incident.

He ran his hands through his hair and straightened his clothes.

Now is the time that I have to concentrate on staying ahead of Biovolt. Not the time to worry about what's behind me.

His emotionless mask in place, Tala left the room and all of its bad memories behind.

He almost walked straight into Kenny.

"GAH! Don't do that! You don't make any sound when you walk, you really should wear a bell." The brunette glared at Tala from underneath his fringe. Tala wondered absently if he'd ever seen Kenny's eyes.

He smirked at the shorter boy, "And miss out on the squeal that you make whenever you see me?" He looked around the hallway, "Where is everyone?"

Kenny shrugged. "I don't know. Someone slammed a door and I came out here to investigate and then I ran into you."

Very mature of Kai, Tala thought sarcastically. I thought he was past slamming doors, but then again last I checked face paint was popular amongst five-year-olds.

"Do you have any idea who slammed the door?" Kenny asked, interrupting Tala's internal payout session.

Tala looked sharply at him, trying to gauge whether the brunette knew more than he let on. It was impossible to read his expression without seeing his eyes. Tala would just have to hope that Kenny was asking out of genuine ignorance. Wow something that Kenny doesn't know, where's the parade?

"I'm going to take that as an 'If-you-ask-me-that-question-again-your life-won't-be-very-pleasant'"

"Good call"

"Thank-you"

"No problem."

Kenny grinned. He couldn't believe he was actually talking to Tala. The same Tala who would normally give him a death glare if he so much as thought of breathing the air within 10 kilometres of his airspace. It was unheard of.

Tyson ran into the room breaking the miraculous moment. "Have either of you seen Rei?" He bent over, panting. It looked like he had run from wherever he had been.

Kenny blinked and looked at the blue-haired blader. "Why would I have seen Rei?"

"I don't know, have you?"

The brunette shook his head, "Not since Tala was telling us why we were here, why?

Tyson straightened and began to control his breathing. "Rei left to tell Kai we were going for ice-cream and never actually got to the telling Kai part and now he's gone."

"And you're panicking because?" Tala's cool voice cut in.

Tyson glared at the Russian. "Are you still here? I'm not panicking."

"Could have fooled me."

"I guess I did then, huh?"

Tala remained silent and Tyson's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open as he stared at Tala. No comeback? That's a first. What are we up to now? Tala 754 Me 1? Why am I keeping score anyway? It's not like I'm winning.

Tala smirked at Tyson's expression. "Make sure the wind doesn't change, you'd hate to walk around like that for the rest of your life, your face is ugly enough already without that expression."

Tala 755 Me 1, Dammit! That was a cheap shot.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"What question was that again?"

"The one about you panicking about Rei not being here"

"Oh, that question."

"Yes, that question, care to answer it?"

"It's just that Rei doesn't just leave, it's not like him"

"There's a first time for everything, you know", Tala told him, smirking at how worked up Tyson was getting over Rei leaving the penthouse.

"So I've heard." Kai strode into the room, not looking at Tala. He had decided not to mention their encounter to any of his team but could not bring himself to look at Tala.

"But do you believe everything that you hear, Kai?" Tala asked him sarcastically.

The slate-haired boy glanced up sharply at that. He looked at the other Russian's eyes, puzzled. Where had all the emotion of barely half an hour ago gone? He sounded almost normal, well as normal as Tala could get anyway.

What did they do to you in Biovolt? I know that I'm good at hiding my emotions but even I'm not that good. What happened? He wondered desperately, wishing that he could actually voice what he was thinking. "Not everything, no"

"Glad to see that you aren't quite as naïve as the little dragon over there then."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"Nothing that wasn't true, my naïve friend"

"I'll show you whose naïve!" With that Tyson leapt at Tala who held him at arms length, smirking at Tyson's attempts to get free.

"I'm quaking in my ridiculously-expensive-but-stylish-beyond-belief boots"

Kai sighed and looked outside, "I don't doubt it" He commented absently. He sighed and walked to the window he was looking out. He scanned the cities skyscape. Where are you Rei?

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