Another Day

Chapter 9

A Wicked Wind

"Wow, you came! And here I thought you were gone for good." Tala was once again sitting contently on his bed, when Kai came in with a tray.

The slave placed the breakfast on his masters lap with a bit more force than necessary and asked, "Is there anything else you need done or can I leave?"

Tala pointed to several boxes full of what seemed to be toys and other items, "I want those carried up to the playroom on the third floor. And make it quick, will you?"

Kai grumbled under his breath but he was relieved that he did not have to repeat the bath-incident. He lifted up one of the boxes and was nearly sent crashing to the floor; these things were really heavy! Kai just managed to keep his balance with the box in his arms. Tala was watching with amusement from the bed.

'He's expecting me to complain and give up, but I'll show him,' the Hiwatari thought and staggered towards the door.

He made it out the door, but as soon as it closed behind him he put the load down. This was impossible; the box was difficult to hold and as heavy as an anvil, but he had to try, or Tala would laugh at him. This was a contest, and Kai wanted to win, so he picked up the box again and headed for the stairs to the third floor. Luckily for him, the stairs were wide, and the slope was not steep at all, still it took him a long time to get to the top, and he nearly fell backwards a few times. Kai was glad that he did not meet anyone on the way; he knew he had to look ridicules staggering forth and back in the hallway, trying to reach the children's playroom. He ran all the way back; the loss of the weight made him feel light as a feather, and if nothing else he could make Tala think he had finished sooner than he had.

Once back in the bedroom he grabbed box number two out of four. Tala was smiling at him, but Kai just ignored his master and began his journey anew. Was it just his imagination or was this box heavier? The stairs went faster now that he had learned the best way to walk and carry the load, but this time he did not run back as his legs were already protesting. He flexed his arms to get rid of the pain before going to get one more box.

This time he was managed to trip on the way up the stairs, and the box, with all its content, tumbled down and landed in a heap at the bottom. Kai cursed and went to pick it up. However, it soon proved to be quite the treasure he had been carrying around, and Kai spent a few minutes simply going through Tala's stuff. He must have had a cleanout of his old toys and other things that he did not need anymore. The teen found, to his amusement, several stuffed bears and other cuddly toys, and also some children's books with lots of drawings and not much writing.

The fourth time around he was more motivated, and he even returned Tala's smirk with a cocky smile. He was just on the top of the stairs when he met Adria. She smiled at him and he could not help but smile back. The girl was wearing a baby-blue dress that highlighted her eyes, and with her sunny curls spilling over her shoulder he began to understand why Rei called her angel.

She looked curiously at the load in his arms, "What are you doing?"

He put down the box and crouched down beside her, "I am helping master Tala put away his things."

The girl bent over the box to see better, and her eyes lit up. "Oh, look at all the pretty things!" She exclaimed.

Kai picked up a pretty doll with porcelain skin and black hair and held it out to her. The girl took it carefully, looking at it with wide wondering eyes. Kai did not know how long he stayed there with the Adria, going through the box and looking at all the things that Tala had played with when he was younger, but suddenly there was a cough behind them and Kai stood up.

"So this is where you ended up. I was beginning to wonder if you had fallen down the stairs or something." Tala did not seem angry that Kai had let Adria touch his things, but Kai was still tense; he wasn't yet quite confident in his ability to read his master.

Tala walked over and crouched down beside the girl, "Do you like the toys, Adria?" His voice was mild. The girl nodded shyly. "What do you like the most?" He asked.

Kai had never seen Tala act so friendly before, and his eyes went really wide when, after Adria had whispered that the porcelain doll was really pretty, Tala only laughed and handed it to her, "Well, keep it then, but promise me to take good care of her." Adria promised eagerly and hugged the doll tight. She also hugged Tala once before running down the stairs and out of view.

Kai followed her with his eyes until she disappeared, and then he turned his shocked expression on Tala, "It's a miracle; you're human!"

But the redhead was no longer smiling, "I thought I told you to hurry up. Get that box into the playroom, and then you will go outside and wait for me by the gate, and no dawdling this time!" He left.

Kai shook his head. He carried the last box in, and just to be mean he lingered, walking around and studying the playroom. It was not large. The walls were soft orange, and the floor was cushioned by a thick rug. A single window showed the front gate and the numerous houses that lay beyond. Kai sighed and wondered if he would ever see anything else than the inside of the high brick wall that surrounded the mansion. There was one bookcase with lots of children's books in it, and toys lay littered everywhere. Kai recognised the pink hat that Rei had worn the previous day.

Then he caught sight of Tala through the window, and he hurried to exit the room.

It was another fine day. Normally summer would mean blistering heat, dry, dusty streets and water-shortages for the slum rats, but here it was fittingly warm and Kai had yet to notice any kind of shortage at the Ivanov mansion. He exited through the kitchen, saying hello to Antonio and Tylia as he passed them and to Ian in the door. Then he ran down the side of the house and slowed to a jog when he neared his impatient master. Tala glared at him, "I don't think I need to tell you that you have once again disobeyed my orders, as a little voice in the back of my head is telling me that you did it on purpose."

Kai shrugged, "Be that as it may, I've heard that hearing voices in your head is the first sign of insanity."

Tala shook his head in frustration, making his red bangs stir, "Forget it. We are going for a walk. Normally I would take my dog, but I decided to give you some exercise. Every Sunday, I, Bryan and Spencer take a tour around the block or further, depending on what we feel like. Now, I am warning you; Spencer isn't exactly frightfully intelligent, but he can make a stew out of you without difficulties, so don't insult him, and beware of Bryan; he can be very cruel if you give him reason to. Don't oppose him and don't get in his way. He will not lay a hand on you as long as I say no, but don't expect me to protect you if you misbehave. Oh, and always ask permission before speaking."

Tala turned and caught sight of three figures coming closer, "That must be them now."

Kai studied the party as they neared. Spencer was a tall, muscular blonde. He looked like he was marching, with his back straight and his eyes forward, and his face was serious. Bryan was a little shorter than Tala, with beady eyes and purple hair. He also had a small, confident smirk on his face. Kai didn't like either of them. Behind the two upper-class boys came another boy, with his head lowered and shoulders slumped. His face was fine-boned and beautiful, framed by simmering green hair. His eyes were large and deep. But he looked shy.

As they neared the gate, Tala held out a rope to Kai, "I'll keep you tied up just in case, but you can't get away, so don't try; if you run then I will chase you, and if you escape then I will call in the police." Kai rolled his eyes, but he held up his hands so the redhead could tie them together. A length of rope was left hanging down from his gathered wrists and Tala grabbed the end of it.

'At least he doesn't have me wearing a dog-collar, or walking on all four,' Kai thought, but the knowledge did not make this any more fun.

"Hey, Tala, what's with the closed gate?" Bryan called. The trio was standing by the gateway into the manor.

"New slaves. We have some trouble keeping them in," Tala answered. He walked over to the gate and picked a small, black key from his pocket, turning it in the lock and opening the gate. He gestured for Kai to go first and locked the gate behind them. At Bryan's questioning look he said, "Kai here may be secured, but there is one more on the inside, and he would love this opportunity to get out of here. He belongs to my sister."

The three boys laughed. "No wonder he wants to get away!"

They walked slowly down the wide, paved road, the three men in front and the slaves behind. Kai listened to Tala chatting with his friends and now and then he would throw a glance at the shy boy beside him, who remained silent and subdued. He was not tied up, but Kai figured he had to belong to Bryan, because he was always walking in line behind the purple haired man and every time he spoke, the slave would startle and glance up with fear in his eyes. What Tala had said about Bryan being cruel had to be true.

This neighbourhood was totally different from what Kai was used to; there were large, solid houses in neat rows, with high or low fences, and lush, green gardens. There was hardly an alley in sight, only large streets, and, in contrast to the crowded slum, there were only a few people outside, taking a walk or making their way from A to B. It was like stepping into another world, were everything was sunny, white and clean. Not to mention boring.

The three up front were getting rather loud, laughing at some joke, and Kai was surprised when the green haired boy beside him bent close and whispered, "Excuse me, but do you know Enrique?" This question was probably the last thing Kai had expected, but he nodded a yes. The boy did not look at him, he kept a wary eye on his master, but he continued, "Could you possibly give him a message from me?"

Kai nodded again, "Sure I can."

Finally, the boy turned and looked at him, really looked at him, as if trying to gauge his trustworthiness. Finally he bent even closer and opened his mouth, but he never got to say anything.

"What are you two doing?"

Kai jumped when Bryan stepped in between them and drove the green haired boy backwards.

"We were not doing anything, master. I swear!" The slave looked close to tears already.

"You were talking! What did you say to him, Oliver?" Bryan stood very close, and leaned over the boy, making him bend backwards.

"Nothing, master, nothing at all."

Kai took a step towards them, meaning to help, but he was immediately pulled back by Tala. Kai turned to his master to protest, but suddenly Bryan swung his fist and hit Oliver hard, making him fall backwards. Kai tried once again to separate them, but Tala pulled on the rope until the slave stumbled and fell to his knees in front of the redhead. Bryan was still pounding and kicking the defenceless boy.

"How can you just stand there and let it happen?" Kai shouted at Tala.

For a moment his master looked down and Kai was surprised at the stony look of those blue eyes. "Be silent Kai, you must ask permission before you speak." The flat, uncaring tone left Kai speechless. He stared up at his master while the sound of Oliver's pain tore at his heart. What sort of a man was he serving?

"I was wrong; you are not human," he all but whispered. If Tala had heard he gave no sign of it.

He stood still, observing. "Watch, Kai."

And for once, Kai obeyed; he watched the horrible scene before him until Bryan was finished with his slave. Oliver was bruised and weeping, but still alive. Bryan hauled him to his feet, and, without so much as checking if the boy could still walk, he turned and began strolling up the street like nothing had happened.

Spencer, who had not spoken much so far, joined him and asked in a completely neutral tone if Bryan had met Robert lately, and if he knew how he was coming along. Tala turned as well, and Oliver followed his master on wobbly legs, but Kai did not get up from the ground.

When Tala bounced back on the end of the rope, he turned and gave an annoyed groan, "Kai, I am not playing this game with you today. Be a good boy and get to your feet. I promise you we will be home soon and then you can do whatever you want, ok?"

There was no response.

Tala pulled the rope, "Come on, you lazy mule." But Kai did not move.

Bryan came up beside him and cracked his knuckles, "Want me to persuade him for you?"

Tala pursed his lips, "How about that, Kai? I could let him you know. Do you really want that? Do you want to end up like Oliver?" Of course he wouldn't let Bryan do anything of the sort, but he didn't have to let Kai know that. His mother's advice played in his ears, but he shut it out.

Kai's voice was far from steady when he answered, "Isn't that what you want? Don't you want me to cower at the very sound of your voice? Don't you want me to be silent and shy and obey you like it was all I lived for? Don't you like beating me, master?" Tala could only stare.

Bryan raised an eyebrow, "Where did you get this guy?"

Tala sighed in sudden determination, walked over and dragged Kai up on his feet, "That's about all I can handle today. We are going home." He kept the rope short this time, making sure that the slave could not sit down again or pull any other stunt. He said his goodbyes to Bryan and Spencer, before taking a shortcut back to the mansion.

Kai looked back once, and caught Oliver looking at him in wonder. He was mostly silent on the way back, but as they neared the house he asked, "Do you enjoy it, Tala...beating slaves?"

The redhead stopped and turned around, shaking his head in disbelief, "No, Kai, I don't enjoy beating slaves. In fact I have never had a reason to beat a slave before."

Kai pushed out his lower lip, looking adorably defiant. "I don't believe you."

The redhead sighed again. He turned fully to face his slave and grabbed his chin in one hand, forcing Kai to look him in the eyes. He made his tone mild and reassuring when he spoke, "I don't enjoy hurting you, Kai. And as soon as you settle, you will realise that life with me is far from the worst you could get." They entered through the gates in silence.

It was still a couple of hours until dinner time. Tala unbound Kai's hands and for a moment the two were left standing in uncomfortable silence. The slave was rubbing his wrists to get the blood circulation going and the master didn't really know what to say.

"I don't think I will be needing you anymore today, but be ready in case I call." He ran a hand though his red hair, but when he glanced at Kai those crimson orbs had once again hardened.

"You must have misjudged me if you think that anything that has happened so far today will convince me to follow orders. You can call all you like, but don't wait around for me to come running." Kai left with that, and Tala stood behind feeling oddly hurt.