Another Day
Chapter 12
Settling and unsettling
It was a bit darker when he woke up. The blanket had fallen down while he slept, but he let it lie, as it was warm in the room. There was a single, small window on the top of the wall. It was just on level with the outside ground and grass grew along the side of it. When Kai looked out he could see that it was probably midday, but no more. He sighed and made himself more comfortable on the bed; today had not been a good day, but he had known that it would not be from the moment he woke up, long before sunrise.
He didn't know why he had exploded on Judy like that, but he had been right; no matter how annoying Rei was he did not deserve to be a slave. Kai had to admit that deep down he had a certain grudging respect for him. And Lee and Mariah, wherever they were, should not be trapped behind walls, but free to run as it fit the Tigers. And he himself... Kai closed his eyes and remembered.
A five year old boy is resting in the arms of a brown haired man, who is sitting in a corner of a filthy house, full of planks, barrels and old, dusty rags. A blue haired woman sits beside them, and she reaches out to comfort the waking child, "Don't worry sweetie, it was just a guard. They will not find us here; don't be afraid."
The man kisses the woman's brow, "They will not get him, Kathy, I promise you." Another light passes right above their heads, and the man and woman duck down to avoid being seen. The child is uncomfortable, and squirms in the man's arms, but he does not speak because mummy has told him not to. The man hands him over to the mother, "We had better move; they will be back." Kathy nods and lets her husband help her up.
It is dark outside, and the stars blink down at the couple and the child, running from shadow to shadow. Loud barks alert them that the dogs are close. The man pushes the two others down between several trashcans. He covers them with a blanket, "Stay here. I will shake them off and meet you by the Tigers'." Before the woman can protest, he is gone. Only seconds later, the dogs charge past, but they notice neither the woman, nor her boy, and the men do not hear the quiet lullaby over their own shouts and running footsteps.
See the moon is out tonight
Full and pale in the sky she sails
She guides our steps with her newborn light
And the stars are gathered to hear her tales
The stars are gathered to hear her tales
Behind the dumpsters there hides a child
A child so fair, a child so strong
With crimson eyes that shine so wild
Alone with only his mother's song
Alone with only his mother's song
She intends to begin the third verse, but now the dogs are close again. She gets up and runs, holding her son close in the circle of her arms. He is becoming too heavy to carry, but tonight speed is survival, and it goes faster this way. She can see her goal now; another old house. Only those who have lived in the slum all their lives can tell these old, ruined buildings apart, but that count in their favour.
Suddenly she becomes aware of the dead bodies in the entrance. She releases a small scream, and turns away; only to find that the men are coming closer. She runs down another street, and stops at a corner, panting slightly from the exercise. She takes a moment to look at her son and smile fondly. Then she opens a half-empty trashcan that stands in the corner and lowers him down into it, gently. Before adding the lid, she bends down and whispers; "Never forget us, Kai Hiwatari. We love you." And the lid comes back on, leaving the child in darkness.
There are some memories that will never leave you; like climbing out of a trashcan to find your mother lying in a pool of blood on the street. He had cried then, and silently the rain had begun to fall. The drops washed away the triangles on his cheeks, and the blood that coated his hands. Later he had been found by one of the remaining Tigers, and he had had a home with them until he was old enough to care for himself.
He had repainted his cheeks with crude, black triangles, and ever since he had never cried; to make sure that they were never washed away. He had learned to paint them perfectly after much practise. That fateful night, he had gotten the strange idea that the rain had come to make sure that no one saw him crying. If the moon had sent the rain because she did not want him to shed tears, then he would not shed tears.
And even though Kai knew it had only been a child's fantasy, he had always held back his tears after that. Now he sat silently and watched as the shadows in the room grew larger. There was one thing that bothered him; no matter how he twisted his mind he could not remember his father's name. Only the last name remained of that man, and the triangles which he had given Kai after his birth. He touched his cheeks, reminded that he had yet to find a way to repaint them.
A low call from the window made Kai shift around on the bed. "Hey, Kai. Kai!" It was Rei. He was on his knees in front of the glassless window.
Kai got up from the bed and walked over, "What on earth are you doing here? Come to rub it in?"
He did not sound too enthusiastic about being visited, but Rei did not bother with witty remarks, "I came to congratulate you. That was some impressive bruises you gave Tala, and it was really brave of you to stand up to both him and Danielle like that."
Kai was surprised, but thanked the feline for the complement. They sat a while in awkward silence, but then Rei looked around sharply, "Someone is coming. I have got to go; I don't think I am allowed to visit you. Keep up the good work, Kai." And with that the black haired boy disappeared from view. Kai went back to his bed and lay down, shifting around until none of his many bruises were pressured too much, preparing to re-enter dreamland.
~*~*~*~
First he could not determine what had woken him up, but then he noticed Boris standing over him. The man had not touched him in any way, but his presence was cold and hard, making Kai nervous. "Mr. Ivanov awaits you in his study."
Kai got up silently and followed the purple haired man up the stairs and through the halls. As they passed numerous, tall windows Kai noticed that it was raining again. Boris never looked back to see if Kai was still with him. His long, green coat blew lightly behind him, and his boots hardly made a sound on the floor. In front of the double doors they stopped and Boris opened for the boy. The blue haired boy did not linger in the doorway, the way he had previously done, but strode right in, feigning carelessness.
Ivanov was once again sitting behind the desk, but when Kai and Boris came in he rose from the high-backed, leather chair. Tala was not there. "Kai, how are you feeling?"
Kai decided not to be the one to start the unpleasant part of this meeting so he answered, "I've felt worse."
Ivanov nodded, "I have spoken to Tala and heard his version of the past two days and also of today. I want to know why you cannot settle here."
Kai glared; apparently no one was interested in his version of the story, "I would have thought that it had sunk in by now. How would you feel if someone put a rope around your neck and told you to kneel?"
Ivanov did not answer. He looked at Boris, who stepped forward and said, "We have chosen our course of action. You should be grateful that the master is so merciful. From now on you will be under close supervision. No more prancing around the garden at will. Master Tala will be less tolerant of your behaviour and as a short term punishment for attacking a member of the family you will be set to do various chores for four days. If this repeats itself then there will be most dire consequences."
The next four days passed slowly. The first thing Kai had to do was apologise to Tala, which was done between clenched teeth and with a bitter taste on his tongue. After that he did his duties without complaining; bringing the redhead breakfast and performing whatever tasks that were set for him. He washed floors with Tyson, helped Tylia with the dishes and mucked the stables with Enrique. After the second day he became quieter and the rest of the household noticed this with sadness, for they could barely reach him behind his shield anymore.
It was true that Tala was less tolerant now, and Kai found, after being on the sharp side of the redhead's tongue more than once, that it was easier to simply force down his anger and do as he was told. The family did not notice that with each bow, each 'Yes, sir' and each shy question of being allowed to leave, Kai's shield got thicker. On the third day he was back in his old room, and it felt good to have Rei's familiar breathing beside him in the dark, although he said nothing to the ink haired boy.
The third day was a Friday, and Ivanov was going on a little business trip, taking Boris and Carlos with him. Kai was leaning on the wall by the gate, watching as the carriage was readied. Enrique and Boris were strapping Spark and Cyprus to their familiar places in front of the coach. Ivanov came out of the house with Carlos trailing him, and the bandana-wearing boy was carrying an old, brown suitcase. Just then, Tala rode up to the gate on Carry, his horse. Boris hurried to open the gate, keeping a sharp eye on Kai, who returned it with a glare.
Tala dismounted as soon as he was inside and greeted his father with a smile. Ivanov walked over to his son, "Just in time. We are ready to leave."
The young redhead nodded, "Say hello to Spencer for me, will you?" The man assured Tala that he would and with a last smile, Ivanov got into his seat in the coach.
Kai looked up when Boris walked over to him. No words were exchanged but the glare that passed between them was enough. Boris turned on his heel and entered the carriage after Carlos, closing the door behind them. Enrique jumped up on the driver's seat and took the reins. The carriage left a cloud of dust behind as it disappeared down the street. Tala closed the gate and turned to Kai, "You and Boris sure are articulate. Ok, looks like you will be spending the day with me then." Without further ado he led Carry towards the stables.
Tala took his time rubbing down his horse. Kai once again found the wall a convenient support. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes never left his master. Tala was humming contently, expertly grooming the animal. He cleaned its hooves, combed its mane and tail and rubbed away all the dirt and sweat on its skin. If the horse had been a cat it would have been purring.
Kai let his mind wander as he waited. A fresh wind was blowing outside, and the weather was on the edge of cool.
The slave boy snapped to attention when Tala suddenly spoke, "We are having guests tomorrow; the Daltons are coming for dinner." It took a few seconds before Kai realised what the redhead had said, but Tala just continued, "They are probably expecting us to be having mayor trouble keeping you and Rei in check; I know that the rumours have spread, so I need you to be at your very best behaviour."
Kai didn't give any indications, but he already knew that if nothing greatly important happened he would do as told. He just hoped that he would not have to serve at the table or stick around all evening under the curious and weighing gaze of the Daltons. "Is Michael coming?" he asked.
Tala looked at him in surprised, "How do you know Michael?"
"He was discussed at the market last Friday."
"Oh...yes, he is coming, and it will be my job to entertain him." Tala did not sound very enthusiastic.
Kai sighed, "So what is he like, master?" Damn, but that title came too easily to him these days.
Tala grimaced, "I don't like him, he is smug and selfish and he'll hit on anything in skirts."
The redhead looked up questioningly when Kai snorted.
"What?"
Kai looked happy as he remembered, "You didn't really hesitate before hitting on me when I came here." Tala smiled and shook his head in fond exasperation.
Later that day Tala decided to spend some time in the library, taking his slave with him. Kai had been in there on a couple of occasions as Tala sometimes ate his meals there, while drowning himself in another book. It was a small, cosy room, with a fireplace and several couches and chairs. It even had a liquor cabinet, always locked.
He stood before the large fireplace and stared at the family crest that hung above it. His master was busying himself trying to find an interesting book that he had not read yet. The Hiwatari studied the crest; it was a shield with four motives. In the top right corner there was a mountain with snow on top and blue sky around it, below it was a white square with wolf tracks crossing it, the top left square was slashed with stripes of blue, white and silver, and the last one was a picture of three wolves howling at the moon. It was beautiful.
Kai jumped when Tala spoke up from right behind him, "I used to sit in front of the fireplace and look at the mountain. I would imagine myself running with the wolves." He had a couple of books under one hand.
Kai looked at him, "It seems I am not the only one who has noticed then."
The redhead looked puzzled, "Noticed what?"
"That your family bears a strong resemblance to wolves. Ivanov has it and you have it."
"What was that, Kai?"
The slave looked uncomprehendingly at his master before realising his flaw, "Mr. Ivanov and you have it. Sorry, master."
Tala nodded.
The hours ticket slowly by in the library. Tala had curled up in a chair with his book and Kai sat on the floor in drowsy contentment. They both looked up when the door opened.
"Excuse me, sir; mind if I join you?" It was Rei, standing in the doorway. Tala smiled and waved him in. Rei came over and sat down beside Kai, "Thank you, sir. There is nothing going on anywhere today; I thought I would die from boredom."
The redhead laughed, "I know just what you mean, but I am afraid that this peace will not last; with the guest coming over tomorrow there will be all sorts of things that needs doing. You will be called away soon enough, I believe."
A while was spent in comfortable silence before Tala picked up the conversation again, "How are things going with Danielle, Rei? You are hanging in there?"
The feline did a mock faint, "Your darling little sister continues to make my life a living hell, but I am getting used to her. I never thought it would happen, but I am learning to live with that little monster. Still I do not envy you your years in her presence."
Kai was shocked at Rei's free tongue; how could he say such things about Danielle in front of Tala? Wasn't he afraid of angering the young Ivanov? But the redhead just laughed along with the slave. The two were similarly playful and frank in nature, and they seemed to get along really well. Still Kai did not envy what they had, the way he thought he would.
As he looked at them he had to wonder; who did he like the most? Rei was exotic, kind and smart, and Kai could not help but be attracted to him. Tala was confident, proud, intelligent and very handsome. Two jewels. And he wasn't sure if he could have either. When had he first discovered how much he liked them both? Rei had fascinated him from the start, and after their kiss in the closet he had sort of settled with the fact that he wanted the feline. While Tala had always been attractive, it was only recently that Kai had found himself wishing to please his master, wanting him to be proud of his slave. He had never had this kind of feelings before.
Kai's attention was caught when Rei asked Tala, "And how are you doing? Is Kai behaving ok?"
The redhead gave Kai's hair a playful tug, "There are times when I have to wonder if this is the same Kai that came here a week ago, but then he gives me that wonderful, icy glare of his and I realise that he is still his old self."
Rei laughed at the fond tone, but Kai was not really listening because Tala's hand hadn't left his hair yet, and the feeling of long finger that combed through his blue tresses was sort of distracting. He rested his head on the side of the chair and closed his eyes. The voices of his two companions became a quiet buzz and he was slowly sinking into the warm darkness of sleep, but before he could slip away the door went up again and Judy entered.
"Excuse me, master Tala, but could I borrow Rei and Kai for a while?"
The redhead sat up, "Why of course, Judy. There is so much to do and here I am, occupying their time. Go on guys; you have work waiting for you." Kai got up reluctantly, and followed Judy out. He cast a glance behind him and Tala gave him a smile. It was strange how the whole world seemed slightly pink around the edges after that.
So Kai and Rei spent the next part of the day around the house, doing anything that needed to be done. They polished the silverware, dusted every corner they could find, they decorated tables and even helped Enrique wash the entire carriage. It was exhausting work, but also fun, especially when Rei poured a bucket of water over Kai's head, and the blue haired boy tried to repeat the favour but hit Enrique. From there on things turned rather wet. Finally done, the two teens stumbled into bed, falling asleep instantly.
(Judin's notes: Tala was right about one thing; this peace can't last…)