Chapter 3 : Leaving the Past Behind
"Kai, what are you doing here?"
"Can I come inside and talk or are you going to make me stand out here all night?" Kai asked as he gestured around himself. Rei opened the door wider and invited him in. Kai stepped in and followed the tired looking tiger to the main room. "I got a letter from Mariah. She's worried about you. I have to say that after reading her letter, I was a little worried too. I booked the next flight here. You don't even look like yourself anymore Rei. What's going on?"
Rei scowled at the phoenix. "What are you guys talking about? Lee was trying to say the same thing. There's nothing going on. I'm just really worn out from hopping around the world so much lately. I needed to take some time out to relax. I am still perfectly myself."
"Then why are your eyes so dark? They don't shine like they use to. You have circles under your eyes the size of my thumb and according to Lee you do nothing but sleep anymore. You've lost a little weight already in less than a week so I would guess you're not eating much."
"Kai, I don't need you joining in with the gang, ok? I'm doing fine. I'm just doing what I feel I need to do. I'm trying to get my life going here ok? It takes time to get things in order."
Kai slapped him and the crack was heard across the room. Rei sat there and stared at him in shock. "Don't give me that crap Rei. If you keep up the way you have been, you'll be in a hospital in another week at the most. You're like a brother to me Rei. I don't want to get that phone call. You're running away from life. You're not trying to move on with it. What is you're problem? Why do you have a hard time grasping that?"
"There's not much I can do in this village Kai. Here, I can't afford to make a wrong decision."
"So why do you have to stay here? Apparently you're not happy here. You don't belong here anymore Rei."
"This is my home Kai. I can't just leave because I hit a rough time."
"What is holding you here Rei? What do you have? The White Tigers? You're pushing them away as it is. If you keep up with the way you're going you won't have them much longer either."
Rei just sat on the couch with Kai standing in front of them. Within minutes tears were rolling down his face again. Kai knelt down in front of him and reached up to grasp Rei's hands in his lap. "Look, Rei. I don't want to upset you, but you have to see what you're doing to yourself. You can't keep doing this. You're locking yourself away from everyone who cares about you. Soon you're going to push yourself over the edge and we won't be able to help you."
"I want to accept your help, Kai. I swear I do. It's just that, this has always been my home. How can I just leave it?"
Kai reached up to lay a hand gently on Rei's cheek. "Do you honestly feel at home here anymore Rei? Homes change. This is just another house in another village. You can make a new home anywhere. The important thing is to make a home where you are happy. You aren't yourself anymore Rei. You need to find your own place and that isn't here."
Rei broke into sobs as he slid off of the couch into Kai's arms. Kai simply hugged the tiger closer to him. "Will you come back to Russia with me Rei?" Rei pulled back and stared at Kai for a moment. "Tala and Bryan were worried about you too. We'd like you to come stay with us and think things through. Tyson also offered a room at his place. It's your choice. I think things would be quieter if you came to stay with us. You can go to school if you want, or you can find a job if you want. I would rather have you closer where I can be there and help you Brother."
"You're right, I've been denying myself here. I was so caught up when the way things use to be that I ignored the way things have changed. I'll come to Russia with you Brother. I need you guys with me.
Kai smiled as Rei drifted off to sleep in his lap. They really had grown to become brothers. It had scared him when he had seen Rei open the door just a few moments before. He was happy to know the tiger would be returning with him where he could keep an eye on him. There was a spare room in the house that he, Tala, and Bryan were living in. They would happy to have the tiger join them. Tala had relayed the message Max had given to Bryan but he would feel better if Rei was in Russia with him. He had called Max and passed along his plan. He had promised Max that he would call if any plans changed or when they reached Russia. He gently picked Rei up and carried back to the bedroom. He slid Rei into the bed before crawling into the other side. He wanted to make sure we woke when Rei did. It had been a hard night for Rei already. Kai wanted to make sure that Rei knew he was there when he woke. Tomorrow would begin a big change in Rei's life and Kai hoped it would be for the better.
Rei yawned loudly as he woke to the morning sun. It took him a few moments to register that it was still early morning. The last few days he had slept in straight through till late mid afternoon. 'hmm, morning again. Do I really have to get up? I feel like death warmed over. I can't believe I dreamed Kai was here. Not only am I snapping at my friends here, but I'm dreaming of people I will probably never see again. I need to let go of that part of my life. I need to move on here. They aren't coming back for me. They could probably care less what happens to me now." He sighed loudly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It was getting harder for him to force himself out of bed each day. Golden orbs quickly flew back open and he tensed as an arm snaked around his waist.
"Good morning, Rei. Are you feeling any better today?"
Rei flipped over to see his dream come true. Kai had come to see him in the village. He actually cared. Last night had not been simply a dream. Tears formed in his eyes as he lay there and stared at the crimson eyed phoenix.
"Rei? Are you ok? What's wrong?" Kai frowned when Rei didn't respond. He sat up and placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Rei, what's wrong?"
"I thought it was a dream. I thought I imagined you coming here. I didn't think anyone cared enough. I thought I was still all alone. I'm happy that it wasn't just a dream."
Kai smiled as the friend he saw as a brother wrapped small arms around his neck and hugged him closely. "You won't be alone again Rei. Don't ever feel like that. Why don't we go have some breakfast and get you packed and ready to go to Russia, Okay?"
Rei smiled and got ready to take a shower as Kai found the kitchen and began making breakfast.
When Kai heard a loud knock on the door, he left the kitchen to answer it. He found Lee waiting on the other side. "Hello, Lee."
Lee stared in shock his fellow captain. "Kai, what are you doing here?"
Kai gave Lee an unfamiliar smile. "I got Mariah's letter and I was worried about Rei as well. I came to see him and ask him to move to Russia with me and the others."
Lee smiled gently as Kai slid to the side and motioned for Lee to enter the small home. "Did he accept? It could be very good for him. I just don't think this is home for him anymore."
Kai nodded and led Lee towards the kitchen. "He accepted. I'm going to help him move in with Tala, Bryan, and me. I think it could do him a lot of good. He'll be somewhere quiet and out of the spotlight yet he'll still be close to friends and so many opportunities. I was really worried when he opened that door last night. He hasn't been taking care of himself very well. Between the three of us, we can make sure he does. Here he has you guys, but you aren't here with him and he'll never actually stay with you guys if he has the house here."
Lee nodded in agreement. His ears twitched when he noticed the sound of the shower running. He looked at Kai with a puzzled expression. "Is he actually awake? He hasn't woken this early all week. I've tried to come over and wake him but he rolls over in bed and refuses to move."
Kai joined Lee at the table with a couple of plates of eggs. "He was asleep early last night. We had a discussion about what he's been doing to himself and he cried himself to sleep."
Lee frowned. "That's not everything and I know it. This week he's done nothing but sleep. He hasn't stayed in bed because he's tired. He stayed in bed because he wanted to hide away from the world."
Kai shrugged. "Well when he cried himself to sleep, I put him in bed. I figured he might be lonely in the morning or he might have a rough night, so I stayed with him. When he got up this morning he was facing the window and thought he dreamed everything that happened last night. When he discovered I was there, he was just happy to not be alone anymore. I told him to get up and I would help him get ready to go to Russia and he hopped in the shower."
He could see that Lee was having a hard time digesting everything that had happened over night. "How could he possibly think he was alone here? He has all of us, this entire village. He has never been alone."
Kai sighed and looked down at his plate as he started shoving his breakfast from side to side. "No, he was never really alone, but he felt he was. Lee, you guys all have each other and family to go back to at the end of the day. Rei doesn't have that. He has this empty house that reminds him that he has no one at home every time he walks through that door. You guys are perfectly happy with small village life, Rei isn't. He was never physically alone, but he felt miles away from anyone."
Lee was about to speak up again when he was interrupted by a voice from the doorway. "Lee, please don't think that I hate you guys. I don't." Rei sat gently on a side of the table between Kai and Lee. "Lee I've been around the world. I've seen, done, and experienced things you guys could never understand. There are so many things I experienced out there while you guys stayed here and prepared to start your own lives within the village. It's not wrong, and I don't resent you guys for it, but it doesn't change facts. I can't just forget what I've seen and keep myself confined here. I can't talk to you guys about some things because you simply won't understand."
Lee frowned, deep in thoughts. "Mariah and I knew it would probably come down to this. We knew you would leave again but that doesn't really mean I wanted or were ready for it to happen. But I do understand that you can't stay here and be happy. We just want you to be happy Rei and if it means moving to Russia, then do it."
Rei smiled and hugged his friend. "Thank you for understanding Lee. I promise I'll write and keep in touch. I won't forget you guys. We'll come visit again. You guys were just right. This isn't my home anymore. My home is somewhere out there." Rei then sat back down as they began to talk about plans over breakfast. Both captains were happy to see a smile grace the tiger's lips once again.
"Now Rei, you take care of yourself out there. Kai will send me word otherwise and then I'll come to visit and hound you until you do."
Rei laughed as he hugged Mariah goodbye. "I promise I will Mariah. I don't think that will be a problem while living with Kai, Tala, and Bryan. I won't be able to hide much from the three of them even if I wanted to. I promise I'll write and keep in touch."
Mariah and Lee smiled and stepped away from the tiger and phoenix as they picked up several bags. Rei was leaving the sparse furniture he owned at the house for when they came to visit. Lee and Mariah said they would pop in once in a while to dust and keep things clean. Lee shook hands with Kai as they prepared to depart ways. "Take care of him now Kai. We expect him to be in good hands and happy the next time we see him."
Both boys waved as they turned and headed for the bus that would take them to the airport in Beijing. Kai smiled as he saw the excited look on Rei's face. "Tala and Bryan are looking forward to seeing you as well. They were worried about you. You wouldn't believe it but they'll probably baby you for a few weeks first."
Rei turned a surprised face towards Kai. "Tala and Bryan were worried as well? I knew we had become friends but I didn't think we were that close."
Kai looked out the window as the bus traveled along the road. "They've changed a lot since the abbey. They've been allowed to feel emotion again. They're allowed to care and it shows how much they enjoy that feeling." Kai smiled as he thought of the new lengths Tala's personality had gone.
Rei quirked an eyebrow towards his friend. "What are you thinking about Kai?"
Kai turned back to face Rei. "Just wait until you see Tala. He's almost become a mother hen towards everyone. He keeps after Bryan and I to make sure we're not stressing out and that we're taking care of ourselves. He keeps right on track of what and when we eat, where we go when we're not with him. It was weird at first, but it suits him. He was the team captain before and he's still taking care of everyone."
Rei noticed the small hint of something new in Kai's eyes as he spoke of Tala. It was similar to what he had seen in Lee and Mariah's eyes through the last week. "Kai, is there something going on between you and Tala?"
Kai smiled faintly. "Well, kind of. We're there for each other. We care for each other. We enjoy each others company. I guess you could say we date and have fun. When we all first moved in together, I would still get lonely at night. When the day was done and I would be in bed, the darkness just seemed to thicken around me. Once in awhile I would have nightmares as I remembered being at the abbey and Tala would come in and stay with me so I wouldn't feel so alone. That was when I first went back to the team and things haven't changed. When he's there, the nightmares stay away. Bryan plays the protector role too, but it's different with Tala. I don't know what I would do anymore if Tala wasn't there."
Rei smiled as he picked up Kai's hand with his own. "Thank you for understanding me Kai. I'm glad that you and Tala are happy. You both deserve to find that in life."
They smiled once more as Kai began telling Rei about all the things he would see and be able to do in Russia. Rei was looking forward to moving in with his new roommates and getting to know them better. He also looked forward to being able to witness this new development in Kai's life. Once again, for the first time since he had come home, Rei looked forward to where his life was going. He gazed passed Kai and out the window as he watched the village disappear from sight. 'There goes my past. It's time to move on to the future and what ever it holds for me. I think things are beginning to look up again.'