Hey everyone. I know it's been awhile, but I was in Pennsylvania visiting a friend for a week and I've had a lot of work to do for my college classes this last couple of weeks. I hope to be able to update a little more frequently, but I won't have the schedule a chapter a day anymore. I'll write when I can and I hope you are enjoying the story. Anyways, enough babbling, on with the story. I know you've been waiting for it. Let me know what you think, I hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 4: Quiet Time in a Cold Town

"Flight 1119 from Beijing will be arriving at gate 5 in 10 minutes. Again, Flight 1119 will be arriving at gate 5 in 15 minutes."

"It's about time. It feels like we've been waiting forever."

Tala smacked Bryan in the back of the head as they waited for Kai and Rei to arrive at the gate terminal. "Will you be just a little more patient Bryan? They'll get here soon enough. If you keep acting like you are, Rei's going to be afraid of what he's walking into. The point is to get him to stay at the house and start taking care of himself. The way you're acting you'll scare him out of his wits and make him worse. Kai said he was starting to go kind of downhill so we need to watch the attitudes ok? I don't want him to take something the wrong way and take off. He needs to know he's welcomed here."

Bryan rolled his eyes at the redhead. "Take it easy Tala. I know the story. Don't worry, I won't scare him off. I'm just as worried as you are. Well, maybe not just as worried. I don't know if anyone can match you when you decide to play mother hen." Bryan smirked as Tala rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I am not being a mother hen. Not yet at least. Besides, if I didn't keep after you guys, then no one would. Admit it, once in awhile you need someone to help look after you and it may as well be me. I've done it long enough as team captain that I may as well keep it up. And I will wait until I see Rei to decide how much mothering he needs."

Bryan frowned and shook his shoulder as he spotted familiar pale hair coming out of the gate.

Tala jumped up and waved at the tiger and phoenix. "KAI, WE'RE OVER HERE!" Tala continued waving and smiled as the two made their way over to where Bryan and Tala were waiting. He frowned slightly as well when he saw why Bryan had made that face. Rei looked a little too skinny to him and he appeared exhausted. His light in his eyes seemed like it was dying. He made up his mind almost immediately.

Bryan shook his head as he watched the gears turn within his friend's head. Rei was definitely in for some mothering treatment for a little while. He would be lucky if Tala let him do anything on his own.

Tala immediately held his hand out to Rei and gave him an encouraging smile. "Welcome to Russia. I hope you enjoy it here. It can be really quiet most of the time, but once in awhile there are a few good things going on and a couple of good clubs when you feel like that kind of scenery."

Rei smiled as he clasped Tala's hand in his. "Thank you Tala. I'm sure everything will be fine. I don't need much to get along."

Tala shook his head as he stepped away from Rei and closer to Kai. Kai nonchalantly slid his hand into Tala's and twined their fingers together.

Bryan then stepped up and greeted Rei with a sound clap to the shoulder. "It's not a matter of what you need to get by Rei. This arrangement is about making you happy. Don't stop at what you need. Between the four of us I think we can get you whatever you want. Just speak up and it will be arranged. If you can't do it for yourself, we'll find a way."

Rei smiled up at the tall Russian. "Thank you." He looked back to Kai and Tala. "I really appreciate all of this. You guys really didn't have to do this for me."

Tala just smiled and wrapped his free arm around Rei's shoulders and started guiding him down the halls towards where he and Bryan had left the car. Kai held their hands entwined all the way to the airport entrance. Rei smiled as he watched the two quiet Russians absorb each others presence. Neither one was very vocal about their feelings and emotions, so he wasn't surprised about the apparent lack of greeting between the two. Rei, however, knew Kai a little bit better. He knew that the simple act of holding hands with Tala in public said a lot about how the two felt for each other. He knew Kai and Tala just weren't that public with the relationship.

When they reached the car, Bryan and Rei slid into the back seat while Tala drove and Kai slid into the front passenger seat. After a week of lying around, Rei wasn't use to all the excitement and they had a good drive to get back to the house. Bryan smirked as he saw Rei slow start to drift off against the car window. He slid his arm behind Rei and pulled him away from the window. Rei looked up at him, slightly confused. Bryan smirked and pulled him back away from the window. "You're tired. You've probably had more excitement today than you've had all week. Lean back against me and go to sleep. It'll be more comfortable than the window, I promise."

Rei hesitated and was about to protest when Bryan cut him off.

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind. We still have a bit of a drive and we'll wake you up when we get there."

Rei smiled and leaned back against Bryan's chest and quickly drifted off to sleep. Bryan smiled and leaned back for some rest as he left his arms dangled around the tiger's shoulders. As Bryan slowly drifted off himself, he was unaware of the grins watching from the front seat.

"I'm really happy they've mended the bridge over the past several months." Kai smiled as Tala stopped watching the backseat passengers and watched the road in front of them. He placed his hand over Tala's on the shifter.

Two hours later, Tala slowly pulled into the driveway. He looked around the car and noticed he was the only one still awake. He lifted his hand, still intertwined with Kai's, and kissed the back of the phoenix's hand. He smiled as the other slowly drifted back to consciousness.

Kai sat up a little more as his eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked out the window to gain his bearings as Tala turned back to wake Bryan. The falcon woke at the whisper of his name. One look out the window told him they were home. He was about to shake the Tiger awake when Kai shook his head back at him.

Kai whispered an explanation back to the Falcon. "Try not to wake him. It's been a rough week for him. He could probably use a lot of sleep over the next few days. We'll have to slowly ease him out of that routine without rushing things too quickly."

He nodded towards Kai as he gently shifted Rei back to a seated position in his own seat so that he could exit the vehicle.

After Bryan had gotten himself out of the backseat and gently closed the door, Tala turned to Kai and placed his hand on the phoenix's cheek. "It's good to have you back home, firebird."

Kai smiled back. "It's good to be back. I know I wasn't gone all that long, but I missed you, Wolf."

Both boys separated and moved to get the bags out of the trunk while Bryan gently lifted Rei from his seat in the car. Rei simply shifted further into the warm embrace trying to retreat from the cold weather. Bryan smiled at the childish display from the Tiger. He held Rei closer to guard against the chilled air as he followed Kai and Tala towards to door. Once in the door, he headed straight for the spare room that was across from his own and lay Rei down in the bed for a more comfortable sleep. Tala and Kai followed in shortly with Rei's few bags and set them in the corner. Once the Tiger was settled in, they quietly left him to his rest and settled in the main room to figure out what needed to be done with the rest of the day.

When Rei awoke, he felt slightly disoriented. After quickly looking around the room and spotting his bags, he remembered the trip to Russia. 'I must have fallen asleep in the car. I seem to be doing an awful lot of that recently. Maybe a shower will wake me up."

Rei scanned the room and soon spotted the bathroom attached at one side. He grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a tank top from his bags and headed for the shower. He found it amusing that the house was kept fairly warm. Knowing the three Russians, he almost expected the house to be kept at temperatures cooler than what he found. It felt nice to stand underneath the hot water. It was almost like the heat was washing away all his troubles. He didn't feel a big difference in himself yet, but he did feel a little better. After the long task of washing his hair was complete, the tiger turned off the water, dried, and dressed. He then cleaned up his discarded clothes and towels and decided to explore the house to find his new roommates. He wasn't quite ready for the long task of brushing and braiding his hair. It would be better to let it dry a little more anyway. That way he saved the floor from the puddle of water that would be squeezed from the long tail.

Tala and Kai were found together on the couch in the main room. Tala was snuggled into Kai against the arm while they watched the news on the television.

"So what's new in Russia?" Rei wandered around the other arm of the sofa and sat next to the couple. He quickly sank into the huge piece of furniture. If he sat all the way back in the seat, he had no choice but pull his legs up in the seat. He had never seen furniture so huge or comfortable. The sofa could easily be used as a bed for two even as it sat. When he took notice of the couple he saw that Kai had seated himself with the bottom portion pulled up as a recliner and Tala lay with his head in Kai's lap.

Tala looked up and smiled at Rei. "It's nothing really new to Russia. They're talking about more snow. Bryan ran out to make sure we had enough food and supplies in case it gets to be a little much. He should be back anytime now."

Kai laughed as he saw Rei's eyes light up at the thought of snow. Throughout his travels with the team he had seen Rei thoroughly enjoy the concept of snow. It didn't matter what kind of mood Rei was in. If you placed him in a snowy environment, he became a kid again. "Bryan is also picking up some good snow gear for you so you can enjoy the weather without getting horribly sick because of it."

"Thanks guys, I don't know what to say." Rei simply sat there next to them as he thought about being out in the snow. He knew he was happy, but he couldn't help but feel slightly depressed for some reason.

Tala picked up on his uneasiness. "Rei, what's wrong? Aren't you happy about the snow? I promise it's almost a regular thing during this part of the year. It won't go away just as you're having fun."

Rei frowned and pulled his legs in close, leaning his chin on his knees. "I know Tala. I am happy about the snow. I just don't know. I still just feel depressed for some reason. I just have this down feeling and I can't explain why. Then I feel more depressed because I don't know why I feel depressed in the first place and then I get confused and I just don't know what the hell my mind is thinking."

Tala sat up with a frown at Rei's ramblings. He gently placed a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Hey, Rei, it's ok. You don't have to get up and start jumping around. You don't need to feel happy right off the bat. It's ok if you just want to stay inside and find peace and quiet."

Rei leaned his face down into his legs as he mumbled back at Tala.

"Rei, you're going to have to pull yourself out of your legs for me to hear you. What did you say?"

Rei lifted his face back up but refused to look Tala in the eye. Instead he watched the commercials that were now playing on the television as he whispered his reply. "I don't want to be alone."

Tala turned to Kai and received a nod from his lover. He slid closer to Rei and slid his arms around Rei's shoulders. Rei looked up at Kai in surprise as Tala tightened the embrace. "You don't have to be alone Rei. We're right here." The red head pulled away and smiled at Rei. "Why don't we do a quiet evening in? We've got plenty of movies here. We'll pull out the blankets, move the table out of the way and set up one big bed down here on the floor. You can crash wherever you want, on the floor with us, on the couch, or up in your room. The choice is completely up to you. We'll just make some pizza and popcorn and call it a movie night, ok?"

Rei smiled slightly at the red head and then at Kai.

Kai smiled in return. "That's better now. We're here to help you figure things out Rei. Don't be afraid to speak what's on your mind. All three of us are here to listen to whatever you have to say and help in any way we can."

Rei wrapped his arms around Tala, returning the embrace, as he slid his legs back to the side, away from their protective position against his chest. "Thanks guys. I feel really stupid just rambling about all that out of nowhere."

Tala smiled into the long ebony hair. "That's alright Rei."

Kai reached over and tugged on the two sitting next to him. "Now come here and get comfortable again. We'll flip channels and find something on until Bryan gets home. We'll get everything set up then."

Tala smiled back at Kai as he tugged Rei down in front of him on the couch. Rei hesitated but eventually made himself comfortable laying his head on Kai's legs and leaning back into Tala's embrace.

Bryan found them in a very similar position not too much later. The only difference was that Kai had twisted himself around so that his left leg lay behind Tala against the back of the couch and his right lay in front of Rei with the tiger's arm thrown over it, allowing Kai to lie back against the arm of the couch. Bryan smiled at the picture all three of the boys made. Kai seemed to surround the other two with an arm draped across Tala's shoulders. Tala in return seemed to be attempting to protect Rei with an arm thrown over the Tiger's waist. The resembled a happy family to him. It was a scene he had been unfamiliar with until he had moved in with Tala and Kai. He remembered several nights that had been spent with all three just laying within each others embrace.

As much as he hated to break up the picture, he really needed Rei to wake up and help get his stuff situated in his room. As soon as the groceries had been put away, Bryan returned to the living room and gently shook Rei awake. When Rei seemed about to ask Bryan what was going on, Bryan signaled for him to stay quiet. He then helped Rei slide out of Tala and Kai's embrace without waking them.

After removing himself from underneath Tala's arm, Rei gently slid away from the two sleeping boys. Tala simply shifted closer to Kai to make up for the lost warmth as Kai shifted to hold Tala closer. Rei smiled as he attempted to get up from the couch only to fail.

Bryan laughed and held out a hand to help Rei up from the plush couch. He then signaled Rei to follow him back to the tiger's room where he had placed his new things. "I didn't really want to wake them. With everything that's been going on, they haven't gotten to spend that much time together."

Rei smiled at Bryan as they started to pull new clothes from the many bags on the floor and put them in either the dresser or the closet. "I understand. I don't know why I fell asleep, it's not like I haven't had enough."

Bryan smiled as he watched Rei check out all the new clothes he was adding to his closet. "You've let you're system run down. You're body is trying to fight the lack of care and nourishment. You may not seem all that active, but your system is still doing plenty and it eats away at what little energy you have left."

Rei frowned at Bryan and paused in his sifting through clothes.

Bryan held his hands up in defense. "Don't worry. I'm not going to lecture. I just noticed you seemed a bit run down. You're eyes aren't as alive as they have been in the past. They don't shine nearly as much as they did two years ago. You've lost weight too. I just made observations and answered your question about why you sleep so much. You're body can't handle taking care of itself, repairing the damage, and keeping the routine, so you sleep. That way you're system saves more energy for the more necessary tasks."

Rei sighed as he started sorting through clothes again. He didn't honestly think he would end up with so many things right after moving in. "I'm sorry Bryan. I shouldn't be so defensive. I know you guys care. I just don't like to think about it ok?"

Bryan smiled as Rei started admiring more of the clothes. "No problem Rei. I guessed on the sizes by the way. I hope everything fits well. I looked through and picked the sizes I thought would be closest. I figured you were close to Tala's size only he's a little bit leaner where you've built some muscle. I also wanted to make sure you had some room in them for once you start eating solidly again. You'll put some of the weight back on and I wanted to make sure the clothes would still fit."

Rei smiled at Bryan as he put the last of the clothes into the closet. He glanced between the now full closet, the full dresser, and his empty bags along with the empty shopping bags. "Thank you Bryan. You really didn't have to do all this."

Bryan grinned and wrapped the tiger in a strong embrace. "No problem kitten. We just wanted you set. We'll get you some more furnishings for the room and bathroom once you're up to the shopping trip. We wanted you to pick out how you wanted the room decorated."

Rei smiled even wider as he stepped away from the strong embrace. "Now, how about we go see about making dinner? Tala had mentioned making pizza and popcorn and calling it a movie night. I think that sounds like a good idea.

Bryan nodded and the two headed for the kitchen.

Kai and Tala stirred awake as the smell of fresh pizza assaulted their noses.

Tala lifted himself off of the phoenix and sniffed the air. "Mmm, that smells delicious. I guess the pizza is almost ready. Bryan must be home. Where did Rei go?"

Kai sat up as well as he stretched his arms above his head. "That smells too good to be Bryan's cooking. My guess is that Rei has taken over the kitchen."

Tala smiled as he struggled to get off the couch. "Well then I suppose we should move things around and get the pillows and blankets gathered down here and spread out to lie down on."

Kai nodded and followed him upstairs to one of the storage closets by their room to grab pillows and blankets.

By the time that Rei and Bryan had pulled everything together and started moving the pizza and soda into the main room, Tala and Kai had the middle of the floor cleared out and had made a huge bed of blankets for all four of them in front of the television. There were pillows thrown everywhere to relax on and wrap around. Rei smiled before running back to the kitchen and grabbing the popcorn. The table had been moved against the entertainment center in front of the television. Bryan finished arranging the food on the table before they put in the first movie. They had decided on a couple of horror movies and a couple of comedies. After thinking about it, Tala decided the best option was to watch the horror movies first and then follow up with the comedies. Of that list only counted if they stayed awake for all the movies. Chances were more likely that they would start the first movie and be lucky to make it through the second one.

Once everyone was settled and comfortable somewhere under the blankets, Rei found himself in between Bryan and Tala. Never before had he imagined himself in a situation like this. He was happy he had been given the opportunity to know his ex-rivals like this. They had always given each other so much competition in the sport, it was a shame they hadn't been able to be friends before.

As expected, the first movie kept them occupied as they ate dinner. Once their stomachs were full, it didn't take long for the second movie to start putting them to sleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kai and Tala starting to slide in closer to each other and both sets of eyes were starting to droop a little bit. He then glanced out the window noticed the snow starting to fall heavier outside. Tomorrow would be a nice day to stay in and enjoy the view from the windows. Rei smiled at the pair next to him and settled on his stomach next to Bryan to continue watching the movie as he started to feel his eyelids grow heavier.

Bryan noticed Rei start to nod off. As the tiger fell into a deeper sleep, he rolled onto his side, his back towards Bryan, and began curling into a ball for more warmth. Bryan smiled at the sight. It seemed the kitten was a natural heat hog. Even under the thick blankets and the heat going throughout the house, he was still cold. Bryan simply slid closer to Rei and slid his arms around the boy's waist, pulling him closer to his chest to share his body heat. He enjoyed living with Tala and Kai, but sometimes things just felt odd with the couple. They were all best of friends, and they were all just as close to one as they were the others, but there were some things between Kai and Tala that Bryan just couldn't relate to. Likewise there were things about him that Tala and Kai just couldn't relate to. It was nice having Rei here. Now he wouldn't be so alone when Kai and Tala went off on their own little things. They never tried to on purpose, of course. They always included Bryan in anything they could. But Bryan understood that with their relationship, they just needed, and deserved, some time to themselves. He needed someone besides his captain and ex-teammate. His last thought before he fell asleep was how nice it felt to finally not be the third wheel in the house.