Me: Alas, this update is a little longer than the last!

Kai: I take it this good?

Tyson: Yes it is.

Me: And now, I put Kai through emotional retardeness yet again!

Kai: Wonderful.

Tyson: Read on!

Kai shuffled feet in nervousness. He had been waiting for his angel to return and as of yet, he hadn't. The fact the bluenet was coming back with his parents sent tingles of excitement and nervous worry through his system. He has no idea how they would react, how he should react.

"Kai?"

A soft, female voice floated over into Kai's ears and he stiffened slightly. Turning around slowly, a small lump forming in his throat and heart pumping wildly, the view of his parents was available to him. Both of them, side by side, dressed in similar clothing to Tyson, a large pair of pristine white wings each.

Kai felt the corners of his eyes prickle.

His mother took one step forward, her own brown eyes shining with unshed tears, "Kai?" She repeated softly. At her son's small nod she began running forward, Kai taking two steps forward to meet her. Wrapping her arms around him, Aiko held him close, allowing her tears to spill over and trail down her cheeks.

Kai shut his own eyes, a couple of stray tears escaping as well. Burying his face in his mother he wound his own arms around her waist to hug her tightly. Soaking into his mother's embrace he pulled his face away slowly to look up into her face quietly. Her features were the same as he remembered a look of motherly love present on her face.

"I'm sorry…" Aiko murmured, "I'm so sorry for leaving you like that…" her voice caught in her throat.

"It's ok, you didn't mean it…" Kai's own voice sounded raspy and small even to his own ears.

He felt another pair of hands drop down onto his shoulders and he looked up to be met with the tearful, happy face of his father. Biting his bottom lip, Kai pulled himself away from his mother to accept the fierce hug that his father bestowed on him.

Standing there, his parent's arms and wings encircling him in a parental hug, hearing their apologising words and murmurs of love, Kai couldn't help but feel slightly content. It was hard to get around the fact they were really there and the whole thing wasn't some wacky dream. One thing nagged at him though… "Are you happy?" He questioned quietly.

Aiko and Susumu exchanged slightly startled glances before Kai's father answered. "I suppose… it's different to being on Earth, yet it's better in some ways and bad in others."

"But are you happy?" Kai pressed.

His father faulted for a moment or two, taking one look at his wife before sighing with his answer, "Yes, I suppose I am…but I can't truly say I'm happy until I know you are." Susumu told him. "It's a parent thing I guess, but I need to know you're happy down there on Earth without us."

"I'm happier than I was." Kai answered, still engulfed in the three-way hug. "But that's all because of Tyson…" maybe it was an admittance to himself, maybe a realisation, Kai wasn't sure. What he did know was that what he just said was true, without the bluenet, he would've slumped and drifted around like ghost, uncaring about anything or anyone. He owed the angel everything, his current happiness, and for seeing his parents again. He made a stern mental note to thank the older teen when he came back.

"Tyson? Is that your Guardian Angel?" Aiko questioned, blinking. When Kai nodded, she gratitude seep into her that this Tyson person was there, looking out for her son when she couldn't. One glance at her husband's proud looking face told her that he felt the same way.

"We're proud of you, for coping as you have, with or without Tyson." Susumu told Kai, "and as your parents, we want regular visits so you can tell what's been happening down there in your life, ok?" He squeezed his son's shoulders.

A small smile flicked up on Kai's face, eyes filling with warmth and relief. It was bliss on it's own to just be there in the company of his parents. Part of him wanted the moment to last for longer, another part wanted Tyson to be there right now so he could thank there and then.

Somehow Kai could sense movement other than that of his parents and he looked up. To his surprise, there were two people standing there he didn't recognise. The man, standing on the left was old looking with white hair in a ponytail and a prominent moustache. The woman to his right had a striking resemblance to Tyson, with her long blue hair and facial features.

Something stirred in the back of his mind and he remembered that Tyson had mentioned that he mother and grandfather were here in Ai Clouds and he supposed the two adults were the family members in question.

Kai felt his parents give him one last squeeze before pulling back to greet the newcomers. He blinked, startled, as he felt a hand slip into his and squeeze gently. Looking around, he found his angel's smiling warm face staring back him gently. Oddly, the liquid warmth that went shooting through his system when he saw Tyson was stronger than when he had seen his parents. Kai wondered why that was.

"Ok?" Tyson questioned softly.

"Yes… thank-you." Kai whispered, unable to meet the bluenet's gaze in favour of watching their family members interacting, and in slight disbelief at the way Tyson's grandfather was acting. "For everything."

"Everything?"

Kai swallowed thickly. He wasn't to emptying what he was feeling to others. "For bringing my parents to me, for making me happy, for… being here." His voice was soft, whispering so quietly Tyson has to strain to hear it. After voicing his gratitude and his feelings, Kai was surprised to feel slightly better about himself.

The smile that appeared on Tyson's face was enough to rival the sun at Kai's little gratitude confession. Touched beyond mere words, he wrapped his free arm around Kai's shoulders to hug him, squeezing his hand. "You're welcome chibi, and I'll always be here."

That time, Kai found his throat was too tight to express his gratitude that time. Yet after a few more minutes watching Tyson's grandfather show off various martial arts poses and proclaim things in his loud voice in his out-of-date hip speech, Kai found that he throat was unstuck enough for him to comment on it. "Is he always like that?"

"Don't ask." Tyson said flatly, a violent twitch in left eyebrow in embarrassment for the way his grandfather was acting.

"Do you have to go?" Yoshi questioned softly.

"Yeah, otherwise the elders will get made at us." Tyson replied apologetically. Kai was standing beside his parents, saying his farewells, Aiko having to wipe her eyes a few times to rid herself of her tears. Tyson smiled as his mother placed a kiss on his cheek and he waved to his grandfather before calling out to Kai, "chibi, we gotta go."

Kai sighed but nodded, allowing his over emotional mother to draw him into another hug and kiss him once more on the cheek. Susumu gave his son one last pat on the shoulder and giving him a smile. Drawing back and waving slightly, Kai headed over to his angel and took his offered hand.

"Take of him little dude, ya hear! And I don't want ta see any more snapped up bones again, capiche?" Grandpa declared.

"Uh… sure, Grandpa."

Kai looked up as a light, golden glow came over them both and Tyson squeezed his hand once. The vision before him was wavering and melting away, and he was aware of a slight light headedness as they left the realm of the angels. He caught one last wave from all four of them before they disappeared completely.

Susumu watched the spot where they had been quietly, a silent plea in mind, one that he didn't get to ask of Kai's bluenet Guardian. Please, Tyson. Look after him and keep him safe when I cannot.

As if the bluenet had heard his request, a stray feather that had fallen off his wings fluttered up and glided gently into Susumu's outstretched hand.

"Can't you lean forward a little or something?" Kai questioned. Two weeks after they had returned from Ai Clouds, Tyson was ready to remove the bandages from his wings. However, with the limbs being on his back, he couldn't reach them. So Kai had to remove them for him.

"Sorry." The bluenet leant forwards, resting his elbows on his knees. He was sitting cross legged on Kai's bed with the younger teen kneeling behind him. He felt his charge's hands work to remove the bindings from his left wings first.

Kai let the rough material unravel as he pulled it free from Tyson's left wing. He noticed that when the angel moved the wing in the need to get it moving around after it being held still for so long. However, the movements seemed a little stiff and Kai wrapped his hands around the wing in order to help ease the stiffness out.

Unfortunately, with stiffness out of lack use came unwanted reflexes. Tyson's left wing twitched and beat beyond his control, smacking Kai in the face and sending him backward onto his bed. Dazed, but not hurt due to the fact a faceful of feathers was rather soft instead, Kai sat up a little.

Tyson whirled around, eyes wide. "I'm sorry chibi! I didn't know it was going to do that." He apologised, helping the younger teen to sit up. "But my left wing feels fine now, so thanks for that." He ran critical eyes over his charge, "are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Kai replied, brushing off the concern. "Turn around so I can do your right wing, but tell me if you think it's going to beat or something, alright?"

Tyson smiled sheepishly but turned around all the same.

Kai was far gentler with Tyson's right wing than he was with the left. The memory of Tyson's pain filled face as the medical angels healed his wing was all too clear in his mind. Dropping the bandages beside him, Kai grasped the wing gently and eased in into various movements slowly.

Tyson was eventually coaxed to begin moving the wing gingerly on his own, sighing in relief when he found his could move the appendage without too much discomfort. "That feels much better, I can't wait to go out flying again, and walking is way too boring. Thanks for the help by the way, chibi."

"You're not flying until your wings are strong enough. I don't think they'd be fit enough for you to fly just yet having been kept still for two weeks." Kai told him sternly. The thought of Tyson crashing and hurting himself again scared him and he would go to what ever means possible to prevent it.

Tyson huffed and folded his arms, "no fair."

Peering into a shop window, Kai eyes the small angel decorations displayed with slight distaste. Christmas was rolling around and he felt obligated to buy something for Tyson. However, he had no idea what to get him.

With happy carol singers and laughing couples and families with young children walking around the high street to buy gifts for their loved ones, Kai felt slightly out of place. His house hadn't been decorated this year, due to Voltaire's command. Yet Tyson had somehow managed to get a small pine tree into Kai's room and decorate it with the scarce decorations he could find.

Kai grumbled under breath as he went to peer into another shop. He had made the bluenet stay at home while he bought something for him. Tyson hadn't been happy at all at letting Kai go somewhere on his own for a few hours, but was eventually persuaded to stay at home.

Stopping in front of the electronics store, Kai got a sudden brainwave. Since Tyson had died over fifty years ago, he hadn't seen any of the technology advances that had been made since his death. The bluenet was naturally fascinated by the new and mysterious electronic things and Kai figured that something like that was sure to please the older teen.

Satisfied and tightening his scarf around his neck and coat that was hugging his body, he stepped into the shop.

The first thing that occurred to Kai was the loud music that was blaring from the latest speakers that were mounted onto the walls above him. A second brainwave made him walk automatically to music section. Tyson had shown an odd habit of liking to sing when happily, especially when he had an excuse to sing Christmas carols at the top of his voice.

The first thing he would was some sort of CD player. He came across a slim, stylish looking one with a cool, dark blue colour. He looked at it in its display case, deciding that would be a good choice for Tyson. Picking up an empty box so he could purchase one (the sales clerk would give him a full box once he'd paid), he drifted over the CD collection to scan over the music selection.

Unfortunately, even Tyson loved to sing, he gave no indication on what type of music he liked. Sighing, Kai reached out and grabbed a random CD with various selections of different music. Hopefully the bluenet would be able to make a decision on which he liked best so Kai knew what to buy in the future.

Placing his selections on the counter (complete with holly strings) Kai digged around in his wallet, which was simple and brown… and falling apart, for the money to pay for his purchases.

The cashier, who was wearing a Santa hat, placed the gifts into a bag (the CD player being in a full box this time) accepted his money with a bright smile on his face, "these must be for someone special, huh? They're not cheap!"

Kai paused when he took the plastic bag. "Yes, I suppose you could say that…"

After spending an entire hour searching for a good length of string, Tyson was sitting on Kai's bed. Two hours ago, he was sitting there pouting at having been left behind, now, he was sitting working in concentration for a Christmas gift for his charge.

Picking up a needle that he had found lurking around the house along with the string, Tyson pushed it into the quill of one of the white, perfect feathers he had plucked from his winger earlier. There was no way he could buy something for Kai, and he was defiantly not going to steal anything, so he had to make do with what he had.

And that was mainly feathers.

He had noticed that Kai seemed very interested and taken with his feathers, so after a lot of thought, Tyson decided that a feather necklace (or perhaps pendant) would a somewhat suitable gift for him. It was very mundane and almost a lazy attempt at a gift, but it was the best Tyson could come up with. He just hoped Kai would see the thought behind it and not feel too left out.

Threading the string through the first feather, Tyson picked up the other four feathers to put holes in their quills now that he was satisfied that he could make a big enough hole for the string to go through.

Holding up the finished necklace in front of him, Tyson shook it a little bit to make sure the feathers weren't going to fall off, said objects shining the lamp light from Kai's desk.

Placing it carefully underneath Kai's bed so the younger teen wouldn't find it, Tyson straightened and looked out of Kai's bedroom window sadly. He didn't like it all when he was apart from Kai, not just because he couldn't be there to protect him and other things should anything go wrong, but he found the quiet younger teen surprisingly good company. And when he wasn't there, the bluenet felt unbearably lonely.

"Kai…" Tyson murmured into his charge's ear, crouching beside the dual haired teen's bed side to wake him up. Resting one hand on Kai's shoulder, Tyson shook him lightly. "Wake up, chibi! You can't sleep in on Christmas Day, its offensive to everyone else."

Kai cracked one red eye open to be met with Tyson's naturally happy face, a bright happy smile spread over his tanned features. Raising his head off the pillow to rub the sleep in his eyes away he sat up and stretched. "Good morning to you too." He grumbled.

"C'mon! You cannot be grumpy on Christmas Day!" Tyson enthused, plopping down beside his charge and looping one of arms around the younger teen's shoulders. "So can I have a smile please?"

Kai regarded him in amusement, allowing a small smile to flick up on his features, getting a grin that rivalled a neon sign in response.

"Oh! I got you something… well made it, but it's all the same thing." Tyson said happily, bouncing off the bed causing the springs to creek so he could get down on all fours to peer under Kai's bed for the feather necklace he had hidden there.

Kai watched him in curiosity, swinging his legs off the bed so he could sit on the side. Sitting there in his sleeping clothes, sleepy looking eyes and rumpled hair, it was obvious why Tyson had bestowed the nickname 'chibi' upon him. Wearing a white shirt and a pair of boxers with socks (odd bed wear for winter, as Tyson had pointed out), his current look was far from the rebellious look he often liked to let others see.

"Found it!" Tyson proclaimed, sitting back on his ankles, holding up the necklace he'd made, "it's not much, but I hope you like it." Tyson held out the feather dangling on the string meekly.

Kai took the gift silently, tying the string around his neck before lifting the feathers with a small smile. He liked Tyson's feathers very much, so it was nice to have them hanging close to him. Dropping the necklace beneath the neckline of his t-shirt, he smiled as the soft feather brushed lightly against his bare skin. "Thank-you."

"You like them?" Tyson questioned, feeling delighted at Kai's nod.

"And this is for you." Kai told him, twisting around to remove a wrapped package (in brown paper, it was the best he could do) which was hidden, ironically, beneath his bed. Turning to his angel, he handed it to him somewhat shyly.

Eyes wide in wonder and excitement, Tyson unwrapped the gift, his eyes going yet even wider when he saw the box. "Oh wow… Kai, you really shouldn't have." He murmured, lifting the CD case and looking at with big blue eyes. Suddenly, a small negative feeling floated in the pit of his stomach. Kai had gone to all this trouble and money to get him something nice and he had given him something terrible in return. It made Tyson feel bad and he dropped his gaze sadly, feeling as though he shouldn't really accept the gift.

"Is something wrong?" Kai questioned, taking Tyson's sudden upset expression as a bad sign on his part, "don't you like it?"

"Oh? No, I like a lot… it's just that you went through so much trouble to get me this and in return I give you that pretty pathetic necklace." Tyson replied quietly.

"Tyson…" Kai murmured softly, reaching out to grasp his angel's hand softly, enclosing the bluenet's fingers in his. "Just because my gift cost money and yours didn't doesn't make it any less special too me. Besides, your company is what matters most, so don't worry about it."

"Kai…" Tyson's familiar charming smile came back in an instant, happy beyond words at what Kai had just admitted to him.

"Well are you going to open it or not?" Kai questioned with a smirk, gesturing to the box.

"Oh!" Tyson blinked in surprise and removed his gift from its box. After a minor fight with the packaging, he was turning the new CD player over in hands, big blue eyes taking in every inch of it.

"Here." Kai took it from him and opened the CD case, taking out the CD and placing it into the CD player. Plugging in the headphones, he reached over and inserted them into Tyson's ears, taking in the bluenet's bewildered expression in amusement. "Listen." Pressing 'play' he watched the angel for a reaction.

Tyson waited and as soon as drums started playing loudly in ears, he jumped about a foot into the air in shock, glancing at the blue CD player with wide blue eyes, wondering how on Earth the little machine was creating the music he was hearing. "Woah…"

"Technology is a little advanced nowadays." Kai stated. "You like?"

"Yeah, wow…" Tyson murmured, fiddling with the buttons, "thanks!"

"You're welcome."

"Kai! Come and take a look!" Tyson called, kneeling on Kai's bed, looking out of the window. Outside, New Year's celebrations were going on, large, bright and loud fireworks going off in the welcome for the New Year. Such things never happened when he was alive, so it was wondrous and new for him.

"Hm?" Kai looked up from where he had been reading his book at his desk to look over Tyson's shoulder to see the fireworks going off outside. "New Years." He stated, red eyes glancing over at the clock to look at the time, only a minute left.

"Hey, is your clock right?" Tyson questioned, coming over to peer over his charge's shoulder.

"Of course." Kai replied, setting his book down on his desk in favour of watching the seconds tick away along with his angel.

By the time they got down to 10 seconds, Tyson begun counting down aloud, "ten… nine… eight… seven… come on Kai join in… five… four… no seriously!... two… one! Happy New Year, Kai!" Tyson cheered, wings unfolding in the midst of his celebration, wrapping one arm around Kai.

Kai sighed and smiled in spite of himself, head drooping a little.

Me: Done!

Tyson: Aww...

Kai: (silence)

Me: Please review?