I seem to like taking my time to update, ne? And sorry if this is a litte confusing chapter, I have made most of it in my depressed bad moods at the middle of the night! heh..XD

disclaimer:I still don't own anything. And I don't own Blue Mouaintain either. One of the most expensive coffiee beans you can find.

Chapter 4

Tired eyes stared up at the ceiling. Somehow, Rei just couldn't find the will to sleep. He felt tired all right, but it just didn't seem like his mind would shut down anytime soon.

Why he had no idea. Maybe it was the blizzard that had hit them just an hour after they got home from the woods. The wind was screaming outside his window, asking for permission to come in. It hurt his sensitive ears, so it was a logical guess.

Or maybe it was the whispering in it. The voices, gently hidden in the loudly roaring wind, asking him to let them into his flat for them to get warm.

Rei could imagine perfectly how the stormy winds would throw all his possessions on the shelves and at the little table beside his bed to the floor, destroying most. And how he himself would lay there in the bed, letting his hair fly with the winds and slowly go numb from the cold. The snow that would also slowly, yet lovingly cover him. Taking away his warmth until he was blue and-

Rei cut that thought before it could develop, sitting up hastily in his bed. Why did he think those thoughts? Why now? Those destructive thoughts had been banished from his mind when he came to Voltowk. So why did he think them now? Shaking he rose from the bed. He needed some warm and reassuring red tea that could help him get tired.

Padding out to the kitchen in nothing more than his boxers, he heated up some water in the little pot his friends jokingly called the teapot. While he waited for the water to get the right temperature, he tenderly put a hand against the freezing window, feeling that some of the wind actually had managed to get through his window and was now sweetly licking his hand.

Taking a deep breath he grabbed the now hot water and poured it into his waiting teacup. Taking two gulps from it and burning his mouth he swiftly opened the window in the kitchen, if the wind wanted to come in, then it would not be stopped by him!

And in it came, violent and demanding, but also cold and loving. It pulled at his hair in an almost painful way, and the snow almost blinded him, making it almost impossible to let his eyes open. But he refused to shut them. The eyes that so many people would often say looked like twin pools of the sun herself stared empty and cold out into the whirling, multicolored snow and the blackness that was the night. And he cursed himself a thousand times over. Not because he was so stupid and stood there half naked to be cold and numb from the blizzard.

No, he cursed himself by other reasons.

Like why he couldn't let go.

Or forget.

XXXXXX

But there were more people than Rei that could not find rest this night. Kai lay lifeless on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. But it was not the ceiling he saw, it was the letter he read earlier. It would not surprise him if he had read it a thousand times already, trying to understand just why he should do it. He knew that it was almost impossible to make people change around here.

Voltowk sometimes felt like an Amish village. To let him do all those things, he would need a miracle, and that was hard to ask for, mainly because he did not believe in any higher power. So he had to do everything himself. A fist grabbed the fabric of the sheets tightly. If he failed this then he was no more, he might lose the company. Why did his grandfather want that? It made no sense to him at all.

Suddenly he felt very cold. He wondered if he had left the window open or something. Swiftly standing up he checked all of the many windows in the penthouse, but no, they where all closed. Maybe it was the heater? Groaning Kai stalked back to his bed. He was not going down in the cellar just to check the stupid rusty heater! He had slept in cold rooms before, much colder he reassured himself.

So he lied down, and forced sleep to claim him. But if was hard and he felt terribly cold and empty.

He hoped that the blizzard would soon be over, for surely it was the swirling winds that blew outside that forced themselves through the walls into his room. It was old after all, so... But he still felt like something frozen when he finally fell asleep.

XXXXX

Max and Tyson were happily walking down the streets together, laughing and fooling around a little, they both had a day off, and the weather was wonderful! The sun had come and forced night and harsh winds away. But it had not succeeded in taking the cold away though, and they both had more clothes on their bodies than they had yesterday.

They both had promised Kenny they would visit the university today, after they had finished some errands in the center of their little village. Like post some cards for their relatives in their respective home countries, shop a little at the market, and grab some lunch at a café. And of course, visit Rei, and if you could believe Takao, grab a little chocolate. Max however thought that "a little" never could exist in Takao's universe. At least not in normal portions, and absolutely not when it came to chocolate!

So, here they where, throwing snow at each other not snowballs, as it was too cold to form the white substance. They simply grabbed a handful of snow and threw, while hoping the snow reached their prey.

So caught up were they that they didn't notice when they passed Rei's store, and neither thought of it until they where at the cozy lunch café, where they realized that they hadn't said hello to their Chinese friend yet.

As Takao lazily stirred his coffee cup he thought about his raven haired friend and realized that this was the first day that he hadn't said hello to him first of all his friend in Voltowk since he come home from Japan. Max, on his half, realized that this was a now a days rare meeting with his best friend. Since Rei and Takao had 'bonded' they weren't so much together anymore, at least not only the two of them, Max and Ty. Frowning he decided that he better should stop that train of thought right now. It did not sound pretty in his head.…

It sounded almost… jealous.

XXXXX

"Hey, Ty! Isn't it time to say hi to Rei-chan?"

"Yeah, I guess, we forgot about him before, huh?"

"Yes, but come on, I'll race you! The last one there is buying the chocolate!"

"Hey! I thought you couldn't have any?"

XXXXX

Rei felt terrible, his body burned and his focus was blurry, constantly zooming in and out. And he had only himself to blame. Cursing silently he packed a little chocolate bear in a plastic bag, tying it up in pink ribbons that in his state felt so, so fake. Quickly taking a gulp of his now not so hot chamomile tea with honey he sighed. Damn! He felt sick! He probably had a fever! And he wanted to cough! But that would look so bad in his shop! And..!

"You look like shit Rei-Rei!"

"Tell me about it Takao…"

"Seriously Rei-Chan, what is wrong?"

Honey colored orbs closed tiredly but a warm and grateful feeling spread in his body, from his lips to the cold deep inside and he smiled a genuine smile towards his friends. Why were friends so sweet and caring? He wanted to squash the life out of them! When he felt miserable they where always … there!

Shaking his head a little he tossed them a praline each, while he turned towards the small oven in the corner off the desk asking,

"Okay, you two, what do you want, tea or chocolate?"

"…"

"…"

"Can't I have both?"

"TAKAO!"

XXX XX

Kai wrapped his scarf around his neck a little tighter in the freezing cold. Today he had to be at the university to attend to some courses, advertising and speech to be exact. More waited for him tomorrow. Three days a week he had to study at the university and the rest of the week he was expected to do home studies. Well, it wasn't like there was anything better to do…

Rubbing his hands together in hope to gather some warmth he let his eyes sweep over the street he walked on. Nothing much had changed. Still those cheap, ugly advertising signs outside the few shops, and still the same prices, the same offers; Buy two, pay for one! And… Kai scrunched up his nose, and apparently it took longer for the pregnant woman to deliver the baby. That woman had been pregnant when he had been here last time too!

Damn, some things never changed.

With that thought he sprinted the last meters towards the bus that took him to the university, as it lay a bit away from the village. A bit as in half a mile away.

XXXXX

Robert was silently trying to read a book in the library, trying being the key word. It was pretty hard to do as Kenny and Dizzy didn't seem to want to stop arguing anytime soon, about what he had no idea! Good lord, how was it possible to have such a high voice and still be a male? Maybe Kenny wasn't, maybe they where lesbians?

…

God! Now it was him who was going crazy!

He groaned loudly, glaring for al his might to burn a hole thru it, and get the book to make sense to him, and startling the bickering pair, making them stop and look at him strongly. It wasn't his fault they where so loud and annoying!

"Eh, Robert? Are you alright-"

"Robert! Ah, there you are... Mon dieu! I thought I had to search the whole university after you!"

"Yes Kenny I'm alright, and Oliver, what are you rambling about?"

The green haired youth quickly seated himself opposite his long time friend, smirking strangely that even Robert felt uneasy.

"Did you know that Kai Hiwatari is here in Voltowk?"

XXXXX

A loud laugh broke the other wise slightly quiet atmosphere in one of the corridors in the small university. Several people turned their heads to glare at the loud mouths only to be ignored. The blonde and blunette walked by not fazed at all. They were searching for a short brunette and a charismatic corn blonde. After a while they reached the library, only to find the wanted persons at a table together with Oliver, and they noticed after a while, Robert. Skipping forward Takao happily grabbed the smaller boy at the table in a headlock, making Kenny whine in protest.

"Tyson! Let my head and the rest of me go! I'm trying to study!"

Robert gave the little brunet and his girlfriend a look that clearly said, 'Were you calling that study?'

Snickering Oliver lend back in his chair, Robert could look pretty scary sometimes, especially when he had that look in his eyes. Or as Johnny called it, the disapproving look.

"Never mind them Robert! You know how loud people get when they are around Ty. But back to topic when did you hear that he had left Moscow?"

Locking his red gaze with Oliver's violet's he picked up on the conversation they had started before they where so rudely interrupted.

"My sources said that after the bubble he was impossible to find. The grandfather pulled him back of course. I still can't believe that he has so much responsibility. He is too young and to inexperienced to take over those kind of affairs. Not even I have that knowing, and I take over in a very near future."

"Ah, of course, the old man must have known all along, don't you think? It would explain it all, how-"

"Exactly what are we talking about here?"

With a dense look in his eyes, and a curious looking American behind his shoulder, Tyson took a seat at the table.

Waving a hand in the air Robert picked up the book he forgotten on the table trying to get back to his studies again.

"Nothing important Tyson, Oliver and I where only talking about Hiwatari Kai. Now please excuse me, I need to return to my book so keep the conversation somewhere else."

"Man! Why are you always so boring? And besides, why talking about that idiot?"

"That idiot is a very skilled businessman, and to know where your opponent is is an important knowledge for an equally skilled businessman like me. He has been missing for a long time before showing up here. Since the bubble burst actually."

The last part was most likely more to himself than to Tyson, spoken in a soft and thoughtful murmur.

"Eh? Where was he then? And what bubble? Man Robert! I don't understand what you're talking about!"

Giving him an annoyed glare that made the officer grin nervously he gave the curt reply while nudging his head to the right,

"Ask him yourself. He is over there."

Four heads whipped fast in that direction, Oliver at a slower pace, and Robert himself completely ignoring to look. And sure enough, at a table in the corner the young man sat, glaring daggers at Roberts's head.

Giving the tall German a confused look, Dizzy spoke up for the first time asking the question they all wanted to know the answer to.

"Robert? Why is he… looking at you like that?"

Giving a last angry sigh over his constantly interrupted reading, he grunted in answer. Oliver however, gave a nasty look towards the slate haired man, making him the target to the dark stare.

"The answer is very simple Dizzy; Robert is the reason as to why Hiwatari once again

is here, in the University of Voltowk.

XXXXXX

Fuming he made his way towards the bus exit. So the purple haired nobleman knew the loudmouthed idiot and the blonde. Well it had more looked like they knew the short youth and the blonde girl. Probably Oliver's friends then, that French little brat. He never had any taste. Be it clothes, (So okay, he was leading in the fashion market, but that only proved Kai's theory that the world didn't have any taste either) or friends.

Not that he needed any here. They where too old fashioned here. Not strange that most politicians were so snowed in on old ways. Most had been studying in places like these!

Moving his bag to the other shoulder swiftly he strode down the main street, well, more like the only street. At least it felt like that.

Damn! He had really got some heavy books today! But he was quite sure they would be interesting, especially the one about speech manipulations.

Suddenly his eyes caught sight of a brand new sign. A pretty one. It was made in dark African wood, if he had to guess. Frowning to himself he wondered how he could have missed it earlier that morning. Maybe the store opened late? But as his eye also caught the label of blue mountain coffee he couldn't care less. And let his long legs carry him towards the store. The only good thing since his arrival here! A coffee shop with quality!

When he stepped inside the little shop his nostrils were filled with the sensual smell of coffee beans, chocolate and tea. Taking the few stair steps he caught sight of the desk and a fire lit his brilliant wine colure eyes, as he took in the sight before him.

Long hair, darker than the night sky,

Rosy, tempting, lips,

Sensually slimed legs,

Saffron eyes, glazed, maybe by a slight fever?

And, a beautifully shaped ass.

Suddenly Kai felt like not everything here in Voltowk was so terrible any longer.

Maybe his visit would be highly… pleasant.

XXXXXX

heh... At least I got something up!