A/N: Thank you all for feedback and actually bothering to read this story! I hope you'll like the new parts... Btw, I never thought someone would read this. (grin)


In the morning after, pail rays of sun tickled Tyson's face as he gradually opened his midnight-blue eyes. He greeted the new day with a wide smirk, and looked at the sleeping angel he held in his arms after such a long waiting. Still grinning, he landed a soft kiss to the grey bangs.

" Merry Christmas, Kai", he whispered, caressing the soft hair of his love. " C'mon, it's time to wake up".

With a content sigh, Kai turned to face him and slowly opened his eyes. Tyson's grin turned into a smile as he saw that the look of pain in Kai's eyes had been replaced with softness. Unable to hold himself back, he caressed Kai's beautiful face. The Phoenix shuttered a bit under the touch, but didn't pull away, which made Tyson feel better than ever before. His happiness turned into utter joy as Kai closed his eyes and pressed his warm body closer to him, landing his forehead against his T-shirt covered chest, wrapping his arms gently around Tyson's waist. Smiling gently, Tyson pulled Kai closer to him in return, letting the broken boy know how much he cared.

They'd actually done a lot of talking the night before. They'd agreed to take things very slowly, which meant that they'd only slept together, clothes on. They'd also agreed not to do any kissing before Kai's head was slightly more clear. They'd have to work out their friendship before even considering moving further. Tyson couldn't complain. He'd been waiting for Kai for so long that even holding hands was a heaven to him.

Suddenly a knock coming from the door downstairs forced them to pull away from each other, and reluctantly they abandoned the warmth of bed and each other, heading towards the stairs. Tyson froze to the halfway of the stairs as he saw the snow-covered figure of Hilary standing on the door. The brunette, however, didn't seem to notice him at all. Her widened eyes were locked to Kai, who was standing two stairs behind Tyson.

" Oh my God…", she gasped. " Kai… You… They got you out of your room!".

" Wish I could take the honour, but I believe it was Tyson's doing", Max informed, smiling widely as he saw the team-captain. " 'Bout time to join us! We've missed you".

" Hn", Kai commented, causing a series of smiles.

At this point, Hilary couldn't hold herself back any longer. Ignoring the fact that she still had her snowy shoes and jacket on, she sprinted to Kai with a speed that took them all by surprise and wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face into his chest. Deeply confused, Kai returned the hug.

" Gosh, Kai! You have no idea of for how long I've been waiting for this!". Hilary's voice was muted with sobs of happiness. " I'm so glad you're taking a step forward. I've missed you so much…".

Kai blinked in confusion, burying his face into Hilary's soft hair that held a sent of cinnamon. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut to hold back the tears.

Damnit, Hilary!, he cursed mentally in pain. Why are you making me feel like this!

Suddenly, a sharp flash of memory made pain shoot mercilessly through his head. A quiet moan escaped his lips.

/ Lightning cast it's pale light on the figure standing in front of a window, fiery eyes filled with pain and anger. Feeling hurt flash through him again, Kai let his fingers brush the ring hanging around his neck. It was the day he and the Dragon were supposed to celebrate the promise that jewellery represented, but to Kai's great dismay, it wasn't possible. The promise had been broken. Tyson was gone, had been for six months already. And by each passing day without his Dragon, Kai felt a piece of him turn into ice for the lack of warmth Tyson had always given him. He knew that if he wouldn't do something soon, he'd turn into ice completely.

" Kai?".

A soft female voice startled Kai out of his thoughts. Not letting any feelings show, he peered over his shoulder to see Hilary standing on the door. The girl looked tentative as she stepped in and soundlessly closed the door behind her. He, in the other hand, turned to look out of the window again, admiring the way the constant slashes of lightning made the raindrops shine and sparkle

" What are you doing here?" he bit out. He didn't really want to drive the girl away, but he feared that if he'd let her stay, the ice taking over him would take her over too.

Sighing, she took a few steps closer, brushing his back with her fingers. The touch made him flinch.

" Kai, please, let me help you. Let us help you", she whispered in a desperate, quiet voice he could barely make out. " I know how much Tyson hurt you, but you can't stay locked in here forever. It doesn't make him come back. It doesn't take away your pain".

" How the hell do you know!" he snapped, looking at Hilary, eyes burning with hurt. " Has anyone ever done something like this to you, huh? Has anyone ever hurt you this painfully?".

Despite the fact that the harsh words probably hurt Hilary, she smiled softly, taking his hand in hers. The touch seemed to burn him and he tried to break free, but Hilary wouldn't let go.

" No, I've never been hurt like this", she admitted. " But I can see what it does to you". She looked at his hand squeezed in hers. It was trembling uncontrollably, and so was he. She looked into his eyes again, gaze filled with determination. " I won't hurt you, Kai. I would never do to you what Tyson did. You can thrust me, I swear".

He hesitated. Everyone he'd ever trusted had betrayed him, hurt him. Why would this girl be any different?

Seeming to read his mind, Hilary stepped closer and let go of his hand, wrapping her hands protectively around him, placing her forehead against his shoulder.

" I care about you, Kai", she whispered. " And I'll do whatever it takes to prove you that not everyone wants to hurt you. I'm going to fix you".

" I'm not broken", he muttered, feeling tears sting his eyes. He paused for a long time, noticing that Hilary wasn't going to let go of him. " What it I'll hurt you? I… I don't want to…".

" Sh…". She pulled away from him slightly and pressed her finger against his lips. " I can take care of myself". She grasped his hand tightly, desperately, looking deep into his eyes. " Please, let me through. I won't hurt you. Just… Please. Don't push me away, 'cause I'm not going anywhere".

Kai felt his entire body quiver as the brunet carefully bent even closer, eyes closed, and pressed her lips softly against his, caressing his face with her free hand as the other squeezed his hand even more tightly. Gradually, recovering from the first shock, he found himself returning the kiss with all the passion he'd locked inside himself, and felt the ice inside him slowly melt away. As the kiss continued he felt tears run down his cheek. It seemed as if his heart had been stopped for a long time and was just now beginning to remember how to beat again. Fresh, new blood boiled his veins as the kiss became even deeper, and subconsciously they wrapped their hand tightly around each other, giving in to the fire and passion between them. /

Kai grimaced in pain and pressed both of his hands against his head as he pulled away from Hilary, trying to keep more flashes from coming with a sheer power of will. The others looked at him worriedly.

" Kai? You 'k?" Ray asked, took a step forward and then stopped, hesitating.

Kai gasped and squeezed his eyes tightly shut as the pain grew even harder, and slumped on the stairs with a quiet whimper, still holding his head in his hands. Unfortunately, even more memories were to come.

/ Only the light coming from the fireplace lightened and warmed the room as two extremely content figures lay on the bed, the Phoenix holding the Dragon in his arms. Both were exhausted, but refused to give in to sleep, it was almost as if they feared that this was all going to fade would they fall asleep. Both had their eyes closed.

" Kai…", Tyson finally murmured, taking the chance of braking the magic.

" Hmm?".

" There's something I want to give you".

Kai forced his eyes halfway open, and tiredly looked on as Tyson pulled himself off the bed and tossed over to his bag on the other side of the room, beginning to rummage through it. Amused, Kai marked how cold it was without Tyson keeping him warm and pulled the covers tighter around him. After a while Tyson seemed to find what he was looking for, hiding something into his fist, and, smirking widely, walked back to him and slipped under the covers, restoring the warmth Kai had been missing. A content smirk made it's way to Kai's lips as Tyson pressed himself tightly against him and kissed him demandingly, passionately. Kai felt Tyson's hand caress his face softly. Gosh how much he loved that touch! Feeling almost as if he was on fire, he leaned in and returned the kiss, letting Tyson know exactly how much the Dragon meant to him. After a while that seemed way too short they departed, needing air, both gasping quietly. Tyson had a dazed expression on his face as the bluenette touched his face again, gently, and deep inside his mind Kai remarked that Tyson was the only person he'd ever let touch him like that. The only one he trusted enough.

" Gosh Kai…", Tyson whispered, looking deep into his eyes. " You're so perfect…".

Kai smirked a little.

" We both know that's rubbish", he commented, but gently kissed Tyson's forehead anyway, subconsciously pulling the boy closer.

For a long time they laid in silence, just looking at each other, enjoying the warmth they gave each other, enjoying the fact that they were together.

" I thought you had something you wanted to give me", Kai finally reminded, cocking an bemused eyebrow. " Should I be worried?".

" Guess you'll just have to thrust me, koi", the bluenette commented. " Now, close your eyes".

Hesitantly, Kai let his eyes slowly slip shut. After a second he felt Tyson place something around his neck, and felt a soft kiss land on his lips.

" 'K. You can look now".

He slowly opened his eyes, and felt a warm flutter in his heart as he saw the extremely beautiful, probably unique ring, hanging around his neck in a silvery necklace. A half of it was gold, another half silver. It had something engraved on it in Japanese. Kai smiled slightly, knowing what it meant.

' Yours, now and for always'.

He looked at Tyson, holding his hand on the ring.

" You mean it?" he asked.

Tyson nodded, eyes filled with sparkle he'd never seen in them before.

" Yeah", the Dragon replied, nodding slightly. " But only if you want it too".

Kai's answer was a soft, loving kiss on Tyson's lips. Ending the kiss, he whispered into Tyson's ear in Japanese.

" I love you", he said for the fist time in his life, holding the Dragon close. " Always".

And with that, the promise had been made. The promise that was to tear them apart… /

As the memory ended, Kai felt a hand on his shoulder. For some reason the touch burned him unbearably, and he let out a small cry.

" Don't… touch me…", he managed to choke before the pain washed over him and, still holding his head, he fell back, only to be caught into protective arms.

" Sh…", someone whispered, and the arms wrapped around him, pulling him close to a warm chest. The person holding him was stroking his hair softly. For some odd reason, a faint, somehow familiar sent of eucalyptus the person holding him had seemed to calm him down a little. " It'll be okay… Sh… It's okay…".

Another memory made Kai whimper and snuggle closer to the comforting person holding him.

/ " Dragoon, teach him a lesson!" Tyson commanded, eyes burning.

The blade rushed forward and crushed against another, causing a shower of sparks.

" Dranzer, defeat him! NOW!" Kai yelled, feeling blood boiling in his veins.

The blades collided again, causing a magnificent blow and a burst of blinding white light. The two had to cover their eyes for a while. When they were able to see again, they could see that both blades were still spinning, glowing slightly. In a unison, they called the blades back and cached them, looking at each other. Both were smirking from the rush of adrenaline and emotion.

" Wow!". Tyson was the one the speak first, sounding like he was out of breath. " That was… That was AWESOME!".

Kai shrugged, not allowing himself to admit how much he appreciated the battle.

" Yeah, whatever". He turned around, starting to walk away. " Have to admit it tough… Your skills may have improved".

Tyson smirked widely, looking at the distancing back of his captain. A deep flush of pride washed over him. That was pretty much the fist compliment Kai had ever given to anyone. And he, Tyson Granger, was the one who received it.

Whether they admitted it to themselves just then or not, one thing was obvious to anyone. In some miraculous way, during that marvellous battle the boys had fallen in love with each other. That was the day their story truly began. /

With another painful memory, Kai drifted into comforting darkness.

/ Kai opened his eyes slowly, blinking them as he met the dim light. Feeling drowsy, he checked his surroundings and found that he was sitting in a rest-chair in the library of his grandfather's mansion that now belonged to him. A warm blanket had been placed over him.

Funny, he thought, bemused. I don't remember getting a blanket.

Just then he remember the light, and lifted his gaze. He smiled as he saw Hilary flipping through some book from the bookshelf, her back on him. Yawning slightly, he pulled himself up and walked up to the girl, kissing her neck. Hilary jumped a little of frighten, but relaxed when seeing him.

" Stop sneaking up on me, Hiwatari", she pouted, giving him a kiss on the cheek. " It's rude".

" Hn", he commented, wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and pulled her close, peering over her shoulder to see what she was reading. He was taken by surprise as he noticed that the book she was reading was in Russian. " Never knew you could speak Russian".

" I'm not too good at it", she admitted, put the book away and turned around, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his chest. It was a gesture Kai allowed only when they were alone, a sing of how much he meant for the girl. " Thanks for inviting me here. I know it must be hard".

Kai had came to Russia to take care of some paperwork concerning his grandfather and his possessions. That meant that he had to face the dark shadows of his past once more. Since he and Hilary had been together for a month, Kai had, after a long hesitation, chosen to ask her if she wanted to come along. She hadn't hesitated for a single moment.

He shrugged.

" It's okay". He kissed her forehead, another thing he allowed only when they were alone. " You make it easier, you know?".

She smiled and closed her eyes, holding him even closer.

" I love you", she whispered, saying it aloud for a first time. " Never forget about that".

" I won't. Never", he promised, burying his face into her silky hair. " Love you too". /

As Kai slowly opened his eyes, he sighed in relief as he found that his headache was gone. He was pleased by the fact that the room was darkened. Light, even a slight one, would've given him another headache for sure. Carefully, expecting another attack of memories, he rubbed his face with both hands, trying to remember what had happened. All he could remember was someone holding him, and the sweet, familiar sent of eucalyptus…

" Morning", a soft voice suddenly greeted him.

Startled, he shot up, only to notice that it was a big mistake. Dizziness and nausea made him growl lowly and bury his head into his hands.

" Hey, be careful!" the same voice told him, sounding worried, and again a pair of arms wrapped around him, holding him tenderly. " Are you alright? What happened?".

Blinking, he turned to see the one holding him. It was Hilary, and immediately a deep flash of quilt shot through him.

" I… I'm sorry", he whispered, surprised to find that his voice was thin and weak.

Hilary frowned.

" What for?".

Tears stung his eyes as he brushed Hilary's face with his fingers, but he refused to let them fall.
" I never kept my promise", he whispered, looking into her eyes. " I forgot that you loved me".

At first he was worried when he saw tears well into Hilary's eyes, but relaxed when a soft, warm smile make it's way to her lips.

" I'll never let you forget about it again", she promised, resting her forehead against his, taking his hand gently into hers.

Overwhelmed by the words, he couldn't immediately stop her as she leaned in to kiss him, but finally denied her by pressing his finger softly on her lips. The look of deep hurt in her eyes stung him, but he new that this was the best for them both. With him being this messed up, this would be too much, too soon. It'd only hurt them both.

" Not yet", he whispered softly.

Hilary nodded, deep in her heart knowing that he was right. Eventually a faint smile made it's way to her lips.
" Merry Christmas", she whispered.

He surprised as he found himself returning the smile.

" Right back at you".

Tyson, who'd came to check up on Kai, froze to the slightly open door as he saw Kai in Hilary's arms, the smiles playing on both of their faces. Tyson felt his heart almost freeze of pain and jealousy.

Well, it seems that you're in good hands now, he thought sullenly, looking at his love. With someone better than me.

And with that he turned away from the painful sight and quickly headed towards his room, in vain trying to hold back his tears.