Sometime, it's better to stay in bed.

Safe, In Your Arms

Chapter 15: Tasteless Breakfast

It was the next day, a full day of training for Forrest. She wasn't excited at all, in fact, she was still very tired from the swimming competition. Her muscles ached and her eyes burned, there was still water in her ears and her head spun without control. But she knew that she couldn't' escape another day of training.

"Erghh," she groaned as she reached the dinner table for breakfast.

Even the toasted bread tasted soggy that morning. The orange juice was sour and the milk was rather thick. It expired yesterday, she thought as she looked at the label. This is great. If I have a stomachache, I can go complain to Kai. She tried to put a lot of butter on the toast but it didn't work. It was still soggy. She wanted to puke at that moment but gulped down a bunch of orange juice. Forrest never ate Japanese breakfasts, or pancakes or bacons and sausages. She liked it simple. She could cook it herself. Pop some bread in the toaster, get milk and cereal and that was it. And we're out of cereal!

"This is not my day," she thought out loud.

"Excuse me, miss Forrest?" Theresa asked as she stepped to the breakfast table.

"Nothing. It's just that the milk's expired and we're out of cereal," she replied with slight annoyance in her voice.

"I'll cook some pancakes if you want," Theresa recommended.

"No thanks."

The older lady shrugged and made herself into the kitchen to cook herself some breakfast. At that moment, Kai appeared. His hair was messy, his shirt was ruffled and he gave a great yawn. Slowly, Forrest brought her eyes to see the boy's figure and almost wanted to laugh. He looked ridiculous because his shirt was put on backwards. She couldn't help but to snort, then she clasped her hands over her mouth, trying to hide the sound.

"Go look at yourself in the mirror, Kai," she told him. He grunted in reply; he didn't care, he already knew anyway.

"Hurry up. Practice in five minutes," he stated casually.

"You didn't even eat," she told him.

"I will," he replied as he grabbed a toast from her plate. "This is soggy." She flushed, embarrassed. She gave a nervous laugh.

"Yeah. Not my problem," she replied, drinking more orange juice. "Oh well, see you."

She carefully got up and walked outside. She knew that the Russian was following her because she could hear his rather heavy footsteps behind her.

It was a rather nice morning, it was warm and there were several clouds in the sky. The snow had melted but it wasn't turned into ice so it wasn't slippery either. The beyblading dish was much more scratched up than when she first arrived but it was nevertheless very nice.

"What do I do today?" she asked casually.

"Bey battle with me," he said simply.

"With you? I got knocked out last time," she muttered.

"But you're stronger."

"A little."

"I won't kill you," he stated.

"Uhh," but it was too late. Kai had launched his blade and she had no choice but to launch hers too. The two collided in the dish several times. Forrest felt a little scratch on her arm but it was nothing.

"Fire arrow!"

The red phoenix appeared on top of the beyblade and it shone. Its whole body was ablaze and it charged towards Forrest's blade.

"Starlet! Dodge it!"

A star appeared on top of the other blade. It started running away from Dranzer, dodging the attacks most of the time.

"Fire Tornado!" she screamed. Fire against fire, let's see about that, she thought.

"You stupid girl," he muttered. "You haven't learned enough for the past month? Dranzer becomes stronger if she's hit by fire. Thanks for the power boost."

"Shit," she muttered under her breath. She remembered him speaking of that before. She bit her bottom lip. "Tidal wave!"

As Starlet transformed into a dolphin, a big wave appeared out of nowhere. It washed through the dish, making Dranzer weaker.

"Your attack improved," he commented.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Now, stop," he said suddenly. She stared at him weirdly. "Stop!"

"Alright, alright…" she mumbled. "Starlet, stop the attack." The bitbeast obeyed his mistress and the wave disappeared as fast as it came.

"I'm going to attack you ten times. If you can take those ten shots, I'll let you go early," he said.

"Great," she grinned, "let's boogie."

"It's not going to be easy," he said. And instantly, she felt what he meant. Dranzer attacked with its full strength on Starlet, weakening the bitbeast a lot. Forrest felt a deep burn on her leg.

"Go on," she said, gasping a little.

She looked elsewhere, trying to get the sight of Starlet being hurt out of her mind.

"You can't look away, during a Beyblade match, you won't be able to," he told her.

"But you're… ergh, fine."

The second blown was thrown at her, she yanked backwards a little and grimaced. Immediately after, two other shots attacked her. She backed away two steps and bit her bottom lip.

"Can't I at least attack?" she complained.

"No."

"Ouchh," she mumbled as she rubbed her knee. Without her knowing, Dranzer attacked Starlet again. "Damn!"

"Don't cuss," he said, simply.
"Why not?"

"They broadcast the battles."

"So?" she asked, annoyed. She then turned her attention back to the beyblading dish and made herself ready for Dranzer's attacks.

"You don't want to ruin your image, would you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tchyeah," she paused, Dranzer was about to strike so she stood firmly. She felt a strong burn on her arm and she winced. "Like my image isn't already destroyed," she continued.

"Tell me, why did you want to beyblade in the first place?"

"Do you want to know the honest truth?" she asked as she rubbed her arm.

"Yes—"

"Oouuuch! Shitshitshitshit," she moaned as Dranzer attacked, that time was the strongest hit yet.

"I told you to pay attention to the battle," he spat.

"But you're freaking distracting me!" she roared back.

"Of course I am. I'm your enemy," he said.

"Are you trying to teach me something?" she asked.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you this, why did you want to join the team?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Do you really want to know? I wanted to do something in my life, something worthwhile for once, not following what my dad decided for me. He wanted me to be a translator, I could be a translator but while I'm still young, why not beyblade. Besides, look all the people on my mother's side—" Dranzer hit her again. She let a groan and paused, drawing some heavy breaths. "They've always been so successful. I wanted to be successful too."

"You wanted to be famous," he stated.

"Yes, you could put it like that," she replied, wincing. "Two more shots. Give me what you've got, Kai," she told him, with a taunting voice.

"Hn," he muttered. "Fire arrow!"

Forrest felt a force push her several meters back, she landed on her butt and she rolled her eyes. But then suddenly she felt several places burning, her ankle was twisted and her pants were sort of torn. One last shot, she thought. Just one more. She walked back to her dish slowly, trying to hide the fact that she was rather hurt. But it was hard to not limp.

"Last one," she mumbled.

"Go Dranzer!" he yelled. The flaming phoenix glowed, she looked ferocious.

Forrest felt like suddenly her body was on fire, like all the water molecules were being sucked out of her body. She felt like she was on the edge of falling into a volcano. The burning sensation ran over her body. Beads of sweat glided down her face instantly, her face was a dark red and her breathing was heavy. She clutched her chest as she felt something burning inside. It was like someone set fire in her inner organs.

"What," she choked, "is..." Her voice trailed off, incapable of talking.

"New attack that I've developed," Kai said, simply, shrugging.

"You—you—" she stuttered as she felt the blistering air evanesce away. She gasped loudly and fell down to her knees. She had many burns on her body at different places. "You're merciless."

"Not even close," he said coolly as he walked over to her and offered his hand.

"Thanks," she told him as she took it and coughed. "That was one tough attack."

"It's only strong on you because you're connected to the beast. It's supposed to give you a sensation of being burned inside," he stated.

"I noticed," she said before gasping again. "Sounds like some attack that medieval people would use to punish witches."

"I sort of got the idea from history class," he replied calmly.

"Right," she mumbled as she strolled to a rock and sat down. "So what do you want me to do now?"

"I want you to get used to this lighter and better defense ring. Yours is very scratched up because of the tryouts," he said as he took out something from his pockets. "From Kenny."

She took it from his hands and winced at the contact of her burnt fingers against his cold and rough hand. It was a red ring and she could see that it was very durable.

"I need to paint it," she mumbled.

"What? Paint it?" he cocked an eyebrow

"It's red. My blade is black and yellow."

"Does it matter? Just put it on." Kai rolled his eyes, not understanding what was the problem with beyblades and colors, his own blade was modified so many times that he didn't even know what color it was anymore. The top of a royal blue but the rest… he glanced at Dranzer, was a mix of green, white, yellow, red and other weird colors that didn't blend in well.

He's saying it like it's dressing up a doll, she thought as she assembled her beyblade and put on the ring. She wasn't very used to it so she took several minutes to do it. Kai was patient; he waited in silence.

When she was done, she looked at her blade and gave a relief sigh. Her gasps slowed down and her breathing was almost back to usual but she could still feel the burns on almost every part of her body. She heard a click which meant that the ring fitted perfectly. She gave a half-grin.

"Try it," he ordered. She simply nodded before launching it to the dish.

The beyblade spun like usual, there was nothing wrong with it.

"Mmhmm, I don't see much difference," she said.

"You shouldn't," he stated, "now launch it into the pool."

"What!" she exclaimed as if the Russian boy was crazy. "The pool? Excuse me?"

"Practice your speed. If it is fast and light enough, it should be able to make it all the way from this end to the other one without sinking, and plus, your new defense is much lighter than your old one, so it should help," he said like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"No way."

"Yes. And plus your bitbeast can transform into a dolphin; you must have no problem with water. Even Dranzer can make it all way there and back the length of the pool."

She looked at him in awe and frowned, unconvinced. "Show me."

He shrugged and took out his launcher. Dranzer was launched on the surface of the pool. It began spinning extremely fast, splashing water to the sides. It was literally running on water. It ran the length of the pool, touched the other side and came back. Only the bottom part of it was wet. Forrest's eyes were wide opened.

"That's cool," she said. "Very cool."

"Your turn."

"I can't… Starlet can't."

"Then try the width, it's much shorter."

She glanced at his confident face and she nodded. But she wasn't sure at all, it was a crazy idea. Across the pool? What if it sinks, I'll have to get it, argh, she thought as she sighed. Let's try. I bet that everyone on the team can do it. Then I can too. She launched her blade to the pool and watch it sink a little but resurface quickly. It began spinning and shot straight to the other side of the pool. It was on its way back when it started losing speed; gravity pulled the blade towards the bottom. It sank centimeter by centimeter. Forrest grimaced and blushed crimson. But Starlet managed near enough to the edge for Forrest to crouch down and catch the beyblade.

But as she leaned down, she slipped down and her heart raced. Oh no, no, no, no, she thought as she tried to grab on something but couldn't. She felt Kai trying to grab her by her shirt but it wasn't enough.

She opened her eyes in the water and it stung for a second. She saw Kai resurfacing—

He fell in too? she asked herself, trying not to laugh. She kicked her legs and her head popped out of the water. She started laughing instantly, almost choking.

"What?" he barked as he swam to the ladder and tried climbing out of the pool. He was wearing a thick sweater and it had gotten all wet. He was rather pissed but Forrest was laughing hysterically. "You're damn heavy."

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "That's not very nice."

"You better be able to go the length of the pool and back by next week. I'll check and if you don't, you're in trouble," he warned her. She sighed and nodded.

Her zipped-up jacket and t-shirt were both glued to her body, which made her rather uncomfortable when she got out of the pool. Her pair of jeans was hard and they had almost frosted because of the chilly air. She shivered and looked at her team captain.

"Do I at least get to finish practice early?" she asked hopefully.

"You wish," he said coolly as he launched his beyblade onto the grass.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Drying myself."

She watched with amazement as Dranzer rose into the air and batted its wings. A barely visible flame surrounded Kai and the boy sighed. Forrest could feel the temperature rise higher and she could see the boy's cheeks grow less pale. The frozen earth became muddy under his feet. She watched his clothes get dry. Can Starlet do that?

She wasn't going to try. The last time she tried something Kai did, she ended up swimming in the pool. She might burn herself if she wanted Starlet to dry her. Forrest knew that she didn't control her bitbeast well, which meant that Starlet wouldn't be able to control his powers well either.

He looked at her, standing there, lost in thoughts and he sighed.

"Come here," he mumbled. She did, but she wasn't looking at him.

As she felt a feeling of warmth sweeping over her, she looked up. A soft fire was around her but she could not feel the harm. It was a warming sensation and it felt great in the cold winter day. She sighed happily. She closed her eyes and let Dranzer work his magic. Soon enough she felt herself all warmed up, like nothing had happened. Beyblading is useful, she thought. Several seconds later, her clothes were fully dried and her cheeks flushed a tomato red because of the warmness. She smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks, lots," she mumbled. He simply nodded as he bent down and called Dranzer. He picked up his blade from the ground.

"I've always wanted to ask you this," he started. "Did you ever hate me?"

She giggled vaguely. "If I ever hated you, I wouldn't have chosen this room. If I ever hated you, I would have moved out of here. I can't hate you, Kai. You're cold, mean and nearly heartless but I can't learn to hate you. It's hard to hate anyone. I have disliked you, like on the first day of school. I was so scared but when you told me that I could be your friend, that feeling just flew out the window. I don't think that I've hated anyone in my life."

He simply nodded and waved his hand, dismissing her. "You can go." She nodded and started making her way back to her room but she was stopped by his voice. "Do you want to … star gaze?"

"I thought that you'd never ask," she replied, her lips curling into a brilliant smile. Her eyes sparkled with delight and her hands were clasped in front of her chest, showing how long she'd been waiting for him to ask. She watched him nod and give something between a smile and a smirk. She laughed to herself.

It was rather peaceful that night. Forrest leaned against the tree and felt Kai's presence approaching. She grinned to herself but dared not to look at him. Her gaze was on the stars, on the Big Dipper. She lifted her arm and pointed to the North Star.

"You don't believe in astrology, do you?" he asked, curiously as he sat down about two feet away from her..

"Do you think that I do?" she replied, chuckling.

"I hope not."

"Well, I don't. But I like star gazing," she told him with a soothing voice.

They haven't been star gazing for a long time. They've been avoiding each other for a while but both had to admit that they were content to be together, just looking at the stars.

The sounds of crickets were in the background. There was a dim light coming from a room upstairs, other than that, the area was lighted by the moon and stars. The surrounding was so familiar yet mysterious. It was only at night that Forrest truly enjoyed the outdoors. Lying on the grass, not caring how muddy it was, and staring straight into the dark skies, she could feel peace wash over her. She could feel the miseries being swept away. And Kai's presence helped, a lot.

"It's hard to believe that, half way around the world, people still see the same stars, only at different times. And that the moon doesn't actually give light, it reflects light. It's amazing, isn't it?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Hn."

Slowly, she felt herself dozing off. Her head slowly slid down to touch his shoulder and as it did, she jerked herself up from the contact.

"Sorry," she mumbled, "I'm really tired."

"Then sleep," he whispered.

"Here?"

"If I know you, you'd rather sleep outside than in."

"You know me well, Kai," Forest said, grinning as she put her arms below her head to use as a pillow. "Night."

"Hn."

She knew that with Kai, there was nothing to worry about. He was there for her, whether physically there or not. She was just glad for that. I wish that I had a brother who would care for me, she thought before completely falling into dreamland.

His gaze stayed on the stars; he sighed several times and leaned against the trunk of an old tree. He looked at the person sleeping beside him, Forrest. She looked peaceful in her sleep, just like when she was awake but he noticed that she smiled. It was a genuine smile, which she rarely showed. He brought his knees to his chest and sat up. He felt a wind rush across the garden and then he felt a tingling sensation. He looked up to the sky and saw snowflakes falling from above, like little white angels that lost their wings. Forrest stirred slightly in her sleep and let out a moan. She won't mind snow. I won't mind snow, he thought as he looked back to the stars, pointing out each constellation one after another. But soon the snow became so abundant that when he lifted his head, he could only see white balls falling on him. He sighed and got up. It is late, he thought. I'll give James a break. His arm crept to her back and another under her knees. He lifted her up. She's not light, he thought as he slightly stumbled back into the house.

He mounted the stairs one by one slowly, sometimes pausing for a gasp of air. He didn't want to wake her up but what he's seen in movies wasn't easy at all. How can those people carry women bridal style? he asked himself as he tried to open the double doors that led to her room. After several turns on the knob, he could hear a click so he kicked the doors open.

Her room was messier than his; she didn't let the maids clean it. She only let Theresa touch her belongings. He went over to her bed and deposited her on it. His arms were rather numb so he swung them a little.

"Kai?"

He stayed quiet and walked away as softly as he could. He knew that she wasn't fully awake; in fact she wasn't even awake at all. He left the room without closing the doors, or else it would create too much noise. His eyes were closed and he let his instincts guide him to the room that he's been living in for over ten years.

He opened his eyes as he felt his legs kick against the soft material of his blanket. To his left was a soft light that shone every second or so. He let an annoyed groan and went to it, it was his cell phone. He opened it and called voice mail. After the process of entering his password, a high but sweet and familiar voice filled his ears.

"Kai, we're coming back for a week. Your brother is turning 23 in fifteen days and we heard that he was engaged! We shall plan a party in his honor while your father goes to pick him up in Russia. See you soon."

He's engaged. He's engaged? And he didn't bother telling me? He called me the day before yesterday and he didn't bother to tell me? Such a great brother he is, he thought as he scowled at nothing in particular. I don't feel like celebrating.

When do you ever feel like celebrating, Kai? his mind asked him.

"Hn."

"Kai, sweetie," came a soft voice. He jerked himself up instantly and gave a silent sight.

"Morning, mother," he groaned as he rubbed his eyes as he threw a look at his alarm clock. Saturday, January 28th; 7:36.

"I believe that you rented the other room away. I opened the doors and found a girl sleeping on the bed," Kai's mom said.

"I did what you wanted me to do," he stated. She didn't knock, well that's polite, he thought.

"Good."

The woman had a slim figure. She was tall and elegant with blue-grey hair flowing to her waist. Her smile was rather fake. Her lips were thin and her nose was high. Her cheekbones stood up well. The woman's skin was a delicate shade of a creamy white, which made her look pale but very pretty. Her eyes were watery and were a dark amethyst color. She walked around in the room, looking at its changes since she last came to Japan.

"So what's the girl's name?" she asked.

"Forrest Fan, or Laura Fan," he answered as he strolled to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Meanwhile, the lady took a seat on Kai's bed and waited for her son to get ready.

Kai looked at himself in the mirror and rolled his eyes. Now I have my mother to cope with, not mentioning my brother and father are coming later on. I don't think that mom will like Forrest at all, he thought, knowing that his mom was very selective about the people whom he hung out with, especially the girls. His mother had approved of Felicia, but not many females other than her. I just hope that Voltaire won't come.

He roughly put on a baggy silver T-shirt and black cargo pants and ran his fingers through his stuck-up hair. He then brushed his teeth quickly.

"Kai, you've grown!" her mother exclaimed as he came out of the bathroom. "You're almost as tall as your father now."

"Great," he muttered, hoping that he didn't sound sarcastic. His mother wasn't the kind of woman who enjoyed sarcasm and humor. She liked sophisticated discussions.

Kai politely gestured his mother to follow him to the dinner table for a quick breakfast. To his misfortune, they met Forrest along the way. Her hair was messy, strands sticking out in random places, plus her hair were highlighted, and he knew that his mother hated people with dyed hair. She considered them fake. But Anna Black was faker than anyone that Kai knew; he was pretty sure that his mother hadone plastic surgeries.

"Morning," Forrest mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. "And may I ask, who are you?"

That wasn't exactly impolite, he thought, hoping that his mother approved of Forrest.

"Kai's mother. My name is Anna Black, born in Russia, and I heard that you were Forrest Fan," Kai's mom said with a soft voice.

"Honored to meet you," Forrest replied, sticking her arm out.

She watched the older woman look at her hand like she was examining if it was dirty. Then after a few seconds, Anna Black, or Mrs. Hiwatari, shook her hand with an uneasy expression on her face.

"I know the last name Fan," Anna started. "I've met Jacqueline Fan before, a quite fine young lady."

"Why thank you, she's my cousin," Forrest replied as she started making her way down the stairs, her long sleeping robe flowing after her.

Kai just watched the scene in the silence, unsure of what to say. Does she like Forrest? Or will I have to find a new house-mate? he asked himself, unsure. Kai knew that his mother wasn't the person who would tell anyone that she disliked them. She would backstab them and torture their lives secretly. And by the way that Anna had shook Forrest's hand; Kai could tell that his mother had a slight dislike in Forrest. The girl wasn't very clean. Not that he minded, but it seems that his mom did.

"So do you cook?" Anna asked.

"Cook?" Forrest replied, chuckling. "Anyone can pop things in the microwave and toaster!" the girl exclaimed.

Kai watched his mother frown, which meant that she didn't like what she just heard.

Forrest looked at the two Hiwataris and sighed. Anna's face was filled with a disappointed look.

"I can cook, Mrs. Hiwatari. I can cook Chinese food and some Italian," Forrest said, correcting her mistake earlier.

"Italian?" Anna asked, interested. "And please call me by Ms. Black."

Why would she liked to called by her maiden name? That's odd. Is she unhappy with her marriage? Forrest asked herself, but she shook her head to herself. Stop worrying about others, Forrest.

They made their ways to the dinner table and all of them sat down. Kai sat with his mother on one side while Forrest sat across from Kai.

"Pizzas are quite easy to make," Forrest said, chuckling. But as she saw Anna's eyebrows coming down to a frown again, she sighed. "I was just kidding. Theresa, my assistant, has taught me about a recipe that she knows. Very good spaghetti sauce, maybe you can try it one time."

Anna gave a quick and apprehensive nod before several maids came in and served a full Japanese breakfast. Forrest looked at the mood and gulped. She never ate most of the things on the table; she had no clue what they tasted like, or if some were supposed to be eaten in a special way. She gritted her teeth.

"Well, I think that they say 'dig in'," Anna said, laughing at herself.

"Right," Forrest mumbled as she held her chopsticks and picked up a slice of cucumber and munched on it slowly.

Placed in front of her was a tray with a bowl of soup, a cup of black liquid, which she thought was tea, a small bowl with some pink things in there, which she had no idea about, a bowl of rice, and a plate with things like a yellow round piece things, red sticks and cucumber slices. And then at the top of the tray was a slice of what seemed like cooked salmon and some kind of bread, or tofu, she couldn't tell She grimaced. At least I recognized the cucumber, she thought. She ate slowly to watch the Hiwataris, hoping that she could understand how to eat that Japanese food.

"So your mother was Japanese," Anna started, as she drank some of the black liquid.

"Yes," Forrest simply replied as she took the cup and drank some of the black liquid herself. "Gaah," she muttered under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Anna said. "I didn't' catch that last bit."

"Nothing…," Forrest mumbled back as she took small sips of the very bitter tea.

The liquid didn't taste like tea at all, or so she thought. It tastes like some kind of herbal medicine, are they trying to kill me? she asked herself as she watched Kai eat some rice with the red sticks. She copied him unwillingly. She had no clue after all and it seemed like Kai knew what he was doing. As she chewed on the red stick, she scooped some rice into her mouth. It was practically tasteless. Screw this, she thought as she suddenly got up and walked to the kitchen.

"Forrest? What's wrong?" Theresa asked.

"Omelet time, I can't stand that food," she whispered to her assistant. The older woman chuckled and nodded.

"I'll prepare that for you, just wait outside."

Forrest sighed, she'd rather be with Theresa than with the Hiwataris; actually she would prefer almost anything than to be with the Hiwataris at that moment. But she had no choice.

"The Japanese food is not of your taste?" Anna Black-Hiwatari inquired.

"No, no, it's quite good. I just feel like eating something more… tasty," she said.

"Ah," Anna turned her attention to Kai. "So like I was saying, your brother should arrive sometime late tonight with his fiancée, isn't it just exciting? They're getting married when he's graduating. He met her in Russia, she works as a pediatrician. Isn't that lovely?"

"Yes, mother," he replied flatly. "Just lovely." Fortunately for him, Forrest was the only one who noticed his sarcasm.

"So what's your brother's name?" Forrest asked, curious.

"Jake Hiwatari," Anna replied for Kai. "He's graduating from college. You'll meet him. You should meet him," she added.

Forrest frowned at the reply. Is she implying that she won't let me see her son? That's odd, she thought. Did I do something wrong? Just then, Theresa stepped out with a plate in her hands.

"Thanks," the girl told the woman. "Mhmm."

The girl lowered her head to eat her omelet so she did not notice Anna Hiwatari scowl at her. Kai rolled his eyes at his mother. I guess that she doesn't like Forrest. This is going to get complicated, he thought as he drank the last drops of his bitter but expensive tea.

His brother was to stay from the 29th of January to the 6th of Febuary, which was also, the first day of the tournament.

Author's Notes: I know what you're thinking. What am I going to do with Kai's mom? Nothing that you expect, she's just a person, nothing more; in other words, if you can't figure her out, just ignore her. But if you get it, huzzah and you'll have fun reading through Kai's tortured life.