Author:           Mirai Shinranui

Rating:            PG.

Notes:             It has been almost exactly two months since this was last updated, and for that, I am very, very sorry. I won't make excuses, because I really hate it when people do that. I hope that anyone who was reading this will still remember what is going on, or if they don't, will go back and read the last chapter again. For all the time I didn't update this, I don't think this chapter makes up for it. I don't even know how this got in here. I didn't plan this chapter at all. It's shorter than I usually write, and I think it's boring. The title also has nothing to do with the content. I will be trying my best to update again at the end of the week with, what will hopefully prove to be, a better chapter.

                        Finally, congratulations to Lady AA-Chan who was the only one to mention how messed up my point of view was in the earlier chapter. Some people liked how I did it, but I didn't. I didn't continue that way and I intend to edit the first handful of chapters when I'm finished so that everything is 'perfect' (though since perfection is unattainable, I will deal with whatever I can achieve.)

Part Nine – The Birds and the Bees

Consciousness tugged at the fabric of his dream, a call to return to the waking world. Rei moaned, holding his eyes shut tight against the morning. He clung to the last threads of sleep as they escaped him, disappearing into the dawn light. Sleep was gone and he was forced to wake. He opened one eye, daring to peek over the blankets. Today had a different feel. His body tingled, hairs prickling with excitement. Rei could smell the rain, but there was no steady sound of the falling water, or of any harsh winds. He could hear birds singing outside, and children somewhere further away.

Rei threw back the blankets, the cold air attacking his body. A shiver spiked through him, but he resisted the urge to reach for the covers. He needed some fresh air, the gentle wind caressing his face, the sunlight on his skin. Rei rolled onto his back, stretching his legs out and wriggling his toes. The promise of a fresh, bright day invigorated him. He attempted to pull away, but found himself held tight. His eyes crinkled into a confused expression, the corners of his lips tugging to form a frown. He glanced over at the thing that held him there. Kai… His face was an expression of serenity, lips parted as he breathed, his bangs falling across his forehead, slightly tousled from sleep. His arm draped across Rei's chest, denying any sort of escape.

Rei shifted, rolling onto his side to face his captor. Kai never looked this peaceful when awake, his face always marred with a frustrated scowl. Underneath everything, he really was just a normal person. Rei reached out his hand a bit, stopping inches from Kai's face. He tugged his hand back, holding it against his chest. What was he thinking? He didn't want to wake Kai, he looked so gentle and calm, and he could probably do with the rest. It was nice to watch him sleep without the fear of some hurtful comment, or that icy gaze.

The blankets pulled a bit when Rei moved away, slipping out from under Kai's protective arm. He didn't move anything else, just in case the slight movement proved to be too much of a disturbance. Again, he wished he had his slippers. The floor was cold, ice shooting up his legs and sitting somewhere in his stomach. He was determined to escape the close confines of the house he had been locked in for the past couple of days. The doors to the balcony opened with a creak, and he cringed, shooting a glance at Kai's sleeping form. He didn't move. Rei sighed in relief, slipping out onto the balcony. The cold wind grabbed at his pajama's, tugged at his hair, and seemed to bite through his skin. He wound his arms around his body, grateful for the warmth that action offered. As he had suspected, the day was beautiful. The sun was shining full and bright, making the cold that much easier to bear. He leant against the railing, his eyes closing as he let the wind pull at him. Every scent was new, fresh, and bursting with sunlight. He listened closely to each individual sound and liked to kid himself that, on a day like this, he could even hear the flowers bloom.

Something warm and soft slid over his shoulders, protecting him from the cold. Rei let out a quiet gasp, muscles twitching as he glanced back. Kai held the thick jacket over his shoulders, rubbing his arms to coax back the warmth. How long had he been standing out here?

"It's cold," Kai said, his voice raspy and strained.

Rei leant back a little, the action almost unconscious. Kai was still warm and the cold was seeping into his body faster than he had expected. Kai slipped one hand to Rei's waist, snaking it around his stomach. He pulled a little, attempting to retreat into the room.

Rei laughed. "Kai! It's fine, really! I'm not cold."

"You're freezing…"

"But I'm sick of that house."

It was silent for a moment, aside from the gentle twittering of the birds, the sound of children yelling, and cars passing on the street. Another tug and Rei found himself moving again. He tried to protest, digging his heels in, attempting to reach for the railing. It was useless; Kai was far stronger than he was. The balcony doors closed, resolving their little argument.

"Kai!"

Kai released him. "Don't pout."

Rei folded his arms. What gave Kai the right to push him around and expect he would do anything he wanted?

"I'll show you the gardens after breakfast." With that said, Kai disappeared into the bathroom, the door closing behind him.

Rei followed, stopping outside the bathroom. He placed his hand on the closed door. "You better not be lying!" He slapped the door with his palm, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

-------------------

True to his word, Kai took Rei outside after breakfast.

"C'mon, Kai!" Rei tugged at Kai's hand.

Kai rolled his eyes, a piece of toast hanging out of his mouth. "There's nothing special out here."

Rei didn't care. He wanted some fresh air, to run a bit, perhaps climb a tree and sit a while in the sun. He had dressed himself a little warmer though, discarding his pajamas for a warm jacket and long, comfortable pants. He knew he would probably end up removing the jacket; he wanted to feel the sun, not hide away from it underneath bulky clothing.

"Well?" Kai asked. He ripped a piece out of his toast, chewing with a bored expression on his face.

Rei scowled and tugged Kai further into the garden. He thought it was pretty, at least. The garden was a little neglected, vines and ivy smothering a lot of the plants and decorative features. Further down the path was a dried up fountain, a bit green from moss and algae, the creature on top almost indistinguishable. The hedges along both sides of the path, once manicured to perfection, now grew across the stone, their branches long fingers of drying wood.

"Did you used to play in this garden," Rei asked.

Kai paused for a moment, looking at his half-eaten toast as if it could answer the question for him. "I didn't…play."

"Oh."

"…there's a tree…"

Rei smiled. "There you go! So you do know something about this garden. You can show me."

Kai broke a piece of toast off, throwing it at the birds pecking around on the path. The rest followed soon after. The birds hurried over, waddling back and forth, as they pecked at the scattered bread. "It's just a tree."

"Just show me, okay?"

When he looked up, Rei saw something more in his eyes. He had never seen Kai give this sort of expression. He looked almost hurt, his eyes burning with something other than anger. It made him want to see this tree even more.

It took a moment, but Kai led the way, stepping over the shrubs, crunching dead twigs under his boots. He treated the rest of the garden with as little care, stepping on the dying flowers, and kicking loose stones, watching them skitter across the path and into the garden beds. The garden stretched far from the house. The plants down the far end were all dead, broken branches and dried leaves littering the path. The garden closest to the house had been kept in reasonable order, but no one could see this part from the windows. The box hedges around the perimeter were high, thorny spikes growing from the branches, and placed right in the back corner, grew a tall tree.

"That's it," Kai said. He scuffed the dirt with his boot.

Rei craned his neck just to see the top of the tree. Most of the leaves lay scattered around its trunk, long dead from winter's cold. The thick branches stretched out past the hedges, disappearing over the other side.

"I'm going to climb it!"

"No!" Kai grabbed Rei's arm, pulling him back.

"Why not?"

"Just don't…"

"It's just a tree, Kai." Rei slipped free, pushing Kai's hand aside. He took a couple steps backwards, a devious smile playing across his lips. "You could always try to stop me."

Rei dashed towards the tree, jumping onto the lowest branch. He heard Kai's boots crunching through the leaves as he gave chase. Kai should know better. There was no way he would catch up. Rei only stopped when he thought he was high enough, his feet stable on the rickety branches. Kai glared up at him, grasping the tree trunk.

"Come on, Kai!"

"Get down!"

Rei stuck out his tongue and sat down on the branch.

"Just come down…"

"What for?"

Kai shook his head and sat on the branch. The branches lower in the tree were wide enough to sit on without feeling uncomfortable and unstable.

The branch shook as Rei slipped down onto the one below. He landed steady on the branch Kai sat on, crouching to regain his balance. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

Rei let his legs dangle over the side, kicking them a little. "It's a nice tree."

"It's a tree."

"Someone would think you were scared of heights the way you're acting! What's wrong?"

Kai looked away. From where they were sitting, they could just see over the hedging. "I used to come here…to think."

"And?"

"…never mind."

"Oh, c'mon! What about?"

"Just stuff. Sometimes I would watch the sun set over the hedges…and thought about following it."

Rei tangled his fingers into his hair, glancing over his shoulder and out of the compound. There were no more houses over the hedges, only free land. "Why didn't you?"

"Young… Too stupid… A lot of reasons. Then I went to Russia and it didn't matter anymore."

The tree shook again as Rei shuffled a little closer. "And when you ran away…you came back to Japan."

"But I never came back here."

"Then why are you here now?"

Kai growled, leaning against the tree trunk. "You ask too many questions."

"Aren't I allowed to? You never tell me anything. I told you guys everything!"

Kai whipped around, his hand catching Rei's shoulder. "I know you still have secrets. Don't hide that."

Rei placed his hand on Kai's chest and pushed him back. "I think I've told more than you have. It's only fair."

"Fair… Ha. What does it even matter why I'm here?"

"It doesn't." Rei stood and then jumped from the branch, landing on the floor. The leaves blew out of the way, landing a few feet from where he stood. He kicked at them with his shoe, listening to them crunch as they shattered.

"Rei…wait…"

"What is it?"

Rei didn't expect Kai to land next to him. His landing was not quite as graceful, but he landed right on his feet, not in the dirt.

Kai jammed his hands into his pockets, stepping on a larger leaf. "I don't like this place."

 "Then why do you stay?"

"…because I have nowhere else to go."

Rei smiled, giving Kai a gentle shove. "You can always stay with me. I don't know if you would like to live in China, but…"

"China is wonderful…" Kai said this in a way that made Rei suspect he would have said that about any country, any place, as long as it wasn't here.

"Maybe…I don't even need to go back to my village. I can't stay here with Tyson forever. You have money, we could always…move somewhere else…and I can work."

"I think you're required to go to school by law."

Rei laughed. "After school, I mean!"

Kai started towards the house. "You would get sick of me, and I'm sure the Elders are eager for you back."

"Forget 'em," Rei said, a self-satisfied smirk plastered across his face. "I don't want to go back."

"Ever?"

Rei shrugged. "Not right now."