Change the World
Chapter II
Half-Tiger, Half-Dragon

A lightning-fast creature ran on all fours into the gathering of trees behind a large red brick mansion, unseen and unheard. If anyone had actually been looking in its direction, all they would have seen would have been a dark green blur of colour for only the briefest of moments, before it reached the safety of the trees, where it would await its prey upon orders from its master.

.x.

The sun had risen not too long ago, and had already completed its job of awakening a nekojin who had wasted no time in making breakfast and leaving it out for his teammates. He needed to get out of the mansion and burn off some energy, so after eating his own helping quickly, he darted outside while wearing only his dark blue T-shirt, a pair of loose black pants, and his black slippers. The land had yet to be explored, and the curious raven-haired boy was determined to be the one who would accomplish this mission.

Running at top speed, which was impossibly fast for a normal human, the teen made his way across the tree-covered land, approaching the dense group of greenery his team captain had been in last night. His suspicions about Kai being in there were confirmed after the nekojin saw him striding back to the mansion a little while after the stars had made their appearance.

With feline grace, Rei leapt onto a rather high branch in one bound and stood up calmly, nekojin balance kicking in. He climbed up the tall tree, not one limb groaning under the boy's small weight. Reaching the top, he poked up through the leaves and blinked his shining golden eyes a few times while looking around.

Hisato himself had told them that if they were to climb this very tree and look around them, all the land as far as they could see belonged to him. Indeed, there was a lot of land. Rei was beginning to not like that man much. He felt so uncomfortable around him, the way he treated him as if he was the only thing that mattered. He supposed he ought to feel flattered, but there was just a bad feeling about him. Shrugging it off for the time being, Rei examined the land closely, imprinting images of the varying areas in his mind like a camera taking pictures so he could piece it together like a map if need be.

When he decided he had a good enough look at everything, he jumped out of the tree in a single leap, landing gracefully on his feet. That was why he wore the simple black slippers he did, because they were easier to maneuver in, and had thick cushioned soles to absorb more shock from impacts such as jumped out of trees, which he actually did fairly often.

Taking off at a run through the surrounding trees, he emerged on the other side and halted abruptly, almost falling over at the sudden stop, and turned around, his bound hair whirling behind him with the motion. Inspecting the trees carefully, Rei used his catlike eyes to discern what made the rustling noise that had made him stop. He saw nothing, yet he knew he didn't imagine the noise. It was the distinct rustling of leaves that he himself had made while climbing the tree. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he continued to look for the source.

"Who's there?" Rei questioned, voice echoing in his mind with the silence.

Nothing.

Rei's mind worked quickly, trying to think of possible reasonable explanations, while he tried to calm his suddenly racing heart. His first thought was that it was possibly either Max or Takao, but neither of them would be up at that time, let alone able to follow him outside so quickly. It was almost impossible for it to be Kyouju, Rei then decided. There was a chance it could be Kai, but Rei couldn't think of a reason for their team captain to be following him.

His thoughts were cut off as a green blur rushed past him at a speed so great his clothing and hair were blown about as if a great wind had suddenly picked up. He almost didn't see it, but his feline eyes detected the colour and his sensitive ears detected the sound of it rushing by. The nekojin whipped around to face the direction that whatever it was had went to.

What he saw was not Max, Takao, Kyouju, or Kai.

Before him was a very tall creature, holding an equally large scythe that didn't look the least bit dull. The upper half of the creature's body resembled that of a tiger, while the lower half looked like that of a scaly dragon's, with unnaturally long claws on both the paws and lizard feet. Reptilian-like wings were spread out to their full extent behind it, while a scaly tail with a sharp point on the end waved about slowly behind the beast. It had a dark green colouration to it, but as Rei looked on, the glow died down and its real colours came through. The tiger half was white with black stripes, while the bottom, wings, and tail were darkest black, though its eyes shone a merciless blood red. The glow remained, however, on the scythe that was equally as black.

Rei was about to make a mad dash back to the mansion, but found his legs couldn't move, and neither could his arms or any other part of his body, except for his eyes that were wide in horror. He had every right to be horrified: this beast could kill him in one swipe of its weapon! He tried to scream, to yell for help, to even whisper something—anything—but his vocal cords seized up.

"You have never seen me, ever. If you should tell anyone of our meeting, Kon Rei, I won't hesitate to come back and kill you in your sleep, as well as every other member of your pathetic team." the beast's voice was unbelievably deep and sounded more like a rumbling growl, yet Rei could somehow understand it, though he wished he couldn't; he also wondered how the creature knew his name.

"Remember well the words I have just said," The beast raised its scythe and drew it down at an amazing speed, horrifying Rei; it was going to kill him! But he realized he was mistaken, as the sharp blade dug deep into the earth beside him, shaking the ground around him slightly, while the wind swept past him, though it was still too close for comfort; way too close. "For if you slip up, it will be your last word spoken."

The half-creature pulled its scythe out of the ground and looked down at Rei as if he were the scum of the Earth.

"I know you will conclude this as a dream and speak of it to another, so here is your reminder." The raven-haired boy was still frozen in place and could do nothing, not even scream in pain as the sharp blade bit into the soft flesh of his stomach. It wasn't very deep, missing all vital organs, which was on purpose, though he didn't know why; however, that didn't stop it from hurting a lot.

The last thing Rei saw before his body went completely limp and his eyes shut of their own accord were the depths of those eyes that were so horrifyingly red it made his stomach contract. His body made a soft thump as it hit the soil and grass still wet with dew and now crimson blood.

.x.

Checking the clock above the doorway, the boy frowned and looked at the other beside him.

"Takao, Rei still isn't back..." the blond asked, worry evident in his voice and facial expression as he looked up at his love.

"It's okay, Rei's a big boy. He just went outside, right? That's what the note said. Don't worry, Maxie."

"But he wrote that he left at eight, and it's twelve now. I don't think he'd be gone for four hours. Can we please go look for him?"

The Dragoon 'blader was on the verge of saying yes to his lover simply to ease the worry in the beautiful blue eyes, when, in a surprising move, Kai spoke up from the corner of the living room that he had been standing in.

"I'll go. I was planning to go outside anyway."

And with that, the captain left the room. Takao and Max looked at each other in surprise, before Max grinned, remembering all too well the talk he had had with the nekojin the previous morning.

"What are you grinning about?" the navy-haired of the two questioned, tilting his head to the side in question.

"Oh, nothing." the blond grinned slyly, rubbing his nose with Takao's.

"C'mon, what's the big secret? You've been grinning every time you've looked at Shellfish¹ this morning, and that one was the biggest yet."

Max noticed the upset look in his lover's eyes and smiled softly.

"Nothing."

Takao was having none of that and turned his expression into a glare.

"Come on Max. If something's going on, I wanna know!" His navy blue eyes held hurt. Was there something going on between Kai and his love that he didn't know about?

Max spotted the hurt and pressed his lips against Takao's, conveying his love to the other in a reassuring way. When they broke apart, it was evident that Takao felt a little better, but still wasn't satisfied.

"Don't be worried, Takao." The baby blue-eyed boy wrapped his arms securely around the other's neck and pressed his forehead against Takao's. "Rei won't be happy I told, but since you're that upset about it, I was just thinking of Kai and Rei together."

"Kai and Rei? Together?" the Dragoon 'blader blinked.

"Yeah! Can't you see it? They'd be so cute."

"I guess. Wait, Rei has a crush on the Shellfish?" At the Draciel 'blader's grin and confirming nod, he raised his eyebrows in an disbelieving manner. "How can anyone have a crush on him?"

"Rei does, obviously. Anyway, wanna help me think of a plan to get them together?"

"Sure!" Takao replied after a moment of silence, and broke out into his own grin.

The navy-haired boy wrapped his arms tightly around the waist of the lithe body leaning on him. Tilting his head, he captured the other's soft lips with his own in a passionate kiss. Lightly, Takao nibbled on Max's bottom lip and suckled on it, earning a moan from the blond. When he finished with that, his tongue ventured out of its own cavern in search of another and licked its way across the soft lips of the other. Almost immediately, Max complied and let the soft pink tongue into his domain. The Draciel 'blader tasted sweet, like sugar and candy, and Takao could never get enough of it. At last, the need for air was too strong, and they broke apart. Sharing a last chaste kiss, Max snuggled back down beside Takao—no, his Takao, and continued to watch the television program, as Takao lovingly wrapped his arms around his Max.

.x.

As Kai stepped outside he felt the wind tugging at his clothing and running invisible fingers gently through his slate and navy blue hair, though it wasn't a harsh breeze; it was enough to make one cold after a while with no jacket, but still somewhat calm. Having read Rei's note himself, the stoic captain knew to head out back if he was to find the Driger 'blader. As he went around the mansion he saw no sign of the nekojin. Wondering if perhaps he went into the trees he was in last night, he strode toward them.

Kai wasn't completely sure why he had volunteered to come searching for the raven-haired boy, but he felt that it was his duty, and he did indeed agree with the worry Max had. The land was large, yes, but it wasn't like Rei to take four hours—he would've had enough sense to come back after two, Kai thought. There was also the boy's agility to factor in; that would have easily cut the exploring time in half. Kai had seen the amber-eyed boy run at top speed, and was amazed.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he examined the ground and saw a few small twigs broken in half, an obvious sign that someone had been through here. Taking a guess that Rei had climbed the tallest tree to get a look at the land, he went up to it and examined a few branches. It was hard to tell if they were stood upon, considering there were no cracks in even the ones the width of his arm. Figuring he'd be able to see the rest of the land clearer from the other side of the trees, he made his way through the brush. As he got closer to the edge he saw a figure sprawled out on the ground with bits of loose, tangled black hair surrounding them, the strands being pulled this way and that by the wind. Kai's eyes widened and his pace changed from a walk to a sprint as soon as his mind comprehended who the figure was.

"Rei!" he called out, but got no answer. He didn't seem to care that worry was showing on his face and in his voice.

The slate-haired captain knelt down beside the other boy, brushing the hair that had come free of its wrap out of Rei's face so he could better examine it. Gently, Kai turned him onto his back and drew him closer, feeling how cold his body was. Horrified, the slate-haired boy saw the dry and fresh blood on the grass and Rei himself. The whole front of his shirt was crimson, and it all originated from the area of a long tear in the shirt. He cautiously lifted the shirt up and saw a long and bloody cut scarring the otherwise perfectly toned stomach.

Now almost in a panic, Kai gently shook the younger boy, willing him to open those golden eyes and look at him. Instead, the raven-haired mumbled something about a monster and a scythe in his sleep and curled closer to the warm body next to him. That was a good sign, at any rate.

Feeling a little better at Rei's actions, Kai scooped the other up in his arms and held him close so that he could shield him from the wind and hopefully warm his cold body. It was safe to say that Kai was shocked at how light he felt. He didn't look malnourished, but he was light enough to be.

Kai had managed to get himself under control before he entered the house, his expressionless mask in place, though he still held the raven-haired boy. As soon as he passed by the living room, as he expected, two loud gasps were heard and the blond and bluenet rushed to his side.

"What happened?" were the first words out of each of their mouths.

"I found him like this on the ground." Kai replied simply before continuing the journey to Rei's room. Also as expected, the other two followed him with wide eyes.

"Instead of gawking, make yourselves useful and get me some extra blankets, a cool cloth, and some antiseptic and bandages." the captain ordered as he lay the sleeping boy on his bed.

After a moment the two 'bladers registered the orders and darted off to collect what was asked for. Kai sat on the edge of the bed, looking over the pale face of the nekojin. It was obvious he had lost a fair amount of blood and would be weak for a couple days.

Why do I feel so strange around him? I can't seem to be able to explain that. I can explain why I was worried, and still am: he's part of my team, it's my job to make sure they're all right, so of course I'm going to worry when something like this happens. Just how did it happen, anyway? He lightly ran a finger over the soft, yet cold skin of Rei's hand, before catching what he was doing and looked elsewhere.

He realised that this was the first time he had actually gotten a good look at the other's room. The walls were an eggshell white, while the floor was covered in lush royal blue carpet that was soft to the touch. It was bigger than his own, but he had seen more extravagant rooms. Looking back at the bed, he took note of the soft silk blankets matching the carpet in colour that stretched neatly across the king-size bed. The sleek headboard shone enough to show Kai his distorted reflection, but he wasn't interested in that at the moment.

He heard the door open once again, and took the items he asked for from the others.

"Is there anything else we can do?" Takao asked quietly.

"Stay out of the way." was the monotone reply.

"Does that mean get out?" At Kai's glare, Takao ushered Max out of the room against his protests and closed the door behind them.

"Rei'll be okay, right?" the worried blond questioned his boyfriend as soon as the door was closed.

"Of course he will be. Rei's no pushover." The Dragoon 'blader held the smaller boy in his arms lovingly and planted a kiss on his blond head. "And if it makes you feel any better, just think about what's going on: Rei's hurt and Kai is taking care of him." he hinted.

Max looked up at him with a small, thankful smile, though his boyfriend's words only slightly ebbed his fear away.

Meanwhile, Kai was tending to Rei. He had removed the other boy's shirt and was cleaning the wound. His pants were also crimson in parts, but he definitely wasn't going to go there. The slate-haired boy carefully wrapped the bandages around the nekojin's slim waist, and gently lay the extra blankets around him so he could get warm quickly. He left the room after that to let Rei rest and went back downstairs, only to be confronted by the bluenet, blond, and now the brunet of the team. It took a little while to convince them that the golden-eyed boy would be all right, but he managed to at least shut them up with a good, hard glare.

"What are we going to do about lunch...?" Takao asked after a few minutes of silence.

"You're pathetic." Kai said angrily and went to the kitchen. He wouldn't have made anyone else anything if he didn't think it a good idea to take some food up for when Rei awoke.

Roughly twenty minutes later found the captain carrying a bowl of soup up the carpeted stairs, while the other members of the team ate in the kitchen. He knocked lightly on the hardwood door of the ebony-haired boy's room in case he had awoken, but he received no response, so he entered. He was greeted by Rei sprawled out on the bed, looking quite comfortable.

Kai carefully set the bowl down on the bedside table, and then paused as he heard something strange. It sounded like a cat purring, but there were no cats that he knew of in the mansion. Looking around, he thought the noise was coming from Rei at first, but that couldn't be right; humans couldn't purr. Just to be sure, the mahogany-eyed boy moved closer to the other and, indeed, the noise was loudest there. He also seemed to be smiling.

Seeing the raven-haired boy begin to stir, Kai immediately went back over to the bedside table that held the soup and pretended that he had just come in with it.

Rei yawned loudly and rubbed at his eyes as he stretched, which caused sharp pains that originated from his stomach, making him whimper. He sat up as best as he could and put pressure on his stomach with his hand, finding it bandaged and his shirt gone. He hadn't realized anyone was in the room with him, and thus jumped when Kai asked him if he was okay.

He suddenly felt naked without his shirt.

"Yeah," he replied as the pain subsided. He glanced around and realized he was in his room. Rei turned questioning golden eyes onto the captain's calm mahogany ones. "What happened?"

"You hadn't come back, so I went outside and found you unconscious on the ground."

Then the memories came back. The half-tiger, half-dragon creature, its scythe, the pain, and the immobilisation. He wasn't frozen in fear, he knew that much. It felt like his whole body was made of ice and he was rooted to the spot. It had to of been something else. The slate-haired teen was surprised to see a flicker of fear go through the bright eyes of the other, but didn't let it show.

"What happened?" the eldest reiterated Rei's question. He could see Rei pause and think, but he wasn't sure if he was trying to remember or if he was trying to make an excuse.

"I—I was running too fast and I didn't see a low tree branch and couldn't stop in time, and I ran into it." he stuttered. It was the best he could come up with, and he knew that creature wasn't a dream, that was obvious from the cut. If that thing meant what it said, then he'd be putting the team at risk if he told them of his run-in with it.

"I don't recall seeing any blood on any branches." Kai raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Did you look?"

Rei caught Kai off-guard, and felt rather pleased with himself for doing so, finding it difficult not to break into a grin at the look on Kai's face. The captain had to admit that he didn't examine the branches, except for the one tree in the middle. Defeated, he handed the nekojin his soup and turned to leave, but was stopped by the other's voice.

"Kai, did you put the bandages on me?"

The mahogany-eyed boy just grunted a "hn" without turning around and left the room, leaving the golden-eyed boy blushing furiously, but with a shy grin on his face.

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Thanks:

autumnburn: Thank you so very much! ((blushes))
EVIL-me: o.o;;; That's a LOT of pleases... XD; That was only the first chapter, can't have all the action right away, now can I? ;P You can expect the real plot to start around the fourth chapter, which won't be a super long wait because I only have to read through the third chapter once more and it'll be up.
Zoutou Ivanov: I'm glad:D I hope the rest is turning out good, too. X3
devilburns: Ehehe, yeah. ((sweatdrop)) But I am very grateful to see that you've stuck around this long! It makes me very happy! X3

Thanks so much everybody:D

- Toady-chan

1: If you look in a Japanese-English dictionary and look for Kai, it says "kai, n. seashell; shellfish." XD