Bryan's lavender hues narrowed at the stranger who stood in the doorway, meeting the less than passive gaze of his ex-comrade and his lover's ex-boyfriend. He dug what little nails he had into Enrique's flesh unconsciously and the Italian struggled against the force, feeling the air passage of his windpipe close up even more. His eyes were slowly glazing over, his hands loosing their grip as he lost his fighting power, but he would not die. Not in front of Oliver, who was biting back the tears that were threatening to slip from his own eyes and along his rosy cheeks. His head, which had been turned away in the direction that Ian had slapped it, partially afraid to watch his boyfriend's suffering and partially afraid of breaking down, had slowly retired to meet the gaze of the one known as the Legend also. He had never gotten a chance to speak to the other Russian – had often thought against it thinking he was just like the others – but now more than ever, he was thankful for the interception – even though he knew it was probably not for the benefit of saving them.
"Why?" The pale-faced Russian retorted to the command.
"I didn't know you had a taste for Europeans," Ian sniggered. He soon regretted after receiving a brief, but mortally wounding glare from the stoic character.
Tala stepped forward boldly and folded his arms. "This has nothing to do with you, Kai," He said crudely.
Kai's garnet eyes moved from Tala to the adolescent struggling in Bryan's grip. The victim had obviously lost any fight he had in his and his face was turning an unusual blue.
"If you've reduced yourself to toying with a corpse, then you're already more pathetic than I thought" His voice was hollow, but the meaning was clear.
It made Oliver shrink even more. They had already allowed the claw of defeat to cross them once, and as far as he was concerned, they'd already been paid back a crucial blow by Tala. What more could they endure and what more could Tala dish out?
The corners of Tala's lips curled upwards nonetheless.
"I think it's fun," He responded bitterly, sending a chill up Oliver's spine. "Of course, you're in no position to be calling me pathetic," The smile broadened. "How's Rei?"
Kai's lips tightened.
"Enlighten me, Kai," Tala continued. "Why are you here?"
There was a short pause. "I have a proposition for you," Was the response.
"And what makes you think we'll except?"
"Because," Kai began. "You crave freedom."
A thick red eyebrow rose and Ian exchanged looks with Bryan. Oliver, in the meantime, ran his eyes about the room. There was no possible escape route and Enrique was still tied up. Bryan's hand had not moved at all, though Enrique found that he could breath now, but only just.
"You're planning to escape again, aren't you?"
Kai said nothing and Tala's laughter, as sinister as it was, filled the four corners of the room. "You're a fool. No one can get out of Stanheld. Not even you,"
"I've done it before…
"…And Spencer died because of it,"
Again Kai's lips tightened.
"You know, I've been waiting for this day," The redhead continued. "The day when Kai Hiwatari would come crawling back, begging to be reaccepted again."
This time Kai's lips curled. "I think you've misunderstood," He said. "I may be asking something of you, but it does not mean I respect you now," Tala's facial expression stiffened and Kai's smugness diminished. "This will be a formal arrangement. Nothing more."
"What if we decline?" Bryan's voice soared through the air again.
"You won't," Kai said confidently.
He then turned on the heel of his trainer and sauntered out of the room casually.
Silence befell the bathroom for a short while and then Bryan's grip on Enrique's neck loosened and then removed itself. Enrique wolfed down a mouthful oxygen and began panting repeatedly, running his hands over his neck as if reacquainting himself with it. The time that he'd nearly seen his life flash before his eyes had guaranteed the arrival of a nasty bruise that was developing ever so slowly. Oliver, exhaled dramatically, after realising he'd been holding his own breathe and the arctic Russian met his frightened gaze, glaring disapprovingly. It was Tala's voice that commanded them however.
"Out. We'll deal with you later,"
Without hesitating, the Frenchman grabbed onto his lover's arm and pulled him towards the exit, slipping passed the Russian's quickly and silently, avoiding any eye contact whatsoever. Ian followed them to the door and called out to them as they hastened along the winding corridor. "You're not safe, you know. Not yet!"
Bryan approached Tala and stood at his side, registering his boyfriend's thoughtful look instantly.
"You're considering it?"
A small silence followed for recognition.
"Perhaps, Bryan,"
"But why?" Ian said as he slipped back into the room. "I thought you hated Kai."
It made perfect sense to decline him really. Ever since Kai's arrival, Tala's main focus had been to get back at him, as the feeling had been vice versa. Had it been Ian, then he would have most certainly declined, but one might have said that Ian was in now way as intelligent as the slender Russian. One thing was certain however, Ian didn't hate Kai. He found his feud with Tala amusing.
In the meantime, the redhead closed his eyes and smiled knowingly to himself.
"The bastard knows me too well,"
-
"King me," Max beamed after he'd placed his checker on the square at Rei's end of the Draughts boards. He'd already had one of his Draughts pieces 'kinged' earlier and had taken a least half of Rei's pieces. The Chinaman was crumbling.
"I'm never going to get the hang of this," Rei replied, moving a piece of his hair out of his line of vision. He searched the entire board. Usually, he was good at board games; average at Chess, a pro on Connect 4, but today he seemed slightly off.
He half-heartedly placed one of the pieces he'd caught earlier off of Max and placed it on top of the selected piece in which his opponent had managed to weave to his side of the board. Now it'd be able to move over two places instead of one. Just great.
"It's easy," The blonde's smile was blinding. "I used to play it all the time back home."
"Heh," The Chinese boy's response was once again half-hearted.
His mind was elsewhere - had been for a longest - on his ex-lover. He wondered what time in the segregation unit would do to him. Whether, it would change him for the better or for the worst. He knew Kai as the thoughtful type, although he didn't show it. He appeared intimidating, but deep down he wasn't at all. He was simply difficult to understand and even more difficult to identify with. Would he really allow Rei to speak with him when he got out?
A blurred image suddenly surfaced before him and it took Rei a while to realise that it was Max's hand waving in front of him. He looked up at his opponent, slightly startled.
"Earth to Rei!" The blond said. "You're move!"
Rei shook his head and apologised for his sudden lapse and looked over the board. Everything looked to him as it had been before. One of his pieces was trapped in the corner and another was looking to get captured very soon.
"Rei Kon!" Came the voice over the ruckus.
The aforementioned looked up at the mention of his name and noticed that the games room was no longer solely occupied by inmates. Stood in the doorway were two officers; one male, one female; whom he wasn't sure he'd seen around before. His first notion was that they were new to the force, but then why would they be coming for him? He hadn't done anything wrong…
Unless…
Ian.
And yet, it had only been once. He had already disturbed his relationship with Kai. What more could he want? The dealer couldn't still have it in for him? And even if he did, telling tales just didn't seem like Ian's style.
Sighing, he came to a stand nonetheless and shrugged apologetically at Max, before making himself known to the officers. The male sighted him first and then addressed him. A pair of dark shades adorned his face.
"Someone wishes to see you," He stated. "Follow us!" There was something snooty about the way he talked that reminded Rei of their hospitalised Senior Governor. He was tempted to ask who it was, but thought against it, reckoning that they wouldn't tell him anyway.
The female officer followed behind them and within moments, they came before the gates that led off the wing.
"Officer Reinhart will lead you to the Medical Wing from here," The man indicated, while shuffling with his keys and opening the gate.
"Medical Wing?"
"Yes. The Medical Wing,"
Rei was well aware that he was being patronising, but let it slide, as he always did, being the calm, somewhat centred individual that he was.
He had never been called to the hospital Wing before and it worried him considerably. Kai's return had already made him feel low already. The bruise he had received from him well over a couple of weeks ago was slowly healing and the colour slowly returning. The physical pain was non-existent, but the emotional impact was still as vibrant as ever – the continuous nights of crying to himself had seen to that.
The remaining officer led him through the gates and they made a left and travelled along an unusual corridor that was painted white. Within moments, he had wondered through a set of swinging doors and passed by an empty hospital room in which the bed sat inside looked as if it had been recently vacated. Rei moistened the dryness in his throat as he passed by a second room. An aged man, who he was sure he'd seen on the twos days before was sleeping motionlessly with a drip hooked up to his wrist. Rei's heart pounded in his chest as he approached the final room at the end of the corridor and peered through the window. His lips parted as his eyes widened dramatically.
"He's been calling for you," The officer whispered somewhat sympathetically, as Rei stood himself in the doorway, staring down at the frail form of his best friend. Lee.
He hesitated, the situation slowly taking root. The other Chinese character looked extremely feeble. His skin was pale and brittle, his hair lifeless and dull and his eyes sunken and bloodshot. The heart monitor was beeping steadily and when he looked up and realised it was Rei standing in the doorway, he tried to smile, but his eyes furrowed in some sort of discomfort. Rei was at his side at an instant and knelt at his friend's bedside, just as the officer shut the door behind him, granting them some privacy. It took Rei a while to realise it, but Lee was trembling.
"W…what…happened?"
Lee opened his mouth to speak, but it turned into a brief coughing fit, making Rei feel even more powerless to do anything. He could tell it was far from a common cold. Back in their village, there were mild remedies for such things, but here, at Stanheld, in the modern world, everything was different.
It was when the coughing subsided that Lee attempted to speak again, but his voice was hoarse.
"…Never…felt like this…before," He chuckled and attempted another smile and Rei smiled back at him, though his eyes glistened with worry.
This time it took Rei a while to speak, even though he'd opened his mouth. "How did you…what did…you were alright this morning…weren't you?"
He hadn't seen his friend that morning, having woken up minutes after the door had been opened. He'd found himself sleeping in longer and often missing Lee, who still retained his usual early morning rise.
"…Truthfully…I felt…sick…since yesterday," Lee murmured.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Thought I could…" He struggled to shift his position. "…Handle it."
"You were always stubborn,"
"Heh…maybe it's…contagious,"
They laughed, though Lee's, was thin and croaky. The beeping of the machine hastened for a short while and then afterward, he looked short of breath. He'd never seen Lee look so. Even with a cold, he was usually endeavouring to do more. He'd never been confined to a hospital bed and neither had he himself. They were soldiers.
"They…think I'm," He took a deep breath. "Taking drugs."
"What!"
"Yeah…"
Silence.
"But you…"
"…Isn't it obvious?"
A pause for thought.
"…He got me…didn't he?"
"…Who?" Rei's brows furrowed.
"…Kevin,"
"No! But he's…"
"…Selfish…conniving…"
"But he wouldn't.."
"…Been in here long enough to be taught…the ways of the trade," The beeping hastened once more. "He's…forgotten…everything we've been…taught."
Rei was still in disbelief. It made sense and yet it had to be some mistake. Kevin was crafty and somewhat Ian-like, but was he really capable of putting a friend – a brother – in such a condition.
"I just can't believe…
"BELIEVE IT, REI!" Lee's voice boomed.
The beep of the monitor hastened for just a moment and all in all, it caught Rei off guard, but it was only now that he was really looking at him. His friend looked even more discontent then before. The blood had now rushed to the surface of his skin, making him look far from pale and a layer of condensation was thin, yet noticeable upon his skin.
"Lee, are you…alright?"
A pause for breath.
"I'm…fine…"
"You're not," He got up and made to press the 'personal aid' button that lay lodged at the top of the bed, but he felt Lee's hand, trembling as it was, grip the hem of his clothes.
"Don't," He pleaded. "I'm…as good as…d…
Lee's grip slackened and slipped from its grasp. His eyes suddenly rolled into the back of his head and he fell forwards, lifelessly. It was Rei's swift thinking that saved him from even more damage as he used himself as a means of support, Lee's head lolling motionless on his shoulder.
"Lee! LEE!" Rei yelled. "HELP! HELP!"
He heaved his fallen friend back onto the surface of the bed, but the heart monitor had ceased its beeping, droning onwards like broken melody. Suddenly, the door behind him flew open, making way for Officer Reinhart and behind her two doctors.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!" One of them said rudely, pushing passed the astounded Rei.
Everything was happening so quickly, that he hadn't the time to register simply one of the emotions rushing through his system. A nurse had slinked into the room also.
"Get him out of here!" He heard the doctor yell again.
"Come on, Rei," Officer Reinhart attempted to clasp his arm, but he twisted himself out of her grasp. "Don't be difficult!"
He wanted to be there. He wanted to know what it was they were going to do to help his friend. Lee would have wanted him there, but being a prisoner had its many boundaries.
"NOW!" The doctor yelled again.
This time when Reinhart reached for him, he went willingly; his body tense as if he were walking to his death.
It was later on in the evening when he found out the news. Lee was dead.
TBC
A/N: For the record, Draughts is the English equivalent to Checkers.