Apple Senorita: Oh dear…..I haven't updated in a while, have I?…cricket cheeps…er…nervous laughter.

I'm sorry. burst into tears I've been meaning to update for AGES but I just…haven't.

I apologise.

Just to get back into the mood of the story, this will be a short chappy but hopefully quite good. It's mostly a series of flashbacks.

Disclaimer: read the first chapter, I have a life you know!...ahem

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Flashback

(A/N: this is the only flashback in this chapter that ISN'T Rei's. You'll guess whose it is within about four lines though!)

"Mummy! Mummy! Mummy," the little five year old clammered, trying to get the attention of the woman who stood above him scrubbing at the kitchen top.

"No Morgan, shush,"
"Can I tell you about school! Listen, please!"
"Mummy's cleaning Morgan,"
Morgan sighed. She was always cleaning.

"Mum can I go out and play?"
"Yes, whatever,"
"When do you want me back?"

His mother threw down her cleaning cloth and turned, face ugly with anger as she yelled, "I don't care! Go and play and stop bothering me! I don't care where you go or when you come back! I don't care you stupid little boy!"

The five year old swallowed and ran out of the room, dashing to the front door and out onto the street. A few other kids were playing on the road with a skipping rope. Morgan sat down on the pavement and hugged his knees. He imagined himself sitting out on the pavement all night until three in the morning, slowly turning cold like those tramps his mother hated in the main town. He imagined his mother cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and not remembering him until it was well into the early morning, as if some witch had put a spell on her that made her clean again and again. He imagined being left out in the cold. It wasn't very hard to imagine. It had happened so many times before.

End Flashback

Start Flashback

"Yo. Yeah you, long-hair,"

Rei looked over his shoulder at the group of boys behind him, beckoning him.

"What?" he asked, trying to hide his nerves as the one who had yelled approached him. He wasn't the biggest of the group, not the one with the most muscles, but there was something in his eyes that Rei knew made sure he was definitely some sort of leader.
"And who are you?"
"R-Rei Kon,"
"Kon? Aren't you that family whose just moved in?"
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"My Mum's a gossip, she heard about you. And your brother. Shame,"
Rei gritted his teeth and swallowed hard.

"Yes,"
"Well, how about you have lunch with us today, instead of hanging around here on your own, hey? We'll look after you. Come on,"
"OK,"

"I'm Morgan. Pleased to meet you Rei-Rei,"

End Flashback

Rei checked Kai's temperature again. It was steadily going down.

Rei was relieved when, about ten minutes into his emergency visit, he saw there was a lot more colour coming back into Kai's face. The bruises were fading just slightly, but he was still shaking. His breathing was levelling out a little too.

"I think he'll be OK Max. We just need to keep watching over him,"

Max nodded. His face was still tight with worry, but he looked slightly more relaxed.

"You think?"
"Yeah. He's got over the worst,"

Max managed a small smile.

"Good,"

"And the ambulance should be hear soon. I bet your Mum was helping out with the crash down there, she'll be back in a minute. She knows she needs to get back for Kai,"
"Yeah…yeah," Max said, although fresh worry had come up on his face.

"It'll be fine Max. Relax,"

"Yeah, thanks Rei. Erm…by the way. At school, the other day, when you asked me to get your PE bag out your locker,"
"Oh yeah, sorry about that-"
"No, it was fine. It's just…a post-it-note fell out. I think it had been slipped in through the slats in the door. And it said…" Max's face scrunched up in thought, and he stuck his tongue out a little like he did in exams when he was thinking hard. The freckles of his skin danced, and Rei nearly laughed: he looked so much like a little boy.

"Oh, yeah: I hate pink, don't you? Love Morgan. I think. Was that the name?" Max thought to himself, not noticing Rei had gone as pale as a bed sheet behind him.

Flashback

"Play me something Rei-Rei," Morgan said, throwing himself down on the beaten, dusty sofa, front first.

Rei picked up the guitar, but fumbled for a minute, unsure of what to play. Morgan opened one eye.

"Well? Come on maestro, I'm waiting,"

Rei fleetingly wondered why Morgan talked to him like that, as if Rei should be expected to do what he said immediately.

"I don't know what to play,"
"Anything. I probably won't know what it is, cos you never sing the lyrics. And the guitar on it's own rarely sounds like the song,"
Rei thought a minute, then began to play. He sang in the words in his head:

Feeling the moment slip away

You're losing direction, you're losing faith

You're wishing for some one

Feeling it all begin to slide

Am I just like you?

All the things you do, can't help myself

How do you feel when there's no sun?

And how will you feel when rain drops come, pouring down again

How will you be when there's no-one

Turning to face what you've become

Buried the ashes of someone

Broken by the strain

Trying to fill that space inside

Am I just like you?

All the things you do, can't help myself

How do you feel when there's no sun?

And how will you feel when rain drops come, pouring down again

How will you be when there's no-one

Don't ever feel

That you're alone

I'll never let you down

I'll never leave you trapped

Don't fall apart

Don't let it go

Carry the motion

Carry the motion back to me

Feeling the moment slip away

Feeling the moment slip away

How do you feel when there's no sun?

And how will you feel when rain drops come, pouring down again

How will you be when there's no-one?

End Flashback

'I hate pink, don't you?'

What did that mean? What if it was something to do with Mariah? Something bad. Rei's frame slumped and he put his head in his hands. Max was too busy hanging around at the front door waiting for Judy to arrive back.

"Oh God," Rei mumbled, into his hands, feeling a huge lump rise in his throat, and an aching prickle at the back of his eyes.

"What are you crying about now?"

Rei raised his head.
"Kai?"

Kai was lying across the sofa like he had been doing all of the evening, the blanket rested gently over him. His eyes looked heavy, but he was definitely away.

"Kai! Kai how are you feeling?"
"Better. Where's Max?"
"Waiting for Judy to get back. She went to the doctor's but there was a road accident down there,"
"Is she alright?"
"We haven't heard from her,"
Kai paused a little, then nodded slowly.

"And what are you getting stressed over?"

"I…oh, nothing,"

Flashback

"Whoa, Morgan, slow down or you're gonna choke man!"

Morgan finished off the bottle with relish and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. The small crowd around him cheered. Rei laughed from where he sat by the crackling fire, watching as Morgan staggered, dropped the bottle and cackled like a madman.

When the sun had begun to set about an hour ago, when the party started Rei had at first felt cold. Morgan had made sure Rei kept up the spirit of things though, by handing him a bottle of vodka.

Morgan collapsed heavily down next to Rei, and gave him a drunken smirk.

"Warmer Rei-Rei!"

"Yup,"
Morgan laughed outright and play-punched Rei on the soldier, "You can sound such a weirdo sometimes Rei-Rei. You make me laugh,"

Being drunk made Morgan laugh at everything. Either that or punch everything.

"Have a bit more to drink Rei-Rei, come on, you'll get even warmer!"

Rei jumped when something cold pressed against his lips and warm liquid gushed into his mouth. Morgan laughed as he force-fed Rei the alcohol. He stopped when Rei began to choke, and let him come up for air.

"Woo! Well done Rei-Rei!"

Rei sat there gasping, the drink splashed on his shirt.

Morgan smiled wanly and watched as Rei felt the affects of the alcohol taking place.

"I like being around you Rei-Rei," he said, with a ghost of a smile in his eyes, "You always listen to me,"

End Flashback

"Hey Rei! My Mum's back!"
Judy entered the lounge looking very flustered and was covered in water.

"How is Kai?" she asked, breathlessly.

"He's doing better," Rei said, jumping up to attention.

"I can speak for myself Rei," Kai smirked, from where he was on the sofa.

"Oh Kai you're awake! Honestly Kai you got me so worried!" Judy cried. Whilst she went off on one a bit, Rei and Max went to the kitchen to make a meal for them all.

"Thanks for helping Rei. I was panicking too much,"
"It's alright. Glad to help,"
"So, what was that note about?"
"Nothing,"
"Oh. OK. I was wondering: what does 'I hate pink, don't you?' mean. Probably just a prank or something,"
"Yeah,"

'I hope'

"AH!"

Rei leapt a mile in the air.

"What's wrong!"
"Nothing. Ouch! I just shut my fingers in the drawer,"
Rei let out a relieved chuckle, "You're so clumsy Maxy,"
Max beamed and giggled, "Yeah, I know. I'm gonna have an accident one day! So come on Rei, I think I need your culinary skills,"

Rei set about with the meal, Max helping when he could. Rei pushed the note to one side of his mind. He was just glad Kai was OK, and that things had worked out alright, at least for that one evening.

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Apple: I refused to get out of my desk chair until I finished this chapter and now I have. YE-AS!

And I have everything planned for the next few chapters so they'll be coming soon!

TTFN!

(Hope you enjoyed and if anything didn't make sense just ask! R&R!)

AppleSenorita