SlippingSanity : Thank You readers and reviewers!

Disclaimer : I do not own ...

Chapter One

The rising morning sun rays beamed through the large window into the spotless, white hospital room. The yellow light outline his seated posture, slowly rising from the bottom of his shoes to the top of his head.

Kai sat in a wooden chair, his right leg crossed over his left, his arms over his chest. His crimson eyes gazed intently at the olive lush of grass, trees, bushes, and the wild array of bright wildflowers three stories below him, though his eyes never saw it. No. What Kai saw wasn't something that was physically there, but felt the part. What Kai saw was the exact opposite of what would be considered 'heart warming'. Kai saw not a happy, calming meadow of relaxation, but the blood ridden skull of death, cloaked heavily in it's robe of shadows. The beast in shadow caressed his thoughts with a gentleness, unearthing images him of the incident that had taken place the previous day, reminding him of the emotions that ran freely through him.

Feelings of fear. Shock. Anger.

These feelings ran through him like his own blood, though there were more emotions running through him, plenty more, but he couldn't - nor did he bother to - decifer them. Why? As far as he was currently concerned those emotions were all that mattered.

Why did they matter? He was Kai Hiwatari. THE Kai Hiwatari. The so called emotionless one of the two ... Bladebreakers. No, don't define anything by numbers, keep it strictly to titles. Names of the whole, not fractions of the whole. Was he in denial if he used words instead of numbers? Was it called denial if he used 'Bladebreakers' as an euphemism for 'two gone from the team'?

Kai scoffed at his thoughts. Foolishness.

Denial? No. Never. Kai took in what was given to him, and accepted everything for what it was. Being in denial is living a lie. Walking in some world you mentally created, and expecting the physical world bend by your imagination. That was something Kai never did. Denial? Ha. It was one of the many emotions erased from him. So what did he feel before? Fear? Shock? Anger? Two of those emotions he felt did not belong.

Kai glared at the grass. He wasn't suprised, and he never felt fear.

No. Those feelings did not remain in him. What he labeled as 'shock' and 'fear' was a misinerpetation of jumbled emotions, and nothing more.

... Yes, because Kai is never in denial ...

Kai exhaled deeply, looking towards the roof before closing his eyes. His mind began to wander ...

Clouds grayed in the sky, blanketing the barely shown yellow star known as the sun. The wind blew lightly, though at a slight rapid pace, the clouds glittered the sky and earth with light rainfall, warning the earth of the not so gentle rainfall that is most certainly to come.

"So what? A little rainfall never hurt anyone" Tyson stated with a shrug as he, Rei, Kai and Max climbed into the white BBA bus.

"I don't know Tyson," Rei spoke, sitting down, observing the ominous sky through the window, "From the looks of it, there'll be more than a 'little rainfall'."

"I agree with Rei on this Tyson" Max said, looking out of his own window.

Tyson slid into his seat.

"You guys really shouldn't worry so much. I mean, come on, it's just a little water" Tyson responded, shrugging again. Sometimes he didn't get his teammates. They worried to much. "Besides, Kai didn't complain about the weather when he got on."

"Tyson, Kai didn't say anything when he got on the bus. He just got on and sat in the back," Max replied, sitting on his knees, turning to face his blue eyed friend whom sat behind him.

"He agrees with me anyway, don't cha buddy?" Tyson called back to the team captain.

Said boy only looked at Tyson with a facial expression that clearly said 'Leave me the hellalone'.

"I agree with Tyson."

Crimson orbs squinted in aggravation. Rei and Max wore a dull expression.

"Tyson, stop trying to mimick Kai" Rei told in a bored tone, shaking his head, his ivory bangs waving with the movement.

"What? That wasn't me! Kai totally said that!" Tyson retorted, defending his lie.

"No it wasn't Tyson. No one can talk without moving their mouth, genius" Max shook his head, flicking Tyson's forehead, "Besides, Kai doesn't sound like that."

Tyson sighed in defeat. Almost as quickly as he sighed, he snapped his fingers, an idea flashing in his mind. Tyson stood to his feet, walking in the asile.

"What are you doing Tyson?" Max asked his friend, a gloden eyebrow rose in question at said boys' actions.

"Tyson? What are you talking about Max?" Tyson responded, his arms crossed over his chest, storm gray eyes glaring in a mock matter, "Don't address me as that fool."

Kai rolled his eyes at the display. Rei chuckled lowly into his hand. Max and Tyson burst instantly with laughter.

"Tyson ... you ..." Kai growled lowly.

Tyson blinked, his eyes falling on the captain.

"Oh relax Kai," Tyson said, walking to the back of the bus, sitting down before wrapping an arm around Kai's shoulders, "It's just a joke. You really need to lighten up."

Kai scoffed. Lighten up? Him? No, nothing was wrong with his attitude. If anything, Tyson was the one with an attitude problem. That goofy, aloof, over confident attitude of his was going to get him into alot of trouble.

"Kai?"

"Whatever. Though thanks for knowing to address yourself as what you really are Tyson." Kai responded.

Tyson stayed quiet for a minute,eyes staring at the ceiling, thinking over what Kai said. He glared at the older boy.

"Hey! That's not very nice you know!"

Kai shrugged.

"I care?"

Tyson shrugged as well, sighing.

"Oh well. I suppose if you liked the joke, even if the humor wasn't what the joke was about" Tyson said, scatching his cheek with his index finger.

"Speaking of 'liking' things, I'd really like it if you'd remove your arm from around my shoulders" Kai spoke, his eyes slightly glaring at said appendage, "And move."

Tyson stood to his feet, grinning sheepishly, one hand scratching the back of his head.

"Heh, sorry about that Kai. Got carried away" He grinned.

" ... " Silence.

Kai watched with mild intrest as Dragoons' weilder returned to his seat. Kai shook his head, closing his eyes, enjoying the silence of the bus.

No one said anything after that. Kai sat in solitude in the back of the bus. Max sat in his seat, staring at the seat in front of him. Tyson rested his forehead against the cool, glass window, his eyes closed. Rei had his elbow on the window seal, his cheek against his knuckles as he idly watched the scenery roll past. (Though the black sky, heavy rain, and harshly blowing wind didn't allow a very good picture for his sight nor his intuition.)

"Rei?"

Said boy rapidly blinked his eyes, turning to the direction of the voice.

"Yes Max?"

"Where are we going again?"

Rei chuckled at the blond boys confused expression.

"We're going to be special guests for a tournement that's being held."

"Sweet!' Tyson exclaimed, punching the air, "We get to battle!"

" ... Um, Tyson? Hate to burst your bubble, but we're not in it."

Tyson face faulted.

"What? Whatda ya mean?"

Max turned to face him.

"Rei said 'special guests' Tyson, not competing" Max smiled.

Tyson pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That sucks. I wanted to battle" He mumbled.

"Well Tyson, it's as they say --"

"Um, I think you all should --" The bus driver began, but didn't have the opportunity to finish as the bus began to swerve left and right, a horrid shreeking echoing louder and louder as the driver tossed the steering wheel side to side to avoid a collision while trying to stop the sliding vehicle.

"What are you doing!" Kai yelled angrily to the driver, gripping the seat before him tightly.

Rei slid away from the window, crowching low to the floor. Max and Tyson ducked their heads, covering their face with their arms.

The bus continued to swerve on the dark, oil-like, water-slicked road. Rain continued to pellet the bus, lightning flashed along the sky in short bursts, thunder boomed loudly in their ears.

"I'm ... getting ... dizzy ... " Tyson muttered, holding his stomach with one hand, the other covering his mouth, hoping to keep his breakfast in him.

"Ah!" Max yelped, another screeching comming from his side of the bus, orange sparks seen flying through his window.

"Max! Are you okay?" Rei yelled to the boy.

Max nodded in reply, screaming 'I'm fine!' to the boy across the thin, metal asile. His ocean eyes turned to look out of the window. He couldn't see anything from his crouched position, but he knew something was wrong. Sparks do not fly for if there isn't a problem. His suspisions were confirmed by a loud crash, and the metal side swelling inward. He screamed, though you could hear another voice screaming behind him. Tyson saw it too.

"What's wrong?"

Max tried to respond, but he only screamed in pain as the glass from the window shattered inwards, sharp glass burning him, cutting him, piercing in his skin. Slowly blood dripped to the floor below him.

Rei slid to the floor between his seat and the seat in front of him. He shakily got into a crouching position.

"Rei! Don't you dare!" Kai yelled to the Chinese blader.

Rei purposely refused to acknowledge Kai's words. He slowly began to totter toward Max.

"Rei!"

Rei turned to the dual haired teen, anger and fear written in his amber cat eyes.

"But --"

"Rei! I'm fine!" Max responded, biting his bottom lip to draw his attention away from the burning cuts and irritating glass in his pale skin.

Another scream echoed in the bus. Kai's gaze instantly fell upon Tyson.

"The - The metal ... " Tyson hissed loudly as he tried to move. The metal from the side split slightly, The sharp edges began to painfully sink into Tysons leg and thigh. blood fell in various size puddles, the crimson liquid sliding down is leg, dyeing his shorts and socks a sick tie-dye of red and blue.

His eyes opened wide as he looked outside the split in the metal contraption.

"There's a ...ARRG!" Tyson cried in pain again, the torn metal claiming his leg once again.

Kai shook his head, standing.

"Kai? What are you -- "

Kai ran to the front of the bus, ignoring the calls to hm.

"Y-You shouldn't be up here!" The driver yelled, sloppily turning to and fro.

"And you should learn to drive!" Kai spat angrily, roughly throwing the driver out of his way.

He promptly sat down in the drivers seat, gripping the wheel in a white knuckle grip. A white light off to his side caught his attention, drawing his eyes to it.

... Two headlights ...

Kai leaned foward, his elblows planted on the wodden arms of the char, his fingers tightly laced, his chin resting on them. He squinted his crimson eyes in deep thought, his hands tightened their grip on eachother, his fingernails scratching his bandaged knuckles.

"Someone deliberately rammed the bus off of the road" Kai whispered grimly to himself.

"I know."

Kai glanced out of the left corner of his eyes.

"You're awake."

Rei slowly nodded his head to the statement, tucking his ebony bangs behind his ears, only to have them forward in his face again. His fingers fell to his forehead, his index finger gingerly tracing over the tight wrapping. Bandages wound around his left arm and forehead. His only injuries from the 'accident'.

He looked over to Kai. Kai had bandages from his knuckles to his elbow on his right arm, his left wrapped from knuckle to shoulder, a patch on his left cheek. The price of heroism.

"What?"

Rei shook his head, eyes closed, hair shifting with the turns.

"Nothing, but" Rei began, his eyes in slits, glaring at the wall to the opposite of the bed he currently sat in, "Who ... "

Rei trailed off, leaving the question incomplete, but Kai understood him as though Rei yelled the question to him. Kai did not reply , however, he himself not knowing the answer.

'Who did it? Who ran us off of the road?'

Kai glared at his left arm, the white bandages that hid his glass incised from eyes. He clenched his hand closed, forming a fist. He didn't know who ran them off of the road, but they were going to pay hell and back for their actions. From the expression on Rei's face, he clearly thought the same thing.

"Kai Hiwatari? Rei Kon?"

Rei blinked out of his thoughts, turning his head towards the door. In the door frame stood a woman with short dark green hair, navy hair, and glasses. She looked to be in her early thirties and, apparently, a nurse at the hospital.

"Yes" Rei answered flatly, his eyes returning to the wall.

"P-please come with me" She stuttered, the mixture of emotioins sturing in the small room seeming to weight down on her.

Kai tore his eyes away from his fist to the woman, the look in his eyes seeming to demand an explaination. She changed her sight pattern to the clock above Kai's spot in the room.

"It-It's a-about your friends ... "

Like liquid, Rei stood up from the bed, slipping on his black shoes. Kai swiftly stood from the seat.

"Let's go."

"R-Right!"

Three pairs of shoes unceremonious tapped rapidly on the tile floor beneath them. Left. Straight. Left. Door.

The trio stopped at two large metal doors, a large number of shouts and protests pouring into their ears. Something about undeniable evidence being discredited as mere illusions, and believing what is clearly before their eyes being discussed, no, argured about.

Rei and Kai pushed open the doors wanting to know what was going on, not really the argument, but what was happening to their teammates.

"This ... This just isn't possible!" A doctor yelled.

"Check all equipment!" Another demanded.

"Why won't you just believe what you see!" The nurse that walked in with the boys yelled, joining the mass of noise.

"Exactly!" A third doctor agreed.

This sparked yet another heated argument of 'who's right?' and 'who's wrong?'. Voices increased, tones angered, each trying to speak their own opinion to prove some point.

"SHUT UP!" Kai commanded, sick of the argument that he and Rei witnessed.

"What about Max and Tyson?" Rei asked slowly, angrily, glaring at everyone in the room.

All of the staff in the room nodded, standing aside to show Kai and Rei what they wished to see.

Max and Tyson lay on seperate operating tables. Pink and red lacerations ribboned their deathly pale skin. Blood ceased it's captivating flow of red. If one wasn't on the bus or was unaware,one would believe the two were just sleeping. Yes. Asleep in some twisted nocturnal bliss that everyone was bound eventually join and no one to wake up from it. If someone didn't know the truth, they would believe that Max and Tyson were playing some odd morbid joke on them. If only no one knew the truth, not even fate ...

"What's wrong with them? I hear a heartbeat ... " Rei asked, his tone of voice dropping to a whisper.

"You can hear a heartbeat? You're just standing next to him?"

Rei scratched the back of his head with a smile, before returning to look at Max.

"That's not the point," Kai intervened, "Tell us about them. What caused you all to start arguing?"

"Well just as your friend said, there is a heartbeat ... but honestly, I'm sorry to say this, but your friends should be ... dead ... "

Kai and Rei were silent, eyes wide.

Dead? If Max and Tyson were supposed to be dead, then ... what was this? A malfunction in the machines? A trick thought up by the hospital to inspire false hope?

"What do you mean by 'dead' doctor?" Kai glared at addressed man.

The man adjusted his tie before answering.

"The human body has a limited amout of blood in their body and, with the way they were bleeding and the numerous cuts on their bodies ... well ... " He sighed before continuing, " If they were adults, adults having more blood than children, the situation would be different than what it is. Different, but still critical. If an adult has about 5 - 6 liters of blood in them, then they've lost about 2.5 liters. That is fatal."

He ran his fingers through his graying black hair and continued.

"It would be easy for us to patch them up and transfuse some blood to them, but other wounds, the deepest wounds, would still be open. You see, to sew the deeper injuries shut, we'd have to move the body. We can't do that, however, because that would spill more blood, and they are in a critical condition as it is. Also, they are not breathing, and there is little activity going on in the brain."

Rei and Kai remained silent, eyes crinkled and moist, like a young toddler trying so desperately not to cry.

"But," The nurse quickly added, hurt by the expression in their eyes, "There is brain activity, if only a little, the bleeding has stopped, meaning the wound's healing and the platelets are clotting, and the heart is pumping."

"And this is exactly why were debating on this."

Slowly, they nodded in understanding, though they were just as confused as the staff was. How did , no, are they surviving? How is it that they can lay there in morbid peace, more than half drain of, what is concidered to be, 'the water of life' drank by death itself, and still have the characteristics of what would be used to determine if a person was dead or not? Activity in the mind? Heart still beating? How is such a feat possible?

"How ...? "

"Huh? How what?"

Rei and Kai didn't move. They didn't breath.

"Hey Rei!"

"Hey Mr. Sourpuss!"

The addressed boys slowly turned to look behind them. Amber and crimson eyes flew wide.

They didn't see ... It couldn't be ...

... ... Tyson and Max stood behind Kai and Rei, smiles on their faces, hands waving hello ... ...

"Did you miss us?"