Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade or any of its characters.

Beyblade

Broken Down Ghost House

By: Plushie-Sensei

Chapter 6: I Belong To Kai

Hilary stood on the balcony of the small two story Inn located in the northern part of Devin's Creek. As far away as they could possibly get from the creepy old Apple Ridge place at the moment. They wanted to get farther, but Robert had some unfinished business there, as well as the gang. Rei was in two places at once, literally. His still, lifeless body lay in his and Kai's room, while his spirit in the form of a small black and white cat wondered around, though stuck close to the group.

Hilary released a small sigh. She'd been the one to take care of Rei while everyone was trying to gather their thoughts. Of course, Rei's cat self was left to Kai when it was time for sleep. She smiled sadly at the image of Rei lapping up a saucer of milk on the coffee table, or the image of Rei laying across Max's lap growling at a small string end Tyson held up to annoy him. Rei fit being a cat rather well, but everyone knew it was painful for the little feline to wake up for the past couple days and whimper with fright as he was still a cat. Hilary had been one of the unfortunate ones to have to console him while he calmed down from one of those fits. She let out another sigh and leaned against the railing.

"Hilary?" Hilary looked up and smiled at the little cat that walked out onto the balcony. He sat by her foot as she kneeled beside him.

"What's up, Rei?" she said cheerfully. Rei frowned, his whiskers twitching in concern.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. Hilary remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Of course, what makes you-"

"You don't have to hide it..." Hilary blinked in surprise as Rei placed a small paw on her knee. She released yet another sigh and pet his furry head.

"I'm so sorry, Rei..." Rei shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep smiling, okay? I'm sure... Tyson would like that as well..." Hilary blushed and stood, eyeing the cat with embarrassment.

"What do you mean by-"

"Don't try to hide it, Hilary. I can see it in your eyes," he interrupted, then turned toward the door. "Now, if you don't mind, can you get me something to eat? I tried myself, but the fridge is just... too big..." Hilary nodded, pushing aside her previous embarrassment and leaned down to pick Rei up.

"By the way, Tyson confessed first," she said suddenly.

"No..." Rei replied with a small meow. Hilary nodded with pride as the two made their way toward the downstairs kitchen.

Kai's eyes scanned over the small pile of papers scattered across the small desk in his room. So far the group knew the history of the house and its many residents that have died there, but still, very little was known on what Miss Mary was up to exactly. She seemed to be after souls for some reason, and Robert did add that there was an unexplored portion of the house, which was located behind a set of five doors. This made him think of the set of keys they'd received in the mail. Though, there were six keys, so that would leave an extra...

"Mreow..." Kai looked to his side to see Rei standing in front of the door, still, in his cat form. Kai watched him a moment as the cat remained silent, its tail twitching back and forth. Rei's cat presence seemed to mock Kai's efforts to save him. He turned to the still, cold body on the bed and frowned. "Hilary's cooking is getting much better," Rei said suddenly, licking his lips with a raspy tongue.

"How did you get in here?" Kai asked, completely off subject. Rei glanced back at the door and frowned.

"I walked through it..." Kai turned to the cat with a surprised expression.

"You... walked through it?" he asked, trying to make sure he heard right. The little cat nodded, scampering up to the desk Kai was working at. Kai placed his elbows on the desk and placed his face in his palms, feeling a headache coming on.

"It's funny though..." Kai looked up at the sound of the soft voice. "I can walk through walls and see all these weird things, but still have an appetite and when I fall off of things it still hurts." Rei glanced back at his rear, where he'd landed when he fell over trying to get something to eat. He silently cursed the people who ran the place. They were kind enough to let Rei reside in the house, but the employees were not as nice. If they weren't getting paid, Rei would probably be chased day and night. They'd catch him and boil him in their stew and serve him to the mean people whom stayed here...

Kai watched Rei's face shiver with fear, then happiness, then fear again, and over again with a small smile. He raised one hand up to pull Rei's body to him. He gently picked Rei up with both hands and studied the cat. Rei's large golden eyes stared right back and his fuzzy ear leaned back.

"I think we should get you a collar..." Kai mused. Rei suddenly gasped and squirmed.

"Wh-why! It's not like I leave the hotel or anything!" Rei reasoned giving Kai a toothy grin. Kai's brow knit in thought.

"Sooner or later the employees are going to use the excuse that you're a stray and kick you out. Besides..." Rei peeked up at Kai, blushing at the smirk planted on his face. "It'll look kind of cute..." Rei's tail involuntarily swung back and forth as he inwardly smiled. Kai gently placed Rei down on the desk as he stood and left toward the door. He paused as he opened it and looked back at Rei, catching the feline of guard. Rei gazed at Kai as he gazed back with a seriousness that made Rei's fur stand on end.

"Kai..."

"I will save you, Rei..." Kai said, his voice sincere. Rei could only gaze back, his eyes shining in remembrance to his current form. He lifted his fore paws and examined his self. He longed for a human body in which he could express how he felt... about Kai. He glanced up, a small mewling noise escaping his throat.

"I know you will..." Rei answered then jumped off the desk and leapt onto Kai's shoulder. Kai reached up scratching the neko's ear and exited the room.

Kai strode past the various shops lining the main street near the hotel, Rei comfortably positioned on his shoulder, his tail wagging lazily. A few children stopped their parents laughing up at the silly cat on the man's shoulder, making Kai smile at the feline looking absolutely stunned on his shoulder.

"Mommy, look, a kitty!" cooed a small girl. Kai eyed the girl walking a short distance behind a woman, then up at the woman. She didn't seem to pay any attention to her child. Kai looked up hearing Rei make a mewling noise in his throat and frowned at the sorrowful look in the neko's eyes as, he too, eyed the little girl. Suddenly, the young girl fell over, slightly injuring her ankle. Kai stepped forward to help her but was stopped as Rei's small claws dug into his shoulder.

"Don't help her, Kai." Kai looked shocked as Rei turned away from the girl and jumped off of Kai's shoulder.

"Why not? Her mother obviously isn't helping any," Kai said, turning to the mother, shuffling down the street. Soon, the girl picked herself up and rushed after the woman, waving to Rei as she passed. "Rei, why did you-"

"She doesn't have flesh." Kai paused as Rei spoke. "She's an astral body. Her mother didn't stop because she didn't know. That child must've died sometime ago..." Kai bowed his head, his expression becoming angry.

"What is wrong with this town...?" Kai looked up to see Rei eyeing the people passing in and out of the pet shop. Even in his current state of a feline spirit he held an air of elegance and wisdom. Kai sighed silently and walked forward into the pet shop. Rei's ear perked up as Kai passed him and in a flash, he followed him inside.

"Well, I do think you made a wise decision, Kai. This collar accents my natural charm," Rei purred, puffing out his chest to show off his new white collar. It only seemed right to white, since Rei's fur was so dark it was hard to see any other color. A couple of silver name tags hung from the collar with Rei's name and some other information. Suddenly Rei looked more annoyed than anything as he pranced out into the pool area where the group was having some fun.

"Hey, Kai!" came Tyson's voice as he pulled himself out onto the edge of the pool. "Hey, Rei." Rei strode up with Kai on his heels and sat next to the navy haired blader looking proud of himself.

"Hello, Tyson," Rei mewled looking around as if trying to make a point. Tyson looked confused for a second the smiled brightly.

"Hey, you've got a collar! How cute..." Rei paled suddenly.

"No..." he shuddered, realizing he just lost a good portion of his dignity. He bowed his head shamefully for a second until Tyson tilted his chin up to see the name tags.

"So... your name is Rei..." Rei growled slightly at Tyson's joke.

"That's not funny..."

"I'm sorry... Oh, and Kai is your owner-"

"WHAT!" Rei shrieked, trying desperately to see the tags, but was unable to do so. Not even the pool water gave him enough of a reflection. Rei glared up at Tyson making the blader sweat nervously. "You'd better not be lying!" he screamed in Tyson's ear.

"No, no, I'm not! I swear, it says that Kai's your owner!" Tyson's nerves eased a bit as Rei relaxed, looking into the pool water with a forlorn expression. "Hey, what's the problem? It's only temporary. You'll be human again, so don't worry about it." Rei's ears fell back as Tyson's wet hand pat his head.

"But, that's just it... What if... What if I never become human again...?" Tyson frowned and suddenly Rei felt himself lift into the air. Rei looked up to see Tyson holding him out in front of him with a soft smile.

"Don't say that, Rei. I promise you, you'll become human again. For now, you'll just have to trust us." Rei watched Tyson's face with an uncertain feeling. So far, just about everyone had promised him that he'd become human again and it was starting to sound easier said than done.

"hmm..."

"So don't be so depressed. Let's go swimming!" Rei suddenly fidgeted as Tyson slid back into the water, holding Rei close to his chest. The bottom portion of Rei's furry body bathed in the water and it felt pretty good. It was rather hot out, after all. Rei relaxed a little more as Tyson waded toward the others. Of course, Kai wasn't among them. He looked over Tyson's shoulder to see Kai, suddenly dressed in swim trunks, lounging on a nearby lawn chair. Kai opened his formerly closed eyes to send a smirk Rei's way, making the neko glare back. Though he was blushing a bit. The prospect of belonging to someone didn't please him too much, but it was a little different with Kai...

"Hey, Rei," came Max's voice and soon Rei was switched off into Max's arms instead. Rei could only let himself be carried and passed around, eyeing his friends from below. He observed his tiny black paw on Hilary's shoulder for a moment until Max took him back. He eyed the other white paw this time, his ears drooping. He'd never felt so helpless in all his life. He was reduced to relying on his friends to keep him safe and out of trouble. It was usually him doing that...

Suddenly, Rei felt strong hands lift him high into the air and looked down with a surprised expression into Kai's face. Rei relaxed his lithe body, feeling secure even though he was hovering over a deeper portion of the pool.

"You're not going to drop me are you?" Rei asked, sounding somewhat uncaring if Kai did drop him. Kai shook his head and brought Rei to his chest, gripping him protectively with one hand. Rei blushed even more, placing one tiny white paw on Kai's bare chest. He was careful, though, to keep his mind clear of any unneeded thoughts, lest he accidentally start something. Like a conversation on how they should get him neutered. Now that would be embarrassing.

"It's not like I had much of an option, Rei," Kai suddenly said. Rei looked up with a questioning face.

"What are you talking about?" Rei followed Kai's hand with his golden orbs until he lightly flicked at the tags on Rei's collar. "Oh... Well, you still should've said something..."

"I'm sorry." Rei looked up again. Kai leaned against the edge of the pool while the others splashed around nearby. "I though cats didn't like water," he said, smiling. Rei frowned.

"I am not a cat..." Kai looked down, caught off guard by Rei's defensive tone. Rei stared at his minor reflection in the water, catching Kai's soft gaze as well. He looked away. He didn't need to confuse himself with his feelings at the moment. The only on his mind, besides the cool water on his body, was the task of confronting the one person who knew more about his situation than anybody.

Robert Newman...

TBC...