A/N: Sorry for the wait again guys...well. Here it is! Thanks so much for all of your support, you have no idea how much I love hearing from you!
Disclaimer: Rewind...first chapter...read.
Rei arched his back over his chair in front of Kai's computer, clicking 'save' as he stretched. With a yawn he looked over his shoulder at Tala who was resting his head on the computer desk in the chair next to him. He'd long since closed his eyes, and the neko figured he still needed his sleep. Mumbling to himself, he took out the disk one more time, standing quietly to find the other Russian.
After they'd all read it over a number of times, they had finally come to an agreement on the content of the article. The tiger was satisfied that he'd get a good story, and Tala and Kai were satisfied that they'd all be relatively safe for a time.
Stepping into the kitchen, the Chinese teen found the slate-haired teen sitting on the counter, watching the news as he sipped at a beer. His ruby orbs were glued to the screen as his grandfather made another appearance outside the prison with his lawyer. Without a word, he flicked off the T.V. before either of the men on the screen could speak. For a long time he stared at the countertops, finishing off his beer obviously lost in thought.
The neko shuffled his feet nervously; blushing when he realized that he was acting like a small child. Pretending to tap his foot impatiently, he gained the stoic teen's attention.
"Rei?" Clearing his throat, he nodded, waving the disk in the air.
"I'm finished so I'd better get going, I have to get this in before tomorrow if you want this out in time." With a sigh Kai put down his empty bottle and leaned forward on his knees, barely nodding his consent. The Chinese teen's eyes softened at this and he took a step closer, pocketing the disk.
"Everything will work out, I promise you."
"You can't promise that," the older teen snapped, looking up. The tiger didn't press the matter. Instead, he leaned forward, kissing the Russian lightly on the cheek before turning to grab his coat.
"Just watch the news tomorrow Kai," throwing a wink over his shoulder he opened the door. "I'm sure you'll like what you see." The door shut with a 'snap', and he was gone.
The slate-haired teen was frozen where he sat, his eyes widened ever so slightly. Raising a pale hand to his cheek, he brushed his fingers over the skin still burning with the sensation of Rei's moist lips.
"Oh, I'm sure he likes what he sees," came the smooth tenor from across the room. Whipping around, crimson clashed with electric blue as the ruby eyes came to rest on the figure leaning against the doorframe.
"How long have you been standing there?" Kai growled, hopping off the counter. Tala shrugged.
"Long enough."
"Whatever..." he trailed off, staring once again at the T.V. His hand twitched to turn it on again, but suddenly he was pulled into a warm embrace. Melting into the gesture, he relaxed, allowing his friend to steer him to the couch, where they sat heavily in each other's arms.
"You can't keep letting him control you like this," he told the other softly, his elegant fingers brushing Kai's silver bangs out of his face. "You have so much to live for now." Blood red eyes fluttered shut.
"But he's always there, staring at me. Every time I---"
"Every time I look at you I see a strong soul who has fought long and hard to stand where he is standing today. Your grandfather is nothing but a coward...I don't see him in you."
"How can you not?" he whispered back, taking the older teen's hand out of his hair to rest on the blue triangles that marked his once flawless cheeks. "I see him everyday."
Haunted crimson eyes shimmered as they became flooded with painful memories. Tala could only offer his own saddened gaze in return. Shifting them so they could lay down together, he pulled the younger teen close to him, echoing their dark past.
Begin Flashback
"W-Who are you?"" the smaller figure stuttered, edging away from the other two boys.
He was small, but strong, his slender arms and legs toned, his face determined. His voice shook, but underneath it was a brave attempt to quell his fear. Tala looked to Bryan who looked over the other once more in a glance.
He was about their age, possibly a year younger. He was frighteningly pale, his skin standing out in the darkness as if he'd never once stepped foot outside. Slate and navy blue colored his wild hair that spiked out to frame a face of handsome features. But his eyes were unlike anything they'd ever seen. A dark molten flame burned within them. They were the color of blood.
"Answer me!" he yelled, bringing their attention back. He moved away again, stumbling halfway into a patch of fluorescent light. Before the older boys could answer, they gasped in surprise.
His shirt was torn, as were his pants, and through the tattered fabric they could make out the dark bruises and deep cuts that marred the porcelain skin. Realizing what they had seen, he tried to turn, only to stagger backwards. He cried out when he hit the floor, the broken glass on the concrete tearing at his already battered body.
Tala rushed forward, kneeling down at the other boy's side. Reaching out, the redhead moved to pull him up but the boy flinched violently, freezing on the spot as he watched Tala out of the corner of his eye. The other Russian watched him curiously, his expression pained as he took in the smaller boy once again.
"You're bleeding." Bryan called out bluntly, coming to stand behind his partner. The blue-eyed boy glared up at him, turning around for another try.
"I'm Tala," he started, holding out his hands again so that he could help the younger boy up. "And this is Bryan, we---uh, we just want to help..." he trailed off, not being able to explain any further.
Again the boy flinched, tears gathering in his dark eyes. He tried to ignore them by pushing himself off the floor, but the glass tore at the palms of his hands. He blinked, painful sobs rising into his throat. Shutting his mouth he refused to release them, glaring up at the one who sat next to him.
Ice and fire clashed in a brief moment and the younger teen slowly reached back out for the redhead. Smiling, Tala pulled him up, careful of his injuries, before setting him down on a clearer spot on the floor. Bryan stayed silent, observing the two and monitoring the door at the same time. If Boris came in now...
Curiously the two studied each other, drinking in every detail. The redhead still had a firm grip on the slender arms, but to the slate-haired boy, it was comforting in a strange way. Suddenly, he wiped away the unshed tears that lingered on his lashes, before snapping his gaze back the older boy.
"I'm Kai," he said quietly after some time. "Thanks."
End Flashback
The older teen watched sadly as Kai slept, his face set in a small frown. Cradling the other against his chest, he pulled the blanket off the floor to lay it over them before resting his head on the others.
"It's all my fault," he confessed to the silence, pulling his friend closer. "It could have ended that day..."
Max and Tyson walked down the street, stifling their laughter as a young girl with short brown hair and piercing mahogany eyes shrieked, after nearly running into a pole.
"What a dork," Max giggled, taking the older teens hand. His eyes softened suddenly and he glanced back at her as she struggled to clean up her white skirt. "Do you think she needs help?"
"Physically?" he asked as innocently as possible. The blonde shook his head before resting it on the blunette's shoulder as they continued down the sidewalk. As they passed another shop, the American teen looked up when they stopped to find Tyson glaring at his reflection, trying to mat his hair down again.
"What are you doing?" he asked with a sigh.
"I told you," the older teen answered, biting his lip in concentration. "My hair is always a mess!"
"Yeah right," Max rolled his eyes, pulling his partner into the shop. "Come on."
"What?" the Japanese teen cried out, nearly tripping on his way in. The blonde just offered him a gentle smile as he tugged him further into the store.
"See?" Max grinned broadly as they stepped back out onto the sidewalk. "Now you don't have to worry abou !"
son blushed as he stopped once more to look at his reflection in the mirror. The American teen had picked out a red and blue baseball cap out for him. It was a sweet gesture, but somehow, it didn't fit. He furrowed his brows as he stared, the smile on Max's face slowly fading.
"What's wrong?" he asked timidly, standing beside the older teen. The blunette tipped his head to the side. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.
"I got it!" Quirking an eyebrow, the younger teen watched curiously as his partner took the hat off, and turned it around so that it was on backwards, a few of his wayward bangs poking through the hole. "It's perfect!"
"I'm glad," he answered, smiling again. "Now we don't have to worry so much about your hair!" The Japanese teen laughed, taking the American's hand and leading him down the sidewalk with a lopsided grin of his own.
"Yep I just won't take it off!"
"Never?" he gasped playfully.
"Never." Tyson proclaimed, flashing a peace sign.
Rei walked through his department, turning the corner and taking the stairs up three at a time. He supposed that the elevator would have been a better choice, but he was too happy to really bother with slowing himself down.
Entering a small room, the neko nearly skipped to the intercom that hung on the wall. Pressing the button lightly he waited for a response from Diziara, the Chief's personal assistant, though, everyone just called her Dizzy. To this day, no one has ever been able to describe her very well, as no one has actually seen her. Apparently, she was a very private woman.
"Yes?"
"Hey Dizzy, is Kenny in? It's Rei."
"Rei? Cat boy?" she quipped, laughing shortly at her own joke. "Maybe...do you have an appointment?" The tiger sighed, glaring at the speaker.
"No. But he'll want to see me; I talked to him last night about the story I was writing. I've finished it."
"Oh really?" she drawled dramatically. "Well aren't we assuming a lot mister!? And you know it's bad to assume. It makes---"
Rei cut her off. "An ASS out of U and ME, yes, I know Dizzy, thank you."
"I just tell it like it is," she replied, a hint of a smile in her voice as the door to the office opened.
Shaking his head, the neko walked in, heading straight for the desk at the back of the room. Within it sat a young man, probably twenty-five maybe (he was a genius...through college at age seventeen...), with short brown hair that stuck up in such a way as to fool young children into thinking he had a dorsal fin. It was quite comical actually, but the really freaky thing was his eyes. No matter how hard Rei looked, he could never find them. He had huge, thick-lenses that sat on his head, but he never seemed to move them. The only logical explanation was that the guy was blind, and yet, as displayed by his computer and business adaptations...this wasn't the most probable case.
Most people shrugged it off. It was the city after all.
"Hey Chief!" the tiger called cheerfully, sitting down in a chair in front of the large desk.
"Hello Rei," he nodded detachedly. "Be with you in a sec, I just have to finish analyzing the results of our latest front-page story."
"Why do you bother?" he asked with a laugh. "Isn't that kind of irrelevant?"
With a sigh, the young CEO of the company hit the intercom button on his desk.
"Dizzy? I'm going to send you some more data, can you file it for me?"
"Sure thing Chief."
A few more moments, and the Chinese teen had Kenny's full attention. So, as the ebony-haired teen slid the disk across the wood surface, he watched anxiously. Taking it without a word, the Chief loaded the article, skimming over it.
"My God..." Rei was fairly certain his eyes would have widened, IF the guy had any.
"So, what do you think?" the tiger asked nervously. Leaning forward in his chair, the young brunette tried to remain calm.
"I know I spoke with you about this earlier, but I wasn't convinced it would be a story of this magnitude. So I am obliged to ask you if your information is legitimate."
"It is." Nodding, Kenny hit the intercom button again.
"Dizzy? I have a story you've got to run okay? Front page."
"Oh Chief?" the neko called quickly. "It's important that this story isn't just confined to the United States..." he trailed off, not wanting to give away his motives. But once he looked over the content once more, the small man finished.
"Oh and Dizzy?"
"Mmm, Hmm?"
"Forward this to our colleagues in Russia."
A/N: Hehehehe...I'm using so many BeyBlade parallels it's scary! And yes, Kenny is the anchorman AND the CEO...I'm not sure if that's possible, and I'm not sure of the whole procedure either so...I wouldn't assume this was all true. Remember what Dizzy thinks about assumptions. Anyway, thanks again, I love this so very much. And if you're bored, I uploaded a one-shot called: Forever as kind of, an "I'm sorry" for the wait. Anyway, I hope you like this!
Disclaimer: Rewind...first chapter...read.
Rei arched his back over his chair in front of Kai's computer, clicking 'save' as he stretched. With a yawn he looked over his shoulder at Tala who was resting his head on the computer desk in the chair next to him. He'd long since closed his eyes, and the neko figured he still needed his sleep. Mumbling to himself, he took out the disk one more time, standing quietly to find the other Russian.
After they'd all read it over a number of times, they had finally come to an agreement on the content of the article. The tiger was satisfied that he'd get a good story, and Tala and Kai were satisfied that they'd all be relatively safe for a time.
Stepping into the kitchen, the Chinese teen found the slate-haired teen sitting on the counter, watching the news as he sipped at a beer. His ruby orbs were glued to the screen as his grandfather made another appearance outside the prison with his lawyer. Without a word, he flicked off the T.V. before either of the men on the screen could speak. For a long time he stared at the countertops, finishing off his beer obviously lost in thought.
The neko shuffled his feet nervously; blushing when he realized that he was acting like a small child. Pretending to tap his foot impatiently, he gained the stoic teen's attention.
"Rei?" Clearing his throat, he nodded, waving the disk in the air.
"I'm finished so I'd better get going, I have to get this in before tomorrow if you want this out in time." With a sigh Kai put down his empty bottle and leaned forward on his knees, barely nodding his consent. The Chinese teen's eyes softened at this and he took a step closer, pocketing the disk.
"Everything will work out, I promise you."
"You can't promise that," the older teen snapped, looking up. The tiger didn't press the matter. Instead, he leaned forward, kissing the Russian lightly on the cheek before turning to grab his coat.
"Just watch the news tomorrow Kai," throwing a wink over his shoulder he opened the door. "I'm sure you'll like what you see." The door shut with a 'snap', and he was gone.
The slate-haired teen was frozen where he sat, his eyes widened ever so slightly. Raising a pale hand to his cheek, he brushed his fingers over the skin still burning with the sensation of Rei's moist lips.
"Oh, I'm sure he likes what he sees," came the smooth tenor from across the room. Whipping around, crimson clashed with electric blue as the ruby eyes came to rest on the figure leaning against the doorframe.
"How long have you been standing there?" Kai growled, hopping off the counter. Tala shrugged.
"Long enough."
"Whatever..." he trailed off, staring once again at the T.V. His hand twitched to turn it on again, but suddenly he was pulled into a warm embrace. Melting into the gesture, he relaxed, allowing his friend to steer him to the couch, where they sat heavily in each other's arms.
"You can't keep letting him control you like this," he told the other softly, his elegant fingers brushing Kai's silver bangs out of his face. "You have so much to live for now." Blood red eyes fluttered shut.
"But he's always there, staring at me. Every time I---"
"Every time I look at you I see a strong soul who has fought long and hard to stand where he is standing today. Your grandfather is nothing but a coward...I don't see him in you."
"How can you not?" he whispered back, taking the older teen's hand out of his hair to rest on the blue triangles that marked his once flawless cheeks. "I see him everyday."
Haunted crimson eyes shimmered as they became flooded with painful memories. Tala could only offer his own saddened gaze in return. Shifting them so they could lay down together, he pulled the younger teen close to him, echoing their dark past.
Begin Flashback
"W-Who are you?"" the smaller figure stuttered, edging away from the other two boys.
He was small, but strong, his slender arms and legs toned, his face determined. His voice shook, but underneath it was a brave attempt to quell his fear. Tala looked to Bryan who looked over the other once more in a glance.
He was about their age, possibly a year younger. He was frighteningly pale, his skin standing out in the darkness as if he'd never once stepped foot outside. Slate and navy blue colored his wild hair that spiked out to frame a face of handsome features. But his eyes were unlike anything they'd ever seen. A dark molten flame burned within them. They were the color of blood.
"Answer me!" he yelled, bringing their attention back. He moved away again, stumbling halfway into a patch of fluorescent light. Before the older boys could answer, they gasped in surprise.
His shirt was torn, as were his pants, and through the tattered fabric they could make out the dark bruises and deep cuts that marred the porcelain skin. Realizing what they had seen, he tried to turn, only to stagger backwards. He cried out when he hit the floor, the broken glass on the concrete tearing at his already battered body.
Tala rushed forward, kneeling down at the other boy's side. Reaching out, the redhead moved to pull him up but the boy flinched violently, freezing on the spot as he watched Tala out of the corner of his eye. The other Russian watched him curiously, his expression pained as he took in the smaller boy once again.
"You're bleeding." Bryan called out bluntly, coming to stand behind his partner. The blue-eyed boy glared up at him, turning around for another try.
"I'm Tala," he started, holding out his hands again so that he could help the younger boy up. "And this is Bryan, we---uh, we just want to help..." he trailed off, not being able to explain any further.
Again the boy flinched, tears gathering in his dark eyes. He tried to ignore them by pushing himself off the floor, but the glass tore at the palms of his hands. He blinked, painful sobs rising into his throat. Shutting his mouth he refused to release them, glaring up at the one who sat next to him.
Ice and fire clashed in a brief moment and the younger teen slowly reached back out for the redhead. Smiling, Tala pulled him up, careful of his injuries, before setting him down on a clearer spot on the floor. Bryan stayed silent, observing the two and monitoring the door at the same time. If Boris came in now...
Curiously the two studied each other, drinking in every detail. The redhead still had a firm grip on the slender arms, but to the slate-haired boy, it was comforting in a strange way. Suddenly, he wiped away the unshed tears that lingered on his lashes, before snapping his gaze back the older boy.
"I'm Kai," he said quietly after some time. "Thanks."
End Flashback
The older teen watched sadly as Kai slept, his face set in a small frown. Cradling the other against his chest, he pulled the blanket off the floor to lay it over them before resting his head on the others.
"It's all my fault," he confessed to the silence, pulling his friend closer. "It could have ended that day..."
Max and Tyson walked down the street, stifling their laughter as a young girl with short brown hair and piercing mahogany eyes shrieked, after nearly running into a pole.
"What a dork," Max giggled, taking the older teens hand. His eyes softened suddenly and he glanced back at her as she struggled to clean up her white skirt. "Do you think she needs help?"
"Physically?" he asked as innocently as possible. The blonde shook his head before resting it on the blunette's shoulder as they continued down the sidewalk. As they passed another shop, the American teen looked up when they stopped to find Tyson glaring at his reflection, trying to mat his hair down again.
"What are you doing?" he asked with a sigh.
"I told you," the older teen answered, biting his lip in concentration. "My hair is always a mess!"
"Yeah right," Max rolled his eyes, pulling his partner into the shop. "Come on."
"What?" the Japanese teen cried out, nearly tripping on his way in. The blonde just offered him a gentle smile as he tugged him further into the store.
"See?" Max grinned broadly as they stepped back out onto the sidewalk. "Now you don't have to worry abou !"
son blushed as he stopped once more to look at his reflection in the mirror. The American teen had picked out a red and blue baseball cap out for him. It was a sweet gesture, but somehow, it didn't fit. He furrowed his brows as he stared, the smile on Max's face slowly fading.
"What's wrong?" he asked timidly, standing beside the older teen. The blunette tipped his head to the side. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.
"I got it!" Quirking an eyebrow, the younger teen watched curiously as his partner took the hat off, and turned it around so that it was on backwards, a few of his wayward bangs poking through the hole. "It's perfect!"
"I'm glad," he answered, smiling again. "Now we don't have to worry so much about your hair!" The Japanese teen laughed, taking the American's hand and leading him down the sidewalk with a lopsided grin of his own.
"Yep I just won't take it off!"
"Never?" he gasped playfully.
"Never." Tyson proclaimed, flashing a peace sign.
Rei walked through his department, turning the corner and taking the stairs up three at a time. He supposed that the elevator would have been a better choice, but he was too happy to really bother with slowing himself down.
Entering a small room, the neko nearly skipped to the intercom that hung on the wall. Pressing the button lightly he waited for a response from Diziara, the Chief's personal assistant, though, everyone just called her Dizzy. To this day, no one has ever been able to describe her very well, as no one has actually seen her. Apparently, she was a very private woman.
"Yes?"
"Hey Dizzy, is Kenny in? It's Rei."
"Rei? Cat boy?" she quipped, laughing shortly at her own joke. "Maybe...do you have an appointment?" The tiger sighed, glaring at the speaker.
"No. But he'll want to see me; I talked to him last night about the story I was writing. I've finished it."
"Oh really?" she drawled dramatically. "Well aren't we assuming a lot mister!? And you know it's bad to assume. It makes---"
Rei cut her off. "An ASS out of U and ME, yes, I know Dizzy, thank you."
"I just tell it like it is," she replied, a hint of a smile in her voice as the door to the office opened.
Shaking his head, the neko walked in, heading straight for the desk at the back of the room. Within it sat a young man, probably twenty-five maybe (he was a genius...through college at age seventeen...), with short brown hair that stuck up in such a way as to fool young children into thinking he had a dorsal fin. It was quite comical actually, but the really freaky thing was his eyes. No matter how hard Rei looked, he could never find them. He had huge, thick-lenses that sat on his head, but he never seemed to move them. The only logical explanation was that the guy was blind, and yet, as displayed by his computer and business adaptations...this wasn't the most probable case.
Most people shrugged it off. It was the city after all.
"Hey Chief!" the tiger called cheerfully, sitting down in a chair in front of the large desk.
"Hello Rei," he nodded detachedly. "Be with you in a sec, I just have to finish analyzing the results of our latest front-page story."
"Why do you bother?" he asked with a laugh. "Isn't that kind of irrelevant?"
With a sigh, the young CEO of the company hit the intercom button on his desk.
"Dizzy? I'm going to send you some more data, can you file it for me?"
"Sure thing Chief."
A few more moments, and the Chinese teen had Kenny's full attention. So, as the ebony-haired teen slid the disk across the wood surface, he watched anxiously. Taking it without a word, the Chief loaded the article, skimming over it.
"My God..." Rei was fairly certain his eyes would have widened, IF the guy had any.
"So, what do you think?" the tiger asked nervously. Leaning forward in his chair, the young brunette tried to remain calm.
"I know I spoke with you about this earlier, but I wasn't convinced it would be a story of this magnitude. So I am obliged to ask you if your information is legitimate."
"It is." Nodding, Kenny hit the intercom button again.
"Dizzy? I have a story you've got to run okay? Front page."
"Oh Chief?" the neko called quickly. "It's important that this story isn't just confined to the United States..." he trailed off, not wanting to give away his motives. But once he looked over the content once more, the small man finished.
"Oh and Dizzy?"
"Mmm, Hmm?"
"Forward this to our colleagues in Russia."
A/N: Hehehehe...I'm using so many BeyBlade parallels it's scary! And yes, Kenny is the anchorman AND the CEO...I'm not sure if that's possible, and I'm not sure of the whole procedure either so...I wouldn't assume this was all true. Remember what Dizzy thinks about assumptions. Anyway, thanks again, I love this so very much. And if you're bored, I uploaded a one-shot called: Forever as kind of, an "I'm sorry" for the wait. Anyway, I hope you like this!
