Hey hey! Welcome to the New Year people and as a result I have a couple chapters to post. Anyway, as the chapter name suggests, this chappie is about Rei and he's not in this chapter as a person. Okay enjoy!


The bell rang, "Okay class, remember to do your homework and you have an assignment due tomorrow. Good afternoon class."

"Good afternoon Mr Hiwatari," the class replied emotionlessly. Everyone got up, picked up their books and trudged out of the classroom. Kai had chosen a seat at the back of the classroom as per usual and was the last one out. He meandered back to his locker to grab his homework and bag. Finally, it was Friday. No school for 2 days, he thought.

"Hey Kai, wait up for us!" Tyson had called out as he ran up to Kai with Max, Kenny, Lee and Mariah in toe. They were all rather puffed for such a short distance. He shook his head.

"Don't you shake your head at me Hiwatari!"

"Hmm, is that because you think that you're above me you menace?"

"How dare you say that! I'm the only girl in our entire group and you think that I believe that I'm above you!"

"It's true Mari, ya do act that way," Mariah turned around to face Tyson. Walking straight up to him, she stood just above his nose. Looking down on her, she slapped him. "Ow! Why'd you do that Pinkie?"

Slapping him on the other cheek she replied, "Don't call me Pinkie and I don't think that I'm above you all. No one is above my Reirei." All turned to look at each other.

"Your Reirei?"

"Where'd she pull that one from?" Lee said as he grabbed his sister from behind.

"Her arse like normal."

"Let me go Lee!"

"Let her go only when she tells us why he's hers' Lee," Kenny added. She threw him an evil glare; Kenny cowered behind the closest person, which happened to be Kai. Stepping to the side, he let the tech be exposed to the full brunt of the glare.

"Since when has Rei ever been your's to own Mariah? Last time I knew, Rei owned himself," Kai had shut his eyes, crossed his arms and was leaning against his locker. It was the almighty Kai-pose, as his friends had affectionately named it. None could mimic it.

"He has been mine since we were little. Why are you all so interested in my life now?" Mariah was let go by her brother. Her pink satchel swung beside her as she stood in the middle of the assembled group.

"Hmm, does he know that you've claimed him? Or do you just expect him to?"

"Why do you care so much Hiwatari? Do you harbour feelings for him?"

Kai's eyes shot open. Everyone was staring, shaking his head, he headed out the door. Chasing after him, everyone ran down the street. He was only walking and they were panting heavily. Stopping in the middle of the walkway, Kai turned around.

"Why are you following me?"

"Coz we wanna know what the expression was about when Mari questioned ya bout Rei."

"It's true Kai. Why don't you talk to us about it?" Lee asked. In the background, Max was being quiet. He knew well enough to let sleeping dogs lie when it came to Kai and Rei.

"Don't push it Lee. Bad enough that Pinkie got 'em started."

"Com'on Master Hiwatari, tell us what you know."

"I don't think I'd like to know. Rei'll find out if he does," Max piped up in the end. Everyone turned around to face the blonde fluff ball.

"What?" Tyson turned to look at his friend, "you serious Maxie? Do you think Rei would really care?"

"Yes, Ty, he would." Kai continued to walk.

"Whoa, talk about protective! What's got ya guard up Hiwatari?" Tyson was pressing the issue that Max had warned him about. Kai was protective of Rei, for reasons, which he could not explain at the moment.

Kai turned around and walked right up to Tyson's face, "Ty I only discuss Rei with Rei. That way he knows that there is no chance that I would be cruel about him to others. I would protect Rei with my life if it were a war, protect him by the sword if we were samurais and protect him by bashing the living shit out of anyone who touched a hair on his head."

Everyone's faces went blank. No one had seen this coming from him. Mariah walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry I thought that you were heartless. Have you told that to him?"

"Yes, I've said it to him in a different manner of speaking. Now lay off me and let me go home in peace Ty," Kai shrugged her off and stormed off in the direction of his home.

"I told you not to pry Granger. Of all the people, you had to do that to Ty, it was Kai. Perhaps we should talk," Max grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the group.

"Max, what ya mean we should talk? There's nothing to talk about!" Tyson whispered hoarsely.

"You know there is something we should talk about. We've been hiding it for months now, I want to tell someone Tyson!" Max was still holding onto Tyson's hand. He looked up into the brown eyes of his close friend.

"But Max, we don't know what they'll do or think. We could get teased at school for it!" he was looking at their friends who were watching intently, "do ya think they know?"

Max looked at them and smiled, they smiled back, "Nope, but they may have thought of the reason why we always come to school together. Other than that, I think they're oblivious."

"Maybe, maybe I'm bein' paranoid bout it," Ty held onto Max's hand tighter.

"Yeah, you are," Max dragged him back to the group.

"What was that about Max?" Lee asked.

"Nothing to important but it had to be brought to the attention of this person here," Max lightly punched Tyson in the arm.

"What?"

"Don't look so surprised Ty, you know what I'm talkin bout."

"Yeah, I guess," he wasn't to pleased by the current situation. Being taken away from his friends to talk with his boyfriend was rather embarrassing even if they didn't know. Somehow it felt wrong to be in love around these people.

"Anyway," Mariah started again, "I'm worried about Rei."

"Not this again," the boys said in unison.

"Haven't we already covered this Mari? I mean for heaven's sake he's not gonna die before tomorrow."

"Lee's right Pinkie, he's not gonna cark it before then. Is he?"

"Good job Mari, you got Tyson worried about the neko. He's gonna live Ty, the bruising shouldn't be to bad now."

"You haven't seen them though, so how would you know Kenny? Unless you've seen how much power is in a single punch that Spencer throws, they would not be almost gone," Kai had muttered. Everyone had turned to face him again.

"See you do know more then you let on Kai. I've seen him get rather distant, but you manage to talk to him still. How is that so goddamn possible?"

"No need to fume over it pussy cat, I just know him better and Rei is in between a rock and a hard place at the moment. So unless you guys know of a bully repellent, then your pathetic musings over kitty are worthless," Kai could feel his anger bubbling just under the surface. If anyone pressed the subject any further then he might explode.

"Kitty? Did you just call Rei kitty Kai?"

"Hey, for once she is right. You did call him kitty."

"TYSON I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Mariah launched herself at the blue haired teen again.

"I know the name of a great therapist for you Mariah, maybe you should make an appointment with him," Kai chided at the pink fluff ball. He continued his way home leaving Max, Lee and Kenny to keep the feisty Mariah from tearing Tyson apart on the street.

Thoughts thundered through his mind as his walking pace slowed down. Even the heavy weight hanging off his back was like a small problem compared to this. Though he can take care of himself, Rei was not ready for the world of the state high school. As a result, he was often alone going home, as he did not dwell around the school gates waiting for friends like most other students.

This was just the tip of the iceberg of problems. A long list was waiting to be revealed. Rei was a Pandora's box, once opened, only trouble can spill from its mouth. Just after Kai started to open the box that was Rei, he was pulled into all the problems and found that he wanted to help the neko-jin.

"Why did I get involved with this teenager? Kai, you are a solitary person that's why you got the lone wolf as a nickname. Even though you're a natural leader, you don't like people. So how did Rei break through?" he questioned himself. Looking around nervously, Kai made sure no one heard him otherwise they might think he was mad.

Shrugging off the uneasy feeling, he pulled out his house key and unlocked the door. Opening it, the strong aroma of cigars and the noise of drunken family members met him. Shutting the door quietly, he managed to get half way up the staircase before being yelled at.

"KAI WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" it was his father yelling from the kitchen.

Sighing at the stupidity of his father he yelled back, "At school papa! I walk home remember, when don't I."

"YOU STILL GO TO THAT PLACE?" it was his mother's shrill voice that met his ears this time, she too was yelling from the kitchen.

"Yes mama. I still have 2 and a half years left. Now can I go study? I need to get an assignment done before the end of the week!" once again, Kai could feel his anger welling inside of him.

"OKAY, BUT THEN COME STRAIGHT DOWN!"

"Yes papa, I will. Stupid alcoholics," Kai mumbled. As was a new tradition in the family, after Kai finished his homework after school and on the weekends, he was to sit down with his parents and help them go through a couple of vodka bottles. He was used to the drowsy and the light-headed feelings after. The next day, he usually would drink only water and then go throw up in the toilets at school. Nothing was new to him anymore, only his emotions.

Pushing open his bedroom door, Kai flopped ungracefully onto his bed. His room was a dark shade of blue with white markings on one wall. They were the war paint marks on his cheeks when ever he bladed in a competition and outside school. Flowing across his wall was his white scarf and below it his black one. Both were heavy and were worn most of the year. Kai pulled off his shirt and threw it on the ground; it fell in a crumpled mess. Carefully picking up his white scarf, he wrapped it around his neck and let it hang down his back tickling the sensitive skin. Then he pulled it off and placed it back on the wall deciding that it was still too hot to wear.

"Where did kitty come from? I never call him kitty. What's wrong with me?" Kai questioned himself as he turned his CD player on; "not even Mariah calls him kitty! Just Reirei, which grates on my nerves something chronic." He stood up and walked over to his punching bag. His father had set it up when he was sober a few months ago and it got used a lot. Kai threw a punch at the inanimate object, sending it flying backwards only to come back and collide with another fierce punch. Again and again he threw punches and kicked the lifeless bag, but still he found that his unease was still there.

"Rei what have you done to me? Why do I care so much about you and think about you? You haunt my dreams for fuck's sake!" Kai found himself yelling at the ceiling. His music was loud blocking out his cries from his drunken parents. He then crumpled on the floor like his shirt. What have you done to me? Kai fell onto his forearms and dragged his bag to him.

The navy blue satchel was trimmed in a lighter blue around the edges. On the inside, it was an iridescent white and had a wolf paw stitched into it. In a clear pocket was Kai's details if the bag was found and his picture. Unzipping the main section, he pulled out his Japanese homework and went to work. Even though he was in year 10, Mr Hiwatari, his teacher found that they were still lacking in sufficient essay writing skills. This meant that many hours of homework were doing practise essays about people, objects and novels that had been given out to the class to read.

Apart from his large sum of Japanese homework from his teacher, they were related. Mr Hiwatari was his grandfather, Voltaire. This had come as a surprise when Kai had reached high school. He knew that his grandfather was a teacher, but not at his school. As a result, other kids had taken it upon themselves to tell him that his grandfather was only there to make sure he didn't stuff up. This however was incorrect. Kai was treated the worse and found that those classes were unbearable and learnt to hate his grandfather with a passion.

Finishing the essay after an hour, Kai pulled out his science and completed the only question that he hadn't completed in class. Sighing, he packed it back into his bag and stood up. Sitting on the floor doing his homework was not normal for him and he was stiff. Stretching, he walked to the door and opened it. The noise from downstairs was getting louder, and it was only…6. Kai blinked, looked at his watch again and ran down the stairs. Sure enough, his parents had passed out and needed to be dragged to their room.

"Stupid alcoholics, why don't the go back to their room before they pass out. This is not how I want to spend my weekend," he grumbled as he dragged his father's heavy body up the stairs and pushing him onto his bed. He went down and picked up his small-framed mother and did the same thing. Once they were in bed, Kai went down stairs and went down to the basement. Here, he found Dranzer, his Beyblade and started to practice.

For hours, he worked on his technique and strength at keeping the little object spinning. It seemed like a blur, but soon he found himself extremely tired and needing sleep. Peering at his watch, he found that the time was 11 pm. Time certainly had gone by fast and tomorrow, he would pay for it. Trudging off to bed, Kai pulled off his pants and pulled on some boxers. Flopping down onto his bed for the second time that day, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. He knew, deep down that he would wake with an image in his mind that would scare him.


Please review otherwise I can't make improvements in further chapters