Summary: Kai runs away from home and lands at Tyson's place.

Author Notes: A spur-of-the-moment short one-shot that I wrote in an effort to combat a massive case of writer's block. Inspired by the Sirius-runs-away-from-home-and-goes-to-James-Potter story (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix). But Kai is no Sirius, anymore than Tyson is James! More on this fic in my profile page.

Warning: Angst and AU. Tyka if you squint, otherwise this can be read as a Tyson-Kai friendship fic.

RUNAWAY

Kai stood by the window, his back to the room, his gaze fixed blankly on the solitary star that twinkled in the night sky high above, while troubled thoughts jostled for space in his mind.

"I shouldn't have come here," he said softly.

Tyson paused in the act of unfolding the futons he had lugged in and looked up, startled.

"Then why did you?"

"I don't know." Kai hesitated and then continued, "I thought I'd go to Ray's, but figured that'd be the first place they would check. They don't know you or this place. I thought…I…." His voice trailed off and he fell silent. But Tyson thought he understood what Kai had wanted to say.

"By 'they' you mean…?"

"My grandfather. We had an argument and he delivered an ultimatum. So I left. I'm not going back."

"Aah...I see." Tyson said nothing more until he'd finished laying out the beds. Then he went to stand behind Kai.

"My Grandpa would probably say that running away is not the answer. But what does he know? I…I just want you to know that my home is your home...and you're welcome to stay here for as long as you want."

Kai said nothing. But his stance was so rigid that Tyson thought he would snap and break. Almost without thought, in a purely instinctive move, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Kai, drawing him closer. Kai froze and began to struggle but Tyson would have none of it.

"Don't… don't move… please. Just keep still…I'm not doing anything...just relax…" His arms tightened fractionally as if he was afraid that Kai would pull free, and he rested his forehead at the nape of Kai's neck.

Kai stilled. As Tyson gently held him, the tension slowly started to drain from him and he felt the stranglehold he had kept on his emotions slip away as well. Every sorrow he had ever known, ever felt and buried deep inside seemed to well up within him, filling his heart, damming up his throat and clogging his airways. An overwhelming urge to cry came over him and he feared that if he gave in now, he would never ever stop crying. So he kept still, letting Tyson hold him until his emotions were under control again. Then he pulled away.

Tyson let go of him immediately and stepped back.

"I'll...I'll just go check on Grandpa. I'll be back in a while."

Kai said nothing, so Tyson left him. Once out of the room he sagged against the wall and drew in a long shuddering breath. He rubbed a shaky hand over his eyes, and slowly made his way to the kitchen. He pottered about for a while, checked on his Grandpa to see whether the old man was really asleep, and then finally retraced his steps to the dojo.

As he had expected, Kai had already changed and was lying on his futon, eyes closed and face turned away. Tyson hesitated, then changed and got into his own bed.

"Goodnight, Kai," he said softly, casting one last look at the apparently sleeping figure.

Kai waited until he was sure Tyson had fallen asleep, and then opened his eyes.

Goodnight, Tyson. He lay awake for a long while.

Kai was gone the next morning. Tyson woke up to find that he was all alone in the room. Kai's bedding was neatly folded and stacked against the wall. A note lay next to Tyson's bed, secured down by his cap. He opened it.

"Tyson," Kai had written, "your Grandpa's right. Running away is not the answer. So I'm going back. See you around."

Tyson read the note over and over again and then flopped back on the bed, feeling strangely bereft. "I wish he had stayed for breakfast, at least."

THE END