Hey! Climax of the story on it's way folks. If all goes as plan. 2 chapters after this... (But remember what happened last time I said that.) I'm already working on the idea's and writing for the next chapter. So we'll see what happens. As per normal. Big thanks to the best BETA-er ever... LADY NIKKI! applauds LadyNikki
Injoy the Chapter!
-Chapter 11-
"Lee… I'm cutting off my engagement to Rei-Rei."
Lee spit out the rice he had just been eating at the words from his sister before completely recovering and opting for a serious look.
"Is it because Rei is with Kai now?" He asked.
She nodded.
"You know as well as I do that he's loved him for years and now he's with him. It would be wrong for me to go on with it anyway."
Lee nodded.
"No one is going to like this Mao (1). Our family is strong and Reis' was. I'm not sure if you can call it off."
Mariah stood up in a rage. Fists clenched at her sides.
"What do you mean I can't call it off? It's our parents that asked for it! Of course I can call it off!"
Lee raised his hands in front of his face to defend himself from his rampaging sister.
"Don't get angry at me Mao!"
That was the last thing the eavesdropper heard before stalking off to his cabin in a huff.
"There isn't a chance I'm going to let that happen Mariah… Not a single chance."
--
"Kai! Are you sure it's alright for you to go on this trip? You seen the look that Gin-Li had on his face when you won."
Kai didn't answer his friend. He didn't think that this trip was a good idea either, but Rei… He had been so insistent on Kai getting out of that village for a few days before they left.
"Kai! You are going to go insane being stuck in this little village for the next 5 days. You can't understand anyone and I know it's driving you crazy. Just go! Have fun for a change."
"Kai! Are you even listening to me?" Yuriy Whined,
--
"You… wanted to see me Grandfather?" Rei asked.
Chyou hadn't known what Gin-Li wanted when she was sent to find Rei and bring him to a strange tent further into the woods outside the village. But he wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what Gin-Li wanted. He wanted to know why Kai was in that match instead of himself. And he didn't want to know why he was out in the middle of no where.
"Yes Rei, please, come in, sit down."
The room was dark, odd for the time of day, even out in the woods, and it was unusually chilly. Rei, even with his Neko-jin eyesight, found it difficult to see. Only faintly, could he see the outline of his Grandfather is the lightless room.
He managed make his way into the room and sit on the hard ground. "Do you know what you have done to my name Rei? If anyone else found out what is going on behind the village's back… you'd be exiled…"
Fear gripped Reis' heart and his head began to swarm with questions and thoughts.
"What are you talking about?" He managed without stuttering.
"You know very well what I mean Rei. Your relationship with that Barbaric Bastard, Kai Hiwatari…"
Reis' heart skipped several beats.
'How… did he find out…?'
"Didn't I tell you that if you didn't stop being like that… I was going to take Byakko away from you…?"
Rei searched his mind for something, anything that would help get him out of this. He couldn't loose Byakko!
"But… seeing as you also went behind my back to keep yourself from loosing Byakko… you may loose MUCH, MUCH more Rei Kon…"
Rei froze completely; he couldn't hear his heart beating in his ears like it had been mere seconds ago. He couldn't bring himself to suck in the valuable air his lungs suddenly craved. His body was numb. The only thing he could comprehend was the constant mantra in his head: 'Help Me!' before a hard, thin object whipped across his back with a sickening crack.
--
"I'm going to go and get something to eat you guys. I'll see you in a bit." Kevin said before jumping from tree to tree back to his Grandfather's cabin.
Once through the door, he noticed that his Grandfather wasn't in the den, where he normally would be. Thinking nothing of it, he simply walked to the kitchen.
After sitting down, a small, but distinct sound entered his ears. Thinking that it was maybe an animal breaking a tree limb off, he ignored it, or tried, it sounded again and again, a few minutes apart.
Out of reflex, Kevin looked to the wall where his Grandfathers weapons from when he was young were kept. He regretted it though.
The Willow Whip was gone.
--
"I told you we… shouldn't have left!" Yuriy called.
He slowed his running pace for a minute when another pain shot through his back. He knew the others felt it too. He also knew that they heard the silent pleas that would drift through their minds every so often.
Kai ignored the two behind him and only ran faster toward the village when the pain appeared again.
They ran for another minute before they stopped. Something they dreaded even more then the pain they felt happened. They didn't feel anything.
"Rei!" Kai and Yuriy called before pushing themselves to run faster then they had before.
--
Reis' necklace his two favourite Russians gave him lay on the floor in front of him. Just out of his weak, desperate reach.
He didn't want to think of the thick, metallic liquid he felt on his hands, stomach and back or the sticky puddle he felt draining from a hideous gash on his side. He didn't want to think of the blurry darkness he felt eating at the corner of his eyes or the pain his ribs felt from their unnatural positions. He was concentrating on one thing. Getting that necklace.
Rei knew he was stubborn and no matter what, he would never give up until he did something he set out to do. He had proved that against Bryan. And since he knew he would never reach the necklace. He tried anyway.
'At least it will keep me conscious…' He thought vaguely.
"Don't bother Rei. You will never get that necklace." He heard his Grandfather spit from the shadows.
Rei whimpered.
"I bet you that Mariah didn't even give you that necklace, did she. That damn Russian did." He growled.
The next thing Rei knew, Gin-Li picked up the necklace and threw it behind Reis' limp figure.
'Kai…'
--
"Chill out Kevin. I'm sure he is with one of the other elders."
"But what about the whip!"
"Kevin. You're serious… you think that Rei is in trouble… aren't you…?" Mariah asked.
When Kevin had just came out and started talking, they thought that he was just trying to make them look like fools like he had on other occasions for kicks. But Mariah was starting to believe him now.
"Mariah—!"
Lee sighed.
"Fine, let's go ask the other elders if Elder Gin-Li is with them and if he's not then we'll go get Kai and the others alright?" Lee reasoned.
They all nodded and split up to go to the other 4 elders houses.
--
"We're almost there Kai. Is there anyway to see if Wolborg, Suzaku and Falborg can find the necklace?" Bryan asked when they could see the smoke from the village houses.
"Let's try."
They stopped momentarily to launch their blades.
"Suzaku/Wolborg/Falborg!"
The blades spun on the spot for a minute before zooming off toward the village, just ahead of their Avatars.
'Hold on Rei…' They all thought desperately.
--
"He's not with the other Elders! I knew it!" Kevin yelled when he met up with the other White Tigers.
"I told Grandfather that we couldn't find Rei or Gin-Li. He told us to come back if you guys couldn't either." Lee said.
"We'll have to tell him what's going on with them. I hope we don't get in trouble for not telling sooner."
"We were protecting Rei. Come on. Lets go."
With that they ran back towards Mariah and Lee's Grandfathers' house.
--
"A tent in the middle of no where. Nice. He planned this out well. That old bastard couldn't have built this. Someone is helping him."
The Russians hid in the brush in front of a large black tent.
"Agreed. I guess the Abbey is actually going to be helpful. Bryan, you scout around the outside, see if you can hear anything or see anything we might need. And be careful, like you said, he couldn't have done this on his own." Bryan nodded and followed Yuriys' orders.
"How are your limbs feeling after that little run Kai?"
Kai smirked.
"Like kicking some ass. You?"
Yuriy smirked and nodded.
"I didn't hear anything. But I found this outside one side. There don't appear to be any openings on the walls. I found this would be the best shot." Bryan reported after going back to the bush.
He held out his hand to show the tattered necklace that they had made for Rei. The red was now brown with dried blood along with the small stone.
"Alright, come on; show us where you found it." Yuriy managed to say.
--
The White Tigers stayed quiet with their heads bowed as they sat in front of the head Elder. Lee and Mariah's Grandfather.
They had just finished telling him about Gin-Li's actions upon Rei and were now waiting for an answer.
He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a small knock at his door and Chyou entering.
"Do you need anything Elder?" She asked.
"Chyou, do you know where Rei is?" He asked
"Yes sir. He is in the woods with Elder Gin-Li." She stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Without waiting for consent, the White Tiger boys flew past the small, confused girl. Mariah stayed with her Grandfather, wishing and praying for Rei to be alright.
"Bring him home safe Lee…"
--
"Ok, Look on the edges, there has to be someway in." Yuriy whispered. They searched and searched.
"It's Velcro. Yuriy, Kai."
Bryan bent down at one end and the other two nodded, doing to same in the middle and other side.
Kai counted down on his fingers.
3…
2…
1…
They stood, tearing the tarp up with them. What they were greeted with disgusted them. Now that the tarp was fully up and the light filled every corner of the black room.
Blood.
Blood new and old covered much of the walls and floor. Bits of fabric and rope also littered the floor.
What horrified more then anything, was the near mangled body lying on the ground. It was curled and holding it sides, flinching and clenching in pain very few seconds.
It took everything the three Russians had, even after growing up in a hell on earth, not to look away.
"Rei…"
Ok Folks, That was that. Please don't hurt me... wait to find out what happens next before you hit me ok?
(1) Mao is a fond nickname that Lee and Rei call Mariah in this. I did put both on purpose, ok?
R+R