MasterFranny: thanks to everyone who reviewed, this is the third chapter and I want to state that I have nothing against any of the characters. I will give the same amount of chances to all the three wooers, and let Kai decide in the end… since this fic is writing by itself… sigh.

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Rating: PG-13 may get higher

Summary: Kai... well, read the story. Kai?

Disclaimer: still not own.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"(talking into other languages)"

–dreams sequences, flashbacks, memories–

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The Way You Feel

Chapter 03: Listen

"(What are we going to do?)" Ian blinked as he looked back and forth between his taller friends, totally lost in the present situation.

They were now in Tala's room since Kai fell asleep again, stressed out because of the recent events; it took them a lot to have him calm down and he needed rest… and they needed to talk in peace.

Ian was sitting on the floor since Tala had strictly prohibited him from touching anything in his room… that after the 'incident' in which he found the Wolf's hideout under his bed, which was full of, well, let's just say something not suitable for underage children (gay porn material).

Not to mention the collection of hard Yaoi such as Kizuna by Kazuma Kodaka and the carton filled with episodes of 'Queer as Folk America', that Tala cherished with his life.

Spencer and Bryan were sitting on two wooden chairs on either side of the bed, which was currently being occupied by Tala. The boy in question seemed to be keen on giving the ceiling his most heated glare and didn't pay the other three any heed.

Of all of them, the red head was the one who took the news of Kai's apparent amnesia worst, and probably needed a bit to accept the fact that his best friend (and current crush ever since childhood) could not remember who he was.

"(I think it's better if we just let him stay here, he seems to like the place,)" Bryan broke the silence suddenly, his eyes briefly looked over his three companions, "(Plus he can't remember anything, but he seems able to recognize us, if only vaguely… and I have no intention of letting him be played around by that group of idiotic Japanese freaks!)"

"(We haven't called any of them, not even Mr. Dickinson,)" Spencer, ever the reasonable one, spoke up, sparing a cautious look over at Tala, "(I mean, they have a right to know about what happened to their captain…)" his sentence was cut short when Tala sent a glare his way and he knew immediately to hold his tongue.

"(Kai will remain here,)" the redhead declared, "(We will call a doctor and when he states that Kai needs to remain here, we will call that old man)".

Spencer sighed. There was no way things could go smoothly if they were to keep thinking like this…

"(There is another thing we need to ensure,)" Bryan looked at them all, "(that Kai doesn't find out what happened to him, least of all the ones that happened at the Abbey; it would be quite a shock and our intention isn't really to make him feel worse, is it?)"

"(You're saying that we should hide it from him?)" Ian didn't seem to be convinced. He stared up at the others with a light frown, doubt flickering in his eyes.

"(He will remember, eventually, and it's better if he's the one who asks us to explain, instead of us telling him ourselves, causing him to relieve his pain when he's not ready to face it,)" Bryan reasoned.

Ian nodded reluctantly, followed by Tala and Spencer. They knew all too well that memories from the Abbey would be hard to accept, especially if you couldn't remember everything you went through.

"(I'm going to call a doctor,)" Spencer stood up and stared at the others. He wanted to add something, because even though he was the one who mentioned alerting the BladeBreakers about Kai's situation, he wanted the teen to stay with them nonetheless. "(I will do whatever it takes to make sure that Kai stay with us)".

Before he stepped out of the room, Ian attempted to sneak towards the bed, but was halted within his tracks by Bryan's hand. Soon the younger teen found himself being thrown outside the room as the door closed behind him with a loud thump. He could be heard sulking while retreating down the corridor.

Bryan sat back down in his chair and faced Tala, eyes speaking more than words ever could; Tala returned the gaze with his own cool glare.

"(What?)" Tala growled in response to the look. He knew what was going through Bryan's head, and he didn't like it at all. "(Don't you want Kai to stay?)"

"(I want Kai to stay, just as much as you do,)" Bryan lifted his hand to stop Tala's oncoming protests, as it was the truth. "(And I don't trust the BladeBreakers, just like you…)" he bit his lip looking away then he continued, "(but even if Kai belongs to us, his family, his friends, he still shares something with those amateurs, or else he wouldn't have been trying to soften things between us like he kept trying all this time. For how much I despise them, Kai needs to know he has someone else apart from us…)"

What he didn't say was that he hoped Kai would find out soon the BladeBreakers were nothing but a nuisance, and that he would be the one to leave them. But Kai had other friends apart for them, and their jealously could not prevent Kai from seeing them.

Kai deserved friends. And if he thought the BladeBreakers were worthy it, Bryan would accept that. Even though he didn't like it.

Of course, his speech had been already way too long for his liking, and he wasn't keen to speak so much, ever.

Tala gritted his teeth and shook his head fervently, but Bryan only lifted his hand again.

"(You don't want him to be mad at you when he hears it from someone else's mouth, do you, Tala? Don't be selfish)".

Tala sighed, but there was nothing he could say against the Lilac haired blader. He was right, no matter how desperately Tala wanted to ignore the existence of the BladeBreakers, they were still Kai's team–mates. They would do anything to be part of the Phoenix's life, even if Kai couldn't remember them at all.

"(Tala, Bryan, I called the doctor, he said he will be here in a few minutes,)" Spencer muffled voice called out from behind the closed door, "(I suggest you come and wake Kai)".

The two glanced at each other and nodded and stood on their feet before replying with a simple 'coming'.

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"(So you can't remember anything from before you woke up?)" the doctor –a tall young man on his thirties with brown hair and warm eyes– asked, shining a light into Kai's eye to see whether his pupils were responding.

Kai nodded warily as the doctor studied him intently, watching his reactions. He couldn't but feel uneasy near him, having some stranger touch him. He didn't feel that way when the boy, Bryan, or the others hugged him before.

But then again, Bryan and the others seemed familiar to Kai than the doctor did.

"(He seems to have a slight concussion which is probably causing the memory loss,)" the doctor said finally, speaking to the four. "(Other than that, the injury to his head doesn't seem to be very serious. Have you called the police about the people who attacked him?)"

"(We did, but they said that they couldn't do anything without an description of the person,)" Spencer answered, receiving a nod from the doctor who kept his attention on the teen before him.

Always being the thoughtful one, the blond had called the police just before calling in the hospital, and the response he got wasn't satisfying at all… the police could do nothing. They could not know who had attacked their friend, and a memory loss wasn't helping either.

The doctor stared at all the four teens for a second, then his eyes trailed on Kai once more. He could see how the young slate haired blader was acting with them, and how he acted upon his own touch, and knew he was comfortable with them more than with anyone else.

He could not and would not take Kai away from them. This was the right thing to do to assure his recover.

"(I think it's best if he remains where he is for the time being, he does seem to be quite familiar with you all)".

Kai all the while was looking at the doctor and at them; he was familiar with them, but if he tried to remember, even if just a shard of memory about the boys in front of him, nothing came to him, just a dull ache in the back of his head. But something deep inside assured him that he had nothing to fear of these people who called themselves his friends.

"(Thanks… for doing this,)" he mumbled out awkwardly and shot them a smile, "(you're really nice)".

This brought on a few startled looks from the Demolition Boys. Seeing such emotion if Kai's normally serious face was an event of historic proportions. It wasn't something you saw everyday and at those odd times, it was something evanescent and could barely be seen by the naked eye.

But this time, it was a genuine smile, one that lightened up his whole face and it made the teens experience a peculiar, tingling feeling in the pit of their stomach. Perhaps helping Kai find his memory could repair the once close bond they all shared and almost forgot after so many years.

"(If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me,)" the doctor handed a piece of paper to Bryan and left with a last smile at the boys. "(I think that's all I can do for now. Have a nice day)".

He had previously only known the Demolition Boys through word of mouth. Ruthless, mean, cold and emotionless were some of the most common descriptions people gave out about them, or even worse, more evil and insulting; but at this moment, being in a room with them, the real them, his opinion changed completely.

Perhaps they could be cold and ruthless in battle, but now they were just normal young children who cared about their friends. A very close friend, as he could see.

As soon as the doctor was out of their house, the Demolition Boys visibly relaxed. Not unlike Kai, they also felt uncomfortable around people they didn't know, even if the person was a doctor.

"(I guess its time to call the old man, then,)" Tala couldn't hold back a smirk, despite his displeasure… at least now they had an ally. "(Spencer, you're the one)".

The blonde just shrugged and headed towards the phone as the remaining three crowded around Kai. The slate haired boy was currently staring into a mirror, confusion written clearly on his face.

"(Why am I wearing this face paint?)" he brushed his fingers over the blue paint, leaving a smear on his hand and his cheek with a frown, "(it makes me look scary)".

Tala glanced over to Bryan for an answer, but was only answered with a shrug. There was no actual answer for that question, or at least no one they could reveal as for now.

"(You liked it,)" he answered. It was the truth, after all.

"(Well… I don't anymore,)" Kai replied simply, grabbing a stray handkerchief; with great care he wiped all the blue colour off his face, checking if he'd missed some in the mirror. He was uncomfortable with the marks on his cheeks. He didn't know why, but the blue marks brought up a bad feeling, a memory, from deep inside his heart, and he wasn't quite sure he wanted to remember that part of his past.

At least not now.

Looking at his reflection again, he smiled proudly. He liked the way he looked now, younger. His eyes fell on the clothes he was wearing: they were still a little dirty and bloody, even his scarf was gone, but he didn't even remember having one, so he wasn't worried about it.

"(I used to wear this kind of things?)" he made a face, frowning once more time, "(they seem like a carnival costume. Can I have something normal?)"

Tala was slightly taken aback by his words and for a moment couldn't do anything but stare at him. The shock didn't last long though and he replied Kai with a small smile, "(That's really strange to hear that from you Kai, but… as you wish)".

Kai stayed silent, his eyes locked on Tala's. He blinked once and turned to look away.

"(What?)" Tala couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something different about the way Kai stared at him.

"(You look cute when you smile,)" Kai said straightforwardly. He didn't seem to be the least bit embarrassed.

Without noticing the blush that had crept onto Tala's face, Kai turned to Bryan, who seemed quite amused by Tala's expression. The lilac haired teen was quite scary, but there was something in his eyes that told Kai that he was a good person, quenching his fear a little.

"(Can I have something to eat?)" he pleaded.

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Mr. Dickinson was enjoying his morning tea –something he had been deprived of during the last few days of the tournament– with Mr. Granger and Tyson's father, Bruce, all the while chatting about the mysteries of the sacred beasts.

Bruce Granger was an expert on the subject seeing as he'd spent three years of his life looking for them. It had been quite a shock for him to discover that his own son and his friends owned them. However, as he watched them interact with the Beasts, he realized that the word 'own' was not the one he should use to explain the complex relationship between Blader and Beast.

It was as if the person and the creature were complementary parts of the same being, the nature of the Beast conveying the blader's own to fit together perfectly.

The bonds between the two were as strong as friendship, if not stronger, akin to brotherhood, and Bruce was sure that meant that no Sacred Beasts could be purely evil, not even the ones he saw that could be called so.

But now he had to wonder, if his theory was right, then Black Dranzer couldn't really be classified as one of the Sacred Beasts. Neither he, nor Mr. Dickinson knew what to think, or where to place her because she was obviously evil and what's more, a genetic copy of Kai's Beast.

For how many studies Bruce had attempted in order to understand everything about the Beasts, there were many things that were still hidden in the darkness.

But now, she seemed to have vanished into thin air, and perhaps, all the worrying was for nothing. Whatever it was, Bruce was certain that nothing could ruin the peace left in the wake of Boris' arrest.

"(Mr. Dickinson?)" one of the Russian BBA's employees knocked at the door, before peering in cautiously, "(I'm sorry to interrupt your morning ritual, but there was call for you)".

"(Is there something wrong?)" he asked politely, replacing his cup on the plate.

"(I'm not certain,)" the man shook his head, "(It was Spencer, one of the Demolition Boys. He's requested your presence in their house as soon as your commitments allow you to)".

The three men at the table exchanged perplexed looks as they stood up, the tea forgotten. It was unusual for the Russian team to call them, knowing how reserved they were; there was probably something wrong, that required their presence as soon as possible.

'I should not have thought everything was gonna be ok,' Bruce sighed to himself, feeling as if he'd jinxed himself. 'I have a bad feeling about this'.

They contemplated calling the BladeBreakers as well, but decided otherwise. They were not exactly on the best terms with the Russian team –with the exception of Kai– so it was better to leave the Japanese teens out of it, and eventually call them in later on if the matter required it.

As Bruce's car drove towards the Demolition Boy's house, the three men couldn't help but wonder what could be so important as to force the four teens into calling the BBA's director so early in the morning –not that they were lazy, quite the opposite, but still– they were just somewhat curious.

When they reached the house, Mr. Dickinson walked in first and reaching the doorstep he knocked softly on the surface, as he was used to do instead of ringing the bell.

There was no noise coming from the inside –not like the there was every time he knocked at Tyson's door– and after a while the door opened, revealing a familiar but very different face.

It was Kai, Mr. Dickinson was positive about it, but he looked different.

First, he was standing there without the blue fin marks on his cheeks –that fact made him seem so much younger…– then he was wearing what obviously looked like Tala's clothes, since they were quite big on him, and Kai was a bit shorter than the redhead.

It was a blue, turtle neck jumper, much like the one that Tala liked to wear, with something like flame prints on the shoulders and a pair of baggy, dark blue pants with the same prints around the ankles.

Mr. Dickinson wondered why he was there, 'Probably spent the night here,' he thought, but then he noticed the bandage wrapped around the teens' forehead and frowned.

"Kai, what happened to your head?" Bruce stepped forward; he was a bit worried too, and noticing the bandage he felt his fatherly side resurface.

Kai cocked his head to a side and looked at the three people before him strangely, "Can I help you?" he asked.

The strange language they were speaking didn't bother him, he had the feeling it was Japanese, since he knew it as well. He just didn't know how could he know Japanese well enough to speak it just as he could with Russian.

'Maybe Tala knows,' he decided to ask the redhead later.

Bruce and Mr. Dickinson were speechless; of all the things they were expecting, this was the last one. Their shock was enough to allow Grandpa Granger to do the talking.

"K-man, are you kiddin' us, dude?" he frowned, and didn't look any good doing it. "Let us come in".

Kai blinked but didn't move from his spot. Like hell he would allow strange people to enter in the house without knowing who they were. Suddenly there were sounds of footsteps behind him and he turned around to find out who was coming, but still keeping the three men in his peripheral vision.

"(Kai, what's the problem?)" Spencer had heard Kai talking to someone at the door and had decided to take a look, "(Who's there?)"

"(It's a strange old man,)" Kai replied, and after having had a good look at Bruce and Mr. Dickinson he added, "(and two more strange old men)".

Mr. Dickinson tried to ignore the disrespectful comment, whilst Grandpa Granger and Bruce silently seethed at it. But all of them were slightly surprised, and even more worried.

As soon as Spencer saw Mr. Dickinson, his eyes, warm when looking at Kai, turned cold and unreadable and he merely nodded for Kai to let them come in.

"(It's okay,)" he reassured the slate haired teen, "(We were waiting for them, don't worry. And who told you to leave the couch by the way?)"

Kai pouted slightly then walked away, leaving behind the dumbfounded men as they stepped into the house.

"(Guys, they're here,)" Spencer called towards the kitchen.

There was some noise before Bryan exited, wiping his hands with a towel as he glared at the intruders. Bruce noticed there were flour stains on his shirt, but as soon as the teen caught him looking, he quickly brushed it away, as if he'd been caught doing something he didn't want others to know about.

"What were you doing?" Bruce couldn't stop himself from asking. He could understand and speak Russian, but his father couldn't. So he decided to speak Japanese, a language that the Demolition Boys did know.

Bryan and Spencer glared at him.

"It's none of your business," Bryan growled, but led them towards the living room where Kai was currently sitting, "Stay here, you need rest," he said to Kai after noticing that he was about to stand up

"What happened to Kai?" Mr. Dickinson's voice held tone of seriousness as he glanced at the slate haired boy, who in was looking curiously at him, "Did he get hurt? How?"

Spencer and Bryan exchanged a look, but it was the lilac haired teen that answered, "He was coming here last night and was attacked. Tala found him, but we don't know who did it. But there is something about his injury that you probably should know about –" his sentence was cut short by a loud explosion from the kitchen, followed by a billowing cloud of some kind of white substance that looked suspiciously like flour.

"(What the hell!)" Bryan roared, stomping towards the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks he when he saw Mr. Dickinson and Kai standing, "(Sit,)" he ordered. After making sure they had obliged, he disappeared into the white cloud.

The BBA's director was taken slightly aback by his harshness, but he dismissed, already knowing how to deal with such a temperamental boy. He was used to deal with a moody Kai already.

Bruce, instead, was looking rather pissed off as he turned to Spencer for explanation, but in that moment, something that sounded much like giggling stopped him dead in his tracks.

All eyes turned to Kai, who was at the time giggling quietly, but he stopped abruptly when he noticed the others' eyes on looking astonished at him.

Bruce's eyes widened and he blurted the first thing that came to mind, "What's happening here?"

"That's what Bryan was trying to tell you before Ian attempted to blow up the house," Spencer's voice held some sort of hidden amusement that only Kai could detect, causing the slate haired teen's eyes to shine with delight, "Kai has developed a case of amnesia."

As if nothing could be worse than the awkward silence that had befallen the three men, another huge explosion resonated from the kitchen, followed shortly by Bryan's voice shouting something about 'damn eggs, damn oven, damn flour and damn Ian who was the cause of it all'.

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MasterFranny: I know, Kai's acting OOC, but he's got amnesia, and acting is connected to memories. Thus, without them, Kai is acting differently. As time goes by he'll start acting like he's used to more. Be patient.

As to explain, Kai was hungry, but no one of the Russian teens knows how to cook –except Kai but he's not in condition– as they usual order food outside, and they had no time to order at such early hours so they decided to cook something.

Bad decision if you ask me.

Okay, now read and review! Next chapter eventually I will put the BladeBreakers find out Kai's condition –even if I start to like more when there are only the D-Boys dealing with Kai… but we need to give Rei a chance here.

Bye!