I'm going away for a week in about two hoursand wanted to get this up beforeI left, so in my opinion it's tooshort and rushed.

Note: From now on, all of Kai's thoughts while he's absorbed Black Dranzer's power will be in bold.

Ihope you enjoy it!

Kai swung his legs childishly over the twenty-foot drop, unaware that the uneven, decidedly sharp wall was cutting into his thighs. He let out a rasping, humourless chuckle. Malicious glee drowned his conscience and mind, a twisted satisfaction replacing the unnecessary objects. He closed his dark eyes and tipped his head back, remembering.

Ray stood up shakily.

"Okay," he muttered, eyes fixed to the floor. "I'm gonna go with them, all right, Kai?" Kai stared at him, noticing with sudden distaste the defeated slump of his shoulders, the weak, frightened tone in his voice. Wordlessly, he watched him go, squashing down the twinge of regret and protectiveness that forced themselves into his mind. Pathetic fool, he told himself firmly. That's all he is. With Ray gone, the atmosphere in the room thickened immeasurably. Kai shot a look at Kenny, enjoying the way the young boy flinched back in fear. He shifted positions lazily, out-staring everyone in the room with ease. All except that woman.

She was standing a little way away from the bed, her gaze intense, concerned.

"Do you want to put some clothes on, Kai?" she asked cautiously. Kai gave a short, sharp laugh. Yeah, right. These bastards are going to have to do better than that.

"I saw the needle, you stupid cow," he said casually. "You think I'm turning my back on you for one second? You must be even stupider than you look." He stretched again, his gaze locking with the woman's in a quick, brutal power struggle. He won with ease. Of course. Barely worth the effort. "Since you asked nicely," his voice dripped with sarcasm, "I might just put my clothes on. Pass me them, please." He took the garments without any kind of acknowledgement and dressed quickly, never breaking eye contact. "What you still doing here, anyway?" he asked distractedly, adjusting his scarf fussily.

"Kai," The woman's voice was soft, calm. "You do realise what you have done, don't you?" For a second, he honestly didn't. Scrabbling frantically through his memories, he finally remembered. Oh yeah. Max. A faint, almost unrecognisable tinge of sorrow pierced his heart. Max… He should be dead by now. Pity…

"Yes."

"Why did you do it?" Kai shrugged, his expression somewhat sullen.

"He startled me." he muttered, irritated.

"How did you do it, Kai?" she asked, leaning in too close. His hand slid into his pocket, concealing it from sight.

"Why?" His voice lowered by nearly half an octave, gained a harsh, rasping edge like the sound of a hacksaw cutting into bone. "You want a demonstration?" He stood up, loving the automatic flinch that shivered round the room. "How did I do it?" He imitated her voice mockingly. "Like this." He drew out his previously concealed hand and uncurled it slowly. Black swirled around the white appendage like water in a situation of zero gravity, the tendrils cool against his skin. "Just like this." he whispered, excitement thrilling through him at his own power. A single strand of darkness detached itself from his hand and floated over to one of the men standing by the door. "How would you like to die?" Kai asked pleasantly. Everyone was silent, frozen into terrified stillness. "No particular desires? Oh well, I'll experiment."

The man was a good six foot five and muscular to go with it, and the expression on his face was that of slightly spooked bravado. That changed instantly as the tip of the strand touched his cheek. The contact, as light and insubstantial as a lover's parting caress, froze him to the spot. Suddenly, thin lines of red began to spread across his cheek from the point of contact.

With a flash of a softer emotion that he didn't examine too closely, Kai turned and ordered Kenny to face the wall. Efficiently, he put a blanket of power around him, blocking out all sight and sound. Turning back to the trapped, helpless man, there was no hint of pity left in his eyes, or in his heart.

"Hm…implosion…sounds interesting…" His eyes narrowed briefly. The man began to scream in agony, his body distorting grotesquely as he writhed desperately, shrivelling as he moved. "No, too boring. Explosion?" The screams redoubled. Thick, rope-like arteries could be seen pulsing against the man's beefy arms, bones clicking and moving under the suddenly stretched skin. "Yes, I think I like this." Kai whispered, his eyes glittering like the stars in the deepest, darkest midnight sky.

Abruptly, he brought his hand into a tight fist. The dying man's last, hopeless screams echoed through the room. There was a moment of silence, then Kai began to laugh softly.

He carried on laughing even when pieces of the decimated man's skin and bone landed on him and around him. He laughed as he turned to the others, those interfering, know-nothing adults, and killed them all, one by one. Now, there was only one left. That woman. She looked as though she was about to faint, as well she might. Chuckles bubbled from his lips like blood and saliva had from the corpses' lips as he stalked towards her.

"You, my dear? How about self-combustion?" She didn't answer. Leaning forwards, he kissed her viciously, biting her lip and filling both their mouths with blood. He crushed her to him, watching with sadistic pleasure as she went limp in his arms and burnt from the inside out, her lips first drying, then peeling, then disappearing from the heat that consumed her. Flinging her incinerated corpse to the floor, he looked at Kenny.

The bloodlust faded. He wiped a few pieces of human skin off his clothes and freed the boy from his sightless, soundless prison. I saved you your sanity, Kenny. You don't deserve it. He began to laugh again, stopping himself before he lost control. Then again, where's the fun in being sane? Grinning, he lifted his hand and pointed it towards Kenny's head.

"Forget this, Chief." he rasped. "I'm not that cruel." The boy stared at him, petrified, then quite suddenly crumpled to the floor, unconscious. With a groan of annoyance, Kai picked up the eleven year-old and dumped him outside the room. Licking his bloodstained hand and wrist, he tasted the coppery fluid on his tongue and gave a terrible smile.

That same smile formed on his lips, curving them into a brutal, wide grin. He held out his hand and let the black lick over his skin. He moulded it into the constituency of butter or lotion and dragged it all over his body, then took a handful and let it "melt", dripping down onto his skin and clothes. The sight was disturbing, yet undeniably, unstoppably sexy. Kai slowly licked his lips and swung himself up onto the wall. Pain shot through his thighs and he looked down to see his own blood welling there. His black eyes took in the information, then disregarded it. Moving along the wall with a fluid, almost feline action, he headed for the place that was slowly drawing him in.

Feline... His weakened rational mind tried to show him a slender, attractive figure. Long, long, silky black hair, beautiful, gleaming honey-coloured eyes - The rapidly forming image left his mind's eye in an instant.

He is nothing.

"He's in V.F! Get the crash trolley! Charging to 360 and…clear!" The buzz of the defibrillator paddles sounded loud in the suddenly silent room. The line remained horizontal. "Charging to 360 again! And…clear!"

Max's parents sat outside the room, watching helplessly through the glass as the medical team fought for their only child's life, calling out to one another in a language they couldn't even understand. The battle had been going on for nearly ten minutes, a terrifyingly long time.

"Come on, Maxie..." Judy whispered, careless of the tears streaming down her face. Max's dad tightened his reassuring grip around her slender shoulders, tears gathering in the corners of his own eyes.

"-and…clear!" The alarm stopped as gently looping waves began to show on the heart monitor. "And we've got us a pulse, ladies and gents!" Judy sprang to her feet, her husband not far behind her. Language barrier or not, the look of utmost relief and pleasure on the faces that they could see meant only one thing.

"He's okay…" Judy whispered, collapsing into her husband's arms with a tearful sigh of relief.

Tyson rubbed his nose absentmindedly from where it had been crushed against the window of Max's room. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, a happy grin on his round, tanned face. His navy eyes danced with joy.

"Way to go, Maxie!" he whispered. The door opened and a doctor came through. His face was shining with sweat, but his expression was happy and relieved. He walked over to Max's parents and began to talk to them, his voice calm and business-like. Tyson hurried over. "Is Max okay?" he demanded anxiously. Both Max's mum (or mom, as the blond called her) and dad smiled weakly and gestured for the doctor to continue. With a somewhat suspicious glance towards Tyson, the man obliged.

Five minutes of medical-speak later, Tyson's patience ran out.

"I can't understand a word you're saying!" he yelled. "Just tell me whether Max is okay!" The three adults exchanged knowing looks.

"Max is going to be fine, Tyson," Judy said soothingly. "Now, have you had anything to eat recently? I know Kenny went off for something to eat a little while ago." Despite his worry, Tyson's face lit up, saliva flooding his mouth at the thought of food. "It is nearly two in the morning, after all. You shouldn't even be awake!" Judy teased. Tyson mock-scowled at her and crossed his arms defiantly.

"I'm not tired!" he protested. "Just hungry…" He blushed as his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Off you go then." Max's dad smiled kindly and handed Tyson a five-pound note. Obediently, Tyson turned on his heel and raced for the hospital canteen.

He ran past Ray's little side-room and the two nurses and a policeman standing in front of it, and made a mental note to come back there later and see what was happening. After the food. And he should probably bring Ray some, too.

True to his friendship, ten minutes of unashamed gorging later, he headed back to Ray's room with a sandwich, a can of drink and a chocolate bar in his arms. Pausing in front of the door and looking inside, he sighed impatiently and leaned against the wall. Great. More stupid interrogations. Well, good luck in getting anything out of Ray. He certainly hadn't had much luck in that department. He scowled, a shadow crossing his face.

Ray lay in the foetal position on the bed, staring determinedly at a spot just to the right of the policeman's head. He was dizzy and faint with exhaustion, having not got a moment's rest since waking up yesterday morning, and his stomach felt physically hollow, if that was possible. Of course, if you listened to Tyson, it certainly was. He jumped violently, his eyes flying fully open, wide with shock and fright, as the policeman brought his fist loudly down on the nearest hard surface, which happened be a bedside table only inches from Ray's face.

"For the last time, Ray," the man thundered, clearly at the end of his patience, "What happened?" Ray pushed himself upright and glared furiously at the policeman.

"I'm not telling you!" he yelled back. Dizziness swirled through his head and he had to lock both arms straight to make sure that he didn't tumble straight back down again. "Got that? I'm not telling you! Get out!" He picked up the nearest thing to him - his pillow - and flung it ineffectively at the policeman's head.

"Ray, we just-"

"Get out!" The policeman retreated hurriedly and Ray fell back onto the bed, curling up again instantly. He shut his eyes and listened to the pounding in his head. His legs throbbed in time with his head, a slow, painful drumbeat that kept him awake despite his intense fatigue.

"Ray?" Tyson's uncertain voice cut sharply through his daze. He shifted and opened one eye.

"What?" he mumbled indistinctly.

"You okay?" Tyson asked. His navy eyes were filled with a mixture of emotions, none of which looked happy. Ray shrugged weakly. "Max's heart stopped."

"What?" Ray demanded, staring in shock at Tyson.

"Yeah. He nearly died. Well, technically he did." Fury suddenly suffused Tyson's normally cheerful face, and he reached out and grabbed hold of Ray's wrist. He began to talk, his voice low and choked with tears and rage. "You know what happened to Max, don't you? You know the reason his mum and dad and me just had to watch him get shocked back to life, if you can call a coma life, don't deny it!"

Ray cried out and tried to pull his wrist from Tyson's suddenly vice-like grip. The younger boy simply tightened his hold. His eyes were dark slits in his tanned face. "You're pathetic, do you know that? Kai's involved in this somehow, everyone knows it. You're not answering questions, you're not even defending him! You're just lying here like a little kid! You're fourteen, Ray! You should be up, out there, telling the police why Kai's gone, where he's gone, and why I've had to watch my best friend being reduced to a lifeless shell!" He was shouting wildly, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I don't want to!" Ray screamed back, wrath blazing inside him. "Let go of me!" He pulled helplessly, then dug his nails and teeth into Tyson's arm. With a yell, the younger boy released him, staring at him with something approaching fear.

"Coward," he whispered vehemently, cradling his bleeding arm. Ray snarled wordlessly at him from the bed. Both boys stared at each other, trembling with passionate fury. Ray dropped his gaze first. His trembling increased until he was shaking like a leaf. Letting out a shaky breath, he looked up at Tyson, meeting his grief-stricken eyes with an empty gaze.

"Fine," he whispered dully. "Fine, you win. Kai…" A tear slid down his cheek as he relived the terrible event of a few hours ago. "Kai hurt Max."

Tyson was silent. Finally, he wiped his damp face and left the room.

"I'm gonna go get a policeman," he said woodenly from the doorway. "You tell him everying you can think of."

"Okay, Tyson..." Ray sat up and made an effort to pull himself together. Tears were falling rapidly down his face, thwarting all of his efforts to halt them.

Well? Opinions? If anyone's read Tortured Soul, they'll know I quite like the idea of Tyson and Ray arguing.

Oh yes,in Chapter 4, I asked whether I should include some Tyson/Max in this. Only one person (thank you Hiruka-Rei's-Kitty!) answered! So, take Tyson's rage any way you want, I personally am going to start dropping more hints of this pairing!

Please review, I want a lovely bulging inbox when I get back!