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ACROSS THE PAGES
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Chapter 19
"Mail!" Kevin called, and Rei rushed out. He received his bundle of letters eagerly, then, retreating into his room, shuffled through each one until he reached the one he wanted.
Three months were a very long time not to see someone, Rei reflected. It was strange, but he did rather miss Kai's amusing banter in the kitchens when they were trying to escape Max's bouts of sugar. He'd missed discussing insane and crazy ideas on how to get Kenny to take a break. And his cut-throat sarcasm when Tyson was trying to steal tidbits from the kitchens.
Funny that Tyson hadn't noticed that they were together so much of the time.
Rei blushed. Well, of course it wasn't that way. Of course not. He and Kai weren't like that, although he did care a great deal about his captain. It was just because it had been so long, that was all. Quickly he cut open the envelope. Before he could incriminate himself even further.
Kon,
Not much going on here. Hope you're doing alright –snowed a little over here. God forbid why –it's supposed to be in the middle of summer.
You been talking to the rest much? Still missing them –would love to know what's going on with the bunch.
Hope you're having lovely weather. Although I did hear that Hong Kong was really hot in summer. Might help you in training for a bit? I mean…at least it would help your endurance, right?
Anyway, write back soon.
Kai.
Rolling his eyes with humor, Rei lit the candle on his table. Nice weather indeed. Setting the envelope carefully aside, into one of his drawers, he ran the paper carefully over the flame.
Rei,
Don't give that little piece of nonsense a thought. Voltaire's trying to push me into writing these little caring devices to everyone so as to drag as much information as possible out of them. Warn the others will you? If I'm going to beat Takao it won't be out of some deluded misplacement of played emotions.
Having said that, I am interested in how you're doing. Ask after Lai and the others –don't get any ideas. This is only to alleviate any suspicious looks in my direction when we win.
It was a little strange how it snowed down over here though. And they say global warming isn't taking place? And I thought I was in the presence of idiots.
Must say though, Kon. It's ten times more peaceful eating the food you cook. The chefs here look too gleeful when I'm eating for me to feel safe. I still half expect to drop down dead in the corridors a half hour after the meal. At least when you were cooking, I didn't have to keep looking for symptoms of poisoning amongst my team mates before I started eating. I find it tends to lend a little less stress to the head and shoulders when you do so.
The letter's a bit long I know, but the mailing order does take a week. Take care of yourself. Airplane flights from Russia to China aren't far, but it would be preferable if they were unnecessary.
Kai.
P.S. If you need to write anything that others shouldn't find, run with orange juice.
Reaching the end of the letter, Rei released a half-wistful, half-happy sigh, as he always did when he read Kai's letters. He'd kept the notes that Kai had given him, all in a chest locked up in a drawer on his right –which in turn was locked up as well. For some reason that he himself could not define, he guarded the little notes jealously, almost as if they were a precious piece of his friend that he were to guard with his life.
Perhaps that was the secret to them, for Rei was always happy when he read these notes; it helped pass the time until he would be united with his friends again. On the other hand, it sometimes served as a reminder of why they were necessary now, and it was always hard to come to the end of a letter, for Rei always knew that it would be another fortnight before he would read one again.
Kai,
I'm doing fine, though the weather's slightly hotter than usual. Hong Kong's famous for its pollution though, so I wasn't expecting much when I came back here. I suppose it might help my endurance. Lai's the captain after all, not me, so I wouldn't know.
How long did it snow for anyway? One day? Two?
I'm not really too sure what's going on with the others. It takes a heck of a long time to receive letters from Maxie, and I suspect that if Hillary didn't remind Tyson about writing letters I wouldn't be able to get any at all.
It's been great eating Chinese food again. I missed it quite a bit –there's so much to eat at Hong Kong that sometimes I wonder how I can survive the food anywhere else!
Hope this letter finds you still well as can be.
Rei.
Rei shook his head gently, then, placing the letter softly down, cautiously away from the candle, he took out a pen and started writing out little cautionary notes to both Tyson and Kenny, then wrote out a brief email to Max. It was true that he didn't receive letters frequently from the blonde –mainly because he didn't exchange letters with Maxie anyway, but well, it wasn't with-holding information that he was going to be charged with, right? Typing out the last few sentences, he pressed 'send' and closed the window. Then he turned back to Kai's letter and got out some paper of his own.
Kai,
Is that old man getting more paranoid by the minute or what? Sheesh! Did he ever think of checking into the mentality ward?
How are Tala and Bryan and Ian and Spencer doing anyway? Have they been infected by the madness yet? Or is there still hope for the quadruple? Notice that I didn't include you into the little selection. Feel honored.
By the way, we seriously need a faster way to communicate. Are you allowed to have emails? Or do they check your mail too? Even if they did, I have a website of my own…could give you that instead. You could reply to that if it's unsafe for you to write with emails.
Sorry if I seem to be rambling, but I'm due out there in a few minutes and I wanted to finish this off so that I could get it off on tonight's post delivery.
Thank you for the lovely compliment on my cooking. I feel cherished –I was starting to feel a little unappreciated over here since they haven't asked me to show off my culinary delights. Joking, joking. Although I really haven't been cooking since I arrived. I think I've done less cooking this year than the last actually, what with that bout of pneumonia and such. My fingers are itching to get near a stove and to whip up some mixture. What's your favorite food? Maybe I'll cook it for you if Voltaire hasn't managed to murder you through your carrots by then.
Anyway, start brainstorming, will you? My website is tarnished-gold. blogspot . com. I'll still send letters, just in case Voltaire suspects. How's that for a start?
Rei.
P.S. Do you have any idea how many oranges I used before I got it right!
Looking over at his letter, Rei murmured a sound of satisfaction, and, marching down the stairs and down the road to the postbox, popped his letter in with a grin.
Two weeks later, Kai received his letter. Although he'd never ever, ever tell anyone, he did, just a little bit, look forward to Rei's letters. If asked, he would have probably never answered. To himself though, he would admit it just once: for lack of a better reason, they kept him sane. They kept him alive in a forsaken place that had no sunlight, that had absolutely nothing for him.
This was why he was always near the mail bags. If the rest of his team had noticed, they didn't say, but to his credit, he tried to be as discreet as possible –which for him, was pretty discreet. He read the letter, then, lighting a candle, read the second one on the alternate side. Finally finished, after reading the letter again once more, he snuffed out the candle and thought. And thought again. Then wrote.
Kon,
It snowed for two days. Think the second floor of the Abbey had a flood though, from how the snow melted on the roofs. We usually put something up in winter time, you see.
Nevertheless, have to hurry. I like a morning run if you remember.
Kai.
Brow wrinkled at the rather brief letter, and the package that accompanied it, Rei turned over the paper and lit his candle. At this rate, he thought idly to himself, he'd have to go out and buy more candles.
Rei,
The package is a disk I developed when we were still living together.
For some still rather unknown reason, Rei blushed at the sentence.
I don't know why I didn't leave it with you. It's basically a disk that decodes any online document that you give it, with the decoding system that you give it. Rather simple really. I used a bit of Four-Eyes' help. Use it to decode any emails I send you –Voltaire uses machines to go through our emails so they'll only be looking for incriminating evidence in the words, not the spelling mistakes with the words themselves. Use the same code for me if you need to say something that would rather not be seen. Otherwise, just post on your blog. I'll be 'posting a website on yahoo' and will therefore be 'uploading' certain documents if I don't email you. It'll look funny if I constantly email someone who doesn't reply but I'll tell you beforehand if I'm changing.
Think this will do.
Kai.
Smelling the faint fragrance of orange on the blank piece of paper that held the disk, Rei smoothened it, held it over the candle, and watched as a code seemingly scrawled itself across the paper. Typing it into the program, he watched as Kai's letter unfolded itself.
And so, Kai and Rei's online correspondence began.
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Replies to Reviewers: NKingy: I blame Enid Blyton if it is so with the lemon juice. I assume that any citrus juice will do. But it seems much nicer to smell orange on your letters than lemon so I shall stick with what I'm using.
Platinum Rei: I'm still always worried that they'll become OOC. I believe I've had one reviewer state that already, actually! But I'm glad you don't think so.
TalaKaiReiLover: Quite a time later, but the chapters are getting longer so hopefully no one will throw tomatoes at me just yet.
Shin Rigel: I don't think I've had so many lovely words describe my stories before, but thank you very much!
Prozac Fairy: Yes, the plot is getting rather sneaky. I had a time of it trying to think of a way to make communication faster! And yes, Kai is getting soft, though he doesn't yet know it.
Dreams-Of-Mine: My parents actually banned me from all anime when I was little. I think they realized they couldn't do it. Although I still question their lack of logic –see, my place doesn't have cable, so I can't watch anime or cartoons any time I like. In fact, the only time they're broadcasted is around four in the afternoon. So by the time I finished my homework all the cartoons were over and I was sad…eh heh!
Animelover6000: Actually that may be much easier than dipping a pen in orange juice all the time. Though I suspect that Kai probably did something to his pen.
Hoshicat: It won't be before at least two chapters I'm afraid.
Zed-Arazael: Thanks, and I hope you keep reading! I've actually been trying to hurry it up a little –or if I can't, then to write longer chapters.
Darksaphire: I should!
Reis1Gurl: Seriously? It was fun to read? Didn't know that! Had to figure out a way to get them beyond Voltaire's cunning senses you see.
Kuroneko Hikage: You couldn't put it down? I feel flattered! I always wanted to be one of those authors who write stories that people can't put down…I'm not too sure that they'll be confessing like that though. We'll see.
Black Magician Girl 3: I think it's because when citrus juice dries it's transparent, but fire causes a reaction in it that turns the 'ink' black.
Netbluecat: Of course! And I love your name…
Aa: I just finished explaining to Black Magician Girl 3! Could you just check out my reply to her instead? Thanks for reviewing by the way, it's nice to see new 'faces' as well as old ones.
Dark-night-sky: Is it really? I'm wondering what I should put down as Kai's favorite treat. I want it to do something with chocolate, if only because it's Kai. And it's chocolate.
Marz: Yes, Kai does it again with the letter thing! There's a line in my chapter that is so similar to one in your review…it really is keeping Kai sane. Strange that I only re-read your review now. Says how much you can interpret from my story! The letters are getting longer…and yes there's just a little separation angst, but there was going to be anyway. I couldn't have them happy NOT seeing each other!
Black-Dranzer-1119: I'm glad!
Not the usual baka: That's good! I wanted it to sound strange.
Echo in the Dark: Good lord, I'll miss all of my reviewers when I finish this story. I'll have to start collecting them again with a totally new one! But that's at least five chapters away so I won't worry about it now.
Neena14: Well, at least five chapters more, and probably around eight. That's if, of course, Kai and Rei are agreeable to that. They seem to want to drag it on a little more though, so you'll have to ask them! And check out Black Magician Girl 3's reply thing for how the ink works.
Tiffany Lye: Thanks, I feel flattered, as I do every review! I love the effort that you guys put into reviewing for me.
The Laughing Mann: I feel pressured now, lol!
Woodspirit97: Thank you. Keeping them in character is one of my priorities, as well as the format of the writing and the writing itself.
Caberwolf: To get this review was worth the wait, for me! I hope you didn't read it in totally one go…it would have destroyed your eyes pretty badly, though I always feel flattered when people tell me they do that.
Mrs.Foxx: Did you ever read Roald Dahl's The Fantastic Mr. Fox? I always loved that story…
Xxfallenxfakexx: Whoo! Thanks very much.
SxcAmethyst: Thank you! Here's what happened next.
Flamehaze-shana: I'm glad you do, although let me tell you, I didn't expect that everyone would have loved it so much either!
Shadowy Fluffball: Well it's not soon, but it's here!