Title: Imperfect Countenance

Author: YaoiGoddessNekoJin

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, Language, Violence, Implied Rape

A/N: Aaaaaannnnd, Chapter 5! I'm really happy that I've been updating this so much faster than any of my other stories! I'm not usually this good about getting fics done. I've kind of neglected TSoLaR in favor of getting this fic finished. ^-^;;; But, I'll work on this while the ideas are buzzing around in my head and work on the other one at a later point in time. Thanks bunches to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! I'm really glad you guys are enjoying my story.

Pratik Roy : Yeah...the only problem with that is that I really, really, reeeaaally don't like any of the chicks in Beyblade. If you wanna get right down to it, sticking strictly with Kai from the series, he wouldn't be caught dead with any of those girls. I think it's kind of funny that you suggested Kai and Mariah. Out of all the girls in Beyblade, Mariah is the one I despise the most. She's too annoying and way too whiny. I'm a huge Kai fan as well. Kai and Rei are my two favorite characters in the entire series and I think they compliment each other quite nicely. I've been into Kai and Rei as a pairing since I was in 8th grade and can't imagine him being with anyone else. (Well, except maybe Tala or Bryan. Those three and Rei are pretty interchangeable in my opinion. ^-^) Anyway, the pairing is clearly posted in the summary and one of the warnings is for yaoi. I'm not trying to trick anyone into reading this story. If you don't like it, don't read it. I do appreciate your apology at the end of your review, though. Your flames shall be used to cook s'mores. ^-^

Well, enjoy!

Chapter V

Tala wasn't worried. No, he definitely wasn't worried. He just...enjoyed pacing... Ah hell, Tala was worried. He was beside himself. He hadn't slept at all the previous night, opting instead to stay near the phone. He knew he and his friends had been teasing the Chinese boy, that had seemed alien, he was so naive, but that didn't mean that they wanted anything bad to happen to him. This city wasn't the place for someone like Rei to wander around alone in. Tala knew, first hand, how dangerous this city could be, especially at night. The redhead sighed in frustration, running a pale hand through his hair. He knew Kai and Bryan hadn't slept all night either. They were both in the room that Kai and Rei had been sharing, dealing with their apprehension in their own ways. After Judy and Bryan's search had turned up diddly, they had returned to the hotel, hoping that Rei would eventually show up. Well, he hadn't. Tala had even called the police station to file a missing person's report, but Kai had to hang up the phone on his ranting when the officer told him that they couldn't do anything unless Rei had been missing for forty-eight hours.

"IT COULD BE TOO LATE BY THEN!" he had shouted.

They had all went their separate ways, hoping that nothing had happened and that Rei would meander back in, clueless as ever. Tala sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen bar and put his head in his hands. He was really starting to regret everything he had said to the boy.

~x~x~x~

Kai was about to go insane. At first, when Rei hadn't shown back up at the hotel, he had thought that his behavior had sent the boy packing. When he arrived to see that all of Rei's things were still there, untouched, he had quickly abandoned that idea. He hadn't really started freaking out until Rei's manager and Bryan had returned, empty handed. Well, he sort of wished they were empty handed. Bryan had pulled him aside and they went into his room to talk.

"What is it Bryan?" he asked as the lilac-haired man closed the bedroom door. Bryan turned to look at Kai, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"I didn't want Tala to hear this. He's already so worked up..." he trailed off. Kai felt white-hot fear jolt throughout his body.

"What is it Bryan?" he repeated, almost desperately. Lilac eyes met crimson as the taller of the two reached into his pocket and pulled something shiny out. A tiny glint caught Kai's eye as the light reflected in the golden surface of the trinket. Bryan handed it to Kai for him to examine. It was a small, golden heart, that the bluenette soon realized as a locket. It was on a long, delicate chain. Kai opened the locket and, inside, he saw a picture of a happy-looking man and woman. Both had familiar raven hair, the woman's well past her shoulders. The man had dark amber eyes and, as Kai looked back at the woman, he was met with the same eyes that Rei possessed.

"It's Rei's. I'm assuming those are his parents." Bryan wasn't telling him anything he didn't already know deep down, but when the painful clench in his chest made him wince, he tried to deny it. It was as if he thought that, by thinking it wasn't true, then it wouldn't be and Kai would wake up to find that all of this was nothing more than a bad dream.

"How do you know?"

"I saw him wearing it at the studio. The outfit they had him change into had a deeper cut neckline than anything I've seen him in."

"Where did you find it?"

"It was on one of the streets we searched. I looked all around the area, but didn't find anything else. Judy doesn't know about the necklace either." Kai felt icy dread settle into his core, worst case scenarios playing on loop in his mind's eye. Where could Rei be? What happened to him? A moment later, they both started when they heard the sound of Tala yelling.

~x~x~x~

Detective Hiro Granger sighed as he filed away another cold case. Were they ever going to solve any of these? It had been a slow day and his department had been put to work looking at cases that had gone cold years ago. It seemed like every time he turned around, though, that stack grew more and more. He had decided to become a detective so that he could help people, but it seemed like the criminals were outsmarting them more often each day. Hiro jumped slightly when the door to the squad room banged open. He whirled around and came face to face with his red-faced and panting partner and lover. Any other time, Hiro would have liked this look on the younger man. The worry and urgency that filled the his teal eyes, however, put his entire body on alert.

"What's the matter, Brooklyn?" he asked in concern, setting down the files in his hand and walking over to the orange-haired man. Brooklyn looked up at him, speaking once he caught his breath.

"Hiro, we've gotta go. A boy was attacked down near sixth street. He's been taken to the hospital and, I haven't heard from the doctors treating him, but the paramedics said he didn't look good." Now understanding his partner's need for urgency, Hiro grabbed his jacket from his desk and they were both out the door.

~x~x~x~

After trying to get in to see the boy, who was still unconscious, Hiro and Brooklyn had tried to find out if the boy had had an ID on him. The only thing he ended up having was a Chinese identification card. Brooklyn had always prided himself for wanting to learn as many languages as possible, even though Hiro had said most of them were useless, and now enjoyed shoving that in his lover's face when he turned out to be the only one able to read the card. Once they found out the boy's name, Rei Kon, it hadn't been to hard for them to find where he was staying the following day. So, as they both stood outside of the hotel, looking up at all of the gleaming squares, Hiro reached over and gave Brooklyn's hand a short squeeze. This had always been the hardest part of the job. Telling people that someone they cared about was injured or dead was something that neither of them would ever get used to.

~x~x~x~

"Tala, a word?" Tala looked up at Bryan when he was addressed, blue eyes inquisitive. He followed the man into the bedroom, sitting on the bed.

"Yeah?" he asked. Bryan just closed the door and walked over, sitting beside Tala and wrapping an arm around him. Needing the comfort, Tala leaned into the broad chest and sighed. "Why am I so worried over this?"

"I don't know. I guess he just grew on us." As soon as the words left Bryan's mouth, Tala drew back and stared at the man in astonished skepticism.

"In a day?" he exclaimed.

"Think about it Tal. None of us have ever had anyone around who wasn't trying to use us to gain something. We've pushed and pushed and pushed, but Rei hasn't really lashed out at us at all. He's just a genuinely kind person. And it seems that he's managed to melt his way through the ice and invade a part of our hearts that we've only opened to each other; Kai more so than you and I. That's an incredible feat considering our pasts and how fast he's done it." Tala just stared at Bryan for a moment before snuggling back under his arm.

"Did I ever tell you why I love you?" he asked, smiling gently.

"'Cause I'm sexy?" Bryan responded, smirk evident in his voice. Tala lightly swatted the lilac-haired man's stomach, trying hard to control his laughter.

"No! Although, that was a contributing factor. I love you because you're so damn intuitive and kind-hearted. When you and I first met, I didn't like you. I had the same reaction most people have to all three of us. I thought you were just a mean and spiteful person, but that's so far from the truth. It may take a while to get through to any of us, but once I got past your defenses, I realized you're just a big teddy bear!" Bryan rolled his eyes and placed a gentle kiss on top of Tala's head.

"I love you, too."

~x~x~x~

Kai made his way over to the hotel's wet bar in search of some vodka. He knew that Tala and Bryan needed a chance to talk to each other and he needed some way to occupy his time. Finding what he was looking for, Kai pulled out three glasses, half-filling each one. His friends would appreciate that when they were finished. Crimson eyes slid to the clock on the wall, taking meticulous note of how many hours had passed. Liquid fire slid down his throat and Kai closed his eyes in pleasurable comfort. His mind had been doing somersaults since this whole fiasco began. Just as the bedroom door cracked open to reveal his friends, there was a knock at the door. Feeling a sense of trepidation, Kai walked to the door and unhooked the chain. He swung the door open, revealing a tall, azure-haired man and a shorter, orange-haired man. He found himself staring into teal and chocolate orbs. The taller of the two reached into his pocket, pulling out what was soon revealed as a badge. Fear clenched Kai's heart as the man introduced the two.

"Good morning. I'm Detective Hiro Granger and this is my partner, Detective Brooklyn Kingston from the NYPD. Do you know anyone by the name of Rei Kon?" Kai nodded numbly and Tala and Bryan rushed over to flank his sides at the mention of the raven-haired boy's name. When nobody spoke, Hiro took that as his sign to continue. "I'm sorry to have to inform you that Mr. Kon was assaulted last night. He's currently in the ICU at New York-Presbyterian. We'll take you there, but then we're going to need to ask you a few questions." Hiro waited for a reaction from the three, but was sorely disappointed when all he received were three carefully masked stares. Bryan, seeing that Kai wasn't going to budge, made his way into the other bedroom to get Judy and Max. Both freaked out, as expected, and emotions were running high, choking the air, as they drove to the hospital.

~x~x~x~

Rei groaned in pain as he slowly regained consciousness. He attempted to bring a hand up to his head to try and ease the headache pounding in his brain only to be stopped by a slight pinch in his hand. Looking down, he blinked blearily at the small, plastic tube attached to his skin. For a moment, Rei wondered where he could possibly be. Then, like lightning, the memories of what happened before he passed out seared through his mind. Tears immediately sprang to the golden eyes and his face heated up in shame. 'My face!' he suddenly thought, other hand flying up to check it. Dread and anguish settled icily in the pit of his stomach as the felt the bandages wrapped from the top of the left side of his face and down to his jaw on the right side. The hot tears finally broke free of their confines and were almost immediately sucked up, thirstily, by the cotton bandaging. This couldn't be happening! This was his only shot to make something of himself. Now his hopes had been slashed down by a steely, glinting knife. No magazine was going to want to hire him now, with a hideous scar on his face. Finally breaking down completely, Rei's entire body was wracked with harsh sobs, pain erupting in flashes every time his frame shook.

~x~x~x~

Once they had arrived at the hospital, there was no stopping the small band of worried people as they made their way through the white, sterile walls. Hiro and Brooklyn were keeping a respectful distance behind the group, subtly flashing their badges whenever it appeared a nurse of doctor was going to give them trouble. Kai's head whipped around when they all stopped outside of the intensive care room that was marked 'R. Kon,' looking for a nurse when he noticed the blinds were drawn. At the sight of the group, an older woman with silvering hair walked over, a kind smile on her weathered face.

"May I help you?" she asked. Before Kai had a chance to answer, though, Tala quickly stepped around him.

"We're here to see Rei Kon." At the mention of the boy's name, sympathy filled the woman's eyes. Kai vaguely heard Max's sharp intake of breath at the look, fearing the worst.

"He's still unconscious. Let me go get his doctor and he will fill you in on all the details." They all nodded, mutely, watching her go. Kai turned and looked at the others that were with him. He noticed the two detectives were currently occupying a couple of uncomfortable-looking chairs a ways down the hall. Judy was worriedly biting at her lower lip, grasping Max's shoulder in a white-knuckled grip. Crimson eyes then traveled down to the blonde boy, noticing the tears barely being held back as he inspected the tile floor. Bryan and Tala had moved to lean against the wall, their postures rigid. Their shoulders were barely brushing and, to anyone who didn't know the two, it would simply appear to be a coincidence. Kai, however, knew it was a gesture of comfort from one to the other, each man drawing strength from the tiny touch. The bluenette, himself, had been clenching and unclenching his fists as the short moments the nurse had been gone seemed to drag on into an eternity. When she finally returned, she was following a tall, brunette man who looked to be in his forties. He gave them a slightly strained smile before he introduced himself.

"Hello. I'm Doctor Simmons." he said, reaching out to give Kai a handshake. The Russian took it upon himself to introduce their group.

"I'm Kai." he then began motioning to the others. "That's Tala, Bryan, Judy, and Max."

"It's very nice to meet you all. Now, about your friend. I assume that the detectives that picked you up didn't give you very much information." At their annoyed looks, the doctor smiled and continued. "Mr. Kon was attacked in an alley last night and sustained injuries of varying degrees. He has a concussion, but we're hopeful that he will wake up soon. The more time that goes by without him regaining consciousness, the less his chances of a full recovery get. He also has a few cracked and broken ribs and several gashes that were made by a knife. What I really wanted to talk to you about, though, is, what may prove to be, mental harm. Because of the state of undress he was found in, following procedure, I had a rape kit done. Needless to say, it came back positive. He has some bleeding and tearing, but nothing that shouldn't heal on it's own accord. I'm sure that, when he wakes up, Mr. Kon is going to be quite distressed. He's going to need all of the support he can get to make it through this ordeal." the doctor paused for a moment, pulling a card from his coat pocket. "I'm recommending that he see a therapist as soon as he's awake for a day or two." Doctor Simmons surveyed the people in front of him, taking in their reactions to the devastating news he just gave them. It seemed that the three men couldn't decide between rage and worry, an ugly mesh of the two emotions twisting their faces. The woman's eyes were filled with unshed tears. He could tell she was trying to be strong for the boy who, he assumed, was her son. The smallest of the group was openly crying tears of frustration and sorrow at what his friend had to suffer through. He didn't get any further, though, as the opening and closing of the door behind him caught his attention. There was no one there and he figured a nurse had gone in to check on the injured boy. The air was stifled with an emotion-leaden atmosphere and Doctor Simmons was glad when he heard the door open once more. One of the younger nurses approached him and smiled happily.

"Mr. Kon is awake." Everyone perked up at the news, anxious to see their friend.

"Let me go check on him and then I'll come and get you." Taking their nods as a sign to go on, the doctor entered the room.

~x~x~x~

Rei looked up, eyes red-rimmed and puffy, to see who was coming in his room now. He really hoped it wasn't anyone he knew. He didn't want any of them to see him like this. Especially not the three Russians, who he was sure would only take this opportunity to make him feel even worse. To his surprise, though, it was a man Rei had never seen before. He assumed the man was a doctor, if the lab-coat was anything to go by. The man smiled at him gently.

"Hello Rei. I'm Doctor Simmons. How are you feeling?" Rei's only response was to scowl darkly at the man. Doctor Simmons chuckled softly, trying to keep the mood light. "Not that good, I take it. Listen, if you feel up to it, your friends are outside and would love to visit with you for a while." Rei stiffened at the comment, pain jolting him at the reaction.

"No." he whispered, lowering his head so that his bangs covered his face.

"What was that?" Simmons asked.

"I said no." the boy replied, slightly louder than before. The brown-haired man looked slightly taken aback at Rei's statement. He remained speechless until he heard a quiet, "Please leave now."

~x~x~x~

Brooklyn watched from his chair as anxiety and and remorse thrumming through each one of their bodies. He really felt for them. Having something like this happen to a loved one had to be a wretched experience. His teal eyes snapped to the light brown door as it opened once more, everyone going on alert as the doctor stepped out.

"Can we go in now?" Judy asked as soon as she saw the doctor. He looked at her, regret written all over his face as he answered.

"He doesn't wish to see anyone at the moment. You should come back later in the day to see if he feels any better." Nobody spoke after that, each one too shocked by the fact that Rei didn't want to see them to make their mouths cooperate.

~x~x~x~

TBC...

A/N: Dun, dun, duuuuuunnnn... ^-^

(A really awesome band you guys should check out is Aicle. They're my new obsession. . )