Disclaimer - If you recoginize it, then I do not own it.
Author's Note - Since you all seemed to wonder what happened from the previous chapter, I decided that a continuation was in order so here's part 2 that I opted to call Bubble Trouble.
Thank you to kai's kitty, lalalalala2, FlamesOfFury, The-LoneWolf-Tempest, Firehorse200, Butterfly Ishida, destiny-fulfilled, animepie, Brooklyn'sGurl, MasterFranny, Mizz Gina & blackangelz23 for reviewing. Thank you for helping me reach over 100 reviews. I owe it all to you so thank you ever so much. Also, I apologize for the long wait between chapters. I am suffering a horrid case of writer's block that is the size of Khufu's Great Pyramid at Giza. Hopefully, it has passed.
Chapter 16 - Bubble Trouble
"This is going to be a lot of fun," Hiro groaned, looking at the two dirty chibis as the water slowly filled the tub. He added a bit of strawberry scented bubble bath to the water along with several toys before he grabbed Brooklyn and started to pull off his dirty clothes. Mystel tried to remove his own but only succeeded in getting his shirt stuck in his hair and hopping madly around as he tried to get out of it. Hiro tested the water and deciding it was the right temperature, literally tossed Brooklyn into the tub. He then helped Mystel get undressed and dropped him in besides of Brooklyn, who giggled and splashed his hands sending a wave of water at Mystel.
Hiro happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (or was it the right place at the right time?) and his face got soaked by the wave of water. He spit out the soapy water and cracked open an eye to glare evilly at Brooklyn, who looked innocent. He was trying to act like an angel but this particular angel on this day had a tail and horns. His innocent act wasn't fooling anyone as Hiro grabbed a towel to dry his face so he could get to work on bathing the two chibis. Just as he turned back around, Mystel jumped up and sent a wall of water at him that drenched not only his hair but his clothes as well.
Hiro stood there soaked and sputtering as he looked at the two chibis in the tub. He had thought Brooklyn, Tyson and Garland had been a handful before but Brooklyn and Mystel seemed worse together than the three had been. "You did that on purpose," he snapped as his brownish red eyes tried to narrow on the two and almost making him go cross-eyed. Brooklyn started to giggle uncontrollably as Mystel followed his lead as they fell back into the water. Their laughter caught the attention of Judy as she past by the door.
She stood there gaping before her face scrunched up funny and she darted down the hallway; her laughter echoing behind her. Hiro was furious as he slammed the door shut and turned back around to the two chibis, who had found the bath toys and were playing quietly for the moment. He was tempted to drown the two and claim it was an accident but knew he couldn't do that. He wouldn't be able to get by with it. "Evil, demented, little chibis," Hiro muttered as his wet clothes clung uncomfortably to him. He was going to have to ask one of the other teens for a change of clothing until he could dry his own since he had not brought an extra pair with him. He turned around only for a brief moment to grab some shampoo and conditioner off the sink counter.
When he turned back around, he got splashed in the face again by Brooklyn, who laughed and continued hitting the water with his hands. "That is enough!" Hiro shrieked like a girl, standing up as water dripped from his clothes, "I can't deal with this!" He ran to the door, threw it open and yelled for any teen or adult within hearing range. No one answered since they all knew what he was doing and definitely didn't want to deal with two chibis in a bathtub. "The world is out to get me," he muttered, closing the door as laughter filled his ears.
Brooklyn and Mystel were playing with the toys again as water splashed over the side of the tub and onto the floor. Hiro decided that he didn't care what they did anymore since he wasn't going to clean the room up afterwards. He was wet and his clothes were rubbing him in the wrong way. "What the hell," he muttered, pulling off his clothes to join the two chibis in the very large tub. He was wet enough all ready and a bath wouldn't hurt. Maybe this way, he would be able to get more done with the pair.
He settled himself behind Brooklyn, who looked happy that he had decided to join them. This wasn't unusual since he had taken baths with Brooklyn before so the younger was use to him. Mystel looked uncertain however and kept his distance at the opposite end of the tub. "What wrong, Mystie?" Brooklyn ask as Hiro started to wash his hair as he played with a tug boat. He sighed with contentment as Hiro massaged his scalp with the shampoo. His fingers felt so good as Brooklyn sighed again and closed his eyes, leaning back into the comfort that Hiro offered.
"He wook different than us," Mystel remarked, pointing to Hiro, "his winkie bigger and he gots hair where we don't." Hiro nearly choked on his saliva from that remark as he coughed and tried to regain his ability to breathe. Brooklyn simply opened his eyes and looked at Hiro then turned his attention back to his friend. "That oway," Brooklyn replied with a smile, "Hero, adult. That why he wook different. When we his age, we wook wike that too."
"Are you sure?" Mystel ask with uncertainty as Brooklyn nodded with confidence. "Every part will grow," he explained as Hiro continued to cough to settle his breathing and hide his laughter. "Oway," Mystel replied, "if you say so." Hiro didn't have a problem getting Brooklyn clean but Mystel was still weary of coming anywhere near him. Besides the fact that his hair was longer than Brooklyn's and it was tangled together in knots from the food that had lodged itself in his long blond strands.
Brooklyn simply shifted to the side to give him enough room as Hiro tried to untangle Mystel's hair gently. "That hurt," Mystel cried as tears fell from his big chibi eyes. "I'm sorry, Mystel," Hiro apologized, "but your hair is longer than Brooklyn's and I have to get these knots out before I can wash your hair." Mystel started to bawl louder making some of the others downstairs wonder what Hiro was doing to him. Rei had jumped up from his seat next to Tala where he had been watching television to teach 'that big meanie' a lesson but Kai had pulled him back by his ponytail.
"I bet he's having problems with the little dude's hair," Grandpa remarked from where he was playing a game of chess with Robert. Unlike Johnny, grandpa was able to stand his ground and offered the German teen an actual challenge. "If he has food stuck in it," Mariah added from where she was sitting on the sofa with Emily and Mathilda, looking at fashion magazines, "it's going to take Hiro a while to get it untangled. I had a time with Rei's the morning, Kai and Tala started that food fight." "Mystie sad," Rei cried as Kai kept a firm grip on his hair and made him sit which was a first. The small dual-hair blader was the first to tame a kitty cat.
Meanwhile, Hiro had given up on the tangles and decided to wash Mystel's hair and then put a lot of conditioner in it to try and detangle itself. He couldn't bear anymore of the chibi's cries since he knew it probably hurt from the way he was pulling it. He lathered his hair in the same shampoo that he had used on Brooklyn and then after rinsing it, put nearly the entire bottle of conditioner on his head. After letting it sit for a few minutes, he then rinsed it, leaving Mystel to wash himself. Brooklyn was capable of washing himself so he figured that Mystel was as well.
The water was starting to get cold as the two chibis continued to play with the bath toys and were finally clean. He got out first and grabbed a towel from the cupboard, nearly slipping on the wet floor as several curses escaped his lips from the near fall. Brooklyn and Mystel had soaked the floor thoroughly with their play and the drain wasn't able to keep up with the flow of water. "Time to get out," he stated, securing the towel around his waist as Brooklyn climbed out of the tub and was wrapped in a big fluffy pink towel. Mystel followed right behind him as he wrapped his hair in a seperate towel from his body.
He had just walked to the door and was about to turn the knob when it opened to admit his father, who had an armful of clothing and the bag they had brought as a precaution. "Judy told me that you got soaked by their bath," he said as his eyes twinkled with amusement, "so I ask around for an outfit. The only other teens that are near your size were Robert and Rick. Rick offered a pair of baggy white pants and I got a t-shirt from Spencer since I didn't think you would want to wear that designer clothing of Robert's." "Thanks, dad," Hiro sighed with relief, one thing going right for him at least.
"I'll take care of Mystel if you wish to take Brooklyn," Bruce suggested as Hiro nodded gratefully and took the clothing he offered. He definitely wasn't picky since he didn't want to wear his wet clothes for the rest of the evening. He picked up Brooklyn and went into a spare bedroom to dress. He had grabbed a hair dryer from the bathroom cupboard to dry their hair as he heard Gustaf cursing through the wall. Well, he figured that was what he was doing since it was in German and it didn't sound at all nice. He had a right to be angry since he had to deal with a dirty kitchen and then a flooded bathroom.
He decided to dry Brooklyn first since he was battling a cold and staying wet would only make him even more sick. He quickly dried his hair and put on the white sailor outfit trimmed in blue. He only put on his socks as Brooklyn yawned, appearing to want a nap after a warm bath. Hiro took the moment of peace to dress himself and thought he looked ridiculous in the clothing he had been given. Rick's white pants were too baggy for his liking and Spencer's red shirt was too big. It was like dressing a mouse in an elephant's skin. He prefered his clothing much tighter.
He knew that he didn't have a choice as he sighed, left Brooklyn for a brief moment to take the towels back to the laundry basket in the bathroom where Gustaf was cleaning and was told that his clothes had been put in the wash. He should get them back before they left for home. Brooklyn was still asleep as he picked him up and went downstairs where everyone stared at his odd outfit. "Don't say a word," he glared as he dared them to say something derogatory about his clothing, "I know exactly how funny I look." "Hero," Tyson called, looking up at his big brother, "those clothes wook funny on you."
If one of the teens or adults had said it, Hiro would have probably punched them but since it was his little brother, he wouldn't lay a hand on him. "I know, Tyson," he replied, pushing Mariah aside to make room on the sofa so he could sit down, "my clothes were soaked by Brooklyn and Mystel." At that moment, Mystel bounced happily into the room with his dad and Judy. It appeared that she had been required to braid Mystel's hair. "You okay?" Rei ask as he jumped up and hugged his playmate tightly, "we heard ya crying."
"I fine, Rei-Rei," Mystel replied with a smile, "I gots food all in my hair and Hero couldn't get it out. He tried to be gentle though." The Egyptian chibi smiled at Hiro, who smirked as Brooklyn snuggled into his chest and sighed with contentment. Hiro noticed that Kai had glanced at them but had quickly turned away. He briefly wondered what his problem was but knew it had something to do with the chibi in his arms. Did he think Brooklyn was ignoring him on purpose and had it hurt his feelings?
Brooklyn murmured something incoherent and shifted against him in his sleep. "I am so sick of Spongebob," Michael remarked as he entered the room with a soda in hand and looked at the television, "Can we watch something else?" "It has to be something age appropriate," Judy reminded and before he could say another word added, "and before you can ask, no you can not put in one of your horror movies. That would definitely give them nightmares." "Does anyone have any good movies?" Michael ask the teens gathered in the room.
"I brought some to keep me occupied during the tournament," Enrique offered, "they are in a trunk in my room." Even though Enrique wasn't use to labor of any sort, he went upstairs and helped Michael carry the trunk down. When he opened it, some of them gasp with surprise. "You have more DVDs in that trunk," Hiro remarked with awe, "than I do in my entire collection." "What can I say?" Enrique stated, flashing a smile to Hillary, who had just entered the room, "I love movies."
"Anything of interest?" Rick inquired as he leaned over the trunk as well. With both Judy and Bruce reminding them of the children in the room, their selection was rather limited to what they could watch. The teens had wanted to watch Revenge of the Sith but Judy had objected, citing that both Kai and Brooklyn did not need to watch Anakin's Skywalker's descent into darkness. They had both been tainted by it before and did not need to be tempted again. In the end, they decided on a comedy and chose Chicken Run from the trunk.
"I love those chickens," Enrique remarked as some of them looked at him oddly for having the movie in his collection, "I know they are plotting something." He had tried to do the line with an English accent but failed miserably as Hillary hit him over the head with one of the pillows on the loveseat. "Hil," he protested, trying to protect his head as the brunette smirked at him. Most everyone settled either on chairs or the floor with their significant other as the movie started and they waited for dinner to be ready. Laughter was soon heard through the entire house from those watching the movie since everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Brooklyn, however, was ignorant of the world around him since he was asleep in Hiro's arms. He started to stir towards the end of the movie and it had just ended when Gustaf announced dinner was being served. Almost everyone was in a good mood from watching the film as they went to the dining room. Brooklyn was settled inbetween Hiro and Bruce, where he could not cause any trouble but the chibi was almost too sleepy to care. He was so drowsy that his face nearly landed in the plate of the first course if Hiro hadn't woke him suddenly.
He teared as he whined at Hiro but a fork was thrust into his hand as he picked over the food on his plate. He wasn't hungry as he whined again, catching the attention of Bruce since Hiro had told him to be quiet. "What is wrong, Brook?" he ask, forgetting about his anger at the chibi from before. "Not hungry, daddy," Brooklyn explained with a pout, "wanna sleep but Hero being mean." Bruce had to hide a laugh as Hiro overheard the remark and glared at the chibi.
"Just eat what you can," Bruce offered, ignoring his oldest son, "I'm not going to make you eat if you don't want too." Brooklyn sniffled and managed to get a small amount of food on the fork. He swallowed it and then looked back at Bruce. "Me done," he replied as Hiro was about to open his mouth in protest. "If that is all you want," Bruce stated with a smile, "then I am not going to force you to eat."
"Twanks," Brooklyn replied, slipping down from the chair and smirking at Hiro as he did so. Hiro would have said something if grandpa hadn't hit him to keep him quiet. Brooklyn smiled as he ran from the room and went back to the lounge. He crawled back onto the sofa and laid down but couldn't go back to sleep for some odd reason. "This not working," he murmured, turning over but still was too fidgety to return to the peaceful slumber that he had been in before.
He whined as he opened his eyes to find himself looking into a set of crimson. "Hey Kai," he greeted with a smile as he sat up, "what ya want?" "We need ta talk," he stated, "I got out of eating that yucky food ta talk ta you. Why didn't ya wanna play with me before?" "Me sick," Brooklyn explained, "and Hero give me this yucky tasting stuff that make me sleepy. Didn't feel wike it then? Wanna play now?"
He jumped down from the sofa to stand in front of the dual-hair. "When I wanted ta play," Kai continued, "you didn't. You rather be with Hero than play with me." "Feel bettah when ya with someone ya wike," Brooklyn stated, "Hero make me feel bettah when me don't feel good." Brooklyn smiled but Kai looked uncomfortable as he shifted from one foot to the other.
Brooklyn stopped smiling from Kai's unusual behavior. It was like he wanted to say something but he didn't know how too. "Kai sometwing wrong?" Brooklyn ask but what happened next surprised the younger into silence. Kai swiftly leaned forward and captured the younger chibi in a kiss directly on the lips. Brooklyn was so surprised by the gesture that he didn't know what to do. Before he knew it, the experience was over but he didn't react like he did before with Julia.
"I wike you," Kai stated with unease, "more than just friend. Do you wanna be my boyfriend?" "Kai," Brooklyn whispered, totally stunned by what had just happened, "we friends." "Rei and Mystel boyfriends," Kai informed, "why can't we be wike them or some of the others?" "Me don't wike you wike that," Brooklyn whispered as they heard a gasp from the doorway to see Tala standing there. From the way the tears were falling from his icy blue eyes, the two knew he had saw everything.
"Kai," he stuttered, inbetween sniffles and cries, "I thought you wike me." "I do," Kai replied but looked uncertain, "but I wike Brookie too." "Well, ya can't have the both of us," Tala defended as his arms crossed, "make up your mind on who ya want." "Tala," Brooklyn spoke up, "me don't wike Kai wike that. You have him. Me wike someone else and he promised ta wait."
"Hero nevah wait," Kai snapped at the two red-heads, "and he too old for you. I treat ya weal good. I promise." With that, Tala fled the room in tears as the other two watched. Brooklyn wanted to follow Tala but Kai tightly grabbed his arm and would not permit him to leave. "Let go," Brooklyn whimpered as tears formed in his eyes, "Kai, it hurt."
Kai's eyes blazed with anger. "I want you ta be mine," he protested, "no one else deserve ta have you." "Kai," Brooklyn cried as he tried to break away but couldn't since his grip was too tight, "it hurt! Pwease let go!" "Kai," Judy called, appearing in the doorway suddenly, "what in the world is going on in here?" The dual-hair snapped out of his fit of rage and looked up at the woman but did let go of his prey.
Brooklyn stumbled forward crying; only to be picked up by Judy, who looked confused since she had no idea what was going on. "Where is Tala?" she ask, "he came to get you." Kai's eyes widened by the mention of his name as he looked around and didn't see a sign of the red-haired Russian. "Kuso," he cursed as he ran out of the room mumbling, "what have I done?" He disappeared down the hallway as Judy looked at the crying chibi in her arms.
"Brookie, what is the matter?" she ask, noticing the red mark on his arm from Kai's grip, "what happened?" "Kai," was the only word that she could understand as he cried into her shirt. His bawling attracted the attention of Hiro, who came to see what all of the noise was about. "Hero," Brooklyn cried as he reached out to him as Judy gladly handed the toddler over to his guardian, "wook what Kai did." Hiro saw the mark that suscipiously looked like a hand print as he looked at Judy in confusion.
"Can I ask what is going on?" Hiro ask as Brooklyn buried his face in his shirt and continued to mumble things that the two didn't understand. "I have no idea," Judy shrugged, "when I came into the room, Brooklyn was trying to get away from Kai but could not since he was holding onto his arm. When I ask about Tala, Kai cursed and ran from the room to look for him." "Brookie, what happened, tenshi?" Hiro ask, looking down at his boyfriend, "what did Kai do to you?" Hiro's heart nearly broke as Brooklyn looked up at him with tears running down his cheeks and small sobs escaped his mouth.
"He-" he started but then began to wail even louder as Hiro rubbed his back in comfort and tried to stop his crying. "Take all the time you need," Hiro reassured, "just tell us what happened." "Kai kiss me," Brooklyn continued as he sniffled and then wiped his runny nose on Hiro's shirt as the older cringed, "and he want ta be boyfwiends but me don't wike him wike that. Told him so and then Tala saw and was crying 'cause he got dumped by Kai. Then Dr. Judy come and Kai wan after Tala."
"We need to find them," both Hiro and Judy said at the same time as they exchanged a look and an identical sweatdrop. Hiro shifted Brooklyn onto his hip as the two returned to the dining room. All conversations stopped after they entered and Judy had explained the situation. She ask the chibis if they had any idea where Tala would disappear too if he was upset. Most of the other chibis just shrugged their shoulders in reply.
"Tala wike ta walk around outside," Mystel added after a few minutes of thought, "maybe he out there." "You are not suppose to go outside," Judy reminded with a stern expression, "without adult supervision. It is prohibited like the pool." "Mommy," Max added as he tugged on her shirt since she was standing behind his chair, "what does pro, pro, prowibit mean?" He mangled the word as Judy sweatdropped again remembering that all of them were not as bright as Brooklyn at their current ages. "It means you not suppose to go there," Rei informed with a grin, "or that what I thinks it means."
"When we listen ta adults," Tyson added with a smile as he then yelped after Bruce had popped him in the back of his head for his insolent remark. "Who will help us look for them?" Judy ask as most of the teens exchanged looks with one another but finally decided to help look for the two missing chibis since she was not going to give them any peace until the dynamic duo was found. Hiro set Brooklyn down and ordered him to stay with grandpa who was going to look after the group of them along with Oliver. They were outnumbered five to one but grandpa was waving his shinai and was guarding the door. He usually didn't have a problem keeping them under control since the chibis seemed to fear him and his bamboo sword.
Brooklyn whined as he walked to the window to look out to see Hiro and the others breaking up into small groups. "Me want ta help," he whimpered, "it mine fault." "I help," Mystel offered, quietly, "but we gots ta sneak away from grandpa fiwst." Mystel easily found a way to distract Oliver and grandpa by going to Tyson and taking away the chicken leg that he had been eating. It seemed that he cared more about his dinner than his missing companions. Tyson started to pitch a fit that took their attention away from the pair as they darted out into the hallway before either grandpa or Oliver had turned back around.
Fortunately no one saw them leave the house as they went out the door. Mystel took Brooklyn's hand as they ran toward a small patch of woods that was adjacent to the house. It was getting dark since the sun was going down as Brooklyn clung to Mystel, who looked about as scared as his younger companion from the shadows forming around them. "It too scawy," Brooklyn murmured as he hide his face in Mystel's shirt, "don't wike it out here." "Me neither," Mystel muttered as he led him deeper into the trees and bushes, "but we gots ta find the others." By this time, they couldn't even see the lights from the house.
"Me scawed," Brooklyn cried, afraid to open his eyes, "let go back before monsters get us." "We almost there," Mystel reassured, "you wike what you see soon." Mystel even started to shiver when an owl started to hoot near them. They then heard two angry and familiar voices as Brooklyn opened his eyes hoping to see his friends but they weren't there. He looked around cutely in confusion as Mystel tapped his shoulder and pointed at something in the trees.
"Wow," Brooklyn whispered as he saw the outline of something magificient. It was a treehouse that was so well hidden in the branches that he wouldn't have seen it if Mystel hadn't pointed it out to him. "Adults don't know," Mystel informed with a grin, "Me saw Tala and Kai come this way one day so me follow. That when I saw tweehouse for fiwst time. That where they hide after causing trouble."
Brooklyn followed Mystel to several wooden planks that were nailed into the trunk of the tree and climbed up the ladder. Brooklyn was uncertain since it was so high up but after a moment's thought, he too climbed up to the hidden fort. Brooklyn took a nervous swallow when he looked down as Mystel lifted the door. He went inside as he held out a hand to Brooklyn, who got over his fear and climbed in. Kai and Tala were arguing as the two intruders watched the phoenix try to comfort the wolf who was leaning against the wall and crying with his legs drawn to his chest.
"Tala, you oway?" Brooklyn ask, running to the wolf as Kai turned and glared at both Brooklyn and Mystel. "What you doing here?" he demanded, his voice near a shout, "go away Brookie. You make things worse." "You start this," Brooklyn shrieked and pointed a finger at Kai, "you know Tala wike you in way me don't. You hurt him fiwst." "I know," Kai admitted as he hung his head, "I make big mistake and I sorwy, Tala."
"Apologize ta him too," Tala informed as he wiped away his tears, "you hurt Brookie worse. Look at bruise you cause." "I sorwy, Brookie," Kai added, "I didn't mean ta get jealous of you and Hero. I wish I had someone ta love me wike that." "It oway," Brooklyn smiled, "It just bruise, it go away. Me glad that fwiends are oway."
Brooklyn hugged Tala and then turned to Kai, who he hugged as well. They were fortunate that the ginger-hair was so forgiving as Kai released him and then smiled. "You wook bettah when you smile," Brooklyn noticed with a giggle, "you should smile more, Kai." The smile disappeared on Kai's face as he looked at his smaller companion. "Don't have much ta smile about," Kai muttered, "Me hungry. Let's go back and get sometwing edible ta eat."
The four agreed as Kai went down the ladder first followed by Mystel. Brooklyn looked uncertain as he looked down and swallowed nervously. "Long way down," he muttered to Tala, "me scared ta climb down." "It oway, Brookie," Tala reassured, "I felt same way fiwst time; just don't wook down and focus on steps." Brooklyn nodded as his eyes glistened with unshed tears as he stepped down onto the first wooden board. He shivered but carefully made his way down until a bat flew out of a nearby tree and startled him by brushing against the back of his head.
Brooklyn screamed with surprise as his foot slipped and he accidentally let go of the ladder. Tala grabbed his hand before he fell but couldn't hold onto him that long since he was heavy and Brooklyn was frailing in his hold. "Brookie, stay calm!" Kai shouted from below as Brooklyn continued to sob and slip from Tala's grasp. Kai's shout alerted the adults and teens to their location as Tala started to lose his grip on Brooklyn's hand and tried to grab his shirt instead. Tala struggled with Brooklyn as he gritted his teeth together but couldn't hold onto him any longer.
His hand slipped and Tala watched in horror as Brooklyn fell. Kai and Mystel cried out but were pushed aside by a blond blurr as Spencer appeared and caught Brooklyn in his arms before he hit the ground. "I GOT HIM!" Spencer yelled as Bryan appeared closely behind him and sighed with relief, "I guess it is a good thing that I like to play rugby." He smiled as Bryan just sighed again and groaned. "Tala, Kai," Bryan growled as Spencer cradled Brooklyn close to his chest as he cried from the fright of the fall, "what in the hell were you doing out here?"
Tala had managed to make it down without any help or a mishap as he, Kai and Mystel stood before the lavendar-haired Russian with their heads hanging low. "Dunno," Kai replied after a few moments of silence as Judy, Bruce and Hiro appeared. "Brooklyn!" Hiro shouted, running to Spencer and taking him from his arms, "what happened?" "He fell out of that treehouse," Bryan informed as he pointed up as the three adults looked and a frown appeared on Judy's face, "Spence caught him before he hit the ground." "I didn't know there was a treehouse," Judy remarked, "It appears that this house has more secrets than I first thought. Now that I know about the treehouse, it is definitely off-limits to all of you. Do you realize that you could have seriously hurt yourself by climbing up that high?"
Two of the chibis shrugged as Mystel burst into tears and glomped onto Judy's legs saying that he was at fault since he had led Brooklyn to the treehouse in the first place. Judy couldn't stay mad at Mystel long as she picked him up to comfort. She didn't have to say anything to Kai and Tala since Bryan was talking to them in Russian. It seemed that he was trying to find out what had happened that had upset them so much. None of the chibis were talking however as they remained quiet. Mystel and Brooklyn couldn't stop crying but were not going to allow their friends to take all of the blame.
"No one make me climb," Brooklyn sniffled into Hiro's shirt, "me did it myself. Me at fault just as much as they are." "We know that you are," Bruce added, sternly as they walked back to the house, "now you have done two bad things that you need to be punished for." Brooklyn cringed and hide his face in Hiro's chest from his remark. Now, he had made his daddy even more angry. This wasn't good.
Judy was carrying Mystel while Bryan had a firm grip on both Kai and Tala's hands but they were too upset and hungry to try and escape. Mr. Dickenson hugged the two tightly when everyone was back in the house and lectured them about running around outside after dark. Neither Kai or Tala said a word as they were hugged again by the elderly chairman, who thought of the pair as his own grandchildren. Brooklyn was watching the scene with interest as he wrapped his arms around Hiro. He couldn't believe that Kai envied him for having someone like Hiro to take care of him when Mr. Dickenson seemed just as nice and loving.
If anyone was to be envied, Brooklyn would have chosen Kai. He was fearless, courageous and stood up for his friends and playmates. Brooklyn wished that he could be as brave as Kai was. He wished that he could stand up to a bully as easily as Kai did. Then maybe everyone wouldn't think that he was weak or a baby that needed protected all of the time. Hiro was speaking to Robert and didn't notice that Brooklyn's attention was elsewhere.
"You have more than me, Kai," he whispered, "you want what me got but me wish ta be more wike you. Me glad ta have Hero but you have Mr. D and he loves ya just as much. You are the one ta be envied." Brooklyn smiled since the incident with the treehouse seemed forgotten. No one got into any trouble for the ordeal and hopefully they would forget about his bad behavior. Brooklyn smiled as he closed his eyes and his grip on Hiro tightened. It was only a matter of time before he would witness an entirely different side to Kai that he hadn't seen before and he would wish that he hadn't.
R & R
Astera Snape