Ah… Another chapter! I didn't update as soon as I had hoped, but I just had so many stupid school projects and stuff! I'm sorry for the short length, but I really just didn't have that much time to write! Thanks to my reviewers though! you guys make my day!
Disclaimer: I don't own this show about angsty spinning tops, K?
Rei felt something warm and soft stroke his forehead. Unconsciously, he leaned into the touch. The feeling was so secure and enticing; he let out a quiet moan. As soon as the sound escaped his lips, the contact was broken, and he gave an involuntary shiver.
Slowly, Rei's eyelids began to rise. A blurry outline came to view. He blinked a few times, allowing his golden orbs to adjust. Vision clearing, he allowed himself to study the figure beside him. Crimson eyes stared attentively at him; the fierce gaze making Rei's heart beat uncontrollably faster. The neko-jin frowned, confusion evident in his face. Maybe he was just hallucinating.
He blinked. His companion was still there, scarlet eyes still fixated on him.
He blinked again. The figure remained.
He blinked once more. Still there.
Maybe just one more time. The figure still stood, unwavering, eyes motionless.
It was then that Rei realized two things. One, he was definitely not dreaming. And two, this guy would be unbeatable in a staring contest.
"Wha.." Rei began, "Ka—Hiwatari! What are you doing here?"
"Uh…" Kai started, trying to think of a good way to offer the boy some explanation.
"REI-REI!" A new voice interrupted, "You're finally awake! You've been out for hours!"
Rei glanced at the new arrival in the room that seemed to appear out of nowhere. His confusion deepened when he discovered that he has never met this person before, and yet this stranger is speaking to him with such friendliness and familiarity. This kid looked around his age, possibly older by a few years. He was a boy but encompassed soft features. He was toned and had a strong build, however his figure was slightly feminine. His fiery-red hair was parted in a very absurd fashion, although somehow he was able to pull it off. Rei was almost certain that he has never met this boy in his life, although for some reason, the boy did look oddly familiar…
"Um, who are you?" Rei questioned the stranger.
"Ah… I'm hurt!" the boy replied in mock indignation, "I can't believe you don't remember me after such a show I put on for you!"
The boy looked down at Rei, revealing a pair of familiar strong, intense ice-blue eyes.
Realization hit Rei, and he found himself turning redder than Kai's eyes and the stranger's hair combined. The memory of the incident in the bathroom right before his fainting spell came rushing back to him. He thought it was all a dream.
Rei looked down at his sheets; unable to face the stranger for fear that his face would turn even redder, if possible, and explode.
"Aww", the burgundy haired boy exclaimed, "You're so cute when you blush!"
Kai scoffed at that, and looked irritably at the new boy. Rei directed his gaze back at Kai, completely forgetting that he was still in the room. The fact that Kai was here too means that he probably knows about the embarrassing episode. For some reason, this made Rei blush even harder.
"Urghh… Would someone PLEASE tell me what's going on, and why are you two here?" Rei demanded an explanation, conveniently changing the subject as well.
"I can answer that!" Another new voice spoke up.
'Damn, where are these people coming from?' Rei thought to himself.
He growled at the newcomer. But his frustrated frown soon turned into an elated smile as he recognized the fourth occupant of the room.
"Papa!" Rei screamed in delight. He hadn't seen his dad in such a long time! He began climbing out of bed to great his father, but strong arms pushed him back down.
"Ah-ah!" His father shook his head with disapproval, "You just woke up, don't overexert yourself"
"Yes, sir!" Rei obeyed.
"Now," his father commenced, "Let me explain. This is Tala. And this is Kai." He pointed at the two boys. "But I'm sure you've met Kai already. He goes to your school. Anyways, both these boys have just arrived from Russia and are in need of a place to stay. I, being the benevolent man I am, offered them the shelter of our home, and they will be staying with us for a few weeks. Maybe months, depending on how long this miss—how long they intend to stay in this country."
Rei nodded slowly, not completely comprehending. He found it hard to believe that his father was willingly allowing strangers to live with them. It's not as though his father is not a kind person, it's just that he doesn't trust others easily and tends to be very scrupulous of others.
"Now, dinners just about ready, so come down if you're hungry." Mr. Kon turned and sauntered off.
The red-head, Tala, gave Rei a quick wink before following the elder Kon out of the room.
Rei blushed once more, and then attempted to tag along. But his swift movement made the blood rush to his head and he became dizzy. His balance was thrown off and he gave a quick "EEP!" before his body made contact with the soft, warm floor.
Except something was wrong, the floor was supposed to be cold, hard and wooden, not soft and warm. It took Rei a few seconds to realize that he was not in fact propped against the ground, but against flesh. He felt his cheeks heating up again as he looked up at his savior. 'Dammit, just how many times did I blush today?'
"You need rest" Kai grunted impassively, "Stay in bed, I'll bring you food."
With that, Kai gently lifted Chinese boy off the floor and placed him in bed. Rei could only gape dazedly as Kai drifted out the room. Even when the taciturn boy left, Rei could not stop his goofy grin or his increasingly reddening cheeks. He really needed to stop, or else his face would permanently turn into a tomato.
Kai left the room and quickly closed the doors behind him. Tala was waiting in the hallways; he glanced up when he heard the doors shut. Ignoring the smirk the red-head was giving him, Kai promptly walked past the other boy and continued toward the dining hall. Unfazed, Tala caught up to the other boy, the smirk on his face still intact.
"So Kai," the cerulean-eyed boy began, "How's the job?"
"What are you doing here, Valkov?" Kai demanded, ignoring the other boy's inquiry.
"Ouch…" Tala replied, trying to hide his amusement under a fake hurt expression, "You don't seem very happy to see me, and darling, I only came because I missed you!"
"Don't give me that shit! This was supposed to be my assignment! Did that old crone, Voltaire, send you here? What? He thinks I can't handle this?!" Kai glared at the red-head, but instead of intimidating him, this gesture seemed to make the other boy's smirk widen.
"Calm down, Love, he knows you're the best. That's why he assigned you to this family; they're on the top of the enemy's suspect list. But you know, during the day when you're at school watching over the son, someone's going to have to watch over the father. And naturally, you can't be at two places at once. So they decided that I should help, although..." Azure eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint, "I think I should be the one to watch over little ReiRei as it seems that we have already established somewhat of a bond. He is cute, no?"
"Valkov…" Kai growled, comprehending Tala's underlying motives, "You do know that initiating a relationship, romantic or sexual, with an assignment is a direct violation of the rules, don't you?"
"Yea…" Tala sighed, then smiled deviously at the other boy, "Sucks for you."
It had been three weeks since school started. Three weeks since the arrival of the two strangers. Three weeks since that horrendously embarrassing bathroom incident. And already, it felt like an eternity. For the past three weeks, Rei had spent every waking moment with Kai. They walked to school together, they sat in class together, they had lunch together, they lived together, and now Kai had even started taking karate club.
Even though they spent so much time together, the neko-jin felt like he knew nothing about his reticent companion. Many times, the Chinese boy tried to get the other to open up, but the crimson-eyed boy remained silent. Rei must have recited his whole life's tale to the blue-haired enigma at least three times, and yet the only response he ever gets is just "Hn."
Finally, the Chinese boy decided to give up on his quest to make the impassive Russian speak, and just enjoy the silence. He found this a lot less stressful.
The only person, Rei noted, that Kai could hold a decent conversation with was Tala. They must have grew up together and become friends or something, Rei decided. However, it was a strange friendship since the quirky red-head was so different than Kai. Tala, unlike Kai, was extremely outgoing and openly flirty. He bathed in attention, and seemed to really enjoy Rei's company.
' So,' the neko-jin wondered, 'why were the two so close?'
'Well opposites do attract;' Rei concluded, answering his own question.
It was obvious that the two Russians treated each other much differently than they treated Rei. While Kai was extremely reserved around Rei, it seemed that he could do nothing but talk when with Tala. And while Tala was extremely joke-y and flirtatious around the Chinese boy, he seemed much more serious in manner when with Kai.
Sometimes, Rei would walk in on them in the middle of what seemed to be a deep conversation. When they noticed the third party, they would immediately stop, or they would simply switch to Russian. Rei couldn't help but feel slightly hurt at this; it was as if they were talking about him. (On a side thought, Rei noted, even though they were so close, Kai still only referred to the other on last-name basis)
For some reason, Rei now enjoyed being at school. Not because he enjoyed the learning aspect of it, but because this meant that Kai was also away from Tala. (Apparently, like Rei suspected, Tala was older than the other two, so he instead of going to school, he took on the job of being Mr. Kon's new secretary.) He knew that he was being selfish since Tala appeared to be Kai's only friend. But for some reason, when the two of them were together, it made Rei uneasy. (And no, he told himself, it was NOT jealousy.)
It was because, when the two were together, they would only whisper among themselves. It was as if they were plotting, or had some secret that Rei mustn't figure out. This only made Rei more curious.
And you know what they say, curiosity killed the cat.
Haha, sorry for Tala's OOCness. I really wanted to make everyone in character. But I love Tala when he's such a tease!! Also, I'm really sorry for the short length, and for the messyness of this chapter. (and for the really cliche ending/title) I think the pace might have been too quick… haha but please review and tell me your input!
Ah I love my reviewers so much! I think you guys deserve personal notes!
Uzumi: Thank you! I hope this chapter sufficed! Awww.. thankies. I'm not really confident in my writing, but that was a nice ego-booster!
Thefairybloom: Thanks for the kind words! I know the first chapter was really short, but I'm really trying to elongate them now. I don't think any of my chapters will get to be very long though because I'm really busy and I like fast updates, but I will definitely try!
Nichibotsunokage: Haha, I had to copy and paste your name cuz I have no idea how to spell or pronounce it, lol! Thanks! Yea I like the plot too, but I'd like Kai to be more badass and ninja like, but idk how to incorporate that in yet. lol
Sparkleshadowcat: Thanks, I feel honoured that I'm the first! Haha no worries, your reviews do actually motivate me!
DONTH8TMECUZUAINTME: Yea I hate Mao too, but I'll refrain from Mao bashing. I might even make her nice eventually in this fic! YAY! I already have a lifelong reviewer! That makes me happy! And thanks! You make me feel… brilliant! haha lol
essenceofthedark: Thanks, hope the continuation is as good as you hoped! haha and he fainted because of shock I guess. I would probably faint if I found a hot Russian naked in my bathroom lol.
DesperateMeasures: Aha I love you!! Uhmmm thanks?? But your fanfics are wayyyy better even though I hate Naruto with a passion!
Aimed mischief: Thanks! glad you liked it.
Amy: Haha thanks.
Ma.anda: Ha, sorry, you half right! Kai is gonna live with them! Ahhh I love KaRe! girly giggles
UNpReDiCtAbLE lIfE: Thanks, don't worry I will!
midnightangel16: well there ya go. hope it was good!
not the usual baka: Yeah, he really is lucky! ahhh I so wish I was him! That way I could be with Kai! Heehee
kelseywazhere: Haha thanks, I hope you liked this chapter!