Chapter 3

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Kai couldn't believe it! That damn half-breed ignored him! He was fuming. He took a step towards the other boy who was diligently searching the ground for something and asked again. "Excuse me?" He said a little louder then before. Maybe the boy didn't hear him earlier, but with those ears, Kai doubted it.

Rei didn't even so much as look up. He knew someone was there, and that they were speaking to him, but he had to find out where that light had come from. He stopped when he saw something shimmer to his right. Making a dash, he grabbed the twinkle before is disappeared. Looking into his palm he found a triangular piece of gold sitting in his hand. "What's this?" He asked himself out loud.

"You can figure that out later!" Kai snarled, finally getting the boy to look up at him. "Stop ignoring me!" The boy spit out, staring at the other with pure hatred.

"I was not ignoring you!" Rei hissed out at the dual-hair, the pupils of his eyes slitting slightly. "I simply put talking to you on hold until I found what I was looking for so I didn't lose concentration." He sneered.

Kai sneered back, but in disgust. This boy was filthy. His hair was tied back at the base of his neck by a simple piece of torn cloth. He had a dirty and torn up baggy long sleeved shirt on, and a simple pair of black baggy pants, which were also torn and dirty, and no shoes. Unlike the half-breed, Kai was wearing a clean dark purple tunic, knee high boots, and baggy black pants to complete the ensemble. "You're filthy half-breed." Was all he could say, after all, he spoke his mind, and that was the exact thought that ran through his mind.

"And you're a worthless human. Your point?" Rei said, body posture defensive as he slowly backed away from the other. He only got about four steps before his back bumped into something solid. Turning slightly to see what was behind him, he screamed, now backing away from the huge white tiger standing behind him. "What the FUCK?" He screeched as the tiger took a step towards him.

And another step, and another. The tiger was slowly coming closer before finally opening his large mouth, letting a mist escape its mouth, it pounced on the frightened neko-jinn. Rei braced himself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, he felt his body being lifted into the air slowly. Looking down he noticed his feet were no longer on the ground, and a green mist was surrounding his body. Closing his eyes slightly he saw the tiger again, in his mind. "Hello Master. My name is Byakku. What might yours be?" The tiger said rather happily.

"For a tiger you sound awfully cheery." Rei said lightly, completely closing his eyes to get a better look at the tiger. "My name is Rei."

Kai stared at the now calming look on Rei's face, smirking. "I saw the tiger before he did. He screamed like a five year old girl."

(Master Kai! Be nice!) Suzaku squawked. (If I recall correctly, when I first tried to bond with you, you ran for another room and hid in the corner crying!) She replied with a chirping laugh.

"Repeat that again and I will personally pluck out your beautiful red plume of feathers Suzaku." She squawked in anger at him, appearing next to him, a look of sheer anger reflecting in her golden bird eyes.

"Master Kai! Threaten my feathers again and I will burn off all your hair until you are permanently bald!" She hissed at him, beak clacking.

"Calm down Suzaku." Kai said, waving his hand in a 'let it go' gesture. "Oh look. The filthy kitty is coming out of his stupor."

"Master Kai. Please be nice. He is now Byakku's master. We will be journeying with said 'filthy kitty' from now on."

"Whatever." He sighed, looking towards Rei and Byakku. "My name is Kai. This is Suzaku." He jutted his thumb towards the phoenix. "What is you name half-breed."

"Please stop calling me that." Rei said, exasperated. "My name is Rei."

"Fine, Rei then." Kai was about to say something along the lines of he wasn't going to willingly travel with a filthy kitty when he was interrupted by a screaming.

"REI!" A girls voice shrieked out. "Rei! We need to run now! There are demons in the forest!"

Rei and Kai turned to see two people running towards them, a pink haired girl and a black haired boy, who was carrying another person on his back. A woman, a human woman. He long black hair bouncing behind him as they ran. Her tired green eyes looked up at the two boys.

"Lee! Mao! Hoshi!" Rei exclaimed, looking over the three. "Where's Minoko?" Rei asked worriedly. "Lee, where's my mother?" He looked at the woman on Lee's back. "Hoshi? Where is she? Where is my mom?"

Hoshi, Lee's and Mao's mother, sighed. "They caught her. She pushed me out of the way when they were upon me when we were searching for you." She said quietly. "They have your mother Rei."

"FUCK!" Rei screamed, taking off down the side of the mountain, a giant white tiger bounding after him.

"Suzaku! Follow him, do not let him out of your sight!" Kai ordered, watching his phoenix follow orders with haste. He looked over to the two half-demons and their mother. 'Why are a bunch of half-breeds running from demons?"

Mao was staring off in the direction Rei had gone before turning to him. "Because they will kill us on sight. Just because we have demon blood does not mean we can fight against full bloods! If they see Rei, unless he gets lucky, they will do everything in their power to kill him." She cried, tears forming in her eyes before both her and Lee nodded to each other wordlessly, running farther up the mountain. "Rei can take care of himself, he isn't stupid." Mao said, as they ran farther from their friend. "We'll see him again."

Kai watched the others take off. "Cowards. Isn't he their friend?" He ran down the mountain. "Suzaku, where are you?" He called out, both physically and mentally. A picture flashed before his eyes that he didn't like. Rei was wrapped around a still body of a bloody woman. Three dead demons on the ground around them, but more slowly inching towards them. "Suzaku, help him, I'm on my way!"

TBC

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