Rei is woken up on his first day of suspension at a six in the morning by the sound of the phone ringing.
He blinks sleepily in the darkness for a few rings, and then grapples at the phone next to his bed without getting up. He stares at it blearily, trying to make out the name but being too tired to read properly before he finally answers it, right before the answering machine kicks in.
"Moshi moshi," Rei asks, and it's a testament of how many years he's spent in Japan that he even remembers to say it so early in the morning.
"Moshi moshi, Rei!" The Chief's voice sounds out, sounding delighted he answered. "We weren't sure if we had the right number, so I'm glad you answered..."
Rei yawns hugely, not bothering to cover it up as he rubs at one eye and sits up. "Uh, yeah... This is Rei... Wait, we?"
"You shouldn't have answered," Takao's voice says with a weary tone. "You're gonna regret it."
"This is officially a four-way call, Rei, and we're getting yelled at!" Max's voice adds jovially.
Rei stares blankly at the wall, trying to understand what exactly was going on. He throws off his covers and gets up from the bed, phone still in hand, scratching the back of his head.
"Yelled at...?" Rei mumbles, completely lost. "Why are you guys calling so early...?"
"Chief learned about our little, uh... mishap, so he decided to call all of us this morning," Max explains.
Mis...hap?
Oh.
Ooooooooh.
Damn.
"Err, I think I have another call," Rei says hurriedly, but he's cut off by the Chief's suddenly going into what Takao calls his 'angry raving mode'.
"Don't you dare hang up," he screams (ow, Rei needed those eardrums). "I can't believe you guys go into a fight at school! You got suspended! Do you have any idea what that will do to your reputation? To your school file?! I can't leave you alone for two seconds, can I?! All of you! You sent two people to the hospital, not to mention all the damage you got yourselves because you couldn't be sensible!"
He stops to breathe, and Rei, who is by now holding the phone at arm's length, moves it back to his ear. He's really not sure what to say to the boy; he has a good point.
"Look, don't blame them," Rei starts, softly, "It was all my fault, I was rash--"
"Hey, the blame doesn't lie solely on you!" Takao interjects hotly. "First off, those guys attacked us, so it was really self-defense, and that guy totally insulted you!"
"I still shouldn't have attacked him," Rei replies. "I was in the wrong for that, and if I had just talked to them sometime over the summer or this month, none of this would have happened..."
"Yeah, but just because you didn't talk to them doesn't mean they should've attacked you!"
"Hey, hey, we're not going to play the blame game here," Max interrupts, "Alright? All the Chief wanted to do was tell us that we were stupid and rash, and that goes for all of us. Instead of attacking each other, we should've interrupted your fight, Rei. We got suspended, and really, we got what was coming to us. Don't feel guilty about it, Rei."
"... Yes, that's exactly what I was going for," the Chief replies, softly, "Don't feel so guilty. I just -- you shouldn't have done that, any of you! That means your friends, too. Still, the situation you got into was highly dangerous, and you're lucky Kai was there to help!"
Rei smiles slightly, leaning against the wall. "Is that why Kai isn't having this 'violence is bad' lecture, too?" he teases, and he can practically hear the boy blushing.
"That's -- it's not -- well -- That is completely different and, um--" he splutters, and the other three boys laughter echoes in the phone.
"Part a is that the Chief is still terrified of him, and part b is that no one actually knows Kai's phone number," Max explains with a laugh. "Not even Takao knows!"
"I don't even know if Kai lives in a house. For all I know, he lives in a graveyard or something," Takao mutters.
Rei rolls his eyes towards the ceiling. "What is he, a vampire?"
"Maybe!" Takao yells, and this time he's the one everyone laughs at. "Oh, shut up, it's totally possible."
"Sure, Taka... Maybe he's also a girl in disguise," Max jokes.
"Anyway," the Chief interjects before this gets any worse, "I'm still mad you guys did something like that... Plus, with all of you gone, I'll be left completely alone at school!"
"Sorry," Rei says, good naturally, "There's nothing we can really do about that, though."
"Well, you better not get in any trouble while you're suspended," the Chief warns.
"Trouble? I got in trouble by Daitenji calling my dad," Max whines. "I'm lucky I don't have a cracked rib, or he'd have been even madder. So far, I have to work the hobby shop all day on all three days of suspension, plus three weeks of non-stop working after school and on weekends. I'm just lucky he didn't call mom..."
"Ouch, and I thought I had it bad," Takao sympathizes. "Gramps is making me work on my kendo starting at four am for all three days, but except for that he just lectured me for hours on end... He didn't even say anything about calling my dad or brother."
"You have a brother?" Rei asks, bewildered.
"Yeah, him and my dad are on archeological digs a lot, so I don't see them often," Takao explains. "He'd have kicked my ass if he'd known I got into a fight..."
"Rei, what about your parents? What did they say?" Max asks, curious.
Rei shrugs before remembering this is a phone conversation and they can't see him. "Well, my legal guardian is a ... special case," Rei tries to explain, gingerly.
"Legal guardian? Are your parents... dead?" Takao questions, softly.
"Oh, no, nothing like that," Rei laughs. "Mom's back in China and my dad died before I was born. She let me move to Japan with Lai, Kiki, Gao, Mao and my legal guardian before seventh grade... I phone her every weekend, and we exchange both e-mails and letters. It's a long story, really, and nothing all that interesting."
"Is that why they were so angry about your so-called ditching?" Max asks, curiously.
"Aaah, Max, don't force him to tell you, this is obviously between Rei and the rest of his friends," the Chief points out nervously, but Rei waves him off before again remembering that they're on the phone.
"It's fine, you guys deserve to know. It's nothing too big, it's just that when we were younger, our grasp on Japanese was really basic, and we were so obviously foreign we were kind of ... ostracized when we got here. It's scary, you know? Being alone in a foreign country and having to depend on people... I guess they still have this feeling that they'll be left completely alone if one of us leaves. We were all each other had for so long..."
An awkward silence follows his explanation. Rei wonders if he'd have reacted the same way if one of the others had done it to him. It's a normal fear, after all -- being alone. Living in a foreign country, cut off from everything he had known, it had been ... frightening, at first. Exhilarating, too. Rei had loved that feeling of adventure, of something new -- he'd craved something similar recently when his life had become routine again. So he'd went to America. Maybe -- maybe Lai and the others didn't feel that same giddiness at exploring new things, meeting people, discovering --
Rei can't imagine not loving the unknown, but he never took into consideration the fact that not everyone thrills on it. Rei craves something else than routine, something different. But he'd never tried to explain himself, had he? He'd just... left. It doesn't excuse the violence, obviously, but sometimes fear and loneliness -- they can make you act out.
"Talk about a dark and dramatic topic way too early in the morning," Takao cuts in, shaking Rei out of his thoughts. "Not to cut in on anyone's brooding time, but this is not the kind of conversation I like to have on the phone. Plus, Chief's about to be late for school."
Rei blinks in surprise as the Chief suddenly yells, loudly: "Aaaaaaaaah! You're right! I'm late!! I'm sorry, I'll talk to you guys later!"
The phone clicks.
"... It's only seven," Max points out. "Also, does anyone know how he learned we were suspended so early?"
"It's the powers of the Chief," Takao answers gravely, "He knows everything. Don't question it."
"Riight," Rei says, cutting off that conversation before it gets any worse. Again. They sure have to do that a lot. "Anyway, I think that's enough phone for today, don't you?"
"Yeah," Max agrees, "I should get going, since my shift o' doom is about to start and all..."
They all say their goodbyes and hang up quickly. Rei stares at the phone for a while after before sighing and flopping down on the bed.
"... What do I do now, Byakko?" Rei asks the ceiling.
The painting of the great white tiger of the west on his ceiling stays perfectly still. Rei closes his eyes and hums.
Of course it couldn't be that easy.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
The bad thing about getting no real consequences for his suspension was that by noon of his first day, Rei was...
Bored.
He'd already finished all the homework he'd been given for the duration of his suspension, and except for that, he really had nothing to do. Rei had the habit of cleaning his apartment often enough that nothing really needed to be done; he didn't even have enough laundry to warrant doing any. He wasn't too fond of the Internet or television -- blame his technology-free upbringing -- and he hadn't taken out books from the library in ages. He didn't really feel like reading, anyway.
So the only thing left for Rei to do, at that point, was to go -- gasp -- outside.
Well, it was a beautiful day. ... What? Some people like such things as the sun!
Rei decides never to mention his attraction to the sun to Takao. Enough with the cat jokes already.
... Anyway.
This is how Rei finds himself wandering aimlessly all through the city, managing to go unnoticed by passer-bys, who under normal circumstances would have no problem mentioning in overly-loud whispers 'shouldn't that boy be in school'? These comments were the number two reason why Rei had decided against wearing his school uniform on his afternoon stroll.
... The number one reason being, of course, that he really isn't that fond of the uniform in the first place. What kind of student likes wearing the uniform, honestly?
And so Rei went out for a stroll and absolutely nothing special happened.
... Nah, that'd be too easy.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Rei doesn't quite know what possesses him to take his stroll to the riverbank; as pretty as it is, the riverbank is usually crowded with couples of all ages, and today is no exception. Of course, since school hasn't ended yet and it's a work day, it's actually full of older couples. Rei has never seen so many old people in one place. Even worse, they're all feeding ducks. This is the kind of thing that would have Takao screaming conspiracy for sure.
Rei is far more level-headed than that, and realizes that old people have nothing better to do than feed ducks. Or pigeons. ... Or be principals of all the schools in BeyCity, like Principal Daitenji. For a small town, they sure have a lot of schools. How odd.
Rei realizes that he is way too bored if he's actually considering the past-times of old people. He sighs and stops walking to look at his surroundings. There's a bridge there, and somehow the over-abundance of old people seems to have stopped a while ago. In fact, there's no one at all on this riverbank, except...
Except...
Except Kai Hiwatari, sitting calmly in all his glory on the riverbank, still wearing his school uniform (or what he thinks passes as a school uniform, really -- choker, lack of blazer and all). Well. Guess Rei wasn't the only one who decided to take a stroll.
"Hey, Kai!" Rei calls out. Especially after yesterday's little adventure, Rei's gotten rather fond of Kai. When Rei had first met him, he was turned off by his attitude and general aura, but except for being a loner (and previously being part of a gang, though that came in handy, as shown yesterday), Kai really wasn't that bad.
That's why Rei smiles at him and waves when Kai turns his head around slightly to check who is calling him. Kai doesn't share his enthusiasm, however, and simply turns back after throwing Rei what seems like a bemused glance. (Seems, because half of Kai's face is a weird bruise-y colour and swollen. That must hurt.)
Well, that is Kai for you. Rei doesn't let this bother him too much; instead he decides to go down the small cliff to the riverbank and join Kai in his river watching. He doesn't sit next to Kai, however, deciding to stand there instead. Kai seems to tense a bit at his presence, glancing up out of the corner of his eyes.
"Are you waiting for Takao?" Rei asks Kai, determined to start a conversation.
Kai snorts derisively, seemingly relaxing as he gives Rei a look. "Why would I be waiting for Kinomiya?" he bites, and Rei laughs a little.
"Hm, I dunno. I guess I thought this would be the... 'usual place', right?"
Kai looks out to the river, shrugging lightly. Rei waits for an explanation, but the older boy (or so Rei thinks he is -- Kai looks older, but how would he know?) doesn't bother answering at all. Alright, on the list of wrong conversation starters: Takao. For his part, Rei's rather certain this is Kai and Takao's usual place. It is on the way to Takao's house, from what Rei knows -- he's never been to Takao's family dojo, but he has heard about it numerously -- and Kai does seem like the kind of guy to have a favorite river-watching spot. Plus, the proximity to the bridge means it's probably usually empty save for him, and Rei knows just how much Kai prizes his solitude.
...
Knowing doesn't mean he's going to leave his companion alone right now, of course. Eh. Maybe later.
"Does it hurt?" Rei tries again, gesturing at Kai's face. Kai turns slightly to stare at him, furrowing a brow in confusion and raising his hand up, lingering slightly on his choker before touching his face.
"... Not really," Kai replies. "I've had worse."
Rei really doesn't want to know what would hurt worse than having your jaw punched in by Gao and biting off a chunk of your own tongue. Gang life must be tough. Maybe Kai had had some run-in with the yakuza, too...?
Haaa, what was he thinking? He was being worse than Takao with all his conspiracy theories. What was he going to come up with next? Kai's choker hiding something dramatic, like the scars of a suicide attempt? Pfft. Rei decides he watches too many movies. That never happens in real life. ... Plus, cutting the jugular is pretty lethal. There wouldn't be scars of a suicide attempt, only the result of a suicide attempt. And Kai was definitely not a zombie. Or a ghost.
"I'm still sorry you got hurt because of me," Rei apologizes, trying to get his mind off of thinking weird things about Kai. No wonder everyone else does it so often; Kai does have this aura that draws you in... even though it's very unlikely he's anything more than a troubled teenager.
Why is Rei even thinking about this, anyway? He needs a hobby.
"You're not the one who hit me," Kai reasons, tone completely bored. "And don't flatter yourself into thinking I got hurt for you."
Kai is such a wonderful, caring person. If by wonderful caring person Rei means moody teenager with an attitude problem who is also socially impaired and has the word 'MYSTERIOUS MYSTERY' printed on his head. ... But Rei isn't bitter at all. Noooo. He's actually used to it! Unlike someone we shall not mention who's name begins with 'T' and finishes with 'akao Kinomiya'.
Rei laughs a little at Kai's comment, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "That's not what I meant... I mean, it was my friends who started this fight, so I'm partially responsible. And biting off a chunk of your own tongue can't be all that fun..."
"I wasn't using it anyway," Kai answers sardonically. Rei blinks at him in bewilderment before chuckling a little. Kai's sense of humor is ... really odd, sometimes. "... You'd still call them friends, after all that?"
Rei looks down at Kai, curious, but the other teenager isn't looking at him at all. He's staring at the river impassively, but Rei can see in his eyes something... odd. It's this kind of weird determination, or curiosity, or incomprehension...? Rei doesn't get it at all, for his part. He's been told before that the eyes are the mirrors to the soul, but if that's so, Kai's soul must be... pretty complicated. Can souls have layers?
And there Rei goes again, over thinking things. He shakes his head softly and stares out at the river, too. He feels his happiness dropping as he thinks of his now-former friends.
"... I think I would," he responds gently. "I don't think they consider me a friend anymore, and that's too bad, but ... we've been through too much together to just let everything go so badly. Before we break off our friendship forever, I want to part on better terms, you know?"
Kai scoffs, disdainful. Rei frowns as he tries to come up with a way to properly explain himself. It's not something anyone else seemed to be getting. For Rei, though, it's obvious. His friends once meant the world to him. He can't just let go of a connection like that so easily.
"What's the point?" Kai breaks Rei's thoughts, his tone cold and distant. "Humans... are a waste of time. In the end, what did you get out of that friendship? All people do is drag you down. Slow your progress. Emotional ties... There's a reason they're called that. You should just cut all loose ends and be done with it. You're better off on your own."
Rei is taken-aback by what is possibly Kai's longest sentence yet, full of clichés though it may be. Is that what he really thinks? That everyone should just be alone and cut all ties to ... to what? Spare themselves? Yesterday, he'd wanted to. He'd thought, 'what was the point in keeping a friendship like this'? But cutting ties ... isn't so easy. And Rei... doesn't want to be alone.
"Is that really your opinion?" He inquires, frowning. "Your friends with Takao, if not the rest of us, aren't you? You can't just go through life alone. You'll be, well... lonely."
"Thank you for that insight, Einstein," Kai deadpans. Rei laughs a little nervously, because... well, yes. Most of the time, if you're alone, you're lonely. Not always, but it's kind of stating the obvious. A little. "And who said Kinomiya and I were friends?"
Rei is baffled as he realizes the truth in that last statement. Except for Takao jokingly saying he was Kai's 'BFF' and calling him buddy (Takao calls everyone buddy, however, even those who aren't his buddies), neither of them had ever really said anything about being friends. It seemed obvious, of course, but...
Could Kai be in denial? And why would he be? Of course Takao was kind of an idiot, but -- it's not like being friends with him could hurt Kai's reputation or something ridiculous like that. So why...?
"Why wouldn't you be?" Rei counters, determined to make sense of this. "You've been spending time with each other for what, three months now?"
Kai glares at him for a second, his gaze almost furious before his expression goes back to his usual poker face. Looks like Rei had managed to touch a nerve. Whether this is a good thing or not, though, Rei isn't quite sure.
"I've spent time with people for much longer than that without them being my friends," Kai sneers, almost spitting out the last word. "What makes Kinomiya any different?"
Rei stares determinedly at Kai, unfazed. "You tell me," he counters, and Kai practically bristles at that.
"Don't push your luck," he hisses. Rei, however, has this feeling, like if he does push the issue further, he'll... learn something. Something important. Or lose an eye when Kai tries to kill him with his bare hands. He's not sure if it's worth the risk. But -- there's something abnormal about this kind of behavior. Sure, loners will often say people are useless. Rei has read enough manga to know that.
But the complete denial, the anger... Maybe Kai was deeply betrayed, once, by someone he cared for? Isn't that how it usually goes?
"You--" Rei starts, but something terrifying, something that chills him to the very bone, interrupts him.
"Rei Kon," Mao yells from higher up the cliff, arms crossed and glaring daggers at him (Rei knows this because the second he heard her voice he swiveled around on the spot to gape in fear. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and all). "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Sweet Byakko, help him now because it looks like Mao learned about what happened. Rei had sincerely hoped she wouldn't. Though, since she was living with Lai, that was hoping for a miracle. Rei only hopes that Lai and the others got yelled at just as much as he is going to be.
A quick glance at Kai shows that, for his part, he is completely thrown-off. Looks like that particular conversation is over. Bummer.
"Err... hi, Mao?" Rei tries, sheepishly, but Mao's glare is enough to make him stop talking before he digs his own grave deeper than it already is.
Looks like school is over for the day. Though Mao didn't have time to change, as she's still in her uniform. This time, her pink hair is tied up in two braids on the side of her face, each with its own tiny blue ribbon. She looks adorable and innocent, but the whole effect is off-set by her murderous expression. It's quite jarring, really.
She jumps down the cliff (no, she doesn't walk down, run down or even slide down, she jumps down), using all her feline grace to land on her feet close enough to Rei that she can simply stand up straight to glare up at him. The whole jump thing made it so that, had there been any pervert in the area, they could have noticed the soft bounce of Mao's ample bosom.
As Rei is a gentleman and completely terrified, he has seen nothing of it. Kai is... well, Kai, and probably doesn't even notice girls have boobs.
Moving on.
"I can't believe you!" Mao seethes at Rei, poking him hard on the chest with a finger. "I told you, I warned you to talk with Lai and the others. I told you! And then not only do you not talk to any of them except for me -- and fail to mention that to me any of the times we saw each other, and since neither my cousin nor our mutual friends spoke about it, I thought it was all well and good! I thought you'd all talked and gotten over that stupid misunderstanding! And what do I find out?"
"... We didn't?" Rei tries, nervously, trying a charming grin so that she stops yelling.
Kai, for his part, seems to find this scene both bemusing and amusing. Jerkwad.
"Oh, not only you didn't," Mao growls, jabbing Rei's chest again. "But the lot of you had a fight! And not even a yelling fight, no! You had to go all out, didn't you? You went and beat each other up, like the stupid boys you are!" She pauses at this point, seemingly realizing Kai's presence and smiles at him. "No offense meant," she apologizes.
Kai simply shrugs it off.
She turns back on him, glowering. "And don't think Lai and the others didn't get this same treatment! You're just a bunch of ... stupid... stubborn... moronic... aggravating... guys!" Again, she smiles at Kai sweetly. "Still no offense meant!"
How can girls change their mood so fast?!
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, Rei?!" Mao finishes, putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at him.
"I'm... sorry?" Rei apologizes rather lamely. Mao raises an eyebrow, totally not impressed by his rather weak attempt to defend himself and Rei sighs, looking at the grass. "I don't know what to tell you, Mao. I really am sorry," he says, more sincerely this time. "About... everything. I never meant to ditch any of you, it just kind of ... happened. I completely forgot about talking to the guys, and then when they came... I don't have any excuse for my behavior. They were angry, and I should have just tried reasoning with them instead of fighting; I know that now. I was just... so mad, I didn't want to admit I was to blame for most of this."
Mao's eyes soften after his speech and she sighs, relaxing a little and dropping her stare to the grass, too. "Oh, Rei... Lai said almost the same thing, you know. It's not entirely your fault, you know; you're both to blame for this. You're both stubborn, and neither of you took into account how ... vindictive and childish Kiki can be. I know none of you really meant any harm..." She raises her head, then, an annoyed expression coming to her face once again. "So why the hell are all of you telling me this?!" Mao gripes, kicking the earth in aggravation. "Just man up and apologize to each other like you did with me! Is that so much to ask?!"
Rei stares at her, shocked, then laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "... Yeah, I guess you're right. We have been going about this the completely wrong way..."
Mao groans. "For the last time, stop telling me this! I'm not the one who needs convincing, or apologies! I don't care what you guys say, if you were really sorry, you'd have swallowed your pride and apologized already! Got it?"
He smiles at her, brightly, a charming and thankful kind of smile that lights up his whole face. "You're right. Thanks, Mao."
She stares at him and ducks her head, blushing slightly and sticking her tongue out. "... Well... you're welcome," she mumbles sheepishly, then stares at him and punches him on the shoulder, hard. Ow, that hurt! "Just don't expect me to solve all your problems!"
"I won't," Rei assures her with a grin, rubbing at his shoulder. She sure can pack a punch.
"Anyway, I should get going," Mao starts, "I kinda ran off to find you and totally skipped practice... But still, I don't expect things to go back to the way they were. At least apologize, though, okay? Promise me this time!"
"I promise," Rei says, and Mao looks at him dubiously. She holds up her pinky.
"Pinky swear it!"
Rei stares at her pinky incredulously and Kai snorts from somewhere behind him. He laughs a little, taking hold of Mao's pinky and placing a gentle kiss on it.
"Will that do?" he asks with a wide grin.
Mao's face flushes and she laughs, too. "Guess it will. I'm counting on you, Rei!"
She runs off before anything else can be said, and a silence falls down on Kai and Rei. Kai seems to have gone back to his usual blank-faced persona.
"That's... a pretty easy way to solve my problems, huh?" Rei notes, sheepish. Kai shrugs.
"If you're going to do it," he answers.
"Trust me, I will. I want this whole conflict behind me."
Everything will go back to normal.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Except for the part where, it turns out, Rei fails at life.
Their three day suspension goes faster than anyone would think, with no other real problems. A few things happened, of course -- for one, it seems the Chief and Mao made good friends during this whole venture, hanging out together during lunch, and also the entire school heard about their little... exploits. Meaning they were now slight school celebrities. Nothing big, though. And there was a small incident, once they were all back in school, where Takao first noted that Kai's face was looking 'much better' (especially in comparison to Max's) and, hey, what had his parents said about his suspension? Kai, being Kai, had gruffly answered nothing -- Rei had been surprised he'd answered at all, mind you -- and Takao, being an idiot, had pressed the issue. He'd pressed the issue so much Kai had ended up leaving after a few choice insults were exchanged. He wasn't seen at school for a week after that.
Needless to say, once he came back, Takao -- and everyone else -- steered clear of the subject of Kai's family. Rei mentally added it to the list of things that could explain Kai's issues.
The rest of the month passed without any hitch at all, and it wasn't until Rei woke up and saw the date was the 26th October that he realized he had spent almost an entire month without talking to Lai and the others, save for Mao, to apologize. And neither had they.
Again.
"Byakko, how can almost a month pass without me noticing?" Rei asks his ceiling painting.
As always, it stays silent.
"You are the worst guardian ever," Rei deplores.
The great white tiger says nothing, but Rei is sure he is probably affronted. Wherever he is.
Being the worst guardian ever.
"You know it's true."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
And so, it is the 26th of October, a beautiful, cold, rainy, miserable Monday morning, that not only does Rei realize he fails at life, but that Max Mizuhara announces, brightly and excitedly, during one of the only classes the five boys share together, when they are supposed to be working in teams, that it is almost Halloween, oh my god. (This is a direct quote.)
"Halloween?" Rei asks, curiously. "Isn't that that American holiday, where you go around in costume and get candy?"
"Yeaaah, pretty much," Takao responds, leaning back on his chair so that it stays on two feet. "Maxie makes a big deal outta it every year, though."
"But it is a big deal, Taka!" Max answers, flailing a little. "I can't just reject my heritage! Also, the point isn't the candy, it's to scare people! Wear awesome costumes! Create havoc and mayhem! We're teenagers, aren't we?"
Rei and Takao share a look that says it all, really. Max laughs.
"Awww, c'mon... You guys haven't even heard the real news yet."
The Chief clears his throat loudly. "First, guys, we're supposed to be working. Second, All Hallow's Eve is a lot more than you all make it out to be."
Takao groans, letting his chair give a bang as it goes back to standing on four legs and he flops down on his desk. "Ugh, not again..."
Max, for his part, shakes his head hopelessly, and Kai... is looking out the window and ignoring the lot of them.
Rei, however, is curious. He'd never really cared much about Halloween, but he always appreciated learning more about other cultures. "Really? What is it, then?"
"I'm glad you asked, Rei!" the boy answers brightly, ignoring Takao's now epic groaning of... pain at having to learn or something. "You see, Halloween originated in Ireland first. It was popularized when Irish immigrants brought it with them in the United States near the middle of the 19th century. The Celts, before their Christianization, were the ones who had this holiday first. It was an autumn festival called 'End of Summer', a pastoral and agricultural feast, when the dead revisited the mortal world and large communal bonfires would hence be lit to ward off evil spirits. Costumes and masks were worn in an attempt to copy the evil spirits or placate them."
Rei, while he finds this fascinating, is starting to feel sorry he asked when the Chief continues and Takao starts killing off his brain cells by banging his head repeatedly on the desk.
"Trick-or-treating itself comes from --"
"No one cares," Takao interrupts the Chief rather rudely. "This is the billionth time we've heard this explanation, Chief, and I'd really rather we stop tradition right here. They used to wear costumes to ward off spirits of the dead! That's all there is to it! All Hallow's Eve is the night of the dead and all things spirit-y, yadda yadda yadda. We get it! Let's move on to Max's corner, where he had something to tell us, and it better be interesting or I will strangle you Maxie. Go!"
Max laughs out loud as Rei is, once again, impressed by Takao's complete lack of manners and the Chief simply sighs in a put-upon way.
"Um, isn't that a bit rude?" Rei mutters in question to Max, who is sitting right next to him, so that's convenient.
"Nah, if he hadn't stopped him now, we'd know all about Halloween in every country that celebrates it, and even those who don't," Max explains with a quick grin.
Oh.
Well in that case!
Thank you, Takao's lack of manners.
"Anyway, what I wanted to tell you guys," Max starts, "Is that we're all going to a costume party!"
There is a pause as Rei, Takao and the Chief all stare blankly at Max. Kai, as usual, ignores the lot of them and stares moodily outside. At the rain. Kai can be extensively stereotypical.
"You're kidding, right?" Takao finally asks for all of them. "Maxie, give me one good reason why we should go to a costume party on a Saturday night."
"Because I said so," Max jokes, then has to dodge Takao's thrown eraser. "Don't be violent, Taka, your aim sucks. Anyway, c'mon guys, why not? It'll be fun! There's this big party, and a lot of people from school are invited. It's not like you guys will do anything else on Saturday night..."
"Yeah, no," Takao answers, "There's no way you're making me go, no matter how much you beg."
"Sorry, Max, but I'll pass too," Rei replies. "It's really not my cup of tea."
"I'm ... really not the partying sort," the Chief excuses himself.
Kai doesn't even consider himself included in the 'we', it seems, as he is completely ignoring this conversation.
"It's either that or I go to your house and make you watch horror movies all night long, Chief," Max counters jovially. The Chief pales dramatically.
"... Yeah okay the costume party sounds like a good idea!" the boy backtracks rapidly.
Well, someone was easy to influence, Rei thinks with a grin.
"And Reiiii," Max turns to him, all wide eyes and innocence. Rei narrows his eyes and waits for it, sure he won't back down. "Your girl Mao is going to be there... and so will Lai and the others!"
Rei hesitates a little. "... It's not really the place for the kind of thing I need to talk to them about," he tries, slowly.
"Oh, I guess I'll just have to tell her you didn't want to come, huh?" Max says lightly, smiling still.
...
Hey.
Waitaminute.
Rei can see where this is going.
...
A bad place, that's where!
"Oh no Max," Rei warns, "You are not going to tell her--"
"That you didn't want to talk with Lai? After a whole month? Of course not! I'd never think of it!" Max assures him. With a lying smile.
...
Frick.
"Fine, I'll go," Rei gives up with a sigh. "But how are we going to find costumes in so little time?"
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it!"
Takao makes an outraged face. "Hey! Hey. There is no way you're making me go. Don't even think about it, Maxie! I know all your little tricks!"
Max blinks at Takao and then shrugs, carelessly. "Well, okay. You sit it out. I don't mind. Kai, want to --"
"No."
The answer is clear, blunt, precise, to the point, and, well, Kai. Max beams at him. "I didn't expect you to, but, y'know! Just in case."
It seems like that's the end of that. Max, Rei and the Chief will go to the costume party.
"There is no way you're making me go," Takao warns one last time.
"Of course, Takao."
... If their lives were a tv show, this is usually where there would be a cut and then he goes anyway, isn't it? Luckily for Takao (and Rei), they don't live in such a cliché world.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Tuesday.
"There's no way I'm going to your stupid costume party!"
"Okay."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Wednesday.
"I'm not going! It's final! I don't wanna wear a stupid, embarrassing costume you picked out!"
"That's fine, Taka."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Thursday.
"If Kai doesn't have to go, I don't have to go either! So I'm not going! Ever!"
"Whatever you say, buddy! I don't mind."
... Rei is starting to think the guy doth protest too much.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Friday.
"I'm not going!"
"Okay."
"Okay, fine, I'LL GO! Just leave me alone about it!"
...
Wait, what?
Rei turns to Max, completely bewildered. "How'd you do that?"
Max shrugs, a smug expression on his face. "I didn't do anything."
"Exactly!"
Max laughs. "Reverse psychology at it's cheapest, Rei."
Rei shakes his head.
"... You are good."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Finally, Saturday -- and thus Halloween -- arrives. More precisely, Saturday night. The party, Max affirmed, starts at 7pm. So obviously, they start getting ready around seven thirty.
By eight, the four boys are done putting their costumes on and head out to party. Hurray.
Max, true to his word, did pick out each one of their costumes. Being Max, he'd amused himself by picking out a theme for their costumes. Superheroes. Not any superheroes Rei had ever actually heard of -- Batman, Spiderman, Superman, y'know, obvious ones like those. Oh no. Instead, he'd chosen some obscure American heroes from the sme team. For example, Takao was Superboy. He was apparently a Superman clone or something ridiculous like that. Max was Kid Flash. Whoever that was, they apparently had the power of super speed and wore a flashy red suit. Rei, lucky boy that he is, got to be Robin. He at least knew Robin. And this Robin outfit wasn't that embarrassing; no thighs. Or lack thereof. The Chief, poor soul that he is, got to be painted head-to-toe (metaphorically, as they only painted the parts that showed out of the costume) green for his part as 'Beast Boy'.
It was that or wearing a completely blue armor suit, though, so Rei really couldn't blame him for his choice. Honestly, who had ever heard of the 'Blue Beetle'?
Anyway.
They head off to the party by foot, Max in the lead and directing them.
"I have directions," he reassures them, "And I know that part of town anyway! No need to worry!"
Clearly, there was no trouble ahead of them at all.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Rei had lied.
There was trouble ahead of them after all.
"What do you mean, we're lost?" the Chief panics, looking around the dark alleys in blind... well, panic.
Max smiles at him nervously. "I mean, uh... all these alleys look the same? I could've sworn it was around here, though, so we can't be that far!"
"Should've brought the GPS," Takao pops casually, arms crossed behind his head. He doesn't seem all that bothered by the fact that they're lost.
In a dark alley.
In a bad part of the town.
In the middle of the night.
Alone.
Hey, it could be worse. They could be wearing flashy outfits that make them stand out!
Oh wait.
They are.
"Max, do you have any idea where we are?! This isn't a good part of BeyCity! At all! It's gang territory, it's the middle of the night, it's All Hallow's Eve which means spirits are everywhere -- n-not that I believe in ghosts or anything -- and you're telling us that we're lost?!"
"Now I know how you feel," Max deplores to Takao, who nods compassionately. The Chief groans.
Rei feels surrounded by idiots. He's not allowed to talk, as he fails at life, but still. Deciding to be the mature one in this situation, Rei clears his throat loudly.
"Alright, guys, no need to panic. We'll just head out of the dark alleys and try to find our way home. But first -- does anyone have a cellphone?"
Takao stares blankly at him. "Y'need some pizza?"
"Yes, Takao," Rei deadpans, "I'm going to get pizza."
There is a pause as Takao looks bewildered by his sudden wish for pizza. Rei ends it with a sigh.
"No, I'm not going to order some pizza. But if we call someone, they might be able to help us. So... does anyone have a cellphone?"
"Not me," Takao replies, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand. "Gramps doesn't think I need that kinda 'fancy shmancy technological stuff', or whatever."
Max shakes his head sadly. "Nope. Mine got broken back in America, remember? I didn't get the chance to buy a new one yet..."
The Chief, for his part, looks completely heartbroken. "I have a GTS system and a cellphone integrated device in my laptop... But I didn't want to bring it to the party in case it got broken or damaged!"
Rei sighs. Again. "Okay... I don't have one 'cause I'm not too into technology, if you're wondering. None of the guys or Mao have one, either. It's kinda our thing."
"We're useless," Takao deadpans.
Rei can't help but agree.
"I guess we just... try and walk outta here," he says. "C'mon guys, let's head out."
They all head out, in the multitude of back alleys that seem to comprise this part of BeyCity.
This city sure has weird and inconvenient architecture.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Half an hour later, they are officially lost in the maze of alleys.
"We're doomed," the Chief moans in horror. "We're doomed! We're completely lost in this maze of alleys, there's no light at all now that the moon has been covered! What else can go wrong?!"
Takao, for his part, seems far less bothered than the Chief. "You are in a dark alley. You are likely to be eaten by a grue," he jokes, and the other three glare at him. "Okaaay, not funny."
"I'm sorry, guys," Max apologizes for the billionth time, "I could've sworn there weren't this many alleys the last time I came here..."
"It's fine, Max," Rei reassures him. "Look, we're all together, right? We just have to keep going in a straight line until we get out of here. It can't possibly go on forever. Plus, maybe someone will find us and help us out!"
"Rei's got the right idea!" Takao boasts. "C'mon, guys. There's nothing here that can take us down! It's just some dark alleys. So we're a little lost... it could be worse!"
Rei wonders if Takao has just jinxed them all. Nah, probably not.
"How could it be worse?" The-Worst-Beast-Boy-Ever grounds out, seemingly pained by their enthusiasm.
"Well, the footsteps I'm hearing could be those of a serial killer," Takao mentions casually.
"Oh, yeah, that'd be bad," Max agrees.
Rei realizes with a jolt that, yes, there are footsteps. And they are coming closer. Multiple footsteps, even. Like four other people are coming...
"We're dead, aren't we?" Chief voices Rei's thoughts. But now is not the time to panic. ... Much.
"Guys, hide!" Rei hisses, and the four of them scramble to find a hiding place in a dark, closed-off, extremely narrow alley.
There is none. Not even conveniently placed garbage cans to hide them.
Rei is going to do a petition against the architecture of this town if he lives to see tomorrow.
"Quiet, and try not to make any movement. Maybe they won't see us," Rei whispers in the quietest way possible.
"Yeah, if they're blind," Takao mutters just as quietly. "We're wearing flashy colours. Superheroes, remember?"
"Why couldn't we have gone as ninjas?" Rei asks Max, completely serious.
"I don't have ninja costumes?" Max answers uncertainly.
"Why are you whispering?" A voice from behind the four of them asks curiously as a looming shadow suddenly settles upon them. Stupid moon, conveniently being uncovered at this moment.
"We don't want to get caught by serial killers or gang members," Takao answers casually before realizing there is a looming presence behind them.
"AAAAAAAAH!" The four boys scream in terror (and in sync!), scrambling to get away and get safe from the looming, dangerous presence of ...
...
...
Gao?
Well doesn't Rei feel stupid now. He's wearing a costume -- a bear costume, to be exact -- but there's no mistaking it. That's definitely Gao.
"Was it something I said?" Gao questions, and there's a cackle as Kiki pops up from behind him.
In a monkey costume.
It's. Fitting, if nothing else, Rei assures himself.
"Nah, we just happened to run in on a bunch of scaredy-cats, that's what~!" Kiki declares, a sort of maniacal grin on his face. Gao looks at Kiki blankly before shrugging, seemingly thinking this is all beyond him. If anything, it's beyond Rei. What are they doing in the middle of ...
Wherever they are?
He looks at the three boys beside him. Takao, Max and the Chief all show varying degrees of his own befuddlement, so there's no help over there. He turns back to Kiki and Gao, the former standing proud and amused. Man, Kiki could be such a little twerp sometimes. Nevermind that they were technically the same age.
"Hey, guys! We told you not to go off on your own too far! Where are--" Mao turns the corner of the alley and stops when she sees the lot of them. She blinks, bewildered, and turns her head to the side. "... Rei? ... Why are you here?"
She is wearing a cat girl costume.
...
Rei is officially distracted and hates puberty.
"Uh," Rei answers intelligently, and Takao snickers to his left. Rei elbows him viciously. "Well, you see, we were--"
"Lost too, huh?" Mao cuts him off, looking at the lot of them in costumes. "Looks like we were all headed the same way."
Before Rei -- or anyone else -- can answer (mostly with an obvious 'Ah-duuuuurrr' or 'no this is actually our normal day-to-day clothes'), Lai comes out from the same corner Mao came from (wearing a... ninja costume, completely breaking his group's theme), and does a double-take when he sees that eight people can apparently fit in this tiny alley.
Rei's surprised, too. They can't fit a garbage bin, but eight teenagers? Sure!
Stupid architecture.
"Rei? What are you doing here?" Lai asks, not aware that it almost echoes word for word what his cousin said.
"We're kinda --" Rei starts, but he's cut off by Takao.
"We're lost, juuust like you losers apparently, on the way to the same costume party! Isn't that great?" He pipes up, clapping his hands together. "Can we go now? It's starting to feel cramped here."
Kiki bristles. "Who're you calling losers?
"Uh, you?" Takao deadpans. "Though it'd be obvious and all..."
The Chief facepalms and pushes Takao, causing the boy to lose his precarious balance and topple all over Max. Luckily, Max catches him. Unluckily, Max then just stares at Takao for a few seconds before dropping him. He falls face-first to the pavement.
Ow.
"I'm sorry about that, he can't help being antagonistic, it's in his nature," the Chief apologizes, bowing slightly.
"Eh, who you callin' a loser now?" Kiki gloats.
Until Mao slaps him on the back of the head and Lai groans, rolling his eyes.
"Kiki, enough."
Gao and Rei share an amused look, though Gao also looks kind of baffled by it all. As always.
"A-ny-way," Mao enunciates, shaking her head and bringing her hands to her hips. "Now's not the time for petty grudge fights, and I'm pretty sure everyone is tired of them anyway. Right, Kiki?"
Kiki nods, albeit sulkily. Lai opens his mouth to say something, but one look from Mao shushes him.
On their side, Takao's foot is stepped on by Max, probably because he was about to say 'yeah well you guys started it'. Which is true, but really not the kind of thing to say right now.
"In that case, we can do the whole 'kiss and make-up' bit later. I don't know about you boys, but personally I'm dying to get out of these dirty, stinky alleys. So, truce, guys?" Mao asks, a nice, happy smile on her face hiding PAIN and DOOM if any of them say no.
"Yes, Mao," all the boys answer in chorus.
If anyone says anything about whipped, well. Yes. They are.
But can you blame them?
Mao heads out first, and the guys all stare at each other and shrug before following, one after one. First Gao, then Kiki, having passed in front of Takao and stuck out his tongue on him, followed by Takao, followed by the Chief trying to stop WW3 in its beginner stages. Max shrugs helplessly at Rei and follows the lot more casually. Rei is about to step in line when Lai suddenly puts a hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping him. Rei turns to look at him, curious.
"Lai...? What is it?" Rei asks.
Lai looks nervous and then just sighs. "Look, Rei... I'm sorry about the way we all acted. More importantly, I'm sorry about the way I acted. Can you forgive me, brother?"
Rei smiles softly, putting a hand on Lai's shoulder too. "I'm the one who should be sorry," he explains. "I never meant to ditch you, and I shouldn't have reacted so violently. Plus, I dragged my friends into it, when it really wasn't a conflict they had any business in. Can you forgive me?"
Lai smiles back. "Of course. Neither of us acted in a way to be proud of... And Tao-sensei and Mao sure drilled that into our heads," he finishes, jokingly.
Rei laughs. "No doubt about that!"
"Guyyys, are you coming or what?!" Mao's voice booms out for further ahead. They stare at each other and then laugh.
"Yeah! Coming!"
In the end... All's well that ends well.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
There is one thing that happened that night Rei doesn't tell anyone else. Not Takao, not Mao, not Lai, not Max, not the Chief, not Kiki (who, after a good noogie, gave up on sulking Rei) and not Gao. No one. It's far too bizarre to tell.
At one point, the eight of them separate in different directions, trying to find the way out. This may sound a bit stupid, but they had this weird, contrived system that would permit everyone to find each other... But really, that's not the point. In Rei's alley, he had to stop and hide behind a corner once he heard voices. He'd peered around to look...
He could only really see silhouettes; a big one seemed to be holding up a smaller one (about Rei's size, if he had to guess, so not a young kid or anything) by his collar, flunked by two other guys, just as big. They were all wearing 'biker' clothing, if Rei had to guess at it. They were obviously in a gang, which meant Rei couldn't step up, no matter how much he wanted to.
"So, just 'cause you're supposedly outta gang business, you think it's fair to come hang out on our turf, alone?" The guy holding the other one taunts, his voice gruff. "You sure are cocky, Hiwatari. But we'll show you it don't pay none to be cocky."
At this point, Rei's eyes widens dramatically. Hiwatari? That meant, the guy they were holding up was Kai. What the hell was Kai doing there?
The clouds over the moon cleared, convenient as ever, giving Rei a good look at the people in the alley. Kai doesn't seem fazed at all by his position. He isn't wearing his usual school uniform, and the gang member, it turns out, is actually holding him up by his scarf, instead of his collar like Rei had thought. Why Kai needed a scarf, Rei didn't know -- it wasn't that cold yet. Rei is really more worried by the other's precarious situation, though, and he's ready to jump in if it gets any worse and they try to gang up on him. He doesn't reveal his position yet, though, aware that if he jumps in too soon he would be no help at all.
"Let go of me," Kai tells them, seemingly bored to death by all of this. "I'm not interested in the petty territorial markings of imbeciles."
His eyes are a flashing red in the darkness. Rei can practically feel Kai's darkening aura, and suddenly regrets being spiritual. The gang members guffaw loudly, however, seemingly finding Kai extremely amusing.
"Really? Whaddya think yer gonna do, huh?" The one holding him, probably the leader, taunts, raising him up almost another feet. Kai is imposing, yes, but it's only now that Rei realizes with a jolt that the guy is just as small as he is. They're growing, of course, but right now Kai is a very unimposing five foot four, max. He bites his lip violently to stop himself for interfering right now. Steady, Rei, he thinks to himself. Just wait. "Y'gonna stare us to death if we don't? Y'don't have yer little gang anymore, Hiwatari. Disbanded 'em, didn't you? Eh, they're the only ones who were fooled by yer ice prince stare. You're more like an ice princess, aren't you?"
They laugh again, loudly. It echoes and chills Rei to the bone; he can imagine what kind of things they did before, what kind of things they can do now. But Kai just stares at them blankly.
"You asked for it," Kai replies, his tone still bored.
The moon is covered for what happens next.
Kai's foot suddenly comes up, kicking the guy holding him hard -- Rei hears a crunch, and he's not sure how Kai managed to kick so hard while being suspended in the air like that. The guy drops him with a yell, and then it's mostly just seeing Kai's almost surreal movements. It's like his fighting style mixes true martial arts and the normal, dirty gang brawling -- there's a grace in his moves and yet a complete unpredictability in it. It's vicious; he gives them no quarter to counter-attack, and his attacks are aiming for spots that will hurt or break. He hits one of them on the solar plexus with his own elbow, so hard that something cracks. It's... a massacre. There's nothing normal about this kind of fighting prowess.
Rei suddenly understands all the fear and rumors surrounding Kai.
When it's over, Kai is standing over all three gang members, his foot on the leader's throat, holding him at bay. His expression is still blank, but there's a cold, almost murderous glee in his eyes. There's blood on him -- not that much, really. Rei doesn't know if Kai's injured -- he can't really see properly, but... The way he's standing, and his eyes ...
Whatthefuckthisislikeabadhorrormovie.
"Are we clear?" Kai asks, mockingly. "I'm done with the gang business. I've got better things to do with my time than deal with idiots like you."
He delivers a last kick to the leader, right in the ribs. The guy cries out and seemingly passes out, because he doesn't say anything anymore.
Kai wipes at his face, his expression as blank as ever. "Whoever's hiding... Either show yourself, or run. I'm not in the mood."
Rei stands very still, petrified. He knows Kai wouldn't hurt him -- he was in the right, those guys would've hurt him if he hadn't defended himself, after all, but --
But --
"... Happy Halloween," Kai mutters, sardonically, and he leaves the scene, unbothered by the fact that Rei hadn't chosen either of his options.
There's a silence in the alley, and when Rei walks back to the group, he doesn't mention it.
He convinces himself he doesn't have to. After all, there were rumors about Kai's strength. And Rei had almost seen it for himself; Kai had taken on Gao on his own, and Gao was almost twice his size, both height wise and weight wise. He was only acting out in self-defense. He was out of the gang business; everyone knew that. It wasn't surprising, and it wasn't anything he needed to share. All he'd seen was someone fight in self-defense. That's all it was.
...
Yet, Rei can't shake off the feeling that it ran so, so much deeper than that.
"Rei, we found the exit! Are you coming?" Mao asks him, excitedly.
"... Yeah," Rei answers after a while. He turns back to look at the alley.
He's probably just reading too much bad manga. That's all.
SO I THOUGHT LAST CHAPTER WAS LONG. And then this one happened! I KIND OF HATE YOU, REI.
So, so, uh. This chapter is CHOKEFULL of foreshadowing, the conflict was resolved SUPER EASILY and oh god the White Tiger arc is over. I AM SO GLAD I DON'T EVEN WANT TO REMEMBER WHAT IS IN THIS CHAPTER. As always: Rei is less funny than Takao, but I still try to be funny. 90% of what Rei is guessing as for Kai is bullshit, mostly because Rei is genre-savvy but doesn't realize this is mocking genres. Har har. Uuuh. If it is not obvious Rei and Mariah KINDA GOT TOGETHER. This isn't all that important because, like I said, no one is keeping the one girlfriend/boyfriend for all of high school. They're kinda like, sweethearts and it's a background pairing, etc. Lai and Mao are cousins because they can't be siblings if they are of the same age. I kinda tried to give away a lot about the family background of the 'breakers. AND FORESHADOW. Did I mention foreshadowing 'cause WOW the HINTS. Also yes, still suck at fight scenes. ... Think that's all for this chapter? Also if it's not obvious, Byakko = Driger guys.
THE NEXT BIG ARC is Max's! But first, before that, one chapter of SUMMER SCHOOL and ... a special chapter from KAI'S POINT OF VIEW! That's right, chapter 10 is ALL ABOUT KAI! Uncovering a lot of secrets about him! His family life! STUFF but not ALL OF IT. Also like I am never letting Rei narrate anything again ever. (... At least until second year.) THANKS FOR ALL THE COMMENTS/FAVES, if you have a question in your review I will answer it (even if it does relate to spoilers, but I make sure not to spoil anyway. I HAVE TRICKS!) aaaand my update schedule is up on my profile if anyone cares.
Hope you enjoyed!
-Zia