A.C.: I think of Brooklyn as Fuji Syuusuke from Tenis no Oujisama, no clue why but it just feels dunno... right? Hmm seems like Kai's going to get molested a lot... ahh well I'm not complaining...Where's my Yuriy/Kai goodness? Some thing's screwed up about this chapter >.>

Summary: The dark phoenix is amongst them once more. Between emotions, hormones, therapy, and all around domestication, the Neo Borg will discover the truth explanations behind one Hiwatari Kai's revival...

Warnings:Slashy themes, all around insanity? Structure, grammar, much mistakes. Un-Betaed, uke-Kai and possible/guaranteed oocness

Pairings: Yuriy/Kai, one-sided/mild Brooklyn/Kai, Takao/Kai, Boris/Kai

Takao rambled on mindlessly as they walked down the rain slick streets. Kai occasionally grunted in acknowledgment, the Dragoon blader seemed satisfied with that. So far they had traveled in their one sided conversation from the subject about blade upgrades to how the tea at Garland's tasted. Takao stuttered momentarily before tentatively trailing off on the subject of friends.

Kai rolled his eyes, any half wit with eyes could tell that the navy haired Japanese was more than a little infatuated with the red eyed phoenix. At first it had been mildly entertaining, now it was getting to be more than annoying. He could hardly step outside without having Takao getting underfoot (it was as if Takao had an unspoken agreement with Yuriy on the subject of stalking him), and they wondered why he liked the rooftops so much...

"So... you entering the tournament next year?" Takao asked hopefully as they took a turn at a block, sneaking between houses to take a shortcut through the woods. The ground sunk with a distinctive 'squish' under the dragon's feet, Kai on the other hand made no noise as they cut through the soggy yard of a house. Behind them, a brown and white mop of fur barked at them, Takao stopped long enough to give the pup a rude gesture with his fingers. When they were hidden behind the house they heard the owner screaming at the mutt to shut up.

"Perhaps..." why did everyone ask that question anyways? In the first week of clean up of the day dubbed 'the battle', he and his teammates had been positively harassed by the media. They even had one very brave and very stupid reporter come up to them and ask if Boris ate children which would account for many still missing under the concrete rubble of BBA building. Needless to say Boris was anything but amused and threatened to track and feed the man to Falborg if he ever came within three-mile radius of them.

Yes... victory often came with a hefty price tag. Billions of dollars worth in damage to surrounding area and buildings. Death toll mounting up to hundreds, those who weren't found within the week were left for dead. As much as Takao and his friends helped out, no matter how much a donation he sent to help out, nothing would change the fact that people were dead and they were the cause of it.

Dead...

In fact, there were rumors circulating that there would be safety restrictions placed on tournaments next year. More for the safety of the audience than the bladers, but then again the bladers always had managed to survive so far, BBA really didn't have enough money to protect the norm and the abnormal at the same time.

"What kind of an answer is that? Either you enter or you don't! If your teammates are too old to participate... well you know... there will always be room on my team for you Kai." Takao actually blushed, Kai pretended not to notice.

Takao did have a valid point. Sergei would be turning 18, leaving only Boris, Ivan and Yuriy fit to blade, if they chose to blade at all that is.

Yuriy...

"Hey Kai, you alright?" Blue violet eyes bobbed up and down worriedly along with the blue gloved hand. Kai blinked before shrugging it off and entering the forest. Takao gave a protesting yelp before plunging into the veil of autumn colors.

-

-

Contrary to popular belief, Ivan did not spend most of his time registering himself into various adult sites scattered across the net. It was amazing what one picture could do to fuel a rumor just waiting to explode. Or perhaps it was that people had no life outside tormenting innocent children like him. Well not quite innocent he thought as he wistfully eyed a cute Irish maid with wavy red hair and face full of freckles.

But there was only so many things to do during peace time. wasn't there some meaningful quote about fighting to protect that peace? Ivan shuddered unconsciously, knowing how the last bout for peace turned out... Boris hadn't stopped raving about it for months, something about showing them a thing or two about eating nasty little babies on TV. Thankfully Sergei had been able to appease the violent Russian and thwart a possible threat of terrorism in Japan.

Ivan sighed languidly, uncertain if this could go on. Affectionate mind touches from Wyborg and he was on his luxurious bed, counting down the hours until he had to go on a mission. A mission, since the snake didn't quite feel it was right to freeload off of their part Japanese part Russian friend. Yes, he may be a slimy, stinking, indecent, (he wasn't about to say short) and all those other nice adjectives that Boris described him with, but he did come with his own set of morals.

Just thinking about his captain gave him a headache. Why couldn't the redhead go kiss and make up with Kai!

Suddenly hit by an insane idea, he glanced at the clock and opened his laptop...

-

-

Hands slip into the iron bars grasping the other. Fire licks the side of the wrists as the fingers lace together in union, the flesh burns but neither can afford to care.

They are above the darkness...

-

-

"Well Mister Ivanov, I must say you're healing quite nicely." Yuriy curbed the urge to let his fist fly when the old hag slapped her wrinkled hand down on his leg heartily until he felt that it would have been better if she had just broken it instead.

'Not if she keeps doing that...' thought Boris and Sergei as they frantically shot their leader patronizing glares on how not to kill the elderly doctor even if she was annoying. Currently Sergei's stare translated something akin to 'you've survived that brat Takao and Daichi, this is nothing...'

"When will I be able to take off the cast?" growled Yuriy gritting his teeth. Overlooking the clipped tone and the icy daggers the redhead was glaring at him, the woman pronounced a month until his legs would be healed enough for him to get out of the cast and enjoy his springtime of youth.

"That's what you said last time!" exasperation wasn't a foreign emotion to him, neither was the intense desire to throttle and maim the doctor was. It was just that he had always been taught to make his kills cleanly and efficiently, all the teachings would go out the cracked and grimy window if she kept beaming at him.

"Well Mister Ivanov, if you didn't take such strenuous exercises your bones would have healed right now." she grinned and gave him a bottle of painkillers, "now be a dear and keep off your feet won't you? And I will see you... next week." Boris and Sergei managed to grab Yuriy and sprint out the door before the redhead Russian decided to do something drastic.

-

-

"You know she is right, you should keep off your feet while your legs heal." Commented Boris lightly, looking at the redhead. They were in one of Kai's limousines since none of them were old enough to drive. At least, not yet.

The driver gave them a questioning look before Sergei gave her the directions.

Yuriy awarded to smirking falcon with a suffering glare,

"You have no room to talk Kuznetsov..."

Sergei sighed while the smirk on the gray haired falcon's face grew wider.

"Ahh yes, but the point is that I healed in a relatively short period compared to you oh fearless leader."

It was turning out to be something of a past time for Boris. The 'it' being irritating the hell out of Yuriy before he cracked, Boris wisely retreating before the breaking point to leave Yuriy nothing else but Ivan and Sergei to vent his anger out on. Kai was still the untouchable taboo subject in between both of them, Yuriy was to proud to see that an apology would work much faster than depending on time to wear the walls down. Sergei rolled his eyes, maybe he was maturing, or maybe his teammates were trying to devolve mentally.

"Your bones are hollow,"

"Fortunately, not as hollow as your head."

Yuriy growled threateningly, Boris was going somewhere with this. Usually their verbal war (which Boris almost always won in) were initiated by boredom on both parties. Or when they thought they had an important point to get across. Trying to flush Wyborg down the toilet was one of them, the subject of Kai was another.

Yuriy grew morose at the thought, Boris looked smug.

"What do you think I should do?"

"You're asking me fearless leader?" Boris raised his brows quizzically, teasingly,

"Boris..."

"I think you should apologize, but then I think that you should stay away... you do not deserve him."

"And you do?" growled Yuriy,

"I never said that Ivanov, I'm saying you do not deserve Kai Hiwatari."

"Boris,"

"What the hell am I supposed to do then?"

"Let him go, or apologize."

'Let him go...'

Apologizing had always been lurking in Yuriy's mind, at the tip of his tongue whenever Kai had decided to grace them with his presence. But he knew, some primitive part that told him not to show weakness, and another telling him Kai did not want another sorry added up on his shoulders.

Yuriy buried his face in his hand. Boris looked out the window, Sergei sighed gustily.

The problem with them all was that having no other people to model themselves besides Balcov and the occasional scientists that crept by their sides, they had begun to depend on their bit spirits a little too much to be healthy.

For example, Sergei was never happier than swimming at least two hours in the outdoor pool Hiwatari mansion possessed, even in below zero degrees temperatures. Ivan liked to sunbathe when it was a nice weather outside, otherwise they could always find him holed up in some cupboard with his laptop in hand. A large portion of Yuriy's irritability had come from not being able to run, Boris' from being trapped in enclosed spaces like the car. And assuming that the Japanese spirit Suzaku was based upon a bird of prey, Kai was doing just that. Solitary and weary, always on rooftops.

Thirty minutes of stifling silence later, they reached the Hiwatari mansion and got off at the entrance while the driver went off to park. Two adoring maids burst out of the front door fussing over the three Russians and eventually making their way over to Yuriy's side as to support him.

At first the red wolf protested to their fussing as the two maids, a red head with a slightly duller coloring, and a blonde began to half-carry half-drag him up the stairs. Or at least, until Sergei had cleared his throat and patiently reminded him about the certain doctor who was waiting for him next week.

Utterly defeated Yuriy let the two maids carry him to a couch and leave him there with the promise of tea and other snacking items.

The clouds were ominous over the sky, Yuriy was mildly grateful they did not get caught in the autumn rain shower.

Boris had ran off to remind Ivan. Sergei gave a pleasant smirk at the glaring redhead.

-

-

Dancing leaves as the wind stripped the trees of their colorful cover. Dashes of blue as Kai ran, away from him. A rough heart shape of bright yellow ginko leaf, deepening red and pink of maple. Brown of long dead oak, and dark green of a leaf that had barely started to color.

It was a dizzying experience as Takao sprinted after his captain. The branches camouflaged with wet leaves swinging down on him whenever he deemed it safe. Gnarled root on the forest floor undetectable to the careless eye and yet Kai ran, really ran weaving through trees as if he had personally known all of them existed. It was all Takao could do but follow, tripping on hidden holes more times than he could count before regaining his gait.

Kai had stopped, Takao barely missed plowing into the taller youth as Kai turned away, untouchable like a ghost. Takao groaned in pain as he got off the spongy floor, picking out the splinters on his palms. The black blue fabric of Kai's jacket, the same one he was wearing when they all went head to head with Brooklyn was horribly conspicuous against the vibrant background. At least that's what Takao thought as he curiously observed the Russian phoenix as to clue in on the reason why he stopped.

It was raining...

Takao's breath caught in his throat. Like a spirit, a dryad in fairy tales, Kai came closer and looked down into his eyes.

"Your eyes are blue."

Takao blinked as a droplet of rain dripped down from the silvery blue hair into his wide blue eyes.

"He's your responsibilty"

"He looks up to you"

"And whose fault is that Hitoshi?"

And hesitantly, Takao raised a hand to a blue finned cheek, admiring the soft skin, puzzled at the ink like blue that lay distinctive and pronounced in the rain. Kai flinched but Takao didn't let go. The dragon in his delusion planted a innocent kiss on Kai's cheek, close to the corner of his lips.

Kai didn't move, didn't kiss him back like in those smutty romance novels he caught Hiromi reading. Didn't do anything except... with revulsion, punched the Japanese's jaw and push him away before shooting off beyond the line of trees.

Takao stilled with a shock, his whole head aching as if a train had run over it. But need overrode the pain of splitting and breaking heart, how he found himself running again as if in a dream, hunting after the dual haired Russian.

The cover of the trees thinned, the rain seemed to increase. They both broke out into the sidewalk, Kai's desperation nothing to Takao's shock, pain, anger, grief... need... guilt.

It wasn't long before the houses cleared into flat land, over where the towering steel gates indicated his destination. Takao's hand shot out to grab the paler wrist, Kai glared in anger before trying to free himself.

Takao knew it would hurt, Hiromi had told him once, about the time she had confessed to Ray. Takao didn't know it would hurt this much. Ignoring the pain in his chest and his face where an ugly purple bruise formed, the blue haired dragon blurted out the first thing that crossed his mind.

"I'm sorry," gasped Takao, "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me I swear, I'm sorry." Takao could have sworn the glare softened a little as Kai stopped struggling. Takao felt his hand burn, the hand that had a iron hold over the wrist, of course that could have all been Kai's thrashes. Kai stared intently at him, not having spoken a word. Takao grew nervous and felt Seiryu voice his own thoughts as the skin on skin contact began to burn hotter until with a yelp the dragon let go, nursing the abused digits.

Like a bullet, Kai started run, stopped only when the other hand shot out to grasp Kai by the arm. This time safe from skin to skin contact by the dark cloth that made up Kai's jacket. Seiryu roared in agreement and Takao winced, sucking on the now blistering fingers.

"Let go Kinomiya."

The command was cold and sharp, as Takao would say, Kai-like in its frosty bite that left Takao guiltily looking down. The rain did not relent, both blader's hair had long since lost their spikiness and hung limply down past their shoulders and chin, Kai's more so because his silver bangs were longer than Takao's own.

"I'm sorry," muttered Takao, looking up at Kai in the eyes. Kai's glare, if anything, intensified.

"Sorry isn't going to cut it."

"Why are you so mad anyways... you let Yuriy and Brooklyn hang over you all the time and you don't seem to mind..."

Kai raised his arm above his head, Takao's hand had no choice but follow. Takao gulped at the ferocity lying behind the crimson orbs but he can't help but notice the finger shaped red left by his hands. Nor can he ignore the sinister black markings crisscrossing the wrist.

"I said let go Kinomiya."

Takao lets go, reluctantly.

"I'm sorry..." but all that hears him is the rain, and the back of Kai's receding form.

It rains harder.

-

-

Kai opens the door and goes in, soaked to the bone. Luckily the maids do not notice, he takes off his jacket, thoroughly dampening the welcome mat below. With a sigh he crushes the dark jacket to his chest, burying his face in its wetness before slumping against the door.

"Kai?"

Yuriy limped towards the phoenix, wondering why he hadn't announced his arrival. Carefully uncovering the slate haired Russian's face from the layer of rain soaked cloth the wolf was surprised to find garnet orbs looking up at him.

No tears,

No heartbreaks

Nothing...

Except an ounce of sadness pocketed in red.

"Let go Yuriy..."


A.C.: Hollow bones would heal slower I think, less blood getting everywhere and that crap. So on that point Yuriy would be wrong to say that Boris healed faster than him because of hollow bones.

Ayatsuji: -is honored- you're one of my favorite authors you know that? You have no idea how happy your review made me feel :D (happy and fuzzy inside... warm fuzzy?) Yeah you did review for 'King of Darkness', near turned me into pink sparkly goo there too XD