Witch-Bitch

Disclaimer: Only the strangers herein are mine.

Author's Note: this is complete AU

Author's Note: I'm going to be adding more 1st POVs, so names will be used from now on.

Note on Fonts: please look at previous chapters.

Chapter 16: Again

Kai's POV

"you idiot! You stupid, fucking idiot! What do you think you were doing?" I heard someone screaming at me. something was pressing down on top of me, pushing hard on my chest, forcing me to breathe in short gasps. Then I felt the pressure release as I was jerked out unexpectedly from its hold. I blinked in the dusty light, feeling my lungs expand with relief as I breathed freely.

"what the fuck were you trying to do? Answer me, Kai!" she yelled at me hysterically. One small hand was shaking my shoulder, the other was almost slapping my face.

"becky, I don't think he's aware of what happened," a male voice I knew said to her. becky? Rei? What's going on? I thought sluggishly. My eyes were open but I was only starting to focus on what was above me: becky, looking down at me, her face white except for her flushed cheeks; her eyes were narrowed and tears threatened to spill from the corners.

"be…cca?" I managed to choke out. My mouth and throat was filled with dust, and my chest started to throb in pain. A tiny droplet escaped from her eye.

"kai?" she whispered, the anger vanishing from her face. She suddenly leaned down and hugged me tightly. I winced at the contact and she immediately broke away. "is anything broken? Where does it hurt?" she asked worriedly.

"everywhere," I answered truthfully. I heard Rei chuckle.

"no small wonder, crashing into all that plating," he said, still laughing. "but seriously Kai, do we have to get you to the ER?" he asked. I struggled to sit up and Becky's arms were there, unnecessarily supporting me as I sat upright.

"no-" I broke off with a wince. "I feel like a massive bruise, but nothing's broken or bleeding, I think." I tensed and stretched my body, but other than a tight pain in my muscles, I was alright. I heard Becky inhale sharply as I twisted my head to look back at her.

"you're bleeding!" she exclaimed, looking at the side of my head. I raised my hand and probed around my skull. I felt the tackiness just under my hairline on the back of my neck. Rei kneeled down next to me and he inspected the cut without any protest from me. I remember us doing this all the time when we were younger, when we wiped out. It was automatic to let him check.

"don't worry Becky, it's shallow. But we'll have to take you for a tetanus shot, and maybe stitches. Ready to get up?" he asked. Why is he being so friendly? Is it because of Becky? And how did they know I was here? he lifted me off the ground without warning, making my head spin; he had to practically carry me because my legs weren't co-operating. I saw Becky open the back door of his car, and then scoot inside. I landed heavily on the seat and would have toppled over if she hadn't been there. she was tight up against me, my shoulder digging into her collarbone as she wrapped her arm around me.

"my bike?" I asked suddenly. I felt the growl vibrate through her frame.

"it's better off than you, you idiot," she breathed angrily.

Becky's POV

"what were you doing?" I asked. Again. he was sitting on one side of the small hospital bed, holding an ice-pack to the cut, while I was standing at the opposite end. We were alone in a private room, Rei having gone off with a nurse to fill out a form. He took the ice-pack off his neck, opening his mouth to say something.

I stopped him before I knew I was stopping him: suddenly sitting next to him and holding the ice-pack against the cut, my left hand holding his shoulder for balance.

"you're supposed to keep it there until the swelling goes down," I scolded him. I saw him grin sheepishly out of the corner of my eye, and then he turned serious.

"how did you find me?" I took a while to answer.

"I just knew… that you would go there," I said slowly.

"mind-reading?" he said sarcastically.

"no, just similar personalities." I head his teeth clack together. I think he was forcing back a retort. "was it… because of this morning?" I asked hesitantly. His shoulder tensed under my fingers. "kai, I'm-"

"is it all a game? Are you playing me off with Rei?" he asked tersely. I felt my grip loosen briefly on the ice-pack.

"no! no, I'd never-"

"you're lying."

"kai, there's nothing going on-"

"then why were you crying? Why did you run away? Why did you two lock yourself in your room?" I felt the blood rush into my cheeks. I was still keeping my hold on the pack and his shoulder, I don't know how.

"we didn't- we weren't- kai, you're misinterpreting everything!" I exclaimed. He turned to face me: I lost my balance and had to catch myself on the mattress. I was now way too close to him.

"am I?" he said in a dark tone. I suddenly felt angry.

"I don't have to tell you everything that goes on in my life."

"yeah, but when I'm involved… I'd like to know where I stand," he replied angrily. I couldn't think of anything to say to that. Then this morning… it happened? It wasn't just relief? I could feel his eyes drilling into me as I puzzled it out.

"what are you thinking?" he asked softly. thinking… that's what got me into this mess. Thinking all of this over and over and over again, until I got so wrapped up in it that I couldn't escape the worry and fear that the questions trapped me with. It all became circular and I never got an answer, no matter what angle I looked at them from.

I hated being stuck, hated not knowing, hated questioning every move I made, every thought I had. I never just felt, never just did, never acted on the feeling in the centre of my chest that pounded when things became intense. What was all that therapy worth, if I wasn't going to use it, if I wasn't going to let go and just live?

"kiss me," I told him, my voice barely coming out. He looked at me in shock.

"what?" I felt my body start trembling in nervousness. I can't believe i'm doing this! But I need to know.

"I said, kiss me," I repeated, slightly stronger but still feeling anxious. Let me down easy if you're not go-

Kai's POV

I felt like I was holding a fragile glass figurine in my hands as I cupped her face. What she was asking… I didn't want to break her, again, but I wanted to do as she asked. I held her gently, just looking. She smiled faintly; to me, it looked like I had interrupted her mid-thought.

"well?" she said nervously.

"looking." She managed to roll her eyes at me.

"I'm loosing my nerve, K-" I couldn't hold back anymore, and even though my body protested at the way I was twisting it, I pulled her to me, threading my fingers through her hair, trapping her arms at her sides. She was frozen for a few seconds, and then she let me.

God, this was it... this was what would have happened if I hadn't listened to Tala… I held her harder at his name, refusing to think on it. She tasted fresh, probably the toothpaste she used, and there was something else that I couldn't identify, but I knew it was just her, her particular flavour, and I wanted more. I needed to have her.

She was completely limp in my arms, letting herself be propped up against my chest. But it wasn't like she wasn't reacting, that she was just there: she responded by being open; I could feel how she was unwinding, letting her lips be kissed, her hair threaded through my fingers, her heart beating against mine. I could feel it too: letting go.

Letting go of the past: of everything I had ever said to her; all those times I had had pushed and shoved her; everything that I had been told for the promise of connections… those stupid fucking lies… I could feel the anger beginning to bite at my nerves. I held Becca tighter, struggling to keep it from infecting this connection. She pulled away from me suddenly, just breaking contact. It felt cold.

"air…!" she breathed in relief. She was gasping for breath, a strange smile on her face. "didn't we do this already?"

"no…" I said slowly. "that involved a mug of tea, and apologies. And then the one after that was-" she had her hand over my mouth.

"I don't want to talk about that. I just want now." she took her hand away and leaned in. I obliged her, and this time she joined in. until the nurse came in, snapping the curtain open, followed by the doctor on-call, forcing us to jump back from the tangled knot we'd gotten in. her cheeks were flaming red as she scooted off the bed, avoiding eye contact with the nurse who had a knowing grin on her face.

"let's examine that cut, Mr Hiwatari."

Tala's POV

Not good. Not good at fucking all. I was supposed to aggravate the situation, make the mildly bad into something that couldn't be fixed. At the rate they were going, I would loose my chance to break- okay, test their union. Damnit! I needed tension, frustration, rage, tears for god's sake!

I tried to think of something, anything I had done to either of them that had influenced a blow-out for Kai, or break with Becky. Absolute FUCK-ALL came to mind! I stopped pacing my room, forcing myself to take deep breaths. I had to stop. I had to just think.

Weakness. It popped into my head just as I went calm. Both of them had that in common. Becky was vulnerable to criticism, always has been. She agonizes over everyone judging her in every single thing she did. Kai's weakness was the pressure he had from his grandfather: making a name for himself, taking over the corporation when his grandfather retired. If I could figure out a way to play these off of each-other… but how?

I sat down in my desk chair, pulled my book closer, and started to write what I knew. The night of my party was the key to all this. I'd gotten to them. Both. Could I make it work again, now that they had taken the next step? I tapped the pen against the page.

I had to get Kai to threaten Becky's self-esteem, think he's downgrading, or that he's playing her; I had to get Becky to threaten Kai's progress into the role his grandfather was training him for, that he would loose contacts and opportunities. It looked easier on paper, in black and white; made more sense as bullet-points too.

Becky was easy, anything set her off.

Kai was going to be a problem. He could hold to his values so inflexibly, it was easier said than done to cause a crack in his armour. But then it hit me: get Becky nerve-wracked, and Kai would start questioning his choice.

So I had to start with her. I grinned. Out of all the unions I'd been part of, her mind was the most fun to play with. Afford me some sadistic pleasure in this incarnation.

To be continued…

PO: oh, this is getting more complicated to write… sigh… I WANT happy, but we've still got a couple of mountains to go over before this is done. I'll stop moaning now…

Zicky: just go visit some other stories for now ..pats shoulder..

PO: one last thing-

Zicky: spot the change! Now shoo…