The car ride was relatively quiet. Ray knew better than to probe right away, but he was still dying to know what Kai had to say. He waited until they'd arrived at the supermarket to begin the difficult portion of the conversation.

"I'll get the vegetables, you get the protein," Kai said, and turned as if to walk towards the fresh produce section. Ray put his hand on Kai's shoulder.

"Kai, wait," he started, and removed his hand after a second, "let's do the shopping together."

Kai wasn't stupid. He knew that meant they were going to have a talk. But since it was Ray, and he was actually desperate for someone to confide in (though he'd never admit it), he decided to give in. He pushed the blue and red cart until they were in the breads aisle, then started tossing random loafs into the cart. They needed a lot of bread.

Ray bit his lip. "So, are you thinking about going back at all?" There was no point to specify further; Kai had already been thinking about the same thing. He stopped handling the bread for a second and looked at the tall warehouse ceiling before resting his eyes on his long-haired companion (he really did like Ray's hair).

"Maybe," he said cryptically before adding, "Not with Tala."

"Why? What did he do? Or what did he say?" Ray inquired, his interest piqued.

Kai sighed, pursing his lips slightly. "He was just a dick. He pretty much ruined it for everyone there, not that it wasn't to be expected. That's kind of his thing." Ray looked at him pregnantly, as if he had been waiting for Kai to finally crack. "What?"

"Nothing. I mean, it's just weird coming from you. To call someone a dick, or say they ruined everything." Seeing Kai's disheartened expression, he was quick to correct himself. "Not that you're a dick or anything, now at least, but you used to be kind of like that, too. Though I suppose you had a lot going on then, too, that we didn't even know about."

"You knew."

Ray glanced down at the dirty floor. Yeah, he did know. Having roomed with Kai so many times on their journeys, he'd gotten a peak into the inner world of their captain that few had ever seen, and not many had lived to tell about (A slight exaggeration. But only slight.). Sometimes, when Kai was sad, or keenly angry, or just feeling anesthetized to everything, he would talk to Ray. He wouldn't talk about his "feelings or whatever" - Kai's own words - but he would give generalized impressions about how he viewed the world at that moment. Not that he expected Ray to pick up on the subtle nuances of his moods or even meant for him to, but Ray was extraordinarily observant when it came to some things. When Kai was depressed because of a big loss or something that happened with his grandfather or Mr. Dickinson or the BBA or when he stopped drinking coffee or started drinking liquor or whatever it was that made him upset, he would have a certain manner that was different from when he was just tired or angry. Not that anyone else really noticed, as they all just assumed that was how he was, but Ray had a motive to care. So yes, he did know. He was also smart, so he could connect that dots that when Kai was in Russia, he was much more on edge than literally anywhere else. And when asked about his family or his birth or his upbringing or whatever, he would clam up entirely. And when Mr. Dickinson asked to see him privately, there were constant references to some "Voltaire" or whoever, who he later found out was Kai's estranged grandfather. He never found out for certain how abusive that relationship was, but it seemed to have done a number on the guy regardless.

"I knew you were hiding more than you let on. Which is saying a lot, considering who you are."

"Do we need anything else in this aisle?" Kai asked, not because he was trying to change topics, but because they had been standing in the same aisle for at least five minutes without getting anything else and the overwhelming smell of processed flour was giving Kai a headache.

"No, let's go get the veggies."

They headed for the produce section, hoping to not spend as much on this part of the list as the last part. Though rooming was free to bladers, board wasn't to anyone. Kai insisted that the fee be somewhere around 4500 and 5000 yen per week, but given how often they just ended up ordering takeout, Ray thought it should be higher. Nonetheless, it provided a pretty high budget that was ironically, very easy to go over. "According to last week's stats, we should be buying more cucumbers and less spinach. And probably fewer avocados, even though those practically vanished the day after we bought them. Though we could probably spare the change for another bag of apples. Although… just in case, we should probably just buy more rice and pasta, cause even if we don't eat all of it, it won't go bad," Ray looked up from the list he was holding and to Kai for approval. He nodded slightly, not having listened to anything the 18-year-old had said, but knowing that whatever it was, was right. "Ok, what."

"What?" Kai asked.

"You're not even listening to me."

"I have a headache," he admitted candidly. Ray's expression changed from annoyed to concerned.

"How bad is it?" he stepped closer to Kai.

"Fairly tolerable. But can we just get this over with?" Ray nodded, and referred to the list again to start the shopping. Once Kai was turned away, he screwed his eyes up and put a hand to the bridge of his nose. His head had actually begun to hurt pretty bad, and he had no idea what was causing it, or whether it would pass anytime soon. He pinched his dorsal bridge, relieving some of the pressure that was building up. He opened his eyes, not even realizing that he'd closed them. It seemed that in the twenty seconds he wasn't paying attention, Ray had filled up the cart with nearly everything on the list, including the extra whole-bean coffee.

"Let's go," he said, tugging Kai along towards the checkout lines. The next part was pretty quick, considering exactly how much they'd had to buy. The pair was back to the car, loading up the trunk and back seats before Kai knew it. Sitting side-by-side (Ray in the driver's seat now and Kai with his feet up on the passenger side), Ray decided to pester again. He brought up the support group again, this time not mentioning Tala.

"I don't think I'm going to go back, Ray. Me or Tala."

"But why not? You know you've had a lot to deal with lately. Maybe if you had some people to talk to-"

"What are you trying to get at, Ray? It's not like you weren't there. Everyone who had to face Brooklyn or the rest of them is fucked up in the head now! Don't deny it - I see it too. Why do you keep trying to get us to go to therapy when there are clearly people who actually need it? We've been able to take everything we've been handed so far on our own. This isn't any different," he concluded, sure that he'd made his point.

"Kai…" Ray began, not sure how to proceed. "I - well - you've been using. And you've been off lately. I just think you need to see a doctor or something."

Kai's face was burning. He knew. "I don't need a goddamn doctor," he muttered under his breath. Ray sighed and stared out the front windshield.

"You do. And I don't think it's just mental, either, so you don't have to think you're a head case," he could feel Kai rolling his eyes at that point, "I mean, didn't you have a concussion or something after your last match with Brooklyn? Maybe it has something to do with your headaches."

"Headaches?"

"Don't act like you just smoke grass and swig the sauce all day just because you feel like it," Ray retorted. Through his shame and the current pounding in his skull, Kai couldn't help suppress a chuckle; he'd never heard Ray call it "the sauce" before and it sounded oddly out of place. "They're anesthetics. And they happen to make post-concussion syndrome worse. So maybe lay off for a while."

As Ray pulled out of the parking lot, heading towards home, Kai dejectedly muttered, "I can't."

Whoop, there it is. Kai is an alcoholic, and Ray knows. They're my two favorite characters, but if anyone wants to see someone else make an appearance or contribute more to the plot, just lmk. And thanks to those who have followed or favorited this story, it means a lot.