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Running Scared	By : Kali Category: Beyblade > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 4619 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
Warnings: Rated NC-17 for language, angst, violence,
yaoi/shonen-ai and citrus flavored scenes that will be graphic, and other
adult-type stuff. YOU HAVE BEEN
WARNED!!!! DON�T BLAME ME IF YOU CAN�T
HANDLE IT OR GET INTO TROUBLE!

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade, nor do I own any or
all of the songs I have taken the chapter titles from.

Pairings: TyKa!!
Or KaTy!! I haven�t decided that
yet�

Authoress� Notes: This is an AU fic. Sometimes characters may be a tad OOC. I apologize if that offends anyone�s delicate sensibilities. Most characters (other than the obvious
adults) are around 25 years old for this fic � just in case you wanted to know.

RUNNING SCARED

Chapter 1:
World On Fire

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�Ow! Damn it, Rei! Watch where you put your feet!
Those loose rocks can really hurt, you know.� I cautiously looked upwards and gave the neko-jin clinging to the
rock face of the mountain we were climbing a disgruntled glare. �If that one had been any larger, I�d have
been knocked unconscious.�

I
had to smirk when I heard him moan, �Why�d I let you talk me into wasting my
vacation on hanging off a mountain? I
could have been lying on a beach in the sunshine somewhere, but no! You had to go rock climbing.�

After
a few more minutes of his complaining, I rolled my eyes and called up to him,
�Shut the hell up, will you, and keep climbing, Tiger. I really don�t want to be trying to climb
this thing in the dark!�

I
got a growl in response and watched him carefully climb up a bit farther before
following him.

By
the time we reached the top, where my SUV was parked and waiting for us to get
back, my poor climbing companion was exhausted and giving me the occasional
glare as we packed up our gear.

�Oh,
stop. The deal was we�d go climbing
first then we�d go find a beach to relax on.�
I admonished, sliding into the driver�s seat as Rei got in next to me on
the passenger side.

�Yeah,
yeah. I don�t see what the big deal was
about climbing up that mountain, Kai.�

�You
wouldn�t. You�re too lazy a
feline.� I grinned when he narrowed his
golden eyes at me and scowled.

�Fuck
you.� He grumbled. I didn�t take offence. I knew perfectly well he didn�t mean
it. �I�m a neko-jin! A tiger, Hiwatari. I�m no puma.� He sniffed indignantly and I couldn�t help laughing.

If
there�s one thing I�ve learned having Rei as my closest friend for more than
ten years, it�s that cats are extremely snobbish � even amongst other
felines. They honestly believe they�re
better than the rest of the planet and that includes us normal humans. Each breed of them thinks they�re better
than all the others, too. It�s
hilarious.

But
since I have always believed in my own superiority (imagined or real, it
doesn�t matter), it gave me something in common with Rei�among other
things. It�s one of the reasons we get
along so well, I suppose.

�Yo! Kai!
Earth to Phoenix!� I blinked and
glanced at him when he waved a hand in front of my face.

�What? And don�t call me that when we�re not
working.� I hated being called by my
code name by a certain few who knew me well enough � especially when we
weren�t on a mission.

He
stuck his tongue out at me in a purely childish gesture. �I knew it would get your attention. Are you going to drive, or sit there and stare
into space? That hot tub back at the
hotel is calling me.�

�I
could go for that.� I agreed, putting
the SUV into gear and heading back to our hotel, the Banff Springs. Driving through the Rocky Mountains is
always an experience � and a whole lot of fun.
It was one of my favorite places on Earth. I�ve been all over this planet and been to some places that I�m
sure no one�s ever seen or heard of before, but none has quite captured me like
this young mountain range in western Canada has.

Rei,
on the other hand, isn�t much of a mountain person. Of course, he grew up on one so I guess the majesty of them isn�t
so majestic for him.

I
glance over at him when I hear a faint rumbling emitting from the passenger
seat. I grin a bit because he�s totally
relaxed over there, his lean form stretched out as much as possible, his eyes
closed, and the final clue to how relaxed and comfortable he is � his tail �
was unwound from his waist and flicking back and forth metrically like a
pendulum on a clock.

I
make myself focus on the road to keep myself from reaching out and scratching
him behind the ears.

He
hates it when I do that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tale screeches to a halt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whoa. Okay.
I suppose that before I go any farther with this, I should introduce
myself.

As
far as the rest of the world is concerned, I don�t exist. Not anymore. The official story is that I died in an explosion in Russia
(which I will get to in a moment).
There is no record of me anywhere � or if there is, only one or two
people know where that record would be and I�m not one of them.

I
was born in Japan in a small, but thriving, community called Bay City. My mother was Japanese and my father was
Russian. When I was two years old they
died in a car accident on the way home from Tokyo. At that point, my grandfather, Voltaire Hiwatari, became my legal
guardian and took me into his house to raise.

At
three years old, my childhood ended. You see, for my third birthday, I received
a new �toy.� Or at least, I thought
that�s what it was. I soon found out it
most definitely was not a toy.

It
was a beyblade and launcher.

With
a child�s innocence and naivety, I was so excited that I immediately started
practicing with it. I guess I had a
natural aptitude for it because without any sort of training at all I took up a
launching stance as if I�d had decades of training and practice and launched my
blade wit ha speed and accuracy that shocked everyone � including me.

All
except my grandfather, that is. I�ve
never figured out how, but he somehow knew I would be able to do it.

The
next day, I found myself being shipped off to Russia, to a place I called Hell
and everyone else called the Abbey.

In
this cold, stark, emotionless pit I was put through an intensive training
regime that included an attempt to brainwash me just as the other children were
in that place.

An
attempt, I must point out, that failed miserably, thanks to my best friend and
Guardian Spirit, my bit-beast, Dranzer.
I didn�t know she was with me at the time, didn�t know that she
protected my mind until I was old enough to understand and do so myself.

So
how did I meet Dranzer? I�ll tell you,
despite the trauma of the event on a seven year old child going on seventy for
all the experience and knowledge one so young had gained in four short years.

I�d
made a mistake in my training session with one of the more experienced kids at
the Abbey, a boy named Tala. I remember
hearing the scientists at the Abbey later deciding what happened to me was
brought on by puberty � which makes sense when one thinks about it.

Anyway,
I made a mistake. That�s unacceptable
for us trainees. As Boris, our overseer
at the Abbey, and his minions came towards me to take me to the isolation room
for my punishment (one of many I had undergone during my time there that I will
not get into�let�s just say they weren�t fun and it�s a wonder I stayed sane),
something snapped inside me and my fear of that God-awful chamber overwhelmed
me, manifesting itself in my palm as a fireball. I remember everyone around me stopping and staring at me with a
nervous apprehension that made me want to laugh � if I hadn�t forgotten how.

I
stood there staring into that little ball of flame and playing with it. It should have burned me, should have
incinerated my hand or something but it didn�t. I discovered if I concentrated a bit, I could make it dance
merrily in my palm like it was a puppet.
The power that filled me and burned in my hand fascinated me completely.

And
then I heard a warning voice in my mind cry, {Kai! Watch out!} I looked up
to see two of the Abbey�s black-robed goons coming toward me and on a reflex, I
tossed that fireball at them in fear and an effort to protect myself.

After
that, things are a little sketchy. I
was told later that there was an explosion that did some heavy damage to the
Abbey and injured several people. All I
remember is flame, a burning inferno all around me, people running and
screaming�my world was on fire and I felt nothing.

And
then a beautiful Phoenix spirit was before me, guiding me out of the burning
building and away to safety.

So
that�s how I learned I was not only a natural blader, but a pyrokinetic as
well.

When
the smoke cleared (so to speak) Boris informed my grandfather of the situation
and he came to Russia to take me with him back to Japan again. Now, you would think having a multi-billion
dollar facility like the Abbey getting nearly burnt to a crisp would have
pissed the man off. Apparently he was
willing to forgive me that little�indiscretion (his word, not mine) since I
just became a whole hell of a lot more useful to him.

Back
in Japan, I continued my training, though now I was training with a bit-beast,
which meant I needed to gain more control over the blade. Not to mention that I also had to learn to
control my growing pyrokinetic abilities.

Eventually
I had achieved nearly perfect control over both my blade and my abilities. Dranzer helped me a great deal, and I might
never have survived everything if it hadn�t been for her. She had patience that would put a saint to
shame when it came to me. She taught
me, protected me, comforted me, scolded me, and loved me as a mother would,
giving me everything I had previously lacked in my life. And I never told anyone that she could
communicate with me, for her protection and mine.

I
was fifteen when my grandfather one day decided to begin his plans for world
domination. He ordered me to enter the
regional championships (which I was going to do anyway). So I did, at Dranzer�s insistence. {Go along with what he wants for now,
Kai. I sense something important may
happen there.} She had said. {You�re won the last few years, but this
year may be different.}

I�d
frowned at that. I didn�t like losing
and had never really considered the possibility that someone would come along
someday and do just that.

Turns
out Dranzer was right. But that�s a
whole other painful story that still burns in my chest to think about that I
won�t get into right now.

At
that regional tournament was where I first met Rei. The kid had attitude and power and wielded both with grace and
firm control that rapidly earned my respect.

It
soon earned my friendship, too.

The
first few years I didn�t see him much.
Couldn�t, really, because of my grandfather. I went on to win the World Championships but after I did, Dranzer
finally let go of my leash and turned me loose on the Abbey once again � a
rebuilt, updated, more secure Hell than it had once been.

It
was my final bid for freedom, for a life of my own. I destroyed the place and with it, Voltaire Hiwatari. When I got through there was nothing but a
smoking crater in the snow. I had made
sure that all the trainees and children there were released and had escaped to
safety before I demonstrated the true extent of my abilities personally to
Voltaire and his demonic minion, Boris.

Rei,
who had also made it to the Worlds, had come running when he�d seen the news
reports and found me sitting at the edge of the crater in the snow, admiring
the view and getting snowed on � not that it really mattered. My body heat was slightly higher than normal
because of my abilities and the snow evaporated before it even touched me. He scolded me, hugged me, fussed over me,
and gave me the first demonstration of one of his abilities. It�d been grazed on the arm by a flying
piece of glass or metal and it would need stitches.

The
neko-jin, however, just told me to shut up and let him fix me. And he did.
Without hesitation he placed his hand over the gash on my arm, heedless
of the blood, and I watched a soft golden light envelope his hand and my
arm. He had to hold my arm quite firmly
with the other hand because whatever he does when he heals, it hurts! I yelped and tried to death glare him but he
just ignored me and when he lifted his hand, my arm was healed without even a
scar. Amazed, I thanked him and he just
shrugged and pulled me to my feet.
�Let�s go home, Phoenix. This
place gives me the creeps.�

�You
have no idea.� I remember replying,
obediently following him away from the area.

Then
there was a period of lawyers, media, social services, etc., etc. I was, after all, only seventeen and I�d
just a) destroyed a secret base and evil corporation preventing their plans for
world domination, b) inherited billions of dollars from my deceased
grandfather, and c) had no living relatives to take me in.

It
took some convincing but I managed to prove to the �adults� that I was old
enough and certainly intelligent enough to take care of myself. And that�s exactly what I did. Though I traveled a great deal, I still kept
up my education and my training.

Some
things are ingrained into you � especially when you have a bit-beast mothering
you constantly.

Although
I traveled, I considered my home base to be with Rei and his people. To them I was a lost kitten and I was always
welcomed at his home village. Rei, too,
was an orphan and he and I became even closer friends, two lonely teens in the
big, bad world with a talent for a game that few recognized as the potential
weapon it could be.

I
had experienced that for myself and through association with me, so had Rei.

I
guess it was this that led to our recruitment.
The World Beyblade Corporation was established not a month after the
destruction of the Abbey, and it was with their help that I got through the
lawyers and everything else, my existence being erased for public view. It was a world-wide organization that would
�police� the game of Beyblade and to research blading�s history, technology,
and the strange phenomenon of bit-beasts.

Here�s
a top-secret, little known fact for you: there was also a black division of the
WBC created at the same time as the WBC itself. We call it the Spirit Squad (we�re being sarcastic, of course)
but it does what the name implies. We
seek out new bit-beasts and their chosen bladers and make a record of them, and
we do everything we can in our power to protect the creatures who we now know
are properly called Sacred Spirits. I
guess you could say we are the top of the law�s hierarchy when it comes to
�policing� the game.

And
it turns out we�re needed quite badly.
You would not believe how many sick, psychotic, fanatical people
out there abuse and misuse Sacred Spirits, the technology behind blading, all that
and more. People like Boris and my
grandfather.

I
happened to be at Rei�s on one fine morning, at the age of eighteen, when we
received a mysterious invitation from someone who called himself Mr. Dickenson.

Rei�s
feline side got the best of him. He�s
too damn curious for his own good sometimes and immediately he said, �Let�s
go! Come on, Kai�� then started purring
and looking at me with big, innocent golden eyes that made me sigh and agree to
go along � only because I wanted to keep an eye on him and keep him out
of trouble, which his curiosity tended to get him into frequently.

So
we drove to the airport in Hong Kong and hopped on a chartered flight to
Germany. Rei, who spoke many languages
(including Mandarin, Chinese, Japanese, French, English, and Italian) pouted a
lot when we got there because one language he didn�t speak was
German. Lucky for him, he had me. There are few languages I don�t speak
� one of the rare skills that were good to have that I learned at the
Abbey and under my grandfather�s evil, eagle-eyed tutelage.

We
waited patiently at the hotel suite we�d been provided with, like our
instructions had said. That same
evening a man appeared on our doorstep with a great deal of data and an offer. Then he left us to think about it for a
week. Now that I�m a veteran agent, I�m
not really surprised that I have never seen nor heard of that man again. And I know better than to ask about him.

Rei
and I spent that week going through the mountain of information we�d been
given. After a lot of discussion, a few
fights, and Rei�s final, exasperated question of �Have you got anything better
to do?!� we agreed.

We�d
take the offer.

And
that�s how we became agents of the BBA �Spirit Squad.� Oh, and I suppose I should tell you that the
BBA (Beyblade Battle Association) is the name of the research division of the
WBC, and the ever-so-useful front for our black division of intelligence.

One
other thing I neglected to mention that probably has you wondering: Rei�s
bit-beast. Yes, he has one. It�s a white tiger named Driger and they�re
quite lethal as a team. And, being
demi-human, Rei�s got one other unique ability. He can shape-shift, though he doesn�t like to. He says it sort of hurts � a lot � which I
suppose makes sense. He really is a
tiger.

Hence
our code names: Phoenix and Tiger.

That,
then, is a small sampling of how my life has been thus far. Oh, I certainly skipped over some
things. Perhaps I�ll tell you about
them one day � or maybe not. I can�t
see what the future holds � that�s not my ability, after all. For now, though, at least you won�t be lost
as the next drama of my life plays out.

I
hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back to the tale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I
parked the SUV in a parking spot and unbuckled my seatbelt, reaching over and
shaking Rei awake.

�Wake
up, lazy cat, and help me haul our gear in.�
I said as he yawned (showing off his sharp, pointy kitty-fangs) and
stretched languorously, his tail automatically curling around his waist again
before he slid out of the vehicle and moved around back to help me out.

As
we walked into the brightly lit lobby, a receptionist at the desk spotted us
and waved us over. I exchanged a look
with Rei briefly and we went up to the desk.

�Can
I help you?� I ask, my voice somewhat cold
and annoyed. I don�t mean to be that
way, I just am.

�Don�t
mind him, miss.� Rei turns on his
charm, leaning on the desk, and I rolled my eyes. �He�s just grouchy and tired after our climb. What can we do for you?�

�Oh! Yes, a package was delivered for you while
you were gone, sir. It�s labeled
�urgent� so I figured you�d want it immediately.� The young woman (pretty, I suppose, if you like girls � and Rei
does�see me roll my eyes again?) smiled at Rei, blushing slightly and handing
over a small package wrapped in brown paper.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes again as Rei accepted the box and
leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.
�Thank you�� he glanced at her name tag. �Sara. I was expecting this.� He lied smoothly.

I
stifled a snicker when she went red and gazed at him with pure puppy-love (or
should that be kitty-love?) shining in her eyes.

�Come
on, lover boy. This equipment�s
heavy.� I started walking for the
elevator and he followed, waving and blowing kisses at the girl over his shoulder.

�Must
you?� I asked wearily, vaguely annoyed
and to my horror, a bit jealous. I
missed the fun that went with flirting.

That�s
what happens when you love someone and they think you�re dead.

�Hey,
just because you�ve taken a vow of celibacy, Kai, doesn�t mean that I have
to.� He replied, stiffly. I think I might have annoyed him. I glared at him, though, for that comment, a
bit hurt.

�You
know why��

�Yes,
I do.� He sighed and nudged me with his
elbow, since his hands were full, as we stepped onto the elevator. �Sorry.
I shouldn�t have said that.�

�It�s
okay.�

As
soon as the elevator doors shut and we were alone, he instantly became serious
� and annoyed as hell.

�Damn
it all! We�re on vacation! How much you want to bet it�s another bloody
mission.� The tip of his tail tapped
against his hip in frustration.

�I
know. But hey! We signed up for it.� We walked off the elevator and dropped our
stuff off in our suite before going up to the roof, where we opened the box and
pulled out the tech-geeks� newest way of passing notes to agents.

�Sunglasses? Good God.
Those nerds have too much time on their hands.� Rei muttered, slipping on his pair and
pressing a tiny button on the bridge of the glasses.

�Yeah,
but you have to admit it�s pretty clever.�
I pointed out, doing the same.

For
a moment there was nothing but a black screen in my vision and silence in my
ear. Then the lenses flickered to life
and a voice spoke up.

//Retinal
scan complete. State your name.//

�Kai
Hiwatari.� I intoned.

�Kon,
Rei.� My partner mimicked as his
glasses made him do the same.

//Voice
recognition complete. Identity
confirmed. Agent 3473, code name
Phoenix. Stand by for SOP specs.//(1)

�Yeah,
yeah, yeah.� I growled
impatiently. �Hurry up, would you? It�s freaking cold up here.� I folded my arms over my chest to try and
ward off the cool mountain breezes, despite the fact that it was the middle of
August.

I
heard Rei laugh and glared at him, though he couldn�t see it behind my shades
in the dark. �Shut up, Kon.�

�Hey,
if you�re cold, light a fire!� He
seemed to think that was hilarious. I
gave him an evil smirk.

�And
if you�re cold you can put on that nice, warm fur coat of yours, kitty-cat.�

�Ahem.� Another voice interrupted our banter and I
snapped to attention.

What? It�s a habit!

�Sorry,
Boss. What�s up?� Rei cleared his throat and apologized. In my view I was suddenly presented with our
contact in the Spirit Squad, the one and only Mr. Dickenson. Rei calls him �Boss.� I just call him �sir.� He hates that, and I know it, but being the
contrary son of a bitch that I am, I don�t care and continue to call him that.

�We�re
on vacation, sir.� I state, extremely
put out. I�d just come off a complicated
mission. �Couldn�t it wait?�

�No.�

�Can�t
you find someone else to do it?� Okay,
now I was just whiny. Damn! I�ve been hanging around Rei too long. I�m starting to sound like him! Dranzer giggled in my mind and I sent
her a mental scowl. {Don�t even or
you�ll be fried chicken.} I
warned. She just laughed more.

�No,
Phoenix. If you�d let me I�d tell you
about it. I�m sorry to interrupt your
fun, boys, but we�ve got a situation building and you�re needed on this one.�

Rei
sighed. �So long sun, sand, and surf.�

�When
and where�s the meet?� I ask, slipping
into my �work� mode, as Rei calls it, with such ease it makes me wonder if I�m
ever really out of it. That scares me a
little.

�Athens
by way of London on the seventeenth at 10:00 pm. A car will be waiting for you at the airport with the location.�

�Got
it. We�re on the next flight out.� I said, since today was the fifteenth. I was reaching up to take off the glasses
when Mr. Dickenson�s voice stopped me.

�Phoenix�I�m
going to warn you, right now, that you�re not going to like this one. If I could spare you this, I would, but I�m
afraid you�re the only one that can do this mission and succeed.� I blinked at the image of him as he
spoke. His tone was setting off warning
bells and alarms in my head and in my gut.
�I just want to apologize ahead of time. I�m sorry, Kai.� With
that, he was gone.

He
never uses my real name.

A
feeling of unease was settling over me as the first voice spoke again. //This device will self-destruct in 10
seconds.//

I
took them off and Rei and I flung them up into the air in time to watch the
mini-explosion that followed as they were destroyed by the self-destruct
measures that all gadgets of this kind were created with.

Rei
came over to stand next to me as I stared out over the roof of the hotel at the
silhouette of the mountains, the moon, and the stars overhead. �I don�t like the sound of this, Kai.�

�Neither
do I, Rei. Neither do I.�

*******************************

(1) Spy-speak, as I like to call it. SOP = Standard Operating Procedure.

*******************************

Chapter
2: Stupid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The
next morning we were hopping planes to get to Athens in time for the meet. Twenty-six hours of flights (including the
change-overs, delays, and waiting between flights), while we are used to it by
now, still wears us out some. I was
looking forward to at least a couple hours of sleep at the hotel before we had
to run off to get our assignment.
Dranzer agreed with me.

{I
say after this mission we retire, Kai.
You�ve been doing this for seven years.
It�s time you had your life back again.}

{Dranzer,
my friend, this is my life. You
know why I accepted the job in the first place. Besides, you can�t tell me you don�t enjoy yourself helping out
your fellow Spirits.} I shifted in my
seat trying to get more comfortable, envying the way Rei could curl up and
sleep damn near anywhere.

{Yes,
Kai. I guess I can�t argue with you
there. I just think you need to stop
while you�re ahead. I would hate to see
anything more happen to you.}

I
smiled � a rare thing, I�m told. {I
know you�re worried, Mom. Don�t! We�re fine.
We�ll be fine.}

I
got a mock mental scowl at the name.
She�s not fond of being called �Mom.�

As
we boarded the plane at Heathrow in London, a flight attendant came up to us
just as I was sitting down and Rei was stowing our carry-on luggage in the
overhead compartment.

�Excuse
me, sir, but you dropped your keys as you boarded.� She held out a set of car keys attached to a remote starter. I reached out and accepted them.

�Thank
you, miss. Wouldn�t know what I�d do
without my keys.� I said, voice filled
with relief and a hint of surprise.
�Didn�t even know I�d lost them!�

�I�m
glad I found them then! Have a nice
flight!� She intoned, walking away to
see to whatever it was she had to do. I
looked at the keys more closely to see if they were what I suspected and saw
the tiny monogrammed Phoenix on one of the keys. I shook my head.

Rei
sat down next to me and buckled his seatbelt.
�So?�

�Yep,
they�re mine.� I responded. Rei nodded, understanding what I was telling
him between the lines. The keys were to
the car that Mr. Dickenson had said was waiting for us at the airport in
Athens, and more than likely the flight attendant had been an agent � or at
least personnel. I tucked the keys into
the pocket of my jeans and settled in for the last leg of our airtime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving
at the Olympic Airways airport, Rei and I trudged through customs and the
baggage claim without incident. We
headed for the rental car park and looked around at the rows of cars.

�Which
one? There�s so many.� Rei asked, frowning. �It�ll take us forever to go through all of them.�

�That�s
what the remote starter is for.� I
pressed the button on the little box and we heard a car start up not far
away. We walked until we found it, and
I popped open the trunk so we could stow our luggage � which wasn�t much,
really. We gave new definition to the
phrase �travel lightly.�

I
stuck the key in the ignition and turned it, the remote start shutting off and
the car�s normal functions taking over.
Rei flipped down the sun visor on his side and a blank CD fell from the
closed little mirror. �Oh, goody. Tunes.�
He rolled his eyes, a bit sarcastically.

�Okay,
now you�re starting to sound like me.
We really have been spending too much time together.� I frowned and Rei laughed. �That�s not a CD, by the way, it�s a DVD.�

�Oh
well, in that case, cool! I get to
watch a movie while you drive.� He
popped the disc into the DVD drive of the car�s entertainment center and turned
it all on. �I think we need to have a
chat with the Chief next time we see him.
He�s got too much time on his hands to be coming up with all these
gadgets and gizmos.�

I
pulled out of the car park and started driving. It would take a while to get to the hotel. Have you ever driven in Athens�
traffic? It�s murder, let me tell
you. All you Americans living in big
cities will scoff, but until you�ve driven in any European city, let
alone Athens, take my advice and don�t.
It�s a whole new experience.

I
paid half attention to the road, since we were at a standstill in traffic
anyway and didn�t look to be moving anytime soon. The DVD started playing, and Mr. Dickenson came on.

�Well,
boys, just a few instructions. If
you�re watching this that means you�ve gotten here all right and you�re
wondering what the hell all the precautions are for. You�ll find out soon, trust me.
For now, the meet�s going to be at the Spirit Squad�s world operations
base. Yes, I know, you�ve never heard
of any such thing. Let me reassure you,
it exists. Go to your hotel and take a
few hours of rest then head for the Sound and Light show that they have. You�ll be approached by an agent whom you
will recognize and under the cover of darkness you�ll be brought to us. I�ll see you in a few hours, Phoenix,
Tiger. Oh, and Phoenix, if you would,
please make sure this disc is destroyed immediately.�

I
sighed and ejected the disc, slipping it into my inner jacket pocket. �I�ll do that later. It�s too cramped in this car for me to do
that.�

�Yeah. And the interior of this car is leather. It would be a shame to damage such nice
material.� Rei grinned, running his
hand over the leather seat fondly.

�You
and your leather fetish. I would have
thought you�d have a thing for fur, not leather.�

�I
like both. You like leather, too, Kai. Remember that club we had to get all dressed
up for in Amsterdam a few years ago?
You looked right at home in that black leather.�

I
rolled my eyes. �So? I won�t wear that stuff ever again,
Rei. Not unless Tyson�� I stopped. It had been automatic for me to mention
him. I didn�t say anything more and
thankfully, neither did Rei. He knew
better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tale screeches to a halt again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This
is getting to be a bad habit.
Okay. So now you�re all
wondering, �Who the hell is Tyson?� right?
Well, since you�re all so avidly interested in my love life, I�ll tell
you. But only because the Tyson in
question is sitting right beside me as I write this all out and poking me in
the side, whining about it. Excuse
me. I have to go kiss him senseless to
shut him up so I can concentrate.

That�s
better. Now. Tyson�

Remember
that regional tournament I lost? Yeah,
well, he�s the one I lost it to.
Ironically, my greatest adversary would be the one I�d fall in love
with. Oh, maybe not at first. After all, we�d have rather killed each
other than spent any time actually getting along. But after that first tournament, and every one after that, we�d
keep running into each other and being forced to spend time together�okay, not
forced. Nobody forces me to do anything
unless I agree to it. Shut up,
Tyson. He�s laughing his ass off at me
now.

Anyway,
after a few more tournaments and a bit more time spent together, he and I
started forming a bond. It was so
strange. Not even Rei understood me the
way this stormy blue-eyed bluenette always seems to. It scared me. I wasn�t
used to someone who could get so close to me, get under my skin the way Tyson
can. But I needed him in my life, and
more. I needed him in my heart. He could be everything I couldn�t � happy,
friendly, personable�

That
bond just continued to grow. I battled
him many times over the next couple of years.
I even spent time with him outside the beystadium. I had to sneak away from my grandfather�s
eagle-eyed watch to do it, but I managed.
We�d go for walks, grab a coffee somewhere and just sit and talk, stuff
like that. Things I�d never really done
before. He taught me how to have fun,
to enjoy what life I�d been given, even if at the moment it sucked sour lemons.

He
was so beautiful, so full of light. And
despite my ability with fire, I was the opposite � the darkness, the silent
strength.

I
didn�t realize how much he really meant to me until that fateful World
Championship in Russia. When that was
over, I�d gone to my locker room to shower, dreading my return to the Abbey
because I knew that Voltaire would be waiting and he would not be happy. I think I knew, even then, that whatever
happened there would change everything for me.

When
I stepped out of my shower, towel around my waist and another in my hands that
I was using to dry my hair, Tyson was waiting for me. He was leaning against the row of lockers with his hands in his
pockets and studying me with an intense, entirely too close for comfort gaze
that made my heart speed up and my breathing hitch. Then he just pushed away from the lockers, strode over to me, and
drew me down to meet the hard kiss he planted on my mouth before releasing me.

�That�s
my congratulations, Kai, on winning the Championship.� He�d said.
I�ll admit I was stunned enough to stand there staring at him stupidly
for a while. I remember he smiled a
little at me before he reached up and wound his fingers in my hair, my hands
automatically going to his waist and drawing him closer to me as our mouths met
again and I simply drowned in sensation and the most pure emotion I�d felt in
years. Love. When we broke apart, panting and still wrapped around each other,
he whispered in my ear, �And that�s because I love you.�

I
trembled. Those three words I hadn�t
heard from anyone but Dranzer � and she didn�t mean it the way Tyson did. I clung to him for a moment, trying to get
my mind past the euphoria and the swirling emotions in my head. He just chuckled and held me as I mumbled
incoherent nonsense at him for a couple of minutes. When I finally got myself back under control, I stared down into
those incredible blue jewels he has for eyes and replied, �I love you, too,
Kinomiya.�

And
then I kissed him again. He melted in
my arms and if Rei hadn�t chosen that moment to come knocking on my door, I
might have gone a lot farther than just heavy kissing and a little groping.

Considering
what came next, however, I suppose it was a good thing the nosy neko-jin
interrupted. Because, you see, for a
brief moment I�d forgotten about the Abbey, my grandfather, my life in
general. My whole universe had centered
on Tyson and only him. I�d felt more
complete in that moment than I�d ever felt before. The perfection I�d always sought was right there for the
taking�stupid, stupid me.

But�

Rei
interrupted, grinned and winked at me when he found us on the floor,
congratulated me on two levels, then disappeared. The moment was gone, and I was left with a hollow emptiness
inside. I was going to have to do
something that would break my heart, and Tyson�s.

I
had to let him go.

I�m
not going to give details. That�s just
too private. Tyson�s nodding his head
in agreement, by the way. I�ll just say
that there were tears � buckets full of tears � some harsh words, and even a
punch or two thrown. In the end, he
stormed off in a temper, and I was left picking up the broken pieces of both
our hearts. The light in my life dimmed
down to a mere flicker of flame.

Despondent,
I dressed, packed up my stuff, and went back to the Abbey. You already know what happened. Here�s the part you didn�t know. I would have gone after Tyson when things
calmed down and the world forgot about me and the Abbey. However, that choice wasn�t open to me in
the long run. The more I thought about
it, the more I convinced myself that Tyson would be better off with out me,
that I could bring nothing but pain into his life. I was a shadow unworthy of his light. Dranzer tried to convince me otherwise and so did Rei. I didn�t listen. I decided at that point that I would disappear from the world�s
view for good.

I
would let Tyson (and the world) believe I�d died in that explosion.

It
would be better this way, I reasoned.
He�d be able to grieve, and put me in his past where I belonged. Then he could move on with his life and find
someone who was worth his attention and love, rather than spending the rest of
his life trying to find me, which I was sure he would do because if it had been
me instead of him, that�s exactly what I would have done.

Excuse
me a moment. I have to go�breathe a
little. Tyson will take over for a bit.

***

Heh. Who knew the ice Phoenix would be so
emotional? Uh�hi! I�m Tyson.
Nice to meet you! I�d shake your
hand or something, but that�s difficult when I can�t see whom I�m talking to.

Anyway,
like Kai was saying, he talked himself into letting me believe he was dead for
so long. The idiot. He put me through hell! I didn�t get over him, or put him in my
past, or find someone else. Oh no. I went into a deep funk instead � a really,
really deep one. I don�t like to talk
about that, and right now it�s not important so I�ll just move on.

This
is Kai�s little biography, after all.
Not mine.

Actually,
I don�t know where he wants me to go with this. He�s already told you what happened after the Abbey�s destruction
so�yeah. Oh wait, here he comes. Talk to you all again! Bye!

***

Yeah. He�s got a point. I have nothing important left to explain, I suppose. I guess I�ll just get back to the story,
then, huh?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tale continues
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It
took us an hour and a half to get to the hotel. We made the trip in silence.
I was thinking about Tyson, and Rei was letting me stew in my own
thoughts. He�d been around me long
enough to know I�d talk when I wanted to and not a moment before.

Once
at the hotel (I had to snicker at the name of the place � the Parthenon Hotel)
we did what Mr. Dickenson had suggested.
We rested. At six that evening,
I called around and figured out what time that Sound and Light show was
supposed to be, and where, and we went and grabbed supper at the McDonalds a
block or so away.

We
wandered around the Plaka for a while, browsing. Okay, I browsed. Rei
spent half an hour haggling over some necklace that he really wanted. I did find something I liked though. It was a pair of sliver and gold wristbands,
elegantly designed with a Phoenix and a Dragon entwined together. The Phoenix was the gold and the Dragon was
the silver. I paid for them and left
the shop to find Rei.

He
was still haggling over the necklace.

I
dragged him out of the shop after paying for the damned thing myself. He pouted the entire time.

�I
was having fun, Kai! You�re supposed to
deal with these people!�

�We
didn�t have all night for you to play, Rei.
It�s nearly ten. The show�s
about to start.�

He
gave me a pathetic look. I sighed and
shook my head at him.

We
got to the place where the tourists were gathering to watch the show. It�s on a hill that has a perfect view of
the Acropolis. The moon was huge in the
sky already and the sun was already nearly gone on the horizon as we took our
seats.

It
got dark soon enough and the show started.
It was really cool, actually, in a low-budget, touristy type of
way. Rei, of course, was sitting there
watching avidly, totally absorbed.

He�s
easily amused.

Half
way through the show, someone slid into the seat next to me and whispered,
�Hey, Phoneix! Long time, no see!�

I
recognized the way too hyper voice of the Spirit Squad�s only hotshot pilot,
Max Mizuhara. His code name at the
Spirit Squad was Daredevil, after the comic book superhero, because he had no
fear. There is nothing the kid can�t
drive, fly, or pilot. I slouched in my
seat and scowled. I didn�t have the
patience to put up with the genki blonde�s antics.

�Great.� I muttered.
Rei glanced over and welcomed him with a fang-filled grin.

�Yo,
Max! How�s it going?�

�Not
too bad. You guys ready to get out of
here?�

�Please.� I got up and Rei and I followed Max out of
the area to the parking lot. We got
into his car, Rei up front and me in the back.
�What�s with all the secrecy, Max?�
I asked as he pulled out and headed into traffic.

�I
haven�t been given all the info yet, Phoenix.
Sorry. I just got here yesterday
and they told me to go pick you guys up and bring you in.�

I
blinked. �How do you know where this
base is supposed to be? You don�t have
that high of clearance, do you?�

�Nope.� He turned off into an alley and drove into a
huge Mack truck�s box. �This is how
we�ll get there. Even I don�t know
where it is.�

�Wow. That�s a lot of security precautions. But I guess I can see why�� Rei sighed. Max flipped on the interior lights of the
car and shut off the engine as the door behind us was closed and the truck
rumbled to life. The trip was short,
and I had no idea where we were or anything.
All I knew was that when the truck stopped, and the door opened, Max got
out of the car and motioned us to follow him.

The
facility we found ourselves in was, in a word, huge. And high-tech. I was
nearly afraid to touch anything for fear of screwing up something important. There were security cameras, laser grid
barriers, retinal and voice scanners all over the place�it was like something
out of a movie. Even I had never seen
so much security before.

Max
led us to a small room where some guy in a uniform made sure we were who we
said we were and passed out ID and pass-key cards to each of us. I stuck mine in my pocket and Rei happily
pinned his to his jacket, as did Max.
When they both looked at me and waited with expectant looks, I rolled my
eyes at them and grumbled, pulling mine out and pinning it onto my jacket.

�There! Happy now?�

�Yep. So where to now, Max?�

�Mr.
Dickenson is expecting us. I imagine
Kenny�s there already, too.� We
followed the blonde head through the corridors of the facility. I saw several rooms that required a Level A
clearance at the very least to enter, which made me wonder what was higher than
a Level A since that�s what I was. Rei
had Level C clearance for BBA and WBC facilities. I�m not sure what sort of clearance Max had.

He
stopped in front of an elevator door and set his thumb to the plate on the
wall.

//Please
state your name and purpose.// That
familiar, electronic voice intoned.

�Daredevil,
Phoenix, and Tiger here to see Mr. Dickenson for mission briefing.� Max replied. There was a moment of silence then the doors swung open.

//Enter. Mr. Dickenson is expecting you.// We got onto the elevator and I leaned
against the wall, arms folded over my chest and eyes closed, the picture of
indifference. Rei and Max babbled at
each other for the ride up and I ignored them, not really interested in
anything they were discussing.

Anti-social
of me, I know. Hey, I never said I was
a raving socialite now, did I?

I
yawned expansively as the doors swung open and followed the two chatty ones
into a huge, luxurious conference room.
It was done in teak and mahogany wood, there were computers at every
seat around a table that was semi-circular in shape, and there were several
pieces of art on the walls. Kenny, the
head of the tech department, also known as the Chief (his code name), was
sitting at one of the computer terminals typing away furiously.

�Hey,
Chief! Slow down or you�ll burn out
another keyboard!� Max laughed,
plunking himself down next to the shorter young man. Rei sat across from Max and since I was sick of sitting, I leaned
against a wall to hold it up with my eyes closed and hands shoved into my
jacket pockets.

�I�m
in the middle of some very important work here, Max. Can�t you go bug someone else?�
Chief complained.

�Nope! I was ordered here, same as you. I think you�re going on a mission,
buddy!� Max flashed a 1000 Watt smile.

Chief�s
face drained of color and if I could have seen his eyes under the brunette�s
hair I�m sure I would have seen his eyes go wide and panicky.

�I�I
c�c�can�t go on a�m�mission!� He
stuttered. �I�m not trained for field
work!�

�Relax,
Chief.� I interrupted, giving Rei and
Max a warning glare that had them sucking in their giggles. �We don�t know what�s going on yet. If you do get called out to do field work,
I�m sure it won�t be anything risky or dangerous.�

�Oh,
I feel so much better now.� He
muttered, resuming his typing.

I
might have said something else, but another panel door along the far wall
opened and one of the other tech-geeks, a girl named Emily came waltzing out,
lab coat floating around her, and arms clutching a load of files. Mr. Dickenson himself appeared behind her.

�Excellent,
Emily. I�ll expect an update on that
soon, please.�

�Sure
thing, Mr. Dickenson.� She nodded at us
all and gave Kenny a lingering glance over her shoulder as she walked out that
made him blush hotly and duck behind his computer screen. I raised an eyebrow at that, but said
nothing. Max and Rei burst into a fit
of giggles, unable to control it anymore.

�Okay,
boys, that�s enough.� Mr. Dickenson
smiled, faintly at them. �Phoenix, I�d
like a word with you before the mission briefing, if you don�t mind.�

�Yes,
sir.� I walked into the room and the
panel slid shut behind me. He gestured
for me to take a seat in one of the comfy sofa chairs in front of his large,
organized looking desk that was piled high with papers and objects that I
didn�t recognize.

�Well,
now, Kai.� There was my name
again. This was going to be bad. I just knew it. �I wanted to tell you about the mission ahead of time to give a
bit of time. I think you�ll need it.�

�Look,
Mr. Dickenson, I appreciate you being considerate of my emotions, but I�m an
agent. If I can�t handle this, then I
shouldn�t be here. Just spit it out and
quit laying on the drama.� I
interrupted before he could go on. He
studied me carefully then nodded.

�Very
well. Just please, try not to blow
anything up when I tell you.� He looked
around the room, pained. �There�s too
many things in this room that are very important to me and valuable, too.�

Now
I was really worried.

�The
problem, Kai, is that contrary to what we have all believed for the last seven
years, Boris Balkov did not die in the explosion at the Abbey. We�ve recently received evidence that proves
without a doubt he�s alive and operating again.� He was watching me really closely for my reaction and handed over
a thick file. I couldn�t provide him
with a reaction because I�d gone numb.
I shook my head and took the file.

�That�s�that�s
impossible! There�s no way in hell he
could have survived that! Even if he
did, he should have been severely injured!
He was right at ground zero!� I
didn�t open the file yet, too busy trying to protest his existence. �What was the proof?�

�It�s
all there. He was spotted in Moscow a
week ago by one of our agents, but Wolf was sure he�d just seen someone who
looked like Boris. Then we intercepted
a communication from Boris to some former trainees of the Abbey, some boys you
once knew. Remember Spencer? And Ian?�

I
flipped open the file and grimaced.
There were pictures there and it was Boris alright. He was meeting with the two younger
boys. �Who took these? Wolf?�

�Yes. He was with Ian when the meeting was
arranged. Ian and Spencer don�t know
Wolf works for us now. Wolf followed
Ian to the meet, took the pictures and informed me immediately. We haven�t heard from him since. It�s possible that he took matters into his
own hands and went in undercover, which will get him into trouble when he�s
found, by the way. If he has gone rogue
we need to know. If not, well�that
possibility is not something I�d like to consider at the moment.�

I
sat there in shock for a moment, quickly thinking and considering all the
possibilities. When I finally looked
up, I saw something in Mr. Dickenson�s eyes that made my stomach drop down to
my feet. �What is it you�re not telling
me, sir?�

�It�s
about the mission itself, Kai. You see,
Boris is alive and he�s taken up where he left off. We still haven�t figured out where he kept it, but all the data
on Sacred Spirits that the Abbey collected was apparently backed up and kept
elsewhere. He retrieved the data and
he�s found backing to start his experiments all over again.� Mr. Dickenson handed me another file and I
opened it.

�He�s going to try and recreate Black Dranzer.� I stated dully.

�Yes. But that�s not the part that�s going to get
you. The way he wants to go about it is
to use all the DNA samples and data he�d collected about Dranzer, Driger, and
Draciel at the Worlds that year to enhance Black Dranzer and make her
invincible. Kai�there was one other
bit-beast present that he collected data and samples on at that tournament and
he�s going to use them. You�re going to
need one last team member to combat this mutant Black Dranzer��

I
stared down into the face of the one person I had never thought I�d see
again. The picture was a recent one of
Tyson, and he was sweeping the sidewalk out in front of his family�s dojo,
waving at a bunch of kids as they ran past and smiling. But I could see the weariness around his
eyes and the loneliness and my heart clenched.
I fought back the urge cry and carefully closed the folder. �No.�

�I�m
sorry?�

�NO. He�s not going to be part of this! I won�t ruin his life further by dragging
him back into my mess of a life. He
deserves better damn it!� I slammed the
files on the desk and got up, pacing the room like a caged animal. Anger and fear were warring with each other
inside of me � along with the knowledge that Mr. Dickenson was right. I was going to need my lost love and I
really had no choice.

Mr.
Dickenson sighed, regarding me with sympathy and a quiet understanding that
made me want to punch a hole in the wall.
�I�m sorry, Kai. I wish there
was another way, but I can�t find one.
And I tried. I really did.�

I
stared into a fancy mirror that was hanging above the wet bar along one
wall. My face was pale � ghostly white
� under the blue shark fins that had been another attempt to brainwash me into
the line Boris and my grandfather wanted me to accept. They were permanent tattoos. My eyes, that strange, unique shade of
bloody crimson, stared back at me and I didn�t recognize myself anymore. There was no emotion there anymore, despite
the fact that there was plenty roiling around inside my mind and making me
slightly nauseous. What had happened to
me? I flinched away from the mirror and
ran my hands through my hair in agitation.

�There�s
no other way?� My voice was as empty as
my eyes and I knew it.

The
old man at the desk knew it, too. But
he didn�t say anything about it. �No.�

Hell
for me had once been the Abbey. Now it
was going to be a small metropolis called Bay City.

*******************************

Chapter
3: Time

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They say your past will come
back to haunt you.

They, whoever �they� are, have
no idea how prophetic that old clich� can be.

I knew I was still ghostly white
and appeared to be in shock when I followed Mr. Dickenson back into the
conference room. There wasn�t much I
could do about that but slip into work mode, shutting down as much as I could
emotionally and focus on the briefing at that moment.

There would be time later to
have a breakdown.

Dranzer was in my head emoting
concern and love. I gave her a mental
headshake and said, {Don�t.
Please. I can�t take it now,
Dranzer. I need some time.}

{I�ll be with you when you�re
ready, chibi.} I couldn�t smile at the
childhood nickname, though I wanted to.

Rei must have noticed I looked
like death-warmed-over because any humour in his expression faded away. His eyes widened and he made a questioning
noise when I found I couldn�t meet his gaze anymore and stared at my hands in
my lap instead.

�Kai?� He whispered in my ear when I�d dropped down into the seat next
to him. �What is it?�

�Bad.� I managed to get out.
Before he could start asking more questions, Mr. Dickenson began the
briefing.

�Listen up.� He said, getting our attention. He proceeded to tell everyone what he�d told
me in his office, though he left out the part about Tyson. �Okay?
Any questions so far?� No one
said a word. �Then I�ll move on. Your mission, I�m sure, is pretty
clear. First we must determine what
happened to Wolf. When we have that
information we�ll plan our next move.
The major goal will be to stop Boris from succeeding and to shut down
his operations. And all the data and
DNA samples he has collected must be destroyed. Oh, and this time find someone who will know where the backup
data is being kept so we can destroy that too.�

�Where do we start?� I asked, tonelessly.

�Moscow. Maybe you�ll be able to find a clue
there. Head for Japan first,
though. It�s crucial you bring in the
last team member before Boris gets to him first.�

I swallowed hard and nodded
shortly.

�Good. Dismissed. Keep me
informed, Phoenix.� He went back into
his office and I stood up slowly.

Max gave me a curious look. �A fifth team member? In Japan?
Who?�

Rei was looking at me in
horror. He�d put it all together. �Dear Gods, no. Kai��

�Don�t Rei.� I snapped.
I felt a twinge of guilt for taking out my rage and helplessness on him
but I didn�t apologize. I�d do that
later, too. �We�ve got work to do,
people. Chief, pack light and don�t
bring a bunch of toys with you.
Whatever you might need we can get as we go. Max, go find us a plane that we can use for as long as we might
need it.� I flipped open my wallet and
pulled out a business card that was blank, and scribbled a number on it. �Phone that number with the details and get
ready to get us to Japan. We need to leave
tomorrow.�

�Got it.� Max looked at the card briefly then handed
it back. �I won�t need that. Photographic memory.� He explained when Rei blinked at him.

�Hn. Useful.� was all I could say.
�Go!� I commanded when they just
sat there for a moment longer. They
jumped up and practically ran for the elevator doors. Rei and I followed silently, for which I was thankful. I didn�t think I�d be able to hold back much
longer.

Some trainee agent I�d never met
before was the unlucky person who got to drive us back to the Sound and Light
show to get our car (after we�d gotten to ride in the box of that Mack truck
again, that is). He kept glancing at me
in the rear view mirror nervously.

He had good reason to. I was in desperate need of an outlet for my
emotions and it would have been immensely satisfying to blow something into
dust particles.

Which is exactly what I did the
second his taillights disappeared around a corner, leaving us next to our
car. I spun around, seeking out a
barely visible boulder in the dark and blasted the unoffending rock into sand
with a well-placed fireball no bigger than my fist. Rei squeaked and jumped slightly at the sudden detonation,
watching me warily as I went on a rampage, looking for more rocks.

In my state, however, I�d need a
whole mountain to destroy and there weren�t any available at the moment. So I continued blasting boulders and cursing
in every language I could think of, settling on German eventually because I
found the guttural harshness quite satisfying.

Eventually Rei had to risk his
hide and interrupt me, leading me back to the car and shoving me into the
passenger side. I didn�t complain about
it. I was in no condition to be driving
right then. And we needed to leave
before someone came to investigate the explosions.

We got back to the hotel and I
felt so drained that I just collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.

I heard Rei sigh and the
mattress creak as he sat down next to me.
He didn�t say anything, waiting until I was ready to talk.

�This sucks.� I finally said. I was horrified to hear tears in my voice. Rei smiled grimly.

�Very.�

�I don�t know if I�m going to be
able to do this, Rei. I really don�t.�

�It�ll be okay. You�re strong, Kai. And I�ll always be here for you if you need
it.�

Just as you�ve always been. I thought.

I rolled onto my side, facing
away from him, and curled into a ball, feeling helpless and fragile. I felt the bed move as Rei got up and
grabbed a coverlet, draping it over me and leaving me to my sorrow.

Dranzer, too, added her soothing
presence and I could almost feel her soft feathers as if she�d wrapped her
wings around me in a warm embrace.

When my cell phone rang, Rei
answered and got all the information we needed from Max. I just closed my eyes and drifted into a
restless slumber, filled with dreams that echoed my memories of the past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn�t surprise me to wake up
the next morning with damp cheeks. In
my sleep I�d cried because I never allowed myself to when I was awake.

I felt groggy and my head was
all fuzzy. I rubbed the grit out of my
eyes. I looked over at the other bed
and saw that Rei had left.

�He�d better be bringing me
coffee.� I grumbled. I�m not a morning person as it is but under
the circumstances this morning was worse than usual. I got up and stumbled into the shower, hoping to feel more human
when I was clean again.

When I�d finished and dressed, I
started packing up my stuff again. Just
as I was zipping my bag up, the wayward neko-jin returned.

�Where were you?� I growled.
�Tom-catting?�

He smiled sunnily at me and
handed over a large paper coffee cup.
�I�m not going to deign to respond to that comment because I know you
need a jolt of caffeine.�

I snatched the coffee from him
and pried the lid off. The beautiful
aromatic scent of freshly brewed coffee hit me and I think I might have
moaned. Rei just rolled his eyes at me
as I sipped reverently.

�I�ve never seen anyone have a
near orgasmic experience over a cup of coffee before.� He chuckled, shoving his own stuff into his
bag quickly. �When you�re done, we
should go. The Chief and Max will be
waiting for us at the airport. Max
signed out a BBA plane for us. He said
the Boss has cleared us for unlimited funds and equipment.�

�Whatever we need?� I shrugged.
�Not a surprise.�

�No. It makes me feel better though.�

�I�d give all my money to see
that demon�s spawn taken out once and for all.� I crumpled my empty coffee cup and tossed it in the wastebasket. �But since I don�t have to, let�s go get
this over with.�

Rei nodded. �You feeling better?� He asked, hoisting his bag over his
shoulder. �You�ve got your colour back,
at least.�

�Physically? I guess so.
Otherwise? No.� I followed him out to the car. He�d already checked us out earlier that
morning, I assumed. �I can�t express
how much I�m not looking forward to this.� I got behind the wheel and waited for Rei to get in before
heading off for the airport.

�Yeah, well, there�s not much we
can do.� Rei agreed. �We need him. More, we have to protect him from Boris if we can.�

I didn�t have to reply to
that. He knew I agreed whole-heartedly
with him.

Max and the Chief were indeed
waiting for us out on the tarmac as Rei and I hurried over.

�Hey, you two! Ready to fly?� Max greeted us cheerfully.

�Are we cleared?� I asked, climbing the stairs behind the
others as we boarded.

�Yep. So who wants to come up front and keep me company for the
flight?� The blonde inquired, flashing
us all a grin. I just ignored him and
went to find a seat.

I could feel their curious gazes
follow me and heard Rei hastily say, �Ah�Chief can keep you company,
Maxie. Phoenix and I have some data to
go over on the trip.�

�If you�re sure, Rei.� Max shrugged, slinging an arm around Kenny�s
shoulders and leading him up to the cockpit.
�Have you ever ridden up front before, Chief?�

Rei came over and sat across
from me, folding his arms on the tabletop and watching me. I pulled out the files on Boris and started
studying data, doing my very best to ignore him. I shoved a file at him and didn�t bother looking up as I spoke.

�If you�re just going to sit
there and stare at me the entire time, you can help me go through the files.�

�I will. In a bit.�
I could feel his penetrating gaze on me. �What are you going to tell him?�

Even though I knew the question
was coming, I had to close my eyes and sigh, slamming the file shut. I didn�t think he would leave me alone this
time � and it was rather brave of him.
I tunnelled my fingers through my hair in agitation, just as the plane
started moving.

�As soon as we�re in the air and
level off, Kai, you�re going to talk to me.
You can�t keep it all bottled up this time. It�s too dangerous and I won�t let you.�

I hated to admit it, but he was
right. So I gave him a curt nod and
stared out the window for a while.

I�ll give Rei credit. He managed to curb his curious nature for
half an hour.

�Well?�

�What the fuck do you want
me to say, Rei?!� I stood up and started
pacing. I guess I was going to vent
whether I liked it or not.

�You can say to me whatever you
need to, Kai, to get through this. You have
to get through this. We need Tyson
badly. I know you agree. But we need you just as much, if not
more.� I looked at him startled.

�You�d all do just fine without
me, Rei.� I really believed that. Rei, apparently, didn�t agree with me.

�No, actually, we wouldn�t. There�s a reason why any and all of us have
followed you willingly. There�s a
reason why I have always followed you.� He gave me a look that was so intense I had to stop and stare at
him. �You are a natural leader, Kai
Hiwatari. You�re so strong. I�ve seen you stay strong under the worst
possible conditions, the worst threats to life and limb and sanity. You�re our captain, our protector�our
friend. You always will be.�

I had to sit down I was that
floored.

�I�I didn�t know you felt this
way.� I managed.

He shrugged. �No.
That doesn�t surprise me. You
have a great gift, Kai � a natural ability.
It�s a part of you and one can easily forget or pay little attention to
something that is a part of oneself. I
sometimes forget I have a tail.� He
unwound said appendage and wiggled it at me.
I couldn�t help cracking a smile.
�Ah! There. That�s better. There�s still hope for you.�

�Maybe.� I sighed and began to fidget. Me.
Fidget? That�s not good. I growled at myself and sat on my hands,
scowling. Rei laughed in delight. �Oh, shut up.�

�Sorry. It�s just funny. It�s going to be fine, Kai.
Tyson�well, he�ll be shocked, probably angry at first. But after you talk to him and explain
why�even if he doesn�t like what you did, he�ll forgive you.�

�He�ll hate me.� I whispered, looking down at the floor and
studying my shoes since I suddenly found them fascinating. �Rei, he thinks I�m dead! Has for seven bloody years! And I�m suddenly going to pop up out of
nowhere and say, �Hi, honey! I�m
home!� He�ll absolutely flip out on
me.�

Rei frowned. �Maybe.
Maybe not.�

�Oh, Gods.� Something rather unthinkable dawned on me at
that point. �Gods, Rei�what if he
refuses to have anything to do with me?
He might not listen to me and/or refuse to come with us.�

�Shit. You�re right.� Rei
scowled and his tail lashed in agitation.
�I never got to know him as well as you did but from what I did pick up
from him was that he�s more stubborn and thick-willed than you are.�

I dropped my head into my hands
and groaned. �Oh, things just get more
and more complicated, don�t they?�
There was only one possible solution that I could think of.

�One of you will have to go get
him and bring him to me. Some place
where he can�t run away.� It hurt to
think about it. My stomach wasn�t real
happy with me in fact. �Even if he does
hate me, refuse to help, we�ll be able to�take him into protective
custody.� I almost couldn�t say
it. I think that if it really did come
down to that, it would douse whatever tiny spark of light was still inside me.

Rei nodded slowly. I suddenly felt so cold�like I had just been
bathed in ice water. I began to shiver
and Rei gave me a look of sympathy, getting out a blanket and settling it over
my shoulders.

�Be careful, Kai. I think the stress is catching up to
you. We can�t afford for you to be out
with the flu or something.� He felt my
forehead briefly, checking my temperature.
�Well, you�re still cool, so no fever � yet. Forget the files for now.
Just try to relax and rest. I�ll
make you some tea to warm you up.� He
moved over to the kitchenette.

I think I might have pouted. I
whined at him, �Coffee would be better.�

�Oh no. You�re nerves are already highly
strung. You don�t need that. You need to relax. So�tea.�

I sighed and gave in. He�s the healer, after all.

He brought me the tea with a few
drops of honey in it and I gladly wrapped my hands around the hot mug,
absorbing the heat into myself like a sponge would water, sipping slowly.

He was right, though. It did relax me.

Then again, it could have been
the sleeping pill he�d dissolved in the tea, using the honey to mask the taste,
the sneaky little bastard.

Five minutes after I�d finished
my tea, I was out like a light.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�Oh, get over it, Kai.�

I glared harder at him.

He rolled his eyes. �You needed the rest! You can�t tell me you don�t feel better now,
either.� Rei�s scowl dared me to claim
otherwise.

The plane was landing by the
time that interfering neko-jin deigned to wake me up. Now I had practically no time to plan anything, which I pointed
out to my self-proclaimed protector.

�If that�s your idea of
lessening my stress load, Rei, it�s not working.�

�Come on, Kai. You didn�t think I�d just sit around and do
nothing, did you? It�s not that
complicated.�

I leaned back in my seat and
folded my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow at him. �Regal me with your cleverness, then.�

�Simple. I�ll take Max and we�ll go get him. We won�t tell him about you or
anything. We�ll just tell him he�s in
danger and if he wants to protect Dragoon he�ll come with us and we�ll explain
everything later.� Rei outlined the
plan for me.

I scowled. �Which you will, of course, leave me to do,
right?�

Rei narrowed his eyes at me and
growled in frustration. �Well?! Do you want me to tell him you�re
alive?�

I closed my eyes and
contemplated that, weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, I exhaled slowly and said, �You can. Use your judgment, though.
If you think he can handle it, tell him. Or don�t tell him unless it�s a last resort to get him to come
with you willingly.�

�Okay. I can do that.� Rei
nodded.

�One more thing. You and Max need to be very careful. I have no doubt he�s being watched, and not
just by our people. Go in and get him
out. Don�t hang around and don�t, if
you spot the surveillance, let them know you�ve seen them.� I tapped a finger on the file on Tyson. �Maybe you should go in wired. At least that way if something happens I�ll
know immediately and I can come help.�

�I�m sure the Chief can come up
with something.� He agreed.

Once we landed, I had Chief
outfit both Rei and Max with wires as a precaution. Then I sent them off, sounding more like a mother than Dranzer
usually did. Rei finally got tired of
it and flatly reminded me he and Max were experienced agents and had enough
training and that they could handle themselves.

I shut up at that and waved them
off, shooting a warning glare at Max when he started giggling.

~~~~~~~~~~~
POV Change ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a period of silence in
the car as Rei and Max drove to the Kinomiyas� dojo. When Max couldn�t stand it anymore, he blurted out, �What�s going
on with Phoenix, Rei? I�ve never seen
him so�so�out of sorts.�

�I can�t tell you, Maxie. If Phoenix wants you to know, he�ll tell
you.� Rei replied, calmly staring out
the window.

//Are you two forgetting I can
hear you?// Kai�s voice suddenly spoke
in their ears.

�No.� Max scowled, weaving in and out of traffic like flowing
water. �But I think we have a right to
know if there�s going to be problems between you and this new team member. Who�s a civilian I�ll remind you.�

They both heard a sigh and there
was a moment of silence again.
Then� //Fine. I won�t give you details, Max. It�s better for everyone if I don�t. All you need to know for now is that I know
Tyson. He and I were�we had a
relationship.//

�Oh.� Max pondered that. �How
close?�

There was another pause then a
quiet answer Rei hadn�t expected Kai to admit.
//I love him.//

Max�s expression could only be
described as sympathetic�in a comical way.
�Fabulous. I�m sorry, Phoenix.�

//No more than I am, Max.//

�This is going to be difficult.�

�Very.� Rei shook his head. �There it is Max.�

�Here we go.� Max parked across the street, taking a quick
glance around. �There�s no other
vehicles visible in the area, Phoenix.�

//There probably won�t be. Proceed, Tiger. And be careful.//

�Always.� Rei replied.

They got out of the car and
stretched a bit, pretending as if they�d been traveling for some time. �Come on, Max. I hope he�s home. I think
you�ll really like him.�

Max, playing along (kind of),
replied in his usual exuberant voice, �I�ve no doubt!� and followed Rei in.

Rei knocked on the residence�s
door and waited. Soon he could hear
light footsteps approach and the door swung open.

�Can I help you?� It was a petite young woman with brown hair
and warm, wine coloured eyes that opened the door. Rei blinked in surprise and frowned slightly.

�Uh�yeah. Is this the Kinomiya residence?�

�Yes.� She gave him a suspicious look.
�Who are you?�

�Oh, good! I thought maybe I had the wrong place. I�m Rei and this is Max. Ah�we were in town and I thought I would
drop in and see how Tyson was doing.
I�m an�old friend.� Rei
explained, lying through his fangs and holding out a hand.

�Is that so? Well, I�m Hilary.� She shook their hands then stepped aside. �Come on in. Tyson�s not home yet.
He�s visiting Gramps in the hospital.�

They followed her into the
living room. �Gramps in the
hospital? Oh dear�� Rei gave her a
concerned look, knowing Kai was probably worried at hearing that, too. �What happened?�

Hilary laughed lightly. �Oh, nothing too dire. Silly old man fell off a ladder a couple
days ago when he was cleaning the eavestrophs out and busted his hip. The doctor is keeping him for a while until
his hip�s mended.�

�Oh my. That�s a relief.� Rei echoed Kai�s sigh of relief in his ear. �When are you expecting Tyson back?�

�Any time now. Can I get you two something to drink?� She offered, getting up and heading for the
kitchen.

�No, thanks, Hilary. I�m fine.�
Max shook his head.

�Rei?�

�Just some tea would be fine, if
you�re making it.�

�Sure. I�ll just be a few minutes.�
She disappeared.

When he was sure she couldn�t
hear him, Rei quietly asked, �Okay, Phoenix.
I know Chief�s been digging up data on her. What�s the story?�

//She�s his cousin.// came the
immediate response. //On his mother�s
side, she�s the only living relative.
Gramps is his only one on his father�s side. I didn�t need Chief to tell me that.//

�Okay. Anything else?�

//She can be a bit of a bossy
loudmouth and she�s as stubborn as Tyson and Gramps are. But she�s a good kid.//

Rei was about to ask more but
his keen ears picked up the sound of the front door opening. �I think he just got home, Phoenix.�

//�Gods.//

Max and Rei looked towards the
entry way as footsteps sounded in the hall and a voice called, �Hil! I�m back!� just as he came around the
corner. �Oh! I didn�t know we had�company.
Rei?� Tyson stood there staring
at the neko-jin in shock. �What are you
doing here?�

Rei stood up and smiled,
genuinely glad to see him. �Hey,
Tyson. Sorry to just drop in uninvited,
but��

�Tyson! Oh�never mind. I was going to tell you we had guests, but you already know. I�ll just get the tea.� Hilary popped back into the kitchen.

Tyson smiled a bit after her
then turned back to Rei. The neko-jin
studied him carefully. The teen he had
known was barely visible in this young man anymore. Gone was the light that had made his vivid, midnight blue eyes
sparkle. Those same eyes were distant
and weary, as if he�d seen way too much in such a short lifetime. They reminded Rei a little too much of Kai�s
eyes. Tyson�s body had matured and
trimmed down into a lean, muscular form that Rei felt was just a bit on the
skinny side. And he had cut his
hair! The ponytail was gone, too.

Rei just wanted to hug him and
tell him everything right then and there.
But he didn�t. Instead, he
asked, �How are you doing, Ty?� in a gentle voice.

Tyson sighed and flashed a small
smile. �I�m�okay. Really.
I had a rough period but I�m doing better now.� He sat in an armchair and Rei sat back down
next to Max on the couch as Hilary came in with a tea tray.

�That�s good.� Rei accepted a cup from her. �I was in town and I wanted to check up on
you, see how you were. Oh! And this is Max Mizuhara. He�s a colleague of mine.�

�It�s a pleasure to meet you,
Max.� Tyson greeted the blonde.

�It�s great to finally meet you,
Tyson!� Max grinned at him and Rei
rolled his eyes, nudging him.

�Don�t mind him. He�s always hyper.� When he noticed Tyson was regarding him
intensely, with a strange, far away look in his eyes, he frowned and asked,
�Tyson?�

�Hmm�� he blinked suddenly and
frowned. �Okay, Rei. I can�t get past your mental barriers. They�re too strong without me being
intrusive. I can tell, however, that
you want to talk to me about something really important and that�you�re hiding
something. What are you really
doing here?� Tyson glanced at Max. �Or shall I just look at Max�s thoughts to
find out?�

�Uh�� Rei floundered and heard
Kai curse fluently in his ear.

//Damn it! He�s gone and developed abilities of his
own! He�s a telepath, Rei � most likely
an empath as well. Be on your guard, the
both of you.//

�I�m not sure where to start,
Tyson.� Rei finally said, hoping Kai
would get the message. �I really was
worried about you.�

�I know. I can sense that. Look, Rei, whatever it is just tell me. You can say what you need to in front of Hilary. She won�t say a word to anyone, if that�s
what you�re worried about.�

Kai was speaking quickly again,
too. //Rei! Tell him the truth. He�ll
know you�re lying if you try to anyway.
Tell him what you and Max really do and tell him these exact words: the
demon is still alive. He�ll know what
you�re talking about.//

Rei and Max looked at each
other. �I don�t know that we should
tell her, Rei.� Max shook his head,
though he was speaking to Kai. �She�s
innocent in all this.�

//Bring her in, too. We can have Gramps transferred to a BBA
hospital where he can be watched and protected. I don�t like what my gut is telling me right now. Get them out of there quickly and quietly.//

After taking a deep breath, Rei
let it out slowly and gave Tyson a nod of acknowledgement. �Okay.
You�ve heard of the BBA?�

�Yes. It�s the research and technology division of the WBC.�

�Yes. It�s also the front for an ultra-covert agency we like to call
the Spirit Squad. The Spirit Squad was
formed and now operates to find and protect Sacred Spirits and their bladers,
to combat those who would harm them�like the Abbey.� Rei explained. Max looked
at him sharply at the mention of that place.

�I see. And you work for them?�

�Yeah.� Rei frowned. �You don�t seem surprised.�

�No. They tried to recruit me six years ago.�

*************************************

Chapter
4: Hold Me

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

//He WHAT?!//

�You�they�ve tried to recruit
you?� Rei winced and prayed fervently
for Kai to hold onto his temper. Max
was looking a little pale at the steady stream of cursing that flowed over
their com-links. �That�s��

�Not going to make a difference
now.� Max stated, thinking
quickly. �Ah�it�ll make things easier
to explain, at least.�

Tyson was giving them strange
looks and Hilary was glaring at them.

�What�s to explain?� She said angrily, placing her hands on
Tyson�s shoulders and hovering protectively.
�So you figure because he�s more stable now you�ll try recruiting him
again? Over my dead body! Tyson is��

�In danger.� Rei interrupted, his eyes glinting at the
insult in Hilary�s tone. �That�s
why we�re here. Not to recruit
him! We didn�t know an attempt to
recruit you had ever happened, Tyson.
We�re here to ask you to come with us for your protection and for
Dragoon�s, possibly to help us.�

//Someone�s going to die when I
find out who the hell okayed his recruitment!// Kai was snarling now. Max
and Rei heard him fling an order at Kenny.
//Chief! Find out what�s going
on. NOW!//

Rei winced again. Things just got worse.

�I�m in danger? Why?
I haven�t done anything. I
hardly even blade anymore.� Tyson
looked confused.

There was abrupt silence on the
com-link. //He�doesn�t blade
anymore?// Rei sighed at the total
disbelief and guilt in Kai�s voice. He
dug out his cell phone and dialled Kai�s.

�I�ll just be a minute,
Tyson. Then I�ll explain what I can.�

�Uh�sure.� Tyson watched him, still confused, as he
went into the kitchen.

As soon as Kai answered, Rei
growled at him. �Do you mind? I�m getting a headache from your cursing in
my ear so much. Calm the hell down
before you scare the Chief too badly.�

�CALM DOWN?! Are you insane? Rei, he said they tried to recruit him! I made a deal with them when I joined. They would stay away from him if I would
help them!�

�Something�s screwy then. We�ll figure it out later, okay? Just suck it up for now and prioritize. Save him first and deal with the rest
later.�

�Argh!� Kai sounded like he wanted to explode. �Do it, then!� The line went dead as Kai hung up on him. Rei shut off his cell and sighed. �Take a few deep breaths and count to a
hundred if you have to.�

//Just get back in there.//

�Going.�

Max looked up as he came
in. �Everything okay?�

Rei made a face. �I really don�t think so.� He dropped back down onto the couch and
faced Tyson. �You wanted to know why
you�re in danger, Tyson? I�ve been told
to tell you something that you�d understand.�

�And that is?� Hilary demanded.

�The demon is still alive.�

Tyson flinched and paled. �That�s impossible, Rei.�

�That�s what we�ve all thought
since the explosion, Tyson. But we�ve
recently gotten proof that says otherwise.
And he�s starting over. He�ll
come after you soon.�

�You mean he�ll come after Dragoon.� Tyson dropped his head into his hands. Hilary looked ill and she rubbed his back
soothingly, as much for her comfort as his.
�I won�t let him take Dragoon, Rei.�

�I know. But you can�t stay here. You�re probably already under surveillance.�

�But�I can�t leave Hilary and
Gramps here alone, either!� Tyson
looked up. �Boris is ruthless. He could do almost anything to them to get
me to do what he wants.�

�Hilary can come with us.� Max assured him. �And say the word and we�ll have Gramps transferred to a BBA
hospital where he�ll be protected.�

Tyson was quite for a while,
trying to assimilate everything. Hilary
hugged him from behind, lending her cousin her strength and support. Finally, he looked at both agents and
nodded. �Okay. We�ll come with you if you can promise me
Gramps will be safe.�

�I swear.� Rei nodded back. �Max.�

�Phoning it in now, Rei.� Max pulled out his cell, calling the Chief
to make the arrangements.

�Pack whatever you need, Tyson,
Hilary. But don�t pack a lot. We need to move around quickly and the less
baggage we have to worry about the better.�
Rei blew out a breath in relief as they went to their rooms to get
packed.

�It�s done.� Max said.
�Gramps is being transferred immediately.�

�Good.� Rei smiled wanly. �One less problem to worry about.�

//Only to be replaced by
another. What the hell is going on,
Rei? How could they lie to me?// Kai sounded so lost it made Rei want to kick
a wall in.

�I don�t know. Like I said, we�ll deal with it later.�

//I�m going radio silent now,
Tiger. You and Daredevil keep a sharp
eye out for trouble.//

�Believe me, Phoenix, we will.�

Ten minutes later, Tyson and
Hilary appeared carrying one suitcase each.

�You�ve got Dragoon?� Rei asked.

Tyson nodded.

�Good. Let�s get out of here.�
He led them out to the car.

Max popped open the trunk and
put their luggage in before getting behind the wheel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV
Change

Okay. I�ll admit it. I was
pissed off as all hell about this. Mr.
Dickenson was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

I was also going out of my mind
with worry. Tyson had loved blading so
much! Was he that distraught
over me that he�d even stopped that? If
that was the case then I had better super-size my guilt meal. I was never going to forgive myself for
this.

The Chief stuck his head into
the cabin and warily informed me in a slightly freaked, squeaky voice, that
Gramps was being transferred and the others were on their way back.

Not trusting myself to not bite
his head off if I opened my mouth, I made a noise of acknowledgement and waved
him away.

I ended up pacing again while I
had the plane refuelled and worked on getting us cleared for take-off as soon
as possible.

I was in the middle of an
argument with Air Traffic Control about letting us take off before a commercial
flight when Chief popped back in again, waving at me frantically.

�Look, it�s extremely urgent
that we leave as soon as my party returns, which will be any moment now. I don�t care what has to be done to clear
us, but find a way or else!� I slammed
the phone down and glared at Kenny in annoyance. �What?�

�Max is on the phone. He says they�re being followed.�

�Well fuck.� I cursed and took the cell phone from him,
fighting the urge to crush it into scrap plastic and metal. I was now wishing I hadn�t turned off my
com-link. �Max! What�s the situation?�

�We�ve got an admirer,
Phoenix. They�re trying to be clever
about it, but they�re amateurs.�

�Can you tell who it is
driving?�

�Ah�I don�t recognize the
driver. There�s a guy in the passenger
seat that looks familiar but I can�t place him. Oh! Wait�Rei wants to
talk to you.� There was a bit of static
and rustling as Rei took the phone from Max.

�Spencer�s driving and the guy
in the passenger seat is�Tala.� Rei
hesitated and I knew why. We didn�t
know whose side the guy was on anymore.

�Shit. I was afraid of that.
Look, just tell Max to loose them.
Now would have been a good time to set up and ambush but I don�t want to
risk it with Tyson and Hilary there.�

�Yeah. Hold up. Max�lose
�em.� I heard him say. Then I heard Max in the background laugh
delightedly and reply, �Alrighty then!� in a really bad Ace Ventura
impression. I winced as Rei gave a
startled yelp that told me Max had just done something worthy of his code
name. I listened for a few tense
minutes. Until�

�Gods, Max! Where the hell did you learn to drive?� Rei groaned. �Ah�I think we�re safe now.
Max, you can stop doing 170.�

�That�s no fun.�

�Hurry back, Rei. We should be able to take off as soon as Max
straps himself into the pilot�s seat.�
I ordered and hung up. I glanced
at the Chief and asked, �Can you keep an eye on them?�

�Yes, sir.�

I sighed. �Please don�t call me that, Chief. I�m sorry I freaked out on you earlier.�

�No problem.� He looked surprised at the apology. But it was hard to be sure when you couldn�t
see his eyes through his hair.

I went back into the passengers�
cabin and paced again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I heard them come trooping
up the stairs to board the plane, I did the cowardly thing and hid in the
kitchenette out of sight.

I heard Tyson for the first time
in seven years, without any sort of electronic equipment between us, say, �Nice
plane, Rei.�

Oh Gods how I�d missed
the sound of his voice.

He was here. I was here.
And I think I was working toward a full-blown panic attack because I
nearly couldn�t breathe, my heart was pounding, and I was shaking like a leaf.

I listened to Rei get them settled
in and felt the plane lurch suddenly as Max began taxiing us down the runway in
preparation for take-off. I took a seat
and belted myself in, listening to the sound of Tyson�s voice � not his words,
just the sound of it, the melody of it � and fought back tears and nerves.

In defence I dug out a bottle of
vodka from the little fridge and poured myself a double shot, downing it in one
gulp. I gasped as it burned a path down
to my stomach.

It burned going down but at
least I could breathe again.

When we levelled off and Max
informed us over the intercom it was safe to walk around now, I heard Rei ask
if he could get Hilary and Tyson something to drink, their replies, and then
his reply as he came into the kitchenette.

He eyed me and the bottle. �Well, I see you found the wet bar.� Rei observed, quietly, grabbing the bottle
from my unresisting hand and taking out a couple more glasses. �How are you?�

�Shitty. Fuck, Rei!
I had a panic attack the moment I heard his voice. Me!
I can�t do this�I can�t go out there.�

�You can. You will.�
Rei set the bottle and glasses on a tray and began brewing tea, setting
up another tray for that, too. �I�d
offer to tell him myself, but I think it�s best that he hears it from you.�

Just the thought of it sent my
stomach off kilter and I bolted for the lavatory where I was rather sick.

When I came back, Rei just
handed me a damp cloth for my face.
Dranzer clucked at me in concern and I gave her a wan mental smile.

As he poured the hot water into
the pot from the kettle, Rei said, �I gave him Boris� file to go through. I thought if he has an idea what�s going to
happen if we don�t stop that psychopath then maybe he�d be more willing to help
us.�

�Okay. That�s fine. As long as
you don�t show him my �autopsy report.��

�No. I put that away.� Rei
looked at the tea tray, then at the bottle of vodka. �Why am I even bothering?
Tea�s useless. We should all
just get loaded.� He dumped out the tea
and rooted out a bottle of good old Irish whiskey from the fridge.

Before he picked up the tray I
grabbed the vodka, took a long pull from the bottle and set it back. Rei sighed and went back out to the
others. I watched in concealment from the
doorway as he set it down and poured a round of shots from the whiskey bottle.

�Uh�Rei? Don�t you think it�s a little early?� Hilary gingerly accepted the shot.

�On any other day but
today�probably.� Rei downed his shot
and shuddered. �Gah! That burns�� He looked at Tyson. �I�d drink that if I were you. Trust me.�

Tyson�s look made me want to
giggle (which I blame on the vodka swimming in my empty stomach, by the
way). But since I do not
giggle, I refrained and waited.

�Rei, are you feeling
okay?� My beloved blue-eyed bishonen
inquired slowly.

�Oh hell no. That�s why I�m currently trying to get
alcohol poisoning.� Rei replied,
somewhat cheerfully actually. I was
going to have to do something really nice for him when this was over. �Do me a favour, Ty, and drink that shot.�

Tyson sighed and carefully
dumped it in Rei�s glass instead, grabbing the vodka bottle and refilling his
glass. �If I�m going to drink with you,
then I�d prefer the vodka. You drink
the whiskey.� Tyson downed his
shot. God I loved him.

�Whatever.� Rei tossed that back, too.

Hilary frowned disapprovingly at
them. �Men. Things go a little bad so you hit the hard liquor.� Since Tyson and Hilary were sitting with their
backs to me, and couldn�t see me standing in the doorway behind them, I felt
safe enough to wave impatiently at Rei when he looked in my general direction.

Besides. I didn�t want Tyson totally wasted, just
mellowed and somewhat relaxed.

Rei must have took the hint
because he downed one last shot before pushing the whiskey bottle at
Hilary. �Either join us or keep that
away from me, please. I�m going to go
over there and pass out in a minute.�
He rubbed his eyes sluggishly as the alcohol became the driving force in
his system then pointed a finger at Tyson.
�But �fore I do�you thought I was hiding something from you earlier?�

�That�s the impression I
got.� I could hear the suspicion in
Tyson�s voice. �Why? Is there a reason you felt you had to hide
something from me?�

�Bingo!� Rei saluted Tyson, downing another shot.

�What?�

�I want you to know I tried
talking him out of it back then but he honestly thought it was best. He only wanted to protect you.�

Tyson angled his head at the
tipsy neko-jin in a gesture so familiar I wanted to cry (and I was sure I
wasn�t going to be able to avoid that much longer). What had me swallowing back a sob, though, was that I only just
noticed that he had cut his gorgeous hair that I�d been itching to run my
fingers through for so long it was ridiculous.

�What in the world are you
talking about?� Tyson wanted to know,
tone not only suspicious now but confused.

�What and the reason I was
hiding is standing behind you ready to kill me for taking so bloody long.� Rei finally said, gesturing over
their shoulders. �Holy hell. The shit�s gonna hit the fan now! Come on, Hil! How�s about we go bug Max and the Chief while these two either
kiss and make up or kill each other?�

Tyson shook his head at Rei and
began turning around in his seat as he spoke.
I held my breath.

�You�re so wasted, Rei, you�re
babbling�� He stopped talking and went stark white when he saw me. I felt my eyes fill with tears and I
fidgeted under his gaze, staring into and drowning in his dark, fathomless blue
eyes once again.

Hilary whipped her head around
to blink at me and gasped, paling nearly as much as her cousin had. �Oh my God!�

Tyson got up slowly, clutching
his seat when he trembled visibly. I
let the tears fall, watching him watch me and there was total silence in the
room.

Rei gave Hilary a wordless toast
and held out his glass when she grabbed the whiskey bottle. �What the hell. May �swell have another.
Drink up, sister!� He said as
she poured then took a healthy swig of the liquor straight from the bottle.

I ignored them as he got up
unsteadily and tugged Hilary with him, heading for the cockpit to give us some
time and space. I just stared at my
love, drinking in the sight of him with the thirst of a dehydrated man.

�Tyson�� I croaked after an
entirely too long moment of unbearable quiet.
�Gods, Ty�I know it�s a shock, but��

�You�you�re not real. You can�t be! You�re dead�they told me you died!� He cried, hugging himself as if he was suddenly cold. �It�s not real�it�s not! I�ve cracked up again�� He dropped to his
knees and I was down there with him so fast I don�t even remember moving. I put my hands on his shoulders and shook
him gently.

�Tyson, love no! Look at me, please?� He did and his eyes were a bit wild. He was shaking violently and I didn�t even
notice I was still crying steadily.
�Listen to me, okay?

�I�m sorry, Tyson, so sorry for
so many things. But you have to
understand! I did not die in that
explosion in Russia. The Spirit
Squad�they helped me to escape, to let the world forget about the Abbey,
Boris�and me.�

�You�re�real. Alive�here?� He whispered, staring up at me in shock, fear, confusion, and a
need so great I wondered if I wasn�t seeing myself in his eyes. I took one of his hands and pressed his palm
to my cheek, holding it there. He
jerked slightly, not expecting my touch or that I�d be solid to his. I let his hand go when his fingers began
tracing my features with a ghostly light touch. �Kai�Kai!�

�Ooph!� I grunted as he flung himself at me,
knocking me over and wrapping himself around me to cling desperately and
beginning to sob harshly. I sat up with
him in my lap, my arms hugging him tightly to me and I buried my face in his
hair, still weeping.

I�m not sure how long we sat
there clutching one another, even after the tears dried up.

When he pulled away from me
reluctantly, I let him. I didn�t want
to ever let him go again, but I knew he would need some space to figure
everything out.

I should have known he was
digging around in my mind by the way he was staring into my eyes but I was just
too numb and occupied with being in his presence again.

I also should have seen the
warning flash of pure fury in those sapphire orbs. If I had it would have saved me a broken nose and Rei the loss of
energy it took to heal it when he sobered up enough to do it.

Tyson�s fist came flying at me
quick as lightning, connecting with my face and snapping my head back. I lay on my back staring up at the ceiling
of the plane in a daze for a moment then sat up slowly and flinched.

�Shit.� I moaned in pain. �I think you broke my nose.�

�Yeah, well, I�d beat the crap
out of you, you lying, deceitful�agh!�
He screeched in frustration and anger.
�I don�t even have a decent name to call you! How?! How could you do
that to me?� He got up shakily and
kicked the bench seat. I winced, glad
it wasn�t me he was kicking and at the same time wishing it was me, my guilt
overwhelming me again. I grabbed a
napkin from the tray on the table, stuffing it up my nose gingerly to halt the
blood flow and sitting woozily again when the room spun.

�Tyson�� I tried. It came out nasal sounding.

�Oh no. You�re not talking your way out of
this!� He slammed both hands on the
tabletop and I jumped a bit. �I already
know why you did it. I want to know how.�

I just looked at him miserably,
guilty and full of self-loathing. Tyson
closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them he bellowed, �REI! GET YOUR FURRY ASS IN HERE!�

I flinched at the volume since
it added to the pounding headache I already had. I whimpered pitifully and grabbed another napkin.

Rei came rushing in, followed by
Hilary and the Chief, looking like he�d been on a month-long bender and was
just coming out of it. �Well,
geez.� He sighed when he saw me feebly
trying to keep my blood where it was supposed to be. �Couldn�t you have broken a limb instead? They�re easier to heal and they bleed less.�

�Just do something.� Tyson scowled darkly as Rei slapped at my
hands, removing the napkins from my nose and shaking his head. �I can�t yell at him like this.�

�Have you worked this out yet or
are you just going to break his nose again after I heal it?� Rei grumbled, raising his hand but lowering
it again, seeming to rethink the action.
He grabbed the bottle of vodka and handed it to me. �Drink that. This is going to hurt.�

�Can�t hurt more than it
does.� I mumbled and drank from the
bottle several times. When I felt
pleasantly numb and couldn�t feel anything anymore I sighed happily and
slurred, � �Sat�s good vodka!�

�Uh huh.� Rei eyed me, pretty much stone cold sober
himself now. He got behind me and
pinned my arms behind my back. �I have
to set his nose back into place before I heal him completely. You still mad?� He asked my furious beloved.

�As hell.� Tyson, without hesitation, walked up to me,
pulled back his fist, and let fly again.
I didn�t feel a thing.

Of course, he knocked me out
cold this time � and I was looped.

That probably had something to
do with it.

*************************************

Chapter
5: Train Wreck

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

�That should do it.� Rei said, removing his hand from Kai�s nose
as the golden glow died away. �I can�t
do anything about the vodka in his system, though. I imagine he�ll feel like absolute hell when he comes to.�

�Yeah, well, he�s welcome to the
club.� Tyson muttered, angry yet still
tenderly stroking Kai�s hair from his face where his head rested in Tyson�s
lap. The shock had worn off completely
but now he was just hurt, confused, and really mad. �He deserves it, the bastard, for putting me through hell six
years ago.�

Hilary and Kenny were sitting on
the bench seat against the far wall (not that the interior of the plane was
that big), out of the way. Hilary knew
what was up but the Chief didn�t, and was listening avidly to the conversations.

Rei sat back on his butt on the
floor, legs crossed Indian-fashion, and flicked his pony-tail over his
shoulder. �Maybe. I can�t blame you for feeling that way and
if it were me, I�d probably feel the same way.� He sighed heavily, tired after all the emotions and excitement of
the day. �But I also know that he did
what he thought best at the time. And
you know as well as I do that wit hall the blame you or anyone else places on
him�well, it�s nothing compared to the guilt and blame he places on himself
every day � and has since he made the decision.�

�I know. Damn fool.
He always takes all the blame on himself and lets it eat at him like
acid.� Tyson pouted in annoyance. �Makes it really hard to stay mad at him,
too. And if you ever tell him I said
that, I�ll have to kill you.� He glared
at Rei warningly.

�Not going to hear it from me,
dude.� Rei held up his hands. �Tyson�� He hesitated. �You know everything he does is for you. You�re his everything.�

�I do know. But I wonder if he doesn�t realize that he�s
my everything.� Tyson sniffled
and carefully moved around so that he could scoop the unconscious Phoenix
up. �Is there somewhere I can put him,
Rei? He shouldn�t sleep on the floor.�

�Sure. There�s a sleeping cabin on the other side of the
kitchenette. Follow me.� Rei got up and gracefully and led Tyson to
the small room. Inside were a double
bed and a single bench seat along the other wall under the small windows.

Tyson carefully laid Kai down on
the bed, smiling slightly when the dual-haired blader whimpered and reached out
blindly for him. �Shh�Kai. Sleep.
I�m not going anywhere.� He
turned to say something more to Rei but the neko-jin had left, shutting the
door behind him.

{Tyson?}

{Yes, Dragoon?} The bluenette responded, stripping off Kai�s
bloody, ruined shirt from his broken nose then tugged off his shoes and socks,
and finally his pants.

{Are you okay?}

{Surprisingly, old friend, I�m
feeling better than I have in a very long time. I�m just�tired right now, I suppose.} Tyson replied, kicking off his own shoes and socks and stripping
down to his boxers. As he crawled onto
the bed with Kai, he got a good look at the various scars and marks that were
scattered all over his body. Tyson made
a low sound and gently traced on particularly long, nasty-looking scar that ran
in a diagonal line over Kai�s heart and nearly to his navel. {He�s so beautiful � in a dark way. How can anyone survive and stay so strong
through all of this?}

{Some few have been blessed with
such fortitude. Some also thrive on
adversity and challenge. Your mate
certainly seems to.} Dragoon observed
wisely. {On the other hand, when in his
life has he been able to be anything but?
First the Abbey for nearly his entire life, then the explosion and the aftermath
of it, then his work for the Spirit Squad�}

{When this is over I�m making
him take a leave of absence and we�re going to go hide somewhere that they�ll
never find us.} Tyson frowned and drew
the covers up over them both, cuddling up next to his mate and brushing his
lips over Kai�s brow lightly. {If I can
talk him into it, that is.}

Dragoon laughed. {At least your time together will never be
boring. Rest, Tyson. Who knows how much of it you�ll be able to
get after today?}

{Yeah. So you think we should help, then?} Tyson closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of Kai�s hair and
burrowing his nose into the soft strands happily.

{I do. Boris must be stopped.}

Tyson snuggled closer to Kai and
shivered a bit, trying to ignore how good the skin-on-skin contact between them
felt, how right it felt to be so close to this man he loved with his
whole being. He would never be
separated from Kai again. Not if he had
anything to say about it.

Just as he was drifting off, he
heard Kai mutter something that sounded like, �My Tyson. Hands off!� before rolling over and curling
into the bluenette�s arms with a noise of contentment.

Tyson fell asleep grinning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POV
Change

I woke up to the feeling of a
warm body pressed against my back, an arm slung over my hips and that hand
resting on my stomach. My legs were
tangled with the sheets and the other person�s legs and I could feel their
warm, even breath on the back of my neck.

It was an altogether wonderful
way to surface from my forced slumber.

I decided it was even better
when I tentatively wriggled my nose and it didn�t hurt.

My head was pillowed on both our
arms and I rolled my wrist a bit so I could look at my watch. My fuzzy-headed mind had to slowly calculate
the time differences to figure out what time it was now and how long I�d been
out for, but I managed it. As far as I
could tell, we were due to be landing in Moscow soon.

�Hmm�what�s in Moscow?� Tyson murmured sleepily against my
skin. I bit my lip to keep a moan from
escaping and shivered slightly as the hand on my stomach traced patterns with
his fingertips around my navel. I
placed my free hand over his and linked our fingers together, effectively
stopping the movement and held his hand still.
Deprived of that, he made a disappointed sound and started lightly
kissing my neck and the back of my shoulder instead.

Just those simple touches felt
so good that I couldn�t hold back my soft moan of his name any longer.

�Tyson�� I squeezed my
eyes shut tightly and felt tears spill out and trail down my cheeks. I whimpered when he pulled away from me and
I felt so alone and cold at that moment that a sob escaped my throat.

But he surprised me by rolling
me over onto my back and hovering over me, staring down into my eyes with an
intense, considering glint in his blue eyes, his fingers gently wiping away my
tears. I stared back, confused, silent,
and scared. I�d never been so scared in
my life, because I knew that whatever happened next, it would mean either we
could fix things between us or he would reject me.

We stared at each other for so
long that I lost it. I felt that dim
light that was still burning inside me dwindle down to a mere ember, so faint I
could barely tell it was there. I went
totally limp, and I looked away from his penetrating gaze, dying inside. I wanted to curl up into a ball and I tried
but he just pinned me down with his body and turned my face back to look at him
again. The tears were pouring freely
down my face at this point, and I didn�t care.
In fact, I don�t think I cared about anything at all anymore. He wasn�t going to take me back. If Tyson had chosen to pull out a knife and
stab me with it I�d have just lain there and let him.

It was, after all, no more than
I deserved. And I knew it.

So I stared up at him, crying,
totally helpless and silently begging him to either let me go so I could roll
over and die or to put me out of both our miseries himself. I was a complete and total wreck.

I don�t know what it was he
suddenly found in me but hen he finally spoke he sounded both satisfied and
sorrowful at the same time.

�There you go. Now you know exactly how I felt all
those years I thought you were dead. Every�damned�day,
Kai. You�re lying here now wishing for
death, and you would roll over and let it come to you. You�re still strong enough to do it that way
rather than try to end it yourself, even now.
Well, guess what? I�m not that
strong.� He held up the inside of his
right wrist for me to see and I stared, my eyes going wide with shock, horror
and mind numbing fear. My mouth opened
and closed several times, but I couldn�t seem to say anything at all. I wanted to scream.

There was a set of scars across
his wrist. Not just one � a set.

I had to swallow hard when my
stomach threatened to rebel, but this time I didn�t look away. I concentrated on breathing, trying to get
control of myself since I was close to hyperventilating.

Then Tyson lowered that wrist
and held up the other one. It was far
worse than the right since he was right-handed.

That did it.

I fought free of him and bolted
for the lav for the second time that day.
What little was in my stomach came up and my body shook with dry heaves
for a while after that.

I vaguely recall seeing Rei in
the kitchenette when I zipped past him and I think I gave him a pretty good
scare.

I felt Tyson�s hand on my
forehead and his other on my back, rubbing circles. When the heaving stopped I broke down into, I�m ashamed to admit,
hysterical sobs. He bundled me up into
his arms and I clung desperately, shaking so badly it was a wonder my bones
weren�t rattling, as he carried me back to the sleeping cabin past a wide-eyed,
freaked out neko-jin.

He set me on the bed and knelt in
front of me so we were at eye-level.
�Kai�love, you have to breathe, okay?
You�re hyperventilating. Kai!� When I didn�t stop � couldn�t � he gave me
an apologetic look and slapped me sharply.

I yelped and sucked in a deep
breath.

�Good. Now let it out slow�that�s good.
Again. That�s it. Just keep doing that, love.� I closed my eyes and did as he told me. I heard him get up and opened my eyes
again. Rei came in and handed him a
damp face cloth and a bottle of spring water.
He looked back and forth between Tyson and I, as if he wanted to ask
something, but decided against it and said instead, �We�ll land in about half
an hour. I can take care of most of the
details for now. Just�do whatever you
have to. I�ll be out there if you need
anything. Either of you.� He nodded at us once more, tail waving
behind him as he left.

Okay. I was definitely going to have to do something nice for him �
perhaps buy him a beach house in Fiji or Tahiti.

Tyson went over to the bench
seat and dug out two cloth wristbands from the pile of his clothes, slipping
them over his fist and settling them in place before coming back over to me and
sitting next to me, using the wash cloth to wipe away my drying tears and the
sweat from my face and neck. I gave a
shuddering sigh at the coolness of the cloth on my hot skin, leaning into the
touches a bit.

�Feel better?� He asked quietly, handing me the bottle of
water after a moment.

�Not�� I stopped because my
throat was really raw and my voice came out all raspy. I took a careful sip of water then
continued. �Not particularly.� I sipped again and stared down at my lap,
feeling so many emotions I could barely think through them.

�I didn�t think you�d react
quite that badly. I guess I
miscalculated slightly. I�m sorry for
that.� He stared out the small window
across from us.

�No.� I said harshly. �Don�t
be.� I set the bottle aside, turned to
him and grabbed his right hand, holding firmly when he tried to jerk away from
me. �No more secrets. No more hiding. Not for either of us.� I
tore the suddenly extremely offensive cloth away and tossed it across the
room. Then I went for his other wrist,
doing the same with that wristband. I
heard him give a startled whimper and it tore at me.

Holding both his hands in mine,
scars up, I looked into crystalline eyes gone dark with emotion and shiny with
tears. �Never again. If you�ll let me, Tyson, I�ll spend the rest
of my life making up for seven lost years.
I will swear on these,� I rubbed my thumbs across his wrists and his
tears spilled over. �I�ll swear that I
will never hide anything from you again, least of all myself.� I paused and he opened his mouth but I went
on again quickly, before he could give me his final words of rejection. �Kinomiya Tyson, I love you. I will always love you. If�if you don�t want me or can�t or won�t
forgive me then�I�ll let you go again.
I��

{Kai! Shut up so I can say something, motor-mouth!}

I blinked and snapped my mouth
shut. That had been Tyson�s voice in my
head, and I was just a tad startled.

�That�s better.� He tugged his hands out of mine and I let
him, dropping my hands to my lap helplessly and waiting for the hammer. �Now you listen to me, for a change. No interruptions.�

I nodded warily.

�Good. First of all, Kai�I love you, too. Will always love you.
And I want you, my love. Gods�so
much! I want you with me now and for
the rest of our lives, right beside me through whatever life throws at us.�

I started crying again. At this rate I was going to shrivel up like
a raisin. Tyson sniffled and
continued. A feeling of dread hit
me. I could hear a �but� coming.

�But I think we have to get one
thing straight before we can even think of starting over, Kai.� He ran a hand through his mussed hair. �You wanted me to grieve, to get over you
and move on because you honestly believe you�re not good enough for me, that
for some obscure reason only your warped mind can comprehend your
darkness isn�t worthy of my supposed light.�
Tyson snorted indignantly. �It�s
complete shit, Kai. No one�s perfect �
not you and certainly not me. I think
I�ve already proven that to you.
There is a bit of light and dark, good and bad, within each of us.� He got down on his knees in front of me and
leaned in so close I could feel his breath on my face. �Do you get what I�m trying to say? You made vows on the scars of my
imperfection. For us to begin again,
that�s a good place to start.�

I made a noise and my hands came
up on their own to cup his face between my palms. �Tyson��

�Kai, let me finish. I let you think I wouldn�t take you back
because I needed you to experience, even if only for a moment, what it�s been
like for me without you � your touch, your presence�� He closed the distance
and pressed his mouth to mine hard and briefly then pulled back again. �Your taste, your scent�your love.� He laid his palm over my pounding heart and
I closed my eyes as I swam in my emotions, trying not to drown though I was
rapidly losing the fight. �You�ve never
understood how much you mean to me. But
I intend to spend the rest of our lives showing you��

I couldn�t take it any
more. Relief and a sort of giddy
euphoria were taking me over and I tugged him up into my lap, his knees on
either side of me. I gripped his
fingers tightly and he rested his arms on my shoulders, his fingers diving into
my hair. Looking up into his eyes I
felt the ember spark a new flame � one that burned a billion times brighter
than the old one had.

This existence I�d led for the
last seven years faded into a memory. I
had been a train wreck waiting to happen, waiting for Tyson to pick me up off
the tracks and to re-ignite the fire within me as only he could.

�You�re my everything,
Tyson.� I said brokenly.

�You are my everything,
Kai.� He returned just as tearfully
before he bent down and crushed his mouth to mine with a tiny cry of pure need,
hands fisting in my hair as he kissed me with seven years worth of passionate
love, and longing, and want, and need, and lust�

I kissed back with equal fervour,
my tongue darting out to taste his, to explore his mouth thoroughly and
memorize its interior.

As the new flame exploded into
an inferno within me, I pulled back and cried out in joyous triumph as life
returned to me.

The Phoenix was reborn from the
ashes of the past.

*************************************

End
Chapters 01 - 05
- 1
- 2
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Running Scared

RUNNING SCARED

EndChapters 01 - 05

End
Chapters 01 - 05