Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

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
- 3
Warnings: Same as Chapter 1. See chapter 1 if you�re that concerned about it.

Disclaimers: Nope.
Still don�t own them.

blah � normal speech, blah � thoughts,
{blah} � telepathy, blah � electronic speech (com-links, computers,
etc.)

Chapter
6: Weight of the World

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

�Mmm�� I sighed and felt Tyson�s
smile on against my skin. I was lying
on my back on the bed, Tyson half on top of me, his face tucked comfortably
into the curve of my neck and shoulder and my arms wrapped loosely around him.

While we were certainly turned
on enough to have had a quick, hot bout of sex, we didn�t have the time and we
hadn�t come prepared for it. And
neither of us wanted our first time together to be just a frantic race to get
off, either � especially after being so long apart.

So instead we were cuddling,
basking in each other�s presence and reacquainting ourselves with the other�s
closeness, rediscovering how well we fit together, remembering the small things
about each other that brought us happiness, contentment, pleasure�you get the
idea.

I felt so light now. And if I�d had wings I would have been
soaring. Sounds sappy and corny,
especially coming from me, but it was true.
My life was back on track and it felt so good. I�d been like Atlas, the Greek god, carrying the weight of the
world on my shoulders for so long now and that heavy burden of my decision had
been lifted.

All because of the love I shared
with this beautiful, stormy eyed, blue-haired man in my arms.

�You think too much.� He complained, kissing the pulse in my neck
softly.

�Sorry.� I apologized, trailing a fingertip lazily up
and down his spine. �We should get
dressed, you know.�

�You mean there�s a world beyond
us here and now?� He lifted up and
propped himself on his forearms. �What
a disappointment.�

�No kidding.� I raised my hand to run my thumb pad over
his bottom lip. �The hazard of being
the team leader on a mission. I�ve got
to go make sure Rei made all the right decisions.� I frowned thoughtfully.
�We�re essentially heading into enemy territory and you mean too much to
me to take any risks that might put you in harm�s way.�

He pouted at me. �I�m not completely helpless, you know.�

�I know, love.� I gave him a slightly wicked grin. �You realize, of course, that at the first
opportunity we have I want to battle you.�

Tyson blinked and laughed. �I figured that, yeah.� He sighed and went all serious on me
again. �I want to help, Kai. I don�t want to be kept out of the fight
again, to have to watch you face this alone.
But�at the same time, I don�t know how much help I�ll be.�

I shook my head, gently pulling
his wrist to my mouth where I placed a light kiss on his scars. �Never again, Tyson. I won�t leave you behind, this time. I�m not letting you out of my sight ever
again.� I tilted my head at him
curiously. �And what makes you think
you wouldn�t be much help?�

�I don�t blade much anymore,
Kai. I�m out of shape and out of
practice.� His smile was sad. �I just didn�t have the heart to play
anymore when I lost you. Besides, no
one else but you was challenge and competition enough.�

In an effort to cheer him up, I
grinned and lightly tweaked his nose.
�My ego thanks you for the supreme compliment.�

He rolled his eyes at me. �How sad that it�s the truth.�

I chuckled and he got up,
tossing the covers aside.

�I�ll go yell for Rei. I don�t know where he stashed my bag or
where yours is.� He padded to the door.

I watched him, taking in the
view and admiring the way his muscles contracted and rippled with his
movements. The slight golden tint to
his skin was making me itch to run my hands over every inch of it.

�Rei! Hey, dude! Come here for
a minute!�

The neko-jin came in with a
questioning look. �Everything
okay? I don�t have to heal him again,
do I?�

Tyson shook his head and
actually bounced back over to the bed where he flopped down next to me. �Nah.
I think we�ve figured everything out for now.� He glanced at me and winked.
I smiled at him.

�Well, I�m glad. Really, really glad.� Rei grinned at us. �So what�s up?�

�Can you bring us our bags,
Rei? We�d get them ourselves but�� I
pointed at my scars. �I don�t want to
scare Hilary and the Chief doesn�t need to see them.�

�And I wasn�t paying attention
to where you put mine and Hil�s bags earlier.�
Tyson added.

�Oh yeah! Sure, just hold on a minute.� Rei ducked out.

Tyson turned to look at me. �I don�t know about you, but I�m really
hungry.� He grinned sheepishly and
rubbed his stomach when it growled. I
blinked at him then started laughing. I
couldn�t help it! He was the Tyson I
remembered all right. Oh, there were
differences but at least some things hadn�t changed.

I stopped laughing when he
crawled over me and looked down at me with those beautiful eyes of his. �You know you�re so gorgeous when you smile
and laugh like that?� He murmured and I
felt my body tighten with sudden desire.

Reaching up with one hand, I
gripped the back of his neck and drew him down. He complied eagerly and pressed his mouth to mine. One of us made a needy little sound that was
between a mewl and a purr � or maybe it was both of us. I don�t think either of us cared.

As I opened my mouth slightly,
my tongue darting out to teasingly flick against his, I wrapped my arms firmly
around his shoulders and the middle of his back and I rolled us over until I
was hovering over him. He moaned into
my mouth, clutching at my shoulders as I attacked his neck fervently, leaving a
wet trail of kisses as I moved until I found a good spot and sucked on the
skin, hard enough to leave a mark.

Unfortunately, we�d completely
forgotten we�d asked Rei to get our stuff.
When I marked Tyson as mine he gave a little yelp then growled and
rolled us over again � right off the bed, and just as Rei came in with our
bags.

�Ack! Ow�� I groaned. �Damn
it!� I rubbed my elbow trying to get
the tingly feeling out of my arm where I�d landed on my funny-bone.

Tyson, the little minx, was
sitting on my legs, straddling my waist and smirking down at me with an evil,
considering glint to his eyes. I glared
up at him but the glint just got�glintier.

�You didn�t expect me to just be
submissive, now, did you love?�

The neko-jin in the doorway
smothered a laugh. �Oh, you two are so
perfect for each other! I wondered how
long it would take before you found something to argue about!�

To my horror, I felt my face
heat up and I squirmed under Tyson trying to dislodge him. It wasn�t working though. �Shut up, Cat.� I growled, embarrassed.

�Now, Kai, that wasn�t very
nice.� Tyson chided, easily pinning my
arms down and using his body weight against me to hold me immobile.

�I�m used to it, Tyson.� Rei shook his head, still grinning. �Get dressed, guys, and quit making out
before you destroy something. You�ve
got about five minutes until we begin our final approach and descent into
Moscow.� He left our bags by the door
and walked out still chuckling.

Tyson got off me and went to his
bag, pulling out some clothes and another pair of wristbands. Which gave me an idea�

I rolled to my feet and grabbed
my own bag to set on the bed so I could dig through it for the wristbands I�d
bought in Athens. I�d had this thing
since I started working for the Spirit Squad, you see. I�d missed Tyson so much that in an effort
to cope on one mission, I�d picked up a little souvenir for him, pretending
that I�d give it to him when I got home.
It ended up becoming a habit.
Whenever I went somewhere I would buy him a little something. It wasn�t always jewellery or expensive, of
course, just something I thought he�d really like.

I�d acquired quite a collection
in seven years and I don�t know if Rei had ever really figured out why I seemed
to turn into a compulsive shopper all of a sudden.

I found the box with the
wristbands and turned to see Tyson already dressed and about to slide on a pair
of black cloth ones onto his wrists.

�Come here for a second before
you put those one, love.� I said.

�What�s up?� He sat next to me on the bed and I handed
him the box.

�Wear these instead.� I don�t know why I felt so nervous giving
him the accessories but I was. I
watched him give me a look of surprise and pry the lid off the box.

�Oh!� He gasped, taking them out and staring at the design of the
silver dragon and the gold phoenix entwined together on each one in awe. �Oh wow!
They�re beautiful, Kai�� He lay one aside and undid the clasp on the
other, setting his left wrist into it and redoing the clasp. �How did you�?�

�Know? I didn�t.� I picked up
the other one and clasped it around his right wrist myself. �I just got these in Athens yesterday �
before I even knew I was going to see you again.� The wristbands fit him well, just tight enough that they were
hugging his wrists without moving.
�They�re okay? Not too heavy or
anything?� I looked up from his wrists
into his eyes.

This time I could tell he was in
my head by the way his eyes got distant and a bit blank. Then he sighed and gave me a soft smile, his
hand coming up to cup my cheek.

�They�re perfect. Thank you, Kai.� He leaned in and kissed me slowly, nibbling on my bottom lip
gently before pulling back.

�I love you.� I said.

�I love you, too.� He replied, stroking my cheek lightly with
his thumb.

We quickly replaced our stuff
and tidied the room up. I tossed my
ruined clothes in a garbage bag with a wistful sigh. That shirt had been one of my favourites.

The landing went smoothly and
after we�d stopped moving and plane�s engines went off, Max came sauntering in,
stretching and yawning widely.

�So�what�s the plan?� He asked, flopping down next to Rei and
Hilary across from Kenny, Tyson, and I.
�I could use a nap, to tell you the truth.�

I was busy reading over the
notes Rei had jotted down and the suggestions he�d come up with, Tyson
hip-to-hip with me and following along.

�We can�t stay at a hotel.� I finally stated, looking up at Rei. �Sorry, but you�ll have to cancel these
reservations you made.�

�Why not?� He actually pouted at me. �I was looking forward to a hot tub.�

I rolled my eyes. �Because Boris will be watching the
hotels. By now he knows we got to Tyson
first and that we�ve left Japan. And
depending on whose side Tala�s really on, he might also know we�d come here to
look for him.� I explained.

Rei frowned. �You�ve got a point, I suppose.�

�I�m the team leader. I�m supposed to think of these things, Rei.�

He scowled at me. �Yeah, yeah.� He propped his chin on his hand, elbow resting on the table,
looking thoughtful. �There�s just something
bothering me, though.�

�What�s that?� Max inquired.

�When we were being shadowed by
Spencer and Tala. Tala knows that I
know who he is, what he looks like, so if he has defected or gone undercover on
his own, wouldn�t he be smart enough to try and avoid me spotting him? If he�s playing double agent on us then he�d
have to keep us from finding him until he�s ready to come back and bring us
whatever information he�s after. And if
he�s switched sides then wouldn�t he hide to keep us from taking him in?�

You�re right.� Max tapped his fingers on the tabletop. �That is kind of suspicious, isn�t it?�

�Yeah, but maybe it was
deliberate.� The Chief spoke up. �Maybe he just wanted us to know he�s alive
and okay.�

I held up a hand. �Whatever.
We don�t know, and there are too many possibilities at this point to try
and guess. I don�t like guessing
much. So until we do know,� I stressed,
�We act as if Tala�s an enemy � or at least neutral.�

�Alright. But what about the hotel thing? Where will we stay?� Hilary wanted to know.

�I have a place.� I reassured her. �And Rei, you�ll get your hot tub tonight.�

The surprise on his face was
comical. �Seriously? Hey, I was only kidding before, you know.�

�Whatever.� I shrugged.
�Here�s what we do: Max, I want you to call in and get another pilot up
here to fly this plane back to Athens � and make it sneaky. We won�t be taking it because Boris has
probably figured out that this is a BBA plane and we have to assume Tala�s told
him the Spirit Squad is BBA operated.
That, and he�ll have the plane watched.
While you do that, I�ll phone ahead and make our arrangements for our
stay here.�

�You got it, Phoenix! I know just the pilot for the job.� Max gave me a salute and I rolled my eyes.

�Phoenix?� Hilary inquired.

�Oh. That�s his code name, Hil.�
Rei explained. �We agents all
have them. But some of the elite � like
Kai, here � go only by their code names for various reasons. You can guess what his is.� He gestured at me and I groaned.

�Rei, you moron!� I glared at him. �You just broke that rule, too!�
His eyes went wide and he held up his hands hastily.

�Shit! Sorry! I�m sorry!�

Max was staring at me with a
combination of awe, horror, and disbelief on his face. Kenny just looked at me, adjusted his
glasses, and shrugged, saying, �I knew there was something weird going on with
you. Now I know exactly what and why.�

Tyson patted my knee
sympathetically under the table. �They
weren�t supposed to know, were they?�

�No.� I sighed. �Well, there�s no help for it now.� I gave Max a hard look that made him shrink
back into his seat. �How much have you figured
out now, Max?�

�Ah�from clues I�ve picked up in
all the times we�ve worked together and put together with your first name just
now? Enough to make an educated
guesstimate that you�re Kai Hiwatari. The
Kai Hiwatari.� He leaned forward in
eagerness, stars shining in his eyes.
�You�re a blading legend!
Probably the best blader ever!
Story goes you won the Worlds when you were fifteen and then a little
more than a day later this place called the Abbey blew up in an unexplained
explosion. After a long investigation
it came out that at least three people died in it: Boris, a guy named Voltaire
Hiwatari�and you.�

I felt Tyson stiffen and move
closer to me, his arm slipping around my waist. I laid my arm along his and laced our fingers together, holding
his hand over my stomach. �Okay, so you
know. Fine. But if you or the Chief ever tell anyone�� I left
the threat hanging.

Kenny whimpered and nodded his
head so fast I thought his neck would snap.
Max paled considerably and swallowed hard, nodding once.

�I won�t tell anyone�Kai. I swear.
You can trust me.� Max
promised. It was so strange, but I suddenly
knew and believed that I could � and the Chief, too.

I wasn�t aware I�d voiced that
out loud until I noticed the expression of pleased surprise on Max�s face and a
smug grin on Rei�s. Tyson smiled at me,
a happy, knowing look in his eyes.

�Well finally!� He exclaimed. �Rei and I have been trying for a very long time to show you that
not everyone in this world only wants to use and abuse you, Kai. Some of us just want to be your friend.�

I think I flushed in
embarrassment. I stared down at the
tabletop, unwilling to meet anyone�s gaze.
�Yeah, well, I couldn�t afford to have friends back then.� I reminded him. �I�m not sure I can now, either.� I gave Rei a friendly scowl.
�However, since the neko-jin, here, follows me around like a pet cat �
whether I like it or not � and always has, he�s an exception.�

�And me?� Tyson asked, quietly. I heard the hurt and a bit of fear in his
voice and I hurried to erase that.

�You, Tyson, are stuck with
me.� I pulled him into my arms and
hugged him tightly. �I won�t let you go
again, love.�

Content with that, he snuggled
up to me and sighed, resting his head on my shoulder and playing with my
shirtsleeve.

�I take it you two got together,
then?� Max grinned and bounced in his
seat. �Awesome! Congrats, guys!�

�Uh huh. Thank you, Max.� I pulled out my cell phone and waved the blonde away. �Shoo!
Go get that pilot!�

�Aye, aye, Captain!� He went back to the cockpit to make the call
using the equipment there that was specially designed to keep others from listening
in on our Spirit Squad frequency.

�Rei, take Hilary and Kenny with
you and go find us a car, would you? Or
maybe a van.�

�Yep. Let�s go, you two.� They
left and I dialled a number, waiting for the person who would see to the
arrangements for me to answer. Tyson
stayed curled against my side, studying his new wristbands.

A voice in my ear drew my
attention from my beloved�s interest in the jewellery. �Enrique speaking.�

�Enrique it�s me.� I said.
The golden-haired, well-tailored young Italian had been one of the first
recruits to the Spirit Squad, just as I had been. He had oceans of his own money, too, and had joined up with the
Spirit Squad to offer his considerable talent in economics. But since that area provided little
challenge to him on at the best of times, he took on law school � just for the
hell of it. When I turned eighteen and
came into the bulk of my inheritance from my grandfather�s estate, Enrique
became my solicitor and personal manager.
He watched over all my money, my real estate that I�d kept when the rest
of Voltaire�s properties were sold off, and made sure I had what I needed when
I needed it on my missions.

�Ah�hey, kid.� I heard rustling and a giggle in the
background and I scowled � partly at the name and partly because it sounded
like he was currently�occupied. �How�s
life? You�ve got lousy timing you
know.�

�And you�re a satyr.� I returned, dryly. �Which bimbo model did you snag off the runway this time,
Enrique?�

�Shove it. Liana is very intelligent. She�s a student at the University here.�

�Uh huh. I�m sure it�s her brains you�re attracted
to.�

�Did you call for a reason other
than to insult and interrupt me?� I
could hear the scowl in his voice.

�Actually, yes. Work.�
I told him, getting serious once again.

�Hmm�heard some rumours about
that on the grapevine. Hold up and I�ll
move to my office.� He put me on hold.

�He�d better come back on and
not get distracted.� I grumbled. Tyson glanced up at me.

�Who?�

�Enrique.�

�The Italian blader? The one who hit on every female within city
limits?�

I laughed at the accurate
description. �Yeah, him. He�s my solicitor now. And my banker, my accountant, etc. I guess you could call him my personal
manager.�

Tyson made a face. �I guess you trust him, then. Why, I don�t know. He�s so arrogant! He
always thought he was better than me.�

I kissed him lightly. �Ty, he�s upper class and Italian. He thinks he�s better than everybody. Don�t take it personally.�

�I heard that.� Said Italian�s voice spoke up. �And I am better than you, Hiwatari,
or else you�d be handling all your own affairs and leaving me alone to handle mine.�

�The only affairs of your own
you worry about have breasts.� I
retorted. �Without my shit to worry
about, you�d be bored stiff and you know it.�

�I was stiff before you
called.� He said. I was sure he was smirking into the
phone. �But since you�ve gone and
wrecked the moment, what�s up? Where
the hell are you, anyway?�

�Moscow. We�re here to pick up Tala�s trail and find
out whose side he�s really on.� I
ignored the innuendo of his comment.

�Fabulous. I was hoping that was only a rumour I�d
heard. What about Boris? Please tell me that�s a rumour?�

�Sorry. He�s next on our �things-to-do� list.�

�As my good friend Oliver would
say�Merde.�

�Ditto.�

�So what do you need me to do?�

�Have the place here in Moscow
habitable in a couple of hours. Can�t
use the hotels since Boris is probably watching them.�

�That I can do. Don�t you think he already knows you�re
there?�

�Oh, probably. We�ve got Daredevil with us, though, and I
plan on losing any shadows we may acquire before heading to the house. And Max is getting another pilot to come get
this BBA plane out of here.�

I could hear him typing on his
computer. �And I suppose you want your
jet sent there?�

�Not yet. Just have it fuelled and on stand-bye for
when I call.�

�Sure. Anything else?�

I thought for a moment. �Yeah.
Want to go real estate shopping?�

�Oh, goody!� I could practically see him rubbing his
hands together at the thought of spending wads of my money. �What are we wanting?�

�A beach house on some tropical
island � someplace quiet. For Rei. I owe him big time after this mission.� I paused.
�Besides, the mission interrupted our vacation.�

�You�ll have to tell me about
that, later. I�ll start prospecting,
Kai.�

�Do that. Call my cell when the house is ready.�

�Will do. Ciao.�

�Grazie, Enrique.�

I hung up and pocketed my phone
as Max came back and got his bag.

�Pilot�s on his way. Everything�s set.�

�Let�s go then. No doubt we�ll acquire some more admirers
and have to ditch them before we can get anywhere.�

Max�s eyes lit up and Tyson
laughed. I had to smile at the
sound. I�d missed it so much.

We met up with the others at the
carport. Rei had rented us a van rather
than getting us a BBA vehicle, and I loaded our bags into the back, then got in
after everyone else.

I sat with Tyson at the very
back, so that I could keep an eye out for tails. Hilary and the Chief sat in the middle talking quietly over
something he was showing her on his laptop, and Rei was up front with Max, who
was driving.

�Okay, Max.� I said.
�Drive around for an hour and we�ll see if we pick up any friends.�

�It�s five by five,
Phoenix.� He said gleefully and sped
out of the parking lot.

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

Chapter
7: Love & Affection

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

It took us an hour longer than
we�d expected, but we finally ditched our tail.

I directed Max through Moscow�s city
streets until we neared the outskirts of the city.

�Stop here, Max, and I�ll go
unlock the gate.� I called up to the
front of the van. We slid to a stop and
I got out, walking over to the gates and pressing my hand to the palm plate on
the keypad attached to a box just outside the massive steel bars. They clicked and swung open silently. I motioned for Max to drive through and when
he had, got back into the van as the gates closed firmly behind us again,
re-locking.

�Where the hell are we, Kai?� Rei asked, looking around at the dark,
foreboding forest that was on either side of the road as Max drove slowly up
the lane.

�Hiwatari family lands.� I told him, my voice quiet. I�d never brought anyone here before. �They have belonged to us for centuries. I may have hated my grandfather, but I am
still Hiwatari enough to value the land of my ancestors and to keep it in
Hiwatari hands for more centuries to come.�
I stared at the massive stone building that came into view as we turned
a corner. �Voltaire despised me for
many reasons, and felt nothing for using me as a tool for most of my life. But one reason he hated me was because I am
not pure blooded Russian.�

Tyson gripped my hand. �Your mother.�

�Yes. She was Japanese. Father,
bravely but foolishly, defied my grandfather and married for love, rather than
class, money, and power as Voltaire wanted.
I wish I could remember them.�

�Who, Kai? Your parents?� Hilary asked, gently. She
had turned in her seat to listen as I spoke.
I briefly noted to myself how much I had changed, how I had been
changed by the presence of Dranzer, then Rei, and finally Tyson � most
importantly Tyson � in my life. I
found, now, that it wasn�t so bad to have friends, people whom I could talk to
and speak freely of my life to, and not be ashamed or fear being used and
abused, as Tyson had put it.

�Yes. I was only two years old when they died.�

We pulled up in front of the
mansion and piled out. I slung my bag
over my shoulder and stood at the bottom of the great stone steps looking up at
this monstrosity of wealth and power.

�Bad memories, love?� Tyson came up beside me, taking my hand in
his and linking our fingers.

�No. Not really. It�s funny,
but one of the few clear memories I have of m early life is that Voltaire would
not allow my father to bring my mother or me onto Hiwatari lands. I only came here after they�d died and even
then it was only for maybe two days or so at a time.� I snorted. �I guess he
thought we�d soil the land or something, the racist old bastard.�

Tyson gave me a very wicked
grin. �Well, then. How about we do our best to make him roll
over in his grave and go inside?�

A slow smile crossed my face and
I felt immensely better. �I like how
you think, Kinomiya. No wonder I love
you so damned much.� I bent and kissed
him hard then led everyone up the steps to the doors.

Inside I flicked on a light
switch and the ornate foyer lit up brightly.
�Hmm�damn good job for only a couple of hours.� I muttered, half to myself. The place was spotless from what I could
see.

Hilary and Max were both looking
around in starry-eyed awe. The Chief
was studying the architecture intently.
Rei, typical neko-jin that he is, glanced around briefly before pretty
much ignoring everything. Material
wealth and all its symbols and pageantry held little interest to his
people. What mattered to them, I
learned in all the time I spent with Rei in his home village, was family �
kinship � blood ties and clan relations.

Tyson seemed a bit overwhelmed
by all the splendour around him. The
floors, the grand staircase, and the pillars and columns were all made of white
marble. There were huge, colourful and
very old tapestries hanging all over.
Paintings done by some of Russia�s finest and most famous artists hung
on the walls. There were statues all
over the place, too. And I knew there
was much, much more here. Like the
Faberge egg collection in the vaults, not to mention the family jewels and the
ancient, illuminated Bible manuscript that also contained the detailed Hiwatari
family tree.

�I knew you were rich, Kai �
obscenely rich. But I had no idea you
had all this.� He swept his arms out to
encompass the whole room in his gesture, though he meant the entire house, I
knew. �It�s�it�s��

�Horrendously gaudy.� I provided.
�Most of it�s nothing but dust catchers � valuable, rare ones, but dust
catchers nonetheless.� I looked around
bemusedly. �A lot of this stuff belongs
in museums.�

�I�m starved.� Rei announced. �Where�s the kitchen, Kai?�

�Set your stuff down here,
everyone, and follow me.�

They did so and I led them
towards the kitchens, where I discovered Enrique had made sure we were fully
stocked. Rei�s eyes went huge and he
rubbed his hands eagerly, diving into the cupboards and pulling out pots, pans,
mixing bowls, etc.

I ushered everyone out of his
way. �Let him work, guys. He could be here a while.�

We watched the neko-jin run
around the kitchen that was big enough to serve a five-star restaurant in a
classy hotel.

�He likes to cook?� Max guessed.

�You could say that.� I sighed and inhaled the wonderful, aromatic
scents of whatever Rei was concocting hungrily. �I�d say I just made him very happy. I�ll have to drag him out of here kicking and screaming.�

�Are we really going to have to
eat all this food?� Hilary
inquired. Her back was to the room as
she dug through one refrigerator for something to drink.

�No. Whatever we don�t eat will be distributed among those less
fortunate and who would go without.� I
explained. Everyone but Rei and Tyson
looked at me in surprise. I flushed
under the scrutiny. �What? I�m not heartless!�

�We know. Thank God for it.� Tyson smiled and caught the two cans of Coke Hilary tossed at
him, handing one to me.

After we ate, cleaned up, and
dragged Rei out of the kitchen pouting, I took everyone up the grand staircase
and into the East wing of the mansion to show them their rooms. I gave everyone an hour to rest and shower
or whatever and told them to come to the library in the West wing after for a
planning session.

I, in the meantime, had some
calls to make and answers to wring out of the Spirit Squad.

Tyson didn�t want to be left
alone to his own devices so he came with me � not that I minded. The Chief came along, too, saying he�d rather
help me figure out what was going on than to sit around doing nothing
productive.

I took them to the library,
which was in the West wing along with my rooms (that had once been my
grandfather�s but completely redecorated).
Pushing open the huge wooden doors I stopped inside, flicked on the
lights, and headed for the large desk near the colourful stained glass windows.

I sat at the desk and booted up
the computer. �Chief! Quit drooling before you wreck the carpet
and come here.� He snapped his mouth
shut and hurried over. I smiled in
amusement as his attention kept wandering to the books. �You�ll have plenty of time to explore,
Kenny. I promise.�

�Really? I�thanks, Phoenix. I�ve never been around such wonderful books before.�

�No. I don�t imagine. In this
modern world we�ve all but forgotten the pleasure of holding a book in one�s
hands. It�s all digital and electronic,
these days.� I patted him on the
shoulder. �And don�t bother with the
code name anymore, Chief. Not when
we�re all together like this, around people who know.�

�Oh, sure�Kai.�

�Now. Did you manage to find out anything about Tyson�s recruitment?�

�I located the data, yes. But it requires Level A Alpha and
Omega clearance. I�ve only got Alpha
and while I could hack in easily enough, I don�t want to be fired and tossed in
jail for it.� He gave me an apologetic
look. �I�m sorry.�

�No, that�s fine. I don�t want that either.� I tapped my fingers on the desktop as I
mulled that over. �Omega clearance? I�ve never heard of that.�

�It�s the top level, Kai.� Chief informed me. �I think there�s only a handful of people, maybe less, who
actually have that status. Mr.
Dickenson, for example. They�re the
founding members of the Spirit Squad.�

I raised an eyebrow at him. �And you know this�how?�

He blushed and mumbled. �It�s not what you think! If you read the history pages in the
handbook it talks about how the Spirit Squad was founded by five people who
wished to learn about, record the data, and protect Sacred Spirits and the
bladers who were chosen to wield them.�
Kenny adjusted his glasses.
�Every agent-in-training gets a handbook and must take the exams before
they can go into the field. Didn�t you
know that?�

�Kenny, I didn�t have to take
any exams.� I pointed out. �How would I know? And there�s a handbook?!� I asked incredulously.

Tyson came around the great desk
to take a seat on it, perching one hip on the edge next to me. �They didn�t test you?�

I shook my head with a
grin. �You think they�d bother testing
someone with my skill?�

He rolled his eyes at me. �There�s that ego I was talking about.� Tyson leaned over and flicked a lock of my
hair away from my eyes. �One of these
days I�m going to have to knock you off your pedestal, hot stuff.�

I leaned back in my chair and
gave him a hot, challenging look. �Oh,
really now?� He just returned it
evenly. He knew, as well as I, that
he�d been the only challenger to me that ever came even close to defeating me
in a beybattle.

Damn how I�ve missed him!

�Why is it so strange that they
tried to recruit me, anyway? What bug
crawled up your butt about it?� He
asked me, pouting slightly. �You don�t
think I�d be a good agent?�

�That�s not why.� I protested, pulling him off the desk and onto
my lap. He let me and I wrapped an arm
around his waist to hold him close.
�Love, when did they approach you?�

Still pouting he replied
grumpily, �About a month after the explosion.
Just before they told me you�that you were��

I sighed and pulled him as close
as I could. He buried his face in my
neck and I rubbed a hand up and down his arm soothingly. Some of my anger at the Spirit Squad
deflated considerably at that information.
�Well, shit.� I said.

�They tried recruiting him
before you made the deal.� Chief
nodded. �I guess they didn�t bother to
mention it when they asked you to join up, Kai.�

�I hate politics.� I grumbled.
Tyson nuzzled me and sniffled.

�What deal?� He asked me, his lips brushing over my neck
and making me shiver.

�Ah...� I couldn�t think
straight with him doing that. �I wanted
to protect you, Tyson, to let you live a normal life without evil geniuses
trying to steal Dragoon from you, or the people who would continuously come
after me�well, Mr. Dickenson and I talked things over and we made a deal. I would join the Spirit Squad and help them
protect Sacred Spirits and blading if they would help me to disappear and to not
recruit you. So we came up with my
�death,� and that�s about it, really.�

Tyson listened then pulled away
from me, his temper flaring. I winced.

�You made that decision for
me?! You�you�arrogant little�� I didn�t
wait for him to throw a punch this time.
Quickly pinning his arms, I hastily tried to explain myself, though I
knew he wasn�t going to listen in his temper.

�Tyson, please! I just wanted to protect you! You deserve so much better than me�a life
better than what I�d have given you!� I
had a hard time holding him still, he was wriggling around and squirming for
all he was worth. I noticed Kenny get
up and hurry off quietly, and I silently thanked him.

�That may be but you have no
right to make decisions for me without at least asking me! Let me go, damn it!�

�I didn�t plan on it being
permanent! Not at first�� I
exclaimed. �I was going to let you know
I was okay and I�d come to you when everything calmed down and had been
settled. But�the more missions I went
on, the longer I thought about it, and I didn�t want to drag you into this life
of mine. I talked myself into believing
you were better off without me and I let you believe I was dead, hoping you
would grieve and move on to a normal life!�

�My life ended without you!� He yelled at me, tears streaming down his
face. �I�d have been okay if you had
let me know you were alive and out there somewhere! If you�d had things to take care of, needed time, damn it all
to hell, Kai, I�D HAVE WAITED FOR YOU!� As he nearly screamed that at me, I abruptly released him and he
scrambled away from me, staring down at me in his stormy, passionate fury and
heartache.

I stared at him helplessly. �I�m sorry�� I whispered, though honestly I
didn�t know what to do or say anymore.

He closed his eyes, chest
heaving with emotion, fists clenched at his sides so tightly his knuckles were
turning white. When he opened them, he
gave me a look that warned me to stay away from him or I�d get worse than a
broken nose, and said, �I�m going to bed.
I can�t�we�ll deal with this tomorrow.�
Then he turned on his heel and stormed out, leaving me to sink down
miserably into my chair as the doors to the library slammed shut behind him.

Kenny tentatively stuck his head
in the door a few minutes later.
�Kai?� He called
hesitantly. �Are you okay?�

�I�ve been better.� I said shortly. �Go to bed, Chief. And
tell the others to forget about planning until tomorrow.�

�Sure. Good night, Kai.� He left
me to my misery.

Even though I was tempted to
raid my grandfather�s vodka and get good and plastered again, I went to my
rooms instead and stripped down to my skin to take a long shower. As the water beat down on my tense back and
shoulders, I cried for what must have been the millionth time that day. But at least here no one would see or hear
me.

Feeling hollow and numb, I got
out of the shower and went through the motions of drying off before crawling
into bed, where I curled up and stared blankly out the open curtains at the
night.

It had to be close to midnight
when I finally drifted off to sleep, though it wasn�t what one would call
restful. I felt too empty and alone.

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

An insistent knocking on my
bedroom door woke me from my fitful slumber with a start. I groaned and, scowling darkly, rolled out
of bed to go tell whoever it was to screw off after pulling on a pair of
boxers.

I threw open the door and
blinked blearily in surprise into a pair of sad and slightly ashamed midnight
blue eyes.

�Tyson? What�?�
I never got the question out because he threw himself into my arms and
clung. My arms automatically came up to
hug him close to me even though I was stunned speechless.

�Oh, Gods�I couldn�t do it! I couldn�t stay mad at you and I couldn�t
stand sleeping away from you for one more night! I had a nightmare that I�d just dreamed that you were
alive and I woke up in a panic!� He
sobbed into my shoulder. �Hold me and
don�t let me go�please, Kai?�

�Shh�beloved, don�t cry! I�m here.
I�m here, and I�m so sorry, Tyson.�
I pulled him inside and shut the door, scooping him up and carrying my
distraught bishonen to the bed, where I sat him down and knelt down in front of
him. I gripped his hands in mine and we
stared at each other.

�What a mess we are.� I finally sighed, shaking my head
ruefully. �It�s my fault,
too. Tyson�love, I�m sorry for making
decisions for you that I had no right to make.
You were right about that.�

�Kai�forget about it. I flew off the handle and I shouldn�t have �
not over something that happened a long time ago and doesn�t really matter
anymore. I�m sorry for that.� Tyson stood up and sniffled, wiping away his
tears with the back of one hand. I
stood up, too, and drew him into another hug, rubbing my cheek against the top
of his head, his soft, blue-black hair tickling my nose.

�I love you.� He whispered and I drew back just far enough
that I could look into his eyes again.

�I love you, too.� I replied.
He smiled softly and reached up to brush my cheek with his thumb.

�Will you kiss me, Kai?� He asked, staring at my mouth with eyes that
were growing darker as I watched. I
wasn�t about to turn down that invitation and so I bent my head to close the
distance between us, pressing my mouth to his firmly. He made a needy little sound (or was that me?) and I let one of
my hands skim down his side to come to a rest at his hip as my other arm slid
around his waist, that hand conforming to the curve of his spine and slowly
sliding up to hold the back of his neck.
His hands came up and his fingers tunnelled through my hair, then fisted
as I deepened our kiss by licking at the corners of his mouth and sucking on
his bottom lip in silent demand for entrance, which he eagerly granted. I gave a quiet, moaning sigh and held his
head in place while I angled my head slightly and dipped my tongue into his
mouth, teasingly thrusting against his and tasting him hungrily.

He wasn�t about to let me have
my way so easily, it seems, because he growled a bit and soon our tongues were
battling fiercely for dominance, our mouths nearly fused together with passionate
need and want and love.

I needed to breathe and so did
Tyson so we broke apart, panting heavily and letting our foreheads rest against
one another as we caught our breaths.

�Gods!� He moaned, pressing little butterfly kisses
to the corners of my mouth. �That�s so
good. I need you, Kai�now. Tonight!
I can�t wait any longer��

My hand on his hip pulled him
flush up against me and we both let out sharp cries as the lower halves of our
bodies rubbed together, the friction causing heat to pool in my groin and
spread outward slowly with tantalizing little licks. I was harder than stone and aching with it � and from what I
could feel through our boxers, so was Tyson.

I not-so-gently pushed him back
onto the bed, crawling toward him as he scooted backwards to lie properly on
it. I settled over him and he drew me
down for another lusty kiss that would soon lead to something we both needed
and had wanted desperately since we were hormone-filled teenagers seven years
ago.

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

This
lemon is dedicated to Yami Dranzer�as a consolation prize for the numbers
thing. ^_^ Enjoy!!!!

I could feel his fingers in my
hair, gripping and releasing with every thrust and retreat of my tongue against
his. The taste of him did nothing to
satiate my hunger for him, it just made me want more. Dragging my mouth away from his reluctantly, I moved down his jaw
and back towards his ear. I nipped at
his earlobe gently and he shivered under me, his head tilting away to give me
better access. One of my hands held his
hip still and my other was running restlessly up and down his side and over his
chest.

His hands were far from idle,
too. He left one hand in my hair and
let the other trace my spine and slip under the waistband of my boxers as I
sucked on his collarbone. I gasped at
the feel of his hand on my ass, stroking, and couldn�t stop the movement of my
body against his, rocking against him with the pleasure of it. He chuckled in my ear darkly and said in an
equally low voice, � You aren�t going to have all the fun, lover.�

�Oh really?� I returned, propping myself up on my
forearms to stare down at him. I felt
one of his legs bend at the knee and slide against my hip, our groins rubbing
together through the material of our boxers.
The friction made me gasp again and he smirked at me � though it was a
little wobbly since it affected him much as it did me. He removed his hand from my ass and snapped
the elastic waistband playfully to emphasize a point.

�Off.� He demanded. �I want you
naked, Kai.� I gave him a quick, hard
kiss then rolled away, removing my boxers and toss them to the floor. Before I could roll back, however,
Tyson had � on top of me. I blinked at
him and raised an eyebrow.

�Just what do you think you�re
doing?� I inquired, letting my hands
rest on his thighs and rubbing my palms up and down the smooth, soft skin. He wriggled downwards a little, so that when
he leaned down his face was about at my neck.
He nibbled on my ear as he gave his casual reply.

�I�m going to show you how bad I
want you.� I had to close my eyes and
bite my lip to keep from moaning as he kissed along my shoulder and down along
my collarbone where he suddenly clamped his mouth down and sucked hard. The pleasure-pain shot straight to my
already aching cock and I drove my hips up into his in an involuntary
movement. �I�m going to do things I�ve
wanted to do to you for years. Like
this�� He ducked his head and laved at my nipple with his tongue. I gave a strangled little cry at the feel of
that warm wetness bringing me untold amounts of pleasure with such simple
touches. Gods! I had no idea I was so sensitive there. Oooooh�shit! Then he moved onto the other erect nub and gave it like treatment
and I arched off the bed in a vain effort to get closer to the source of my
pleasure, to get more�

�Hmm�� Tyson hummed in approval,
watching me gasp and writhe under him helplessly with heavy-lidded blue eyes
gone dark and cloudy. �So sexy,
Kai.� He levered himself up and moved
down farther, dipping his head to plant wet kisses on random places over my
torso, descending on my navel to lick at that sensitive area and nip
gently. �I�m going to do something
that�s been in my dreams for so long�� I felt his hands on the inside of my
legs, slowly moving upwards and pushing them farther apart. My eyes snapped open and I watched him plant
more kisses on my pelvis, purposefully avoiding the part of me I�d have happily
begged for him to touch, kiss, whatever, something�

�I�m going to make you
come.� He told me and I let out a tiny
cry as he wrapped a hand around my already leaking cock, ever so slowly pumping
me while he continued to drive me insane with well-placed, open-mouthed kisses
on my groin and the insides of my thighs, occasionally grazing with his teeth.

I was moaning almost
continuously by now, my hands grabbing at the sheets of the bed and fisting in
them, twisting the material until my knuckles turned white to keep myself from
reaching for Tyson and forcing him to do what I so desperately was beginning to
need. But this was his moment, his
fun. He was in control and I would do
whatever he wanted, give him whatever he wanted, let him do what he wished with
my body.

This felt way too good not to,
anyway.

I groaned as his other hand
found my balls and discovered a new way to torture me. The pressure inside me was building
exponentially and I wasn�t able to control the sounds I made anymore so I gave
up trying, moaning and whimpering his name in a litany of incoherent
babble. �Uh�Tyson! Need�oooh there�can�t�fuck yes!� I distantly heard his laugh and growled,
dimly taking a mental note to see just how coherent he would be when the
tables turned on him and I had him writhing under me at my first
opportunity. �Gods�I don�t�uhn,
fuck�think I can�sweet Lord, Tyson!�

�I don�t want you to hold
back.� He said, and I made a strangled
noise when I felt his hot breath finally waft over my now ultra-sensitized tip,
then the tip of his tongue as he teasingly licked away the burst of pre-cum I
expelled at the sensations.

And then I was engulfed by hot,
wet, suction and my mind exploded with pleasure. Tyson�s hands hastily pinned my hips down as he took me as deep
as he could manage, sucking hard and slowly bobbing his head up and down, lips
and teeth and tongue blowing my mind with pleasure so deep, I think I actually
let out a wail as I plunged over the edge and came hard, filling his eager
mouth with my cum, which he drank down happily. He swallowed around me again and again, adding to my ecstasy, but
he wasn�t quite experienced enough to handle the flow and had to release me,
the last of the sticky whiteness splashing his mouth and cheek.

Dazed and feeling pretty damned
good I pried open my eyes, panting harshly, and looked down at him. Gods�he looked so beautiful. And so erotic. I thought, watching him wipe off my cum with
a finger and sucking it off, licking his lips while he sat up, wriggling out of
his boxers and throwing them absently over his shoulder before crawling up to
kiss me deeply. I wrapped my arms
around him and rolled us over once more, his tongue sliding against mine and
inviting it to delve into his mouth to explore � which I did. I didn�t need words to tell him how I
felt. My response to him told him
everything he needed to know, anyway.

Only Tyson could reduce me to a
babbling idiot � in bed or out. Only
Tyson could bring me to amazing heights of pure pleasure or total despair. Only Tyson could return the love I had for
him and only he could make me the whole person I was now. The love and affection we shared was
something most spend life times searching for and often never finding.

I moaned a bit, tasting myself
on his tongue, and felt my erection twitch, coming back to life against his
hip. I broke the kiss and he made a
protesting noise, his fingers digging into the muscles of my upper arms where
he gripped them. I smiled down at him
and he smiled back curiously.

�What?� He asked, his head angling slightly.

�Just that I just had the best
damned orgasm of my entire life and then one kiss from you and I�m ready for
more.� I explained, nuzzling his neck
with my face and inhaling the scent of him that was uniquely Tyson � ozone
after a summer thunderstorm mixed with a musky scent and sweat from his
exertions. I flicked my tongue over the
pulse in his neck and bit gently to hear his mewl in response.

�Ah�ah! I see�� He shifted restlessly under me. �That�s good because I don�t think I can
stand it much longer.�

This time my smile was
evil. �Tough.� I purred in his ear and felt a tremor pass
through him. �Because now it�s my
turn.� Then I surprised him by moving
completely away from him and sitting up on my knees beside him.

�Kai?�

�Turn over on your stomach,
Tyson.� I commanded and after giving me
a strange look, he did so. I bit back a
groan at the sight of the round, tight, oh-so-sexy view of his ass � just one
of many things I had dreamed about him over the years. Or should I say fantasized about? Ah, who cares! I was finally going to get my hands (among other things) on him.

But not right away. I leaned over him and pressed a soft kiss to
the nape of his neck, just below his hairline, hearing him sigh quietly. �Will you let me indulge myself, love?� I asked him, my lips lightly brushing
against his skin as I spoke.

�Yes�� He whispered, his
voice betraying his desire. �Promise me
something?� He turned his head so he
could look me in the eyes. His were filled
with an anxious plea.

�Of course, Tyson.� I assured him. Hell, I would do anything for him. Didn�t he know that by now?
All he had to do was ask.

�When you finish this I want you
to take me, Kai.� He told me in a
slightly quavering voice. I blinked at
him, a little surprised. I hadn�t
thought he�d want to go that far so soon.
I mean, we did just get back together, after all.

Then again�seven years is an
awfully long time � especially when one believes the other is dead.

But, to be absolutely clear on
the subject, I brushed a lock of his hair away from his face and asked, �You�re
sure? I�m not really prepared for
that�I mean, I don�t have any lube to make it easier for you.�

�I don�t care. I�ve wanted this for too long, Kai. I wanted this when we were fifteen and I
want it now. I can�t wait any
long to be joined to you, to belong to you.�
A silvery tear slipped down his cheek and I wiped it away with my thumb.

�Me either.� I agreed and he closed his eyes with a sigh
of relief, resting his cheek on his folded hands on the pillow under his
head. I stretched out alongside him, restarting
my exploration of him with quiet, open-mouthed kisses pressed randomly to his
shoulder, moving inwards toward his shoulder blade and along his spine. I listened to his pleased little mewls,
adding my teeth to the random kisses by carefully grazing his skin with them,
occasionally leaving a bite mark.

While my mouth was preoccupied
with his back and shoulders, my hands kept busy by caressing his silken skin,
ever so slowly descending along the length of his body and getting closer to
his ass � the real goal of my ministrations.
Experimentally, I let one hand lightly brush against one mound quickly,
as if by accident, and grinned when his mewling turned into a moan and his hips
came up off the bed reflexively.

�Kai!� He whimpered.
�More�please!� I gave in to the
plea and slid myself downward, trailing my mouth over his back and squeezing
one lightly tanned cheek fondly. Tyson
wriggled against my hand and I set my teeth to his spine, right over his
tailbone with a low growl.
�Ahhhh�Ah!� I smiled at his
little cries of pleasure. He was
certainly more vocal about it than I was � am.

But then, I�m not a vocal kind
of guy�most of the time. Like I said
before, only Tyson could turn me into a babbling idiot.

I moved on from his back,
dropping kisses over the tight globes and rubbing my cheek against them. A brief glance upward showed me that he had
his hands on the pillows, grabbing fistfuls of them as he gasped and mewled at
my touch. Overcome with need for him, I
bit down very carefully and left an imprint of my teeth, making him yelp and
cry out my name breathlessly. I smirked
and spread him open as far as I could comfortably do so and tentatively trailed
a finger down the slit of his ass, just barely brushing his puckered entrance.

�Oh my God!� He cried, his hips jerking and a sudden
eruption of pre-cum splashing his thighs, the bed, and me. I chuckled, licking the white stuff off my
arm and his inner thighs and felt him shudder.
�Uhn�shit! Please, Kai!�

�Shh�love.� I soothed, massaging one cheek. �Hell, you�re really sensitive here aren�t
you?� To emphasize that, I licked a wet
trail from the base of his spine down the same path my finger had taken. As my tongue slid over his entrance I heard
a muffled wail. Looking up I saw he�d buried
his face in the pillow.

�Ty-son�� I drew out the
syllables and he raised his head, looking over his shoulder at me a bit
dazedly. I put my fingers in my mouth,
using my saliva as lubricant since I didn�t have anything else then rubbed his
anus gently until it gave way and my finger slid in easily. He gave a tiny little shout and his eyes
closed in pleasure or pain or both � I couldn�t tell. �Okay?� I asked, worried
that I�d hurt him.

�So�fucking good!� He moaned after a moment. That answered that. I planted a kiss to his ass and started
moving my finger in and out, going slow at first to get him used to it and not
hurt him. That is, until he growled at
me, �I�m not fragile, damn it!�

�I don�t want to hurt you,
Tyson.� I protested, but obligingly
added another finger, scissoring them back and forth and stretching him a bit
more. He started making these gasping
moaning noises and I shivered in reaction as the sounds went right through me
and gathered in my crotch, making me incredibly hard. �Ooooh�my God.� I moaned,
feeling my face and neck flush with need and heat. Gods! Just the noises he
made could turn me on so much it was ridiculous. I shook my head to clear it a bit and removed my fingers from
him. Tyson shuddered and made a noise
of protestation as I did, and I crawled back up to him to stretch out on my
back. �Come here, lover.� I beckoned him and he pushed himself up,
shakily, moving over me and straddling my hips as I guided him into a position
that would make this easiest and most comfortable.

�You�re sure?� I asked one last time because I had a
feeling that once I was inside him I wouldn�t be able to stop. He nodded, eyes gone so dark they were
nearly black, though I could still see the blue of them and there were flecks
of sliver in them now � something I hadn�t noticed before. Tyson stared down at me with those eyes and
rocked against me with a small cry of need as I guided my cock to his entrance
and let him take some control. He�d had
none seven years ago, and now, although I was the one inside him, he was
the one making the decisions. It was my
way of trying to make it up to him and I knew he understood it.

He sank down onto me,
surrounding me with his hot, tight body and I threw back my head and groaned,
distantly hearing his echoing cry as I filled him completely.

My hands went to his hips and he
slumped forward briefly, trembling. �Tyson��

�Kai�fuck! Is it supposed to feel so good?� He moaned, his hands roaming over me in a
desperate need to touch me. I knew
because I felt the same way. �I
need�ooohh�can�t��

�Move.� I rasped, not recognizing my own voice. To give him a hint, I bucked under him and
his eyes flew open wide with shock. I
watched them glaze over as he began to lift up off my now throbbing cock then
sink back down experimentally. And then
he did it again, and again, until he was riding me hard and fast. I could feel my tip slamming against
something deep inside of him and each time it did he�d cry out sharply.

It felt way too good to be
buried inside him and to have Tyson bouncing on top of me, though that was
rapidly turning into a frantic rocking motion of both our hips instead. I wasn�t going to be able to take much more
so to speed him along I pried one hand off his hip where I was clutching at him
and took his swollen cock in hand, stroking him roughly in counter-motion to
our bodies� thrusts and retreats.

�AH! Oh FUCK! Kai��

�Let go, Tyson!� I urged him, feeling my orgasm coming on
fast. �Come for me, little Dragon�come
now!� I rubbed the small triangular
area on the underside of his tip and watched another burst of pre-cum came from
him and he whimpered. His movements
ground him down onto me and I bucked helplessly. �Come!� I
demanded and he threw his head back on a low wailing gasp, his whole body
suddenly jerking violently and he came hard.
My hand continued to work his cock as his cum erupted from him in
forceful jets, splashing all over my stomach and pelvis. The internal muscles that surrounded my cock
clamped down suddenly and I cried out in my own release, coming deep inside of
my beloved, my lover, my light. I
trembled uncontrollably under him as he pulled himself off me and collapsed on
top of me, curling into my arms and breathing harshly with the effort. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him
close, and closed my eyes for a while, resting and recovering from the most
mind-blowing experience I�d ever had.

Eventually our hearts quit
galloping in our chests and our breathing evened out. I felt him stir in my embrace and he nuzzled my neck
affectionately, purring in satisfaction, �That was so worth the wait,
huh?�

I grunted, not really in any
frame of mind to form a coherent sentence yet.
I felt him smirk knowingly and I sighed, running my fingers through his
silky hair. �Grow your hair back out,
�kay?� I mumbled, feeling immensely
disappointed when my fingers ran out of hair to play with all too soon.

�You don�t like it short?� He asked, pouting. Damn his adorableness.

�I like it fine.� I said.
�I�ve just had these fantasies where I could run my fingers through all
that gorgeous hair of yours.� I blushed
a bit when I admitted that particular little fantasy. �That�s all.�

He grinned down at me. �Oh, well in that case�� I didn�t let him finish,
pulling him down and letting our mouths fuse together in a slow, loving kiss,
rolling us onto our sides.

�Sleep.� I cuddled him close and buried my face in
his hair with a sigh of contentment.
�Love you.�

�Hmm�love you, Kai.� He replied, sleepily.

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

Chapter
8: Breathe

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

Groaning,
I rolled over, away from the bright sunshine pouring in through the curtains,
and yanked the covers up over my head.
Tyson made a noise and wriggled backward until he was snuggled against
me. I automatically curled myself
around him, spooning him from behind and draping an arm over his waist.

�Ugh�too
damned early.� I heard him mumble. Is it any wonder I love him so much? Tyson�s as much of a lazy ass as I am in the
morning.

�Yeah. Sleep.�
I agreed with him, burying my face in his hair. Just as I was drifting off again, he threw
back the covers, waking me up once more.
�Wha?� I inquired, my voice sounding gravelly with sleep.

�Hot.� He informed me. �You�re warm enough.�
Tyson let his arm rest against mine, his hand covering mind and holding
me there with a little sigh of contentment.

�Mmm�one
sheet?�

�Why?�

I
was beginning to wake up enough that I could think properly, much to my
disgust. I�d rather have been
asleep. �Cause Rei�ll come to wake me
up and we�d rather he didn�t see us naked.�

�Oh. Okay.�
Tyson groped down at his feet for a sheet and pulled it up to our hips,
covering everything necessary to cover.
Then he promptly dropped off like a rock.

I,
on the other hand, wasn�t so lucky.
Damn. I was awake now, and in
desperate need of coffee. I glanced at
the alarm clock over Tyson�s shoulder and grimaced. It was 6:30 and I�d hoped for at least a couple more hours of
rest. However, I knew that the early
rising neko-jin would no doubt be around to wake me up in the next half hour
sometime, something he did on missions we worked together because I wouldn�t
wake myself up otherwise. Ironic that
with all the training and stuff I�ve gone through, living my life, that I�m
actually a complete lazy ass � especially in the mornings. One of many reasons I�m a grouch in the
morning, by the way.

I
was, despite being annoyed at not being able to return to sleep, quite
comfortable and content at the moment with my slumbering lover in my arms. So I closed my eyes and managed to fall into
a light doze.

My
happy peace didn�t last long, though.
Clever cat that Rei is, he figured out (probably with Kenny�s help) how
to use the call system in the house.
His entirely too bright voice split the air in the room and jolted me
awake again.

�Kai! Wake up!�
I ignored him with a growl and there was a pause, then, �Wake the hell
up you lazy firebug!� He yelled. He knows I hate that name. �Firebug� that is, not �lazy.� Well�that, too.

I
muttered a few unflattering expletives in various languages and Tyson stirred,
opening his eyes and glaring at the speaker that Rei�s voice came from.

And
it suddenly just�exploded. I blinked at
the scorched place where it had been. I
hadn�t done that � though the idea sure had crossed my mind. I looked down at Tyson, who�d rolled over
and slung an arm around my waist, muttering about noisy neko-jins under his
breath.

�How�d
you do that?� I asked him, brushing his
hair away from his face.

He
sighed and opened his surreal blue eyes to look up at me. �Electricity. I can control it. Any
form of it.� Tyson placed a finger on
my shoulder and I felt a tiny jolt, making me jump slightly. My eyes went wide and I gasped as he trailed
that finger down my arm and left little sparks of static in his wake. It didn�t hurt � actually it felt really
cool. I shivered at the sensations making
my nerves dance and the hair on my arms stand up.

�Wow.� I captured his hand with my own and brought
it to my lips. �When did this happen?�

�The
day I caught the news report on TV announcing your �death.�� Tyson replied solemnly. I winced and Tyson laid his palm against my
cheek. �You have to learn to forgive
yourself, love. Or, if you can�t do
that, at least let it go.�

�I�ll
try. I am trying.� I sighed and snuggled up into him. �I just got you back yesterday�and we�ll
both need time to adjust.�

�I
know. But not apart.� He brushed his mouth against mine. �Never apart.� He whispered against my lips then pressed harder, lips parting
under mind in invitation. I accepted
and kissed him quite seriously. Then�

�KAI!� Rei�s voice interrupted my happy moment once
again. I was rethinking that beach
house as I snarled and the bedroom door was flung open, the anxious neko-jin
rushing in. �Kai! I went to wake up Tyson for breakfast and
he�s not there and we can�t find him�� He stopped babbling and stared at Tyson
and I for a minute. �Oh boy.�

�Rei. You have five seconds to get lost before I
roast your ass.� I growled the
warning. He flinched and backed out the
door nervously, hands held up in defense and his face was an alarming shade of
red.

�Sorry! Silly me!
Don�t know what I was thinking�� He slammed the door shut after hurrying
out.

�Uh�maybe
I should have left a note.� Tyson
mused.

�No. He should have known you wouldn�t go
wandering off any place.� I flopped
back against the pillows. �Great. I guess we should shower and get
dressed.� I eyed him with a considering
look. �Then I think we should have a
bit of practice, don�t you?�

�I
suppose. I�m really rusty, though,
Kai.�

Getting
up, I rolled off the bed and held out my hands to him. �That�s okay. I�ll whip you into shape in no time. Come on, lover. Let�s
shower, dress, and eat.�

He
sat up, frowning and shifting slightly in discomfort and grabbed my hands,
allowing me to pull him to his feet and lead him to the master bath.

�Sore?� I asked in concern, turning on the water to
let it heat up.

�A
bit. But�it�s a pleasant kind of
ache. �He sat gingerly on the side of
the huge jet tub and watched me grab towels, soap, and hair stuff. �I don�t mind at all.�

I
set everything aside and climbed in.
�The bath should help.� I told
him as he followed me in. He hissed a
little as he lowered himself into the water but sighed and relaxed after a
moment. �Water too hot?�

�Nope.� Tyson grinned at me and dunked himself under
the water briefly to wet his hair.

We
washed each other up, scrubbing clean.
I enjoyed every second � savored the intimacy of it. My hands on him, his hands on me � it was
sensual rather than sexual. Although�that
was there too. But where there had been
urgency and lust last night, both had been replaced with a need for closeness. All we wanted at the moment was to be
together and to forget the world existed beyond us. When we�d gotten clean, the jets of the tub making the water
swirl around us, Tyson crawled onto my lap and dipped his head down to capture
my mouth in a heart-stopping kiss. I
pulled him closer and kissed back, gaining a happy little noise from him in
response. The kiss went on for some
time; a long, slow, languorous kind of one.

Eventually
the water grew cold and we reluctantly broke apart, albeit slowly and with
frequent � but no less intense � smaller kisses as we did so.

�I
guess we should get out now, huh? The
water�s chilly.� I sighed, letting him
stand up and crawl out of the tub to grab a towel for himself.

�I�m
hungry.� He said, smiling as he dried
off. �What do you suppose Rei whipped
up for breakfast?�

�As
long as there�s coffee, I really don�t care.�
I replied, rubbing my hair dry with a towel as I sat on the edge of the
tub. I dropped the towel in the laundry
basket and blinked at Tyson when he started giggling at me. �What�s so funny?�

�He
he he! Sorry! It�s just�� He broke down into a fit of barely contained
laughter. I scowled at him.

�What?!�

�Look�look
in the mirror!� He gasped out between
giggles. Still scowling I looked and
saw my hair sticking up in all directions in a more spiky way than normal. Pouting, I wet my hands and tamed my wild
dual-shaded locks.

�Oh�shut
up.�

Tyson
snickered some more and dropped a quick kiss on my shoulder as he walked past
to go get his boxers. �I�ll be
back. I�m going to get my stuff and
bring it here.� He paused,
uncertainly. �Um�if that�s okay with
you?�

I
looked at him in surprise at the tone of his voice. He sounded so unsure of himself.
I went to him and raised his downcast gaze to meet mine by tipping his
chin up with one finger. �Tyson? What�s wrong love?�

�It�s
nothing. I just wasn�t sure if you�d
want me invading your space.� He
shuffled his feet and I smiled gently.

�Of
course you can. Tyson, everything that
belongs to me is yours. You could never
�invade my space,� not when I want you in it more than anything else.� I combed my fingers through his damp hair
and he sighed, relaxing into the touch.

�I
don�t want your stuff, Kai. I just want
you.� He slipped his arms around me and
snuggled up. I hugged him close and
kissed the top of his head fondly.

�Well,
you�ve got me, little dragon.� I
promised. �Now go get your stuff.�

He
flashed me a grin and disappeared out the door.

I
got dressed leisurely, feeling no real urgency for once in my life. I knew Rei and Max were probably getting
restless, wanting to get out there and get on with the mission. Don�t get me wrong! I did, too.
But Tyson was my priority now.

As
I thought about it, I realized the Tyson�s new abilities had always been there
� they just hadn�t been so apparent and he probably didn�t even realize he had
them before. It was probably the
emotional trauma I�d caused him with my �death� that made whatever it was
holding his powers back snap. For that,
also, I felt guilty and was sorry for it.
Just another screw up for me to add to the list of things I had to make
up for.

I
couldn�t imagine what it must be like to be surrounded constantly by not only
your own thoughts and emotions but all of those around you, too. I couldn�t have handled it, I knew. I�ve never understood people as Tyson does,
and never will. And here, I found a great
deal of irony. Everyone is always
telling me how strong I am � physically and mentally or emotionally. In a way, that�s very true. I can and have done many things � some that
most would shudder from and horrified with � without feeling more than a tiny
twinge of conscious or batting an eyelash.
The irony is that while I am strong to be able to handle such things, I
say Tyson is stronger because each of us only has to deal with our own emotions
� our own demons and ghosts that haunt us.
My beloved deals with his and everyone else�s. To me, that is strength far greater
and more pure than what I have.

I
was pulling on my shoes when Tyson returned with his bag, fully dressed. He dropped it down beside my own and
sauntered over as I began putting on my blading gloves, a pair of black,
fingerless leather ones with special grips on the palms and finger pads.

�Nice.� He approved, taking one of my hands and
studying the glove with interest. �I
didn�t know they made them like this.�

�Yep. Want a pair? I think I have a blue set you can have.� I went to a drawer and dug out a pair of
gray-blue blading gloves like my own and handed them to Tyson. �Try them on.�

He
pulled them on with ease, the movements of a long time blader, even if he was
out of practice. They fit him well, the
wristbands I�d given him not interfering at all with the gloves or vice versa. �Thanks, love.�

�Sure. Later, when I�ve given you a little test,
we�ll get Kenny to modify your blade if it needs it and come up with a launcher
to suit your needs.�

He
looked skeptical at that but didn�t say anything, following me downstairs
instead to get breakfast.

We
found the others sitting around the kitchens chatting. I didn�t even look at them, walking past and
heading straight for the Espresso machine.
Tyson grinned at them and headed happily for the food on the counter.

�Good
morning everyone!� He greeted them,
cheerfully, while filling his plate.
�Sorry I worried all of you this morning.�

�No,
Tyson. I should have thought about it a
little more before freaking out.� Rei
glanced back and forth between us.
�Everything worked out now?�

I
grunted in a non-committal kind of way.
I knew there were still going to be some things that were likely to pop
up that could very well fuck everything up again. But I would deal with those when the occasion arose. I stood staring at the machine, willing it to
brew my coffee faster. �Damned slow
piece of��

�I
had some made before, Kai.� Rei
informed me with a put-upon little sigh.
�But you took so long that it got cold so I had to dump it.� I shot him a glare then turned back to the
espresso. I could smell it now and I
shivered as I inhaled the aroma.

�So
what�s the plan for today, Kai?� Max
piped up, folding up a newspaper and watching me expectantly. I wasn�t going to answer until I got my
coffee. Tyson shook his head at me and
joined the group at the table, digging into his full plate of food.

�I
see his coffee fetish hasn�t changed.�
The little minx commented.

�Fetish?� I protested. He grinned evilly at me.

�Fetish.�

Rei
began to laugh his ass off. �Oh
yeah! Good one, Tyson! Finally someone else who can deal with the
grump every morning!� I flushed and
refused to look at anyone. Thankfully
the machine pinged and I grabbed a mug, creating my espresso coffee and taking
my first hit desperately.

�Uh�about
my question?� Max reminded us, seeming
to sense I was not going to answer him until I�d had my coffee � which was
really quite sensible of him. �I was
thinking that it�s probably a good idea if Kai was not seen here in
Moscow. Too many people here know who
he is � even if they think he�s dead.
It could be to our advantage to keep his identity a secret.�

Sipping
my coffee, I silently agreed with him and praised the blonde for that insight.

�I
think you�re right, Max.� Rei
nodded. �Especially when we don�t know
how much Tala�s told Boris.�

�Does
Tala know who Kai is?� Hilary asked.

�Yes. They were in the Abbey together for quite
some time.� Rei informed them all. He gave me a quick glance, silently asking
me how much to tell them. I gave a
brief nod and went back to my espresso.
�Tala doesn�t know, however, that Kai is Phoenix at the Spirit
Squad. No one but us in this room and
Mr. Dickenson know that.�

�Mr.
D and the other founding members, that is.� Kenny corrected.

I
polished off my first cup then poured myself another, feeling much better now
as the caffeine hit my system and woke me up completely. I moved over to the table and sat next to
Tyson, my hand trailing over his shoulders as I passed. I found I couldn�t be that close to him and not
touch him somehow.

He
pushed his now empty plate aside and folded his hands in front of himself on
the table. �Glad you finally deigned to
join us.� He teased. �You awake now?� He was looking at me with this mischievous twinkle in his
eyes. So he wanted to play, huh?

Smiling
wickedly back at Tyson, aware of the others� stares on me (because I was
smiling), I said quite pleasantly, �Fuck you, Kinomiya. You�re no more a morning person than I am.�
before taking another sip of coffee.

Tyson
grinned at me. �You already did that
last night, lover.� He purred. I spluttered a bit and felt my face heat up,
the others watching our exchange now in rapt fascination and with smothered
giggles. I gave my clever mate a
warning glare but I could see it was useless.
He was on a rampage and I�d just have to suck it up and deal with
it. But not without getting a comment
or two in myself.

�Yes. So I did.
And from the volume and frequency of your moaning, I�d say you rather
enjoyed it.� I drawled, satisfied that
I�d gotten even for that fetish comment earlier when he blushed hotly.

�Hmm�and
by the way you moaned over that coffee a few minutes ago, I�m not sure
if I ought to be jealous or not.�
He leaned over and plucked the coffee cup from my hand. �Let me taste this and see�� he sipped
cautiously, thought for a second, then shook his head and handed the mug
back. �Nope. You definitely taste better than the espresso.�

Max
had just taken a drink of his orange juice when Tyson made that comment
and burst out laughing, spitting the juice out all over the table. Hilary and Kenny were looking at us with
amusement and twin expressions that said, �Too much info.� Rei just rolled his eyes at us.

Not
about to let Tyson get the last word in, I bent close to him and whispered in his
ear, �So do you, lover. And if I�d had
a taste of you this morning I wouldn�t have needed the coffee,
I�m sure.� Then I nipped at his ear
playfully and felt a tremor pass through him.

�I�ll
remember that.� He said, huskily. Satisfied, I sipped my coffee again and the
banter ended in a silent truce.

�Okay. Here�s what�s going to happen today: Max,
you and Hilary are going to check out the blading gossip around Moscow. I�m sure you know all the best places to go
looking. But I want you to be careful.� I warned.
�This is fact-finding only.
Don�t blade if you don�t have to, and do not accept any
challenges from anyone who makes you feel the slightest bit suspicious.� I looked at Rei next. �That�ll be your fun. You know the underground blading nearly as
well as I do. However, should you run
into any of the Demolition Boys, Rei��

�I
won�t engage them, Kai. I�m not
stupid.� He sniffed. �That lot tends to run in a pack. Where there�s one, there�s likely to be one
or two more.�

�Good. I�ll be here with Tyson. We�re going to do some training and some
work on his blade.� I glanced at
Kenny. �You can help us out with that,
Chief. And there�s some research I
could use a hand with, too.�

�Um�Kai?� Tyson looked over at his cousin. �Are you sure it�s safe to send Hilary out?�

Hilary
nodded fervently in agreement.
�Yeah! I�m no agent, Kai!�

�I
know. You�re tough, Hilary. I know you�ve had the same training benefits
that Tyson has had living with Gramps.
You can defend yourself if you have to.
And you�ll have Max with you.� I
took Tyson�s hand in mine and squeezed.
�We don�t call him Daredevil for nothing. Like I said, you�re not doing anything dangerous, just picking up
the gossip.�

�Still��
Tyson didn�t look convinced.

�I
won�t let anything happen to her, Tyson.
I swear on Draciel.� Max held up
his blade, his bit-piece flashing once at his words.

�Well,
okay.�

�Should
we go wired, Kai?� Rei asked. �Well�them anyway. Not me. I really
shouldn�t, going to some of the places I�ll be.�

�Yeah.� I agreed.
�It wouldn�t hurt. Max and
Hilary can go wired. You, Rei, will go
with a tracking device on you somewhere.
For my peace of mind.�

He
sighed. �Whatever. I�ll be just fine, Kai.� He flexed his fingers and waggled some
rather sharp nails at me. �I�m not
named Tiger for nothing, after all.�
Rei�s grin became very feline, his fangs flashing. I rolled my eyes.

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

I
grabbed a piece of toast on my way out, leading Max, Hilary and Rei
downstairs. Tyson and the Chief came
along too, just out of curiosity about what I could possibly have in my
cellars.

Boy,
were they in for a surprise.

�Kai,
why are we getting a tour of your wine cellar?� Rei inquired, studying the rows and rows of wine bottles along
the walls as we walked past.

�I�m
going to get you wired up.� I told
him. �Everything we need is down
here.� I stopped at a particular rack
and reached up, pushing in the cork on one bottle. The cork was actually a button and a panel beside the rack slid
open, revealing a palm plate and a retinal scanner. I pressed my right hand to the pad after removing my glove then
let the scanner read my eyes. I stepped
back and put my glove back on while the computer decided it was really me.

Then
there was a swooshing noise behind us and another wine rack swung to the side,
revealing a staircase that led down even farther underground.

�Cool!� Max exclaimed. �Secret passageways!
Hidden staircases!�

�You�re
easily amused, aren�t you?� Kenny
observed, adjusting his glasses.

I
started down the steps and snapped my fingers once. Lights turned on, illuminating the stairwell and the room at the
bottom of the stairs. I looked back up
at the group. �Come on, people. We don�t have all day.�

They
followed me down and I let them gawk at the array of equipment and technology
as I walked to the shelves where I began choosing some appropriate
communication devices for Max, Hilary, and Rei.

�Here,
Max.� I held up two tiny ear-pieces
that resembled hearing aids. �Two way
digital communication. You and Hilary
each put one in your ear and you can speak as if I was standing right next to
you from anywhere within a fifty mile radius and I�ll hear you. And I can speak to you, just the same �
well, the Chief will.� I handed him one
ear-piece and the other to Hilary, watching them put them into their ears. �And when you�re out in the field, don�t
forget to use my code name and not my real name.� I reminded them.

�So
what about me, Kai?� Rei asked
curiously. I held up a tiny little
object and he blinked, squinting at it.
�A microchip?�

�Yes. It�s the smallest tracking device out there
so far. It can also monitor your vital
signs and brainwaves.� I held it out to
Kenny. �Chief? You know how to program one of these?�

�Of
course I do. I created them.� He sounded vaguely insulted.

�Oh. Right.
I forgot.� I coughed. �Sorry.
I�m assuming you�re planning on using your laptop to monitor everyone?�

�Yep. Why?
Want me to program that special?�
Kenny took the chip gingerly.

�Please
� so that only your computer can read that chip�s signal from the
satellite. That way if Rei�s scanned
for bugs nothing will be picked up.�

�Got�cha. I can do that. Just give me a second here.�
He set his laptop up and went to work.
It only took him five minutes � two to program and three to triple check
that it was functioning properly. I
took it back and studied Rei critically.

�So
exactly what are you planning on doing with that?� The neko-jin inquired warily.
I guess he didn�t like how I studied him.

�Is
your tail the only part of you that doesn�t change when you shift?� I asked.
He frowned.

�Yes��

�Then
that�s where this is going to have to go.�
I nodded, glancing at the chip briefly.

�Oh
no. Uh uhn.� Rei shook his head and backed away. He had his tail held protectively in his hands and was watching
me nervously. �No way in hell.�

I
narrowed my eyes at him and stood up straighter. �Yes, Tiger, you will. It
will just go under the skin at the very tip and you won�t even know it�s
there.� He twitched at the use of his
code name but bravely chose to ignore it.

�It�s
my tail, Kai! Do you know how
much it�s going to hurt if you put that thing in my tail?!�

�You
shouldn�t be able to feel it if it�s in the tip, Rei.� Kenny pointed out.

�It�s
not the having it there that will hurt!�
He mewled, his tail lashing back and forth in agitation. �It�s the putting it in and taking it out!�

�So
we�ll numb the area with a local anesthetic��

�You
can�t!� Poor Rei looked absolutely
horrified. �I�m a neko-jin, Chief! My tail is just like a cat�s � an extension
of my spinal cord. You put anesthetic
in my tail and I�ll loose all feeling�right up my back! What�s more, I won�t be able to move because
my balance will be thrown out of whack!
So no!!�

�Rei,
I�m not letting you go out there without some way to keep an eye on you. It�s the chip or you�ll stay here and be
useless to this mission. Your choice.� I hated to do it, but I had no choice. I knew I sounded cold and dispassionate and
that I couldn�t help either. Rei gave
me his most pathetic, adorable, kitten look � huge watery golden eyes and this
pout that would melt glaciers. �Uh
uhn. Not going to work.� I said impassively, gazing at him evenly.

�The
chip.� He finally chose, his voice
nearing a whisper. I winced
inwardly. Have you ever accidentally
stepped on a cat�s tail or gotten it stuck in a door as you closed it? There�s a reason that cats absolutely freak
when damage is done to their tail, and it�s not wonder they screech like
they�re dying when it happens. Their
tails are nearly as sensitive as their whiskers, and on neko-jins, since most
don�t have whiskers, their tails often replace the function of a cat�s whiskers
� whatever that is. No one has figured
that out for certain yet.

I
nodded. �Good choice. Come along.
We�ll do it upstairs.� I ushered
them out and snapped my fingers again twice to turn off the lights.

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

Chapter
9: Fallen

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

We ended up going outside to the
courtyard to do it, for fear of breaking valuable items. Kenny prepped an injection gun with the chip
and I had Rei stretch out on his stomach on the stone floor on a blanket, his tail
waving in the air, betraying his anxiousness.

I knelt down beside him and lay
a hand on his shoulder. �You know I wouldn�t do this if there was another
way. I�m sorry, my friend. I�ll be as gentle as I can.�

�I know. Just do it and get it over with�� He squeezed
his eyes shut and I saw a tremor run through him. I gave his shoulder a reassuring pat and motioned Max and Tyson
over.

�Tyson, you�ll have to hold his
tail still for me. Max, you�ll hold him
down, please.� Kenny handed me the
injection gun and joined Hilary off to the side, out of the way. Tyson gently caught Rei�s tail after Max had
straddled Rei�s legs and pretty much laid down on top of him, grasping Rei�s
wrists firmly and pinning them to the ground at either side of Rei�s head. Tyson held the twitching length of white and
black stripped fur as still as possible off to the side and nodded at me.

I set the gun to where I wanted
the chip to go and said, �Take a deep breath, Rei, and on three�� I waited
until I saw him suck in a shaky breath then didn�t bother counting. �Three!�
I pulled the trigger � so to speak.

Tyson let go of the appendage as
soon as I took away the gun and we heard the neko-jin make an agonized noise
and saw his whole body jerk in response to the pain. The sounds he made were between a growl, a yelp, and a strangled
wail. Rei�s tail dropped to the ground
and lay immobile, since he seemed to not be able to move it through the pain.

Max continued to hold him down
as Rei bucked and squirmed, still making threatening rumbling noises. He had his face pressed to the blanket so I
couldn�t see his expression but I heard a sob all of a sudden and I signalled
Max to let him up. The blonde released Rei
all at once, quickly rolling off and away from the pained neko-jin and watching
him warily like one would a wounded animal.

�Rei?� I asked tentatively. I
got a low growl in response. Then�

�That hurts!� He whimpered, sitting up and gingerly
picking up his tail to inspect the wound.
Tears streamed down his cheeks and his eyes had bled completely to
feline in shape, no trace of his human side in them. That told me how close to shifting he�d been.

Max went back over and sat
beside him, hip to hip. �I�m sorry,
Rei.� He apologized, his expressive
face reflecting great concern for the neko-jin.

Rei was licking the tip of his
tail like the feline he is, soothing the hurt, I guess. Hilary and Kenny went back inside and Tyson
watched them go, a strange expression on his face.

�What�s up?� I took his hand in mine, linking our fingers.

�Huh? Oh, just�I got a vibe from Hil that I didn�t recognize.�

I raised an eyebrow and glanced
at the house. �What�s that?�

�I think she�s falling in
love.� A small smile crossed his face.

I blinked in surprise and I
think my jaw dropped. �Are you
kidding? With Kenny?�

�Yeah. But I can�t be positive.
Love is the one emotion that even I can�t comprehend completely.�

�Well�what do you know?� Stunned, I shook my head. �I hope Kenny takes his nose off a computer
screen long enough to notice.�

�Me too.�

A rumbling purr broke out behind
us and we turned to see Max helping Rei stand up, one hand on Rei�s arm that
was stroking lightly and the other arm wrapped around Rei�s waist to steady
him.

�Are you sure you�re okay,
Rei?� Max inquired.

�Yes. It�s throbbing but it�ll go away.� I don�t think they realized Tyson and I were watching because Rei
actually leaned into Max a bit more, tilted his head to the side, and gave the
genki blonde a small lick on the cheek.
�Thanks, Maxie.�

I�m pretty sure my jaw dropped
again and my eyes bugged out in surprise at the gesture. Tyson smothered a giggle when Max blinked
and blushed furiously � but didn�t pull away.
The two stared at each other, totally absorbed, for about two full
minutes before I got tired of it and coughed discreetly. They broke apart, startled, and looked at
us, both turning a bright shade of red.

I smirked at them and motioned
them to follow as I turned and walked back to the house. Tyson sidled up beside me with a wide grin
on his face.

�I think we�ve started a
trend.� He was practically skipping
along beside me.

�Perhaps. Even so, we�ve got a mission to
complete.� I sighed. �We have to get busy.�

Hilary and Kenny were waiting in
the lobby for us. I leaned against the
newel post at the base of the grand staircase.

�Do you want us to catch a taxi
or something, Kai?� Max wondered,
moving to stand next to Hilary. Rei
disappeared upstairs to change into the clothes he would wear for the job I�d
given him � to enter the blading underground and see what he could sort
out. I�d seen him work this sort of
reconnaissance before and knew he could handle it. but because this was Moscow and because we were after someone I
knew to be the embodiment of evilness, I wanted the extra precaution of the
microchip tracking device.

�No. Go ahead and take the van.�
I said. �Rei won�t need
it.� I looked at Kenny. �Everything working?�

�Yep. We�re good.�

�Alright. Get going, Max. Let us know immediately if you find out anything.� Max and Hilary nodded and left.

�So what about my practice,
love?� Tyson asked me, looking rather
eager to get into it. I smiled at him.

�Don�t worry, Tyson. Believe me, you�ll get your exercise.�

Rei came back down, dressed all
in black leather � long sleeved shirt, pants, and boots � and accessorized with
dark green leather straps all along his arms and legs that were held in place
with gold buckles. He also wore a gold,
transparent scarf around his neck rather than the usual sash he wore at his
waist. He�d exchanged his red headband
for a black one with a dark green and gold yin yang symbol on it and matching
black, fingerless leather blading gloves with the same symbol on the back of
each hand.

I shook my head at him when he
smiled, eyes glinting wickedly.

�What? Not bad-ass enough for you?�
He looked around. �Max and
Hilary left already?�

�Yep. I think you look very bad-ass.�
Tyson complimented. �I�m sure
Max would like it, too.� I snickered
when Rei flushed and stared down at the floor.

�It�s not like that�� He
protested.

�As if.� I snorted.
�You�ve got a thing for him, Rei.
That much was perfectly obvious.�
He gave me a look that told me he�d be perfectly happy to strangle me at
that moment if I didn�t drop the subject.
I shrugged and pointed at the door.
�Shoo! Go find me a bad guy and
be careful.�

�Yes, Master Hiwatari.� He growled at me sarcastically, gliding past
on soundless feet, his tail unwinding from his waist long enough to flick
upwards in indignation � the feline version of flipping me off. I snickered as the door closed behind him.

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

For the next few hours, we
remaining team members sat at that long table in the library pulling apart
Tyson�s Beyblade and finding ourselves surrounded by blade parts and tools as
we worked to upgrade it completely.
Kenny had insisted on it before I took Tyson out for his practice
session when he�d seen the condition of Dragoon�s blade. Tyson watched and listened avidly, learning
about all the new stuff that had been developed over these last few years that
he�d missed out on and occasionally asking questions. He kept Dragoon�s bit on the table in front of himself while the
Chief and I worked on his blade.

Tyson and I were cleaning up his
new attack and defence rings when Max�s com-link signalled he wanted to talk to
us on Kenny�s laptop. The Chief set
aside his own work and patched us through.

�Go ahead, Daredevil.� He said.

//We�ve been to all the usual
places and a few new spots, Phoenix, but the best we could get was that some of
the best regular bladers at the parks and indoor stadiums haven�t been seen
lately � in a month or so, actually.//

I frowned. I had a pretty good idea what that
meant. �Great. He�s already recruiting.� I shook my head. �Wonderful. Come back,
Max. There�s no point in hanging around
out there in the open.�

//Um�actually, I was wondering
if you could open the gates and let us in?
We had to ditch the van. I don�t
know how they found us earlier, but we acquired some extra shadows.//

I blinked at the screen, even
though I couldn�t see him. �You and
Hilary walked?! Geez, Max.� I went over to the desk and used the computer
to let them in through the side gate.

//What? I didn�t think you wanted me to hail a cab
and lead them here.// I heard him
grumble over the squeaky gate swinging open.

�Just get back here. You can help me with Tyson�s training.� I said as I walked back to my lover and
Kenny. �When you get here come up to
the library, Max.

//Okay. And Phoenix?//

�Yes?�

//Did you know your forest is
really creepy? And silent?//

I laughed. �I�ve noticed that, yeah.� I sat back down next to Tyson and picked up
his attack ring again and the cloth I was using to clean it.

Several minutes later, Max and
Hilary strolled in, looking a bit weary from all the walking they�d apparently
done. I glanced at my watch and
wondered how Rei was doing. As if he�d
heard me, my cell phone started ringing.

�Well?� I demanded.

�As far as I can tell, they
aren�t based in Moscow any more. No one
seems to know where they are but there are rumours of someone with money going
around recruiting the top bladers from Moscow, Kiev, and St. Petersburg.� Rei reported.

�Where are you now?� I asked, grabbing a notebook and pen to take
a few notes.

�Double Dare. Local blading gang�s club not too far from
you, actually.�

�You might as well come back,
Tiger.� I sighed, running a hand
through my hair in frustration.

�I�ll be back�wait a
second.� He paused and I could hear the
low throb of music in the background.
�I think I just saw someone I recognized.�

I sat up straighter and put down
the pen with a �click� on the table.
�Who?�

�Falcon.�

�What the�? He�s supposed to be in South America
someplace! What�s he doing back in
Moscow?� I exclaimed, making everyone
look at me curiously. �Chief, get into
those files of yours and find out what the deal is on Falcon.�

Kenny nodded and began typing
furiously on his keyboard.

�Rei, get out of there. Now.
I have a bad feeling about this.�
I ordered. My gut was unsettled
and it hadn�t been wrong yet.

�Sorry, my friend, but it�s too
late. Consider this my call for back
up.� He replied grimly, his voice
beginning to sound more like a threatening growl. Then the line went dead and I cursed, stuffing my phone in my
pocket and getting up.

�Shit!�

�Kai? What�s wrong?� Tyson laid
a hand on my arm.

�Rei�s in trouble. Max, you and I have to get there as fast as
possible. Chief, you stay here with
Tyson and Hilary.�

�You�d better hurry, Kai.� Kenny�s voice held a definite tinge of
urgency to it. �Rei�s vitals just went
wild. He�s shifting.�

�Wait one second! I�m going with you.� Tyson stood up, too, his newly formed blade
in hand.

�No way. It�s too risky, Tyson.� I refused.
�You�re not ready for this. You
don�t know the sort of people we�ll face in there.�

�And you can�t wrap me in
cotton batting and stick me on a high shelf someplace for my �protection�
anymore.� He faced me unflinchingly
when I tried one of my glares on him.
�I�m not an innocent little kid anymore, Kai! And the fact is you need me.�
His even gaze dared me to contradict his statement. I couldn�t deny our need of him on this
mission, but�

�Fine. Max, stay. Let�s go,
Tyson.� I gave in, though I didn�t like
it at all. At least this way I�d know
where he was and could keep an eye on him.
He gave me a short nod and I knew he knew I wasn�t happy. �Wait.
Give me and Tyson your ear pieces, Max, Hilary.� They handed them over and we put them in our
ears. �Monitor us, Chief. Max, if it sounds like we�re not going to
make it out, take Hilary and Kenny back to Athens.�

He looked rather grim about the
order but he nodded. �I will.�

I pulled out my cell phone and
dialled. �Enrique.� I said without any greetings when he
answered. �Get the jet here as fast as
you can. I�m not sure how many of us
there will be � six, hopefully.�

�Done. Oliver�s piloting. He�s
insisting.�

�Whatever.� I didn�t care who brought the plane to
us. Max would get us out anyway.

�Let me know you�re okay,
Phoenix. I don�t want to be dealing
with your estate if you go and get killed on me.� I heard the genuine concern in his voice and sighed.

�And I�d hate to saddle you with
it.� I replied and hung up. �Come with Tyson and I for a minute,
Max. I�ll show you where the keys to
all the vehicles are, in case you need one.�

I swear he lit up like a neon
sign.

I took them down to the garages
and threw open a cupboard on one wall, where an array of keys lined the
inside. Max and Tyson were both gawking
at all the vehicles around us; models, makes, sizes, and price ranges of all
kinds. I tapped Max on the shoulder and
pointed at the keys when he glanced at me.

�There they are. Use whatever if you need to.� He nodded, speechless. I grabbed the keys for the Toyota 4Runner
and nudged my lover, who was drooling over the BMW�s. �Let�s go.�

�Uh huh.� He followed me and hopped into the passenger
seat of the SUV while I got behind the wheel.
I rolled the window down as Max pressed the button to open the garage
door for me, and I leaned out to speak to him again.

�If you don�t hear from me or
Tyson or Rei in, say, three hours, get Hilary and the Chief to the
airport. Oliver�s flying in my
jet. Just get out of Russia, Max, and
do not come looking for us, understand?�

�Yes. Be careful.�

�Don�t worry, kid. I always am.� I slid on a pair of sunglasses and pulled out of the garage.

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

I parked a half-block away from
Double Dare and turned off the engine.
I could see the front entrance from there.

�Chief? How�re Rei�s vitals?� I asked over the com-link.

//He�s still alive, but his
adrenaline�s through the roof.//

�Well, I guess that�s a good
sign.� I set Dranzer into my launcher and
tucked it into my waistband at the small of my back. Tyson mimicked me and followed me across the street to the doors
of the club. I paused for a moment
outside.

�Tyson�I have to warn you about
something.�

He blinked at me. �What?
Now? I know it�s going to be
dangerous in there and I�ve already sworn to be careful and stay with you��

�That�s not what I need to warn
you about.� I took a deep breath and
let it out slowly. �I just want you to
be prepared for a side of me you�ve never seen before, Tyson. In there�I won�t be the same Kai you know.�

�And love.� He slid his hand into mind and squeezed
briefly. �Yes, you will. I know there are parts of you that I�ve
never seen and I�m sure neither of us wants me to see. But we�re past that now, love. I�m not the same as I was either. I will be fine.�

I stared down at him then bent
and gave him a quick, hard kiss before straightening and looking back at the
door.

�Chief.� I said.
�We�re going in.� With that, I raised
my leg and kicked in the double doors.

The scene inside was complete
chaos and destruction. Broken furniture
and glass was everywhere, there were huge holes in the walls and the floors
were littered with�well, let�s just say it�s difficult to know how many people
hadn�t lived through whatever had happened.
There were too many pieces to figure it out.

I felt myself slide into a
familiar, empty void inside of me, a place where I felt nothing at all. I had little to no emotion and even
physically I was numb to pleasure or pain � and anything in between.

�My Gods.� I heard Tyson say � a prayer or a
curse. �What�?�

�Rei.� I said. No other
explanation needed. I searched the room
for any sign of movement � of life. A
low rumbling growl came from my left, around a corner, and I slowly moved
towards the sound, motioning to Tyson to follow and stay close. �Don�t look around at it, Tyson.� I advised quietly. �Pretend you don�t see it and keep close.�

I heard him swallow hard and
sensed him move up behind me. I
cautiously peeked around the corner and saw a small group of bladers with
launchers in hand, surrounding a raised platform and a bar. They looked fairly beaten up. And then there was a flash of white and
there was Rei, in his tiger form � a fully-grown Siberian male, golden eyes
glowing unearthly despite the low light.
He was prowling back and forth along the bar, cornered, and eyeing his
prey consideringly. His white fur was
tainted with red � blood spatters. I
might have winced if the sight had bothered me even a little bit. However, I was in a place where pretty much
nothing bothered me so I just turned back to Tyson and motioned at him to stay
there and keep his head down.

Stepping out from my relatively
safe hiding spot, I addressed the group of bladers surrounding Rei.

�Put your launchers on the
ground immediately if any of you want to stay alive.� I ordered.

�Whoever the hell you are, you
can shove it! We aren�t going
defenceless against this�this animal!�
One exclaimed. I narrowed my
eyes at them all and nodded shortly to Rei, who was watching me now and who
gave me a small dip of his head in acknowledgement.

�It�s not the tiger you have to
worry about.� I stood there, without
any visible weapons, and gave them one last warning. �I am far more dangerous than a trapped tiger, boys.�

�I suggest you listen to
him.� A new voice advised from high
above the scene. �The kitty-cat will
just kill you. This one will roast you
alive � a slow, painful way to go, I hear.�

�Join the party, Bryan!� I invited, recognizing his voice. �The fun�s just starting.�

�Thanks, Hiwatari, but I�d
prefer to stay right here. Your pet
there has a bone to pick with me � my bones, specifically. Besides, I don�t accept invitations from strangers,
psychopaths, or ghosts.�

�Oh, but I insist!� I let a tiny ball of fire form in one hand
and spun, tossing it up into the rafters and knocking Bryan down off his
perch. He managed to land on his feet,
rather than his head � such a pity.
�And I�ll thank you not to call me a �ghost.��

�Ow! Goddamn! I think wrenched
my ankle.� He complained. The other bladers stared at me, stunned and
fearful. They abruptly dropped their
launchers and stepped away, hands held up in front of them.

I walked over to Bryan and
hauled him to his feet. �I think we
need to have a little chat.� I stared
directly into his eyes for a moment, letting him get the full effect of my own,
long since lost to my abilities and burning intensely. He flinched and looked away.

�It�s not what you think�� He
began. Bryan was cut off by a warning
growl and Tyson�s sudden shout of, �Kai!
Behind you!�

Those foolishly brave � or
rather, stupidly brave � thugs had suddenly moved, scooping up their launchers
and launching at me. I spun, thrusting
Bryan in Tyson�s general direction and pushed outward with my abilities,
blowing the blades into dust particles.
�Tyson! Take Bryan out to the
car and don�t let him out of your sight.
We�ll be right behind you.� I
saw him grab Bryan�s arm and drag the lavender-haired blader out of the club
from the corner of my eye and, satisfied they were both out my way, I gave my
complete attention to the task at hand.

Rei growled threateningly and
pounced on one of them, sinking his teeth in and shaking the body before
tossing it aside. Horrified and scared
shitless, the others huddled together in a corner.

�Who hired you?� I demanded.
�Start answering questions and you might keep your throats in tact.�

�S�some g�guy. Calls himself B�Boris.� One of them stuttered.

�And where can I find your
employer?�

�He�s gone to Belgium.� Another spoke up. �To collect some funds for his projects.�

�What exactly were you hired to
do?� I asked, leaning against a broken
table with one hip and folding my arms over my chest.

�T�to keep some agents from the
B�BBA busy and kidnap some blader the agents were supposed to have with them.�

�Name?� I knew, but it never hurts to confirm.

�Tyson Kinomiya.�

I nodded and stood straight
again. �Rei, go out to the car and help
keep an eye on Bryan.� I felt his gaze
on me for a moment then heard him pad softly away.

Just to set the record straight,
I dislike killing � immensely. But in
this instance I really had no choice.
These guys were scum who would attempt to kill me the minute my
back was turned and they�d heard Bryan call me by my last name. I couldn�t let them get word to Boris with
that information. And while this was no
justification for taking lives, it was necessary this time.

�It�s a real shame that you�re
all such losers and that you allied yourself with that evil bastard,
Boris.� I affected a sigh and slowly
released my hold on my abilities. The
inferno inside of me was let loose in a fury of flames. They engulfed the huddled group of Boris� hired
thugs � they weren�t even worth calling bladers, really � and quickly spread
around the club. I turned my back on it
all, and walked out, the screams and the noise of the fire echoing behind me.

The entire building was burning
behind me as I walked over to the SUV and slid behind the wheel again. Tyson had put one of the middle seats and
both back seats down to make room for Rei and Bryan was huddled in the lone
middle seat between them. Tyson was
staring at the club, partly shocked and partly in relief. Rei was stretched out and licking his paws
clean, grooming himself. Poor Bryan was
watching all of us with wide, wild eyes.

{Kai.} Dranzer poked at me mentally.
{Just destroy the building, please?
Even those thugs don�t deserve the slow torture you�re putting them
through.}

{They were going to go after
Tyson, Dranzer.} I remaindered
her. {And Dragoon would have been
next.} The thought filled me with a
cold fury.

{Perhaps. But it hardly matters anymore. Save your rage for Boris, chibi.}

I sighed and closed my eyes,
snapping my fingers once. Across the
street the building exploded � a contained explosion, however. Not one flame touched the building on either
side. There were no people around,
either � which was lucky for us, I suppose. In the backseat, Rei stopped grooming long enough to send me a
glare with his ears pinned flat against his head and a growl before returning
to getting the stains out of his white fur.
Behind me, Bryan had jumped violently and buried his face in his folded
arms, across his knees that he had drawn up to his chest.

�Don�t growl at me, Tiger.� I gave Rei a mild glare in the rear-view
mirror as I pulled away from the curb.
�It had to be done and you know it.�

He crossed his eyes at me, pink
tongue sticking out partially from between his fangs.

Ignoring him, I glanced at
Tyson. He was pale and there was a
sheen to his skin that told me he was sweating nervously. I flinched inwardly and remained silent. What could I say, anyway? I�d warned him. I�d tried to protect him from this � my life, the evil in this
world�me. My rational mind told me he�d
either accept me as I was and deal with it, or he�d call it quits, no matter
how much he loved me.

I ordered my rational self to go
to hell.

Unwinding my scarf from around
my neck at a red light, I handed it to Tyson.
�Blindfold Bryan, please, Tyson.
He doesn�t need to see where we�re going.� Tyson took it and undid his seatbelt, climbing over the console
to obey without a word. Bryan was
totally compliant � so much so that I began to suspect he was in shock.

//Kai? Are you all okay?// The
Chief�s voice sounded in my ear.

�We�re fine, Chief, and on our
way back. Get a blanket for Rei,
though, please. He�ll want to shift
back when we get there.�

//Of course.//

As I pulled through my gates an
unsettled feeling passed over me. I
wasn�t sure what was going to happen between Tyson and I now. Things were cloudy, unclear. I�d fallen from his grace.

I guess it wasn�t hard to see
where my priorities lie, huh?

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

Chapter
10: Just A Man

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

Our
three teammates were waiting for us on the front steps of the mansion. It was nearly 8:00 pm when I pulled up and
shut the engine off. Tyson didn�t say
anything to me. He just slid out and
opened the back door on his side to let out Rei while I yanked Bryan out on my
side and led him to the steps.

�Shift
back and go sleep it off, Rei. You�ve
done more than enough for one day.� I
said as he padded up next to me with a wide yawn that showed off all his
gleaming, sharp teeth. I laid a hand on
his head briefly and he rewarded me with a purr of thanks and went over to the
other side of the SUV, out of sight.

�That�s
what Rei looks like when he shifts?�
Max asked, awed. �He�s so
beautiful.�

I
smiled faintly, hoping Rei had heard that comment and was planning on doing
something about it later. �Yes.� I agreed, since it was true, and noticed the
folded blanket in his hands, forgotten.
I glanced over at the Toyota, watching as a golden light emminating from
the other side faded away. �Why don�t
you take that blanket to him, Max. It�s
getting chilly out.� I suggested before
I dragged Bryan up the steps and inside, the Chief, Hilary, and Tyson following
behind.

I
took Bryan up to the library and sat him down in one chair before I removed my
scarf from his head. He blinked
owlishly as his eyes adjusted to the light.

�What
the hell is going on?!� He blurted out,
staring at me with a combination of supreme confusion and not a little bit of
fear. �You�re dead! I was there!�

�I�m
not the one you should be wondering about, Bryan.� I sat at my desk and leaned my elbows on the desktop, watching
him critically. �You should be asking
that about Boris. I sure as hell
am. After all, I�m the one that killed
him.�

Kenny
and the others looked at me in surprise.
I don�t blame them. No one knows
what really happened in that room that day � accept me and I�ve never told
anyone. Not Mr. Dickenson, and not Rei�and,
of course, not Tyson.

Max
joined us then. �Rei�s out cold. I guess he�ll sleep for a while. So�what�d I miss?�

�Kai�just
confessed to killing Boris.� Hilary
stated. Max frowned in confusion, bless
his blonde heart.

�You
mean today? At the club? He was there?!�

�No,
Max. Seven years ago.� I shook my head, not taking my gaze off
Bryan. I didn�t want to look at Tyson,
see the accusation and loathing he surely felt for me now. It was my darkest secret � the one that
continued to eat at me even though I was glad Voltaire and Boris were no longer
around to plague the world with their evil.

I�d
been only fifteen years old and I�d killed not one but two people in
cold blood � by lighting them on fire with my abilities and leaving them to
burn to a crisp. Then, as an
after-thought, blowing the Abbey into smithereens anyway.

Bryan
was nodding slowly. I guess things
finally made a great deal of sense to him now.
�I see.�

�What
are you doing in Russia, Bryan? And why
were you at that club?�

�I
finished my mission in Rio de Janeiro early.
When I got home I found three messages waiting for me. One was from Mr. Dickenson about something
really urgent. The second was from
Tala, warning me that he was on a priority Alpha mission and an obscure
statement about our pasts coming back to haunt us. He also told me to disappear for a while.�

I
absorbed that and filed it away for future reference. I didn�t necessarily believe him, but I�d see. �Let me guess. The third was from Boris.�

�Yes. He wanted me to come here, to Russia, and
meet up with him.� Bryan
shuddered. �I wasn�t about to. The man deserves to burn in Hell and whatever
he�s up to can�t be good.�

�Then
why the hell did you come here?� Max
demanded.

�Because
when I contacted Mr. Dickenson back and told him about the message from Boris
he told me Tala�s MIA. I came to look
for him.�

I
opened my mouth to scold him but was interrupted by Tyson.

�He�s
not lying.� Tyson intoned. I looked at him sharply and saw that he was
staring at Bryan, eyes distant. �Bryan
is very concerned for Tala�because they�ve been lovers for many years now.�

I
blinked and looked back at Bryan, who was gaping at my beloved little dragon in
complete shock, blushing furiously.
�Huh. Didn�t see that coming.� I mused.
�Still, you should have done what Tala told you and gone into
hiding. I�m assuming you were in that
club today for the same reason Rei was?�

�Fact-finding,
yeah.� Bryan nodded, tearing his gaze
away from Tyson. �How�d he know about
Tala and I?�

�He
has his ways.� Was all I would tell
him. I sighed and ran my hands through
my hair as I thought quickly. �Look,
Bryan. I don�t like that you�re here,
alone, looking for Tala. That�s what
we�ve been sent to do. Boris is going
to want you back on his team again. And
we can�t allow that. So here�s the
deal: we�re taking you back to the base with us tomorrow. After you�ve been debriefed and your story
collaborated, I will recommend that you join us on our search � and only
because I understand how you feel.� I
snuck a glance at Tyson. �I�d be
worried too if my lover suddenly disappeared and a demon like Boris was after
us.�

�Thank
you.� He gave me a surprised, grateful
look. I waved it off.

�Yeah,
yeah. You�ll have to turn over Falborg
to Kenny until you�re debriefed, though.�

�Yes. I figured that.� He dug his blade from his pocket and handed it to the Chief
across the table.

�Good. Now, I�ll warn you up front, Bryan. You can roam about this place freely but I
will know your every move as soon as you make it. And there are no communications with the outside world so don�t
bother.� He nodded in understanding and
acceptance. He knew that what I meant
was that though there were phones and computers and even radio-systems in the hose,
he wouldn�t be able to contact someone outside without me knowing about
it. �Alright. We�re all tired and we need sleep. Max will show you to a room, Bryan. I suggest we all get our rest.
Goodnight.�

I
left then, feeling a desperate need to get out of the room as it began to feel
much to confining and stuffy. I went to
my rooms and poured myself a double shot of vodka, going out onto the balcony
off my bedroom and leaning against the stone railing as I sipped my drink,
savoring the slow burn of it down my throat.
I stood there staring up at the stars and the moon, my emotions catching
up to me after all.

He
hates me. I thought. How could he care for me after
today? How could anyone at all care
about someone as�as evil as I am?

{I
do.} Dranzer�s voice was soft and
concerned. I smiled weakly and sipped
again, silent tears spilling over.
{You�re not evil, chibi. Perhaps
you�ve done things you � and I and Tyson � would rather you hadn�t, but that
doesn�t make you evil.}

{But�}
I protested. Dranzer cut me off.

{You
are not evil.} She repeated
firmly. {You still feel, Kai, still
care about the things you do. Evil
cares for nothing and no one but itself.
It holds no regard at all for life.
You care very much, else you wouldn�t do the job you do, live the life
you�ve chosen.} My guardian poured her
love for me into me and I shivered. {I
am so proud of you, Hiwatari Kai. Think
about what I�ve said, and don�t give up on yourself and your mate so
quickly. Like his Sacred Spirit, Tyson
is far too strong-willed and has a great deal of perseverance. He is strong. Just give him time to adjust.}

If
only I had time. I thought wearily,
downing the rest of my vodka and turning to go back inside.

I
stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Tyson standing in the doorway, studying
me. The way he was looking at me made
me feel so very bare � exposed and uncomfortable. I tore my gaze from his and walked past him, putting my glass
away and moving to sit on the bed and drop my head into my hands. Tyson sat beside me, saying nothing for a
moment. When he did speak, it
definitely wasn�t what I expected to hear.

�I
love you, Kai.�

Well,
hell. What could I possibly say to
that? Except�

�I
love you, too.� I sighed wearily and
flopped backwards on the mattress.
�But�?�

He
sighed in exasperation and moved himself around to look down at me. �There is no �but� Kai. You�re putting yourself through unnecessary
emotional trauma and guilt.�

�Maybe. Maybe not.�
I jumped slightly when my cell phone went off, its ring startlingly loud
in the quiet. �Damn it!� I dug it out of my pocket as I sat up and
answered with a terse, �What?�

�Hello
to you to.� My scowl deepened at
Enrique�s smooth, slightly accented voice.
�At least you�re still alive.
Planning on calling me soon? Or
were you just going to leave me with my pen poised over your estate papers?�

�Quit
whining. I�ve been busy. In fact, I�m still busy, so if you don�t
mind��

�Yes,
I know. It was all over the news on TV
about a sudden explosion in Moscow that destroyed a club known to be a center
for gang activities.� I could picture
Enrique giving me this patronizing raised eyebrow. �Been very busy, I see, firebug.�

I
snarled. �Do not call me that.�

�Yeah,
yeah. Look, since you�re in such a
rotten mood, let me brighten your day by informing you that your jet is waiting
for you whenever you�re ready.�

I
swallowed back a nasty name for him and said instead, �Good. Thank you.�
I said it grudgingly, with as much graciousness as I could muster.

�Hmm�wanna
make it up to me?� He asked, slyly.

�What? You�re salary isn�t enough?� I said sarcastically.

�I
resent that. I do not work and
therefore do not earn a salary.�
He sounded vaguely insulted.

�Get
to the point, Enrique.�

�If
it�s not too much trouble, check your security cameras for your front gate.�

I
walked over to a panel on the wall and booted up the computer, checking over my
security carefully. �What am I looking
for, anyway? Everything�s locked down
and looks fine to�� I spotted the blonde Italian on the screen from one camera
and groaned. �Enrique, what the hell
are you doing here?� I felt Tyson come
up behind me and look over my shoulder then snicker.

�I
was worried. Besides, I�ve been
moldering in Milan with nothing to do.�
He waved at the camera and I saw another familiar face pop up beside
him. �Oliver, too.�

�Fabulous.� I entered the code to let them in. �Get in here, Enrique, before you two are
spotted.�

�Give
us some credit!� Now he was definitely
insulted. �It�s freezing out here,
Phoenix. Let us in, please?�

�I
did. Push the gates open, moron.�

Enrique
did so and called me something not so nice in Italian. I laughed and waited until they were
through, then locked the gates again and shut down the computer.

�It�s
getting to be a regular party around here.�
Tyson commented. I grunted and
headed for the front doors to let Oliver and Enrique in when they arrived. He followed me downstairs.

Rei
was just coming from the direction of the kitchens when we reached the bottom
of the stairs. He had a plate of
sandwiches in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.

�Hey,
guys. What�s up? I figured you two would be fast asleep by
now.�

I
ignored him, being in an extremely pissy mood and not wanting to take it out on
him, and went to the doors to admit the two European bladers that were just
coming up the steps.

�We
have guests.� Tyson explained. Rei looked around him as Enrique and Oliver
walked in, luggage in hand.

Rei
blinked. �Oh. Hi, Enrique! Oliver!�

�Good
evening, Rei.� The French blader
greeted him cheerfully. �Long time, no
speak!�

�It�s
been a while, hasn�t it?�

�You
know where everything is, Enrique.
Rei�ll show you to a couple of rooms.�
I stated shortly and turned on my heel, stalking back upstairs. I heard Tyson apologize and come hurrying
after me.

�Kai��
He began as soon as the bedroom door shut behind us. I shook my head and began undressing, intending to just crawl
into bed and crash, to sleep off my mad.
Tyson, however, had no intention of letting me do so, seeming to
prescribe to that old wisdom about not going to bed angry. �Talk to me, love. I can�t make you feel better if you don�t tell me what�s wrong.�

I
dropped my pile of clothes onto a chair and stared at him. �How can you not know? Telepathy and empathy aside, I would think
you�d have a pretty good idea!
Especially after all that you�ve seen today and all that you�ve found
out about me.�

�Is
this about you killing Boris and Voltaire seven years ago?� He stared back at me in surprise. �Kai, it was self defense � and a long time
in coming, if you ask me. I�d have done
it a lot sooner than what you did, had it been me.� He said fiercely, beginning to take off his own clothes as he
spoke and I sat abruptly on the bed, confused.
�And I don�t like digging around through your head uninvited, I�ll have
you know. I�d much rather you tell me
things yourself and show me that much trust and respect.� Tyson padded over to me in his boxers and
tipped my chin up with a finger. �I can
tell something else is bothering you, though, by instinct. What is it?�

�What
about today, Tyson?� I asked him. �How can you still care about me after what
I did?�

�You
mean the club?� He sighed and sat next
to me on the bed when I nodded slightly.
�Kai�I can�t say I agree with the taking of life � anyone�s life. That�s just the way I am. I also know that sometimes it happens � in
self-defense or in defense of others, as well as reckless killing and
murder. But I know you, my fiery
Phoenix, and I know that you are neither reckless nor a murderer.� He took my hands in his and raised them to
his mouth, placing gentle kisses to my knuckles and making me draw a shuddering
breath or two. �You�re just a man who
does what you have to, Kai, and in this job of yours � this quest � casualties
will happen. I don�t hate you because I
understand that and because I love you.�

�But�you
seemed freaked and ill earlier!� I
protested.

�That
was due to seeing all those bodies in pieces and scattered around the club,
Kai.� He shivered. �I�m not used to that sort of thing and
wasn�t really expecting the carnage when we walked in there. Most people would react the same.�

�I�m
not most people.� I whispered,
withdrawing from him, retreating to my empty mindset in an effort to protect
myself. I felt cold and numb again, and
while it felt wrong to have to be that way with the only person in the world I
had never had to hide from this way, it also was a vast relief to be
emotionless. If I hadn�t been so numb,
I might have flinched at Tyson�s sad, hurt expression.

�Ah. I see.
I�m beginning to understand now.�
He got off the bed and knelt down on the floor in front of me, staring
up into my eyes unflinchingly. �This is
what you�re really afraid I�ll reject you for.
Because you didn�t feel anything?
Because you feel you�ve become a sociopath who can witness carnage �
even perform it � and feel nothing?� He
laid his hands on my knees and gripped.
�Well guess what? You�re not a
sociopath, Kai Hiwatari. You�re just a
man, a rare sort of person who has the ability to separate himself from what�s
going on around him � and that helps to keep you, innocent bystanders, and your
team, safe. It allows you to keep a
clear mind and do what needs to be done, to keep calm in stressful
situations. That�s not a bad thing, my
love. It�s a part of what makes you
such a great leader, why I�ve seen Max, Kenny, and Rei follow you willingly and
with complete trust these last few days.�

�How
can you be so�understanding? So
wise?� I stared at him
incredulously. �Don�t you get it,
Tyson? I don�t feel anything like
this! I experience not one emotion as a
normal human being should! It�s
not�natural!�

�But
that�s where you�re wrong. Everyone has
a place they�ll retreat to where they�ll feel safe. Most never have to use it � and they�re the lucky ones if they
don�t. You have had more than enough
reasons in your life, Kai, to need a safe place.� His hands came up to lie against my cheeks. He stroked lightly with his thumbs and I
just sat there, looking at him. He
frowned a little and I wondered what could possibly be going through his mind
at that moment.

�I
think I just figured out something else, too.�
His vivid, storm blue eyes searched my own burning crimson ones for
something. �This coldness of yours�it�s
what you really have been trying to protect me from, isn�t it? Faking your death and letting me believe you
were dead, the warnings you keep dropping��

�For
all the good it�s done, yes.� I
admitted, voice dull. �I never wanted
you to see me this way, Tyson. And I
never wanted you to have to find your own haven like mine. I knew if you spent any great length of time
around me and/or became an agent you would eventually and I couldn�t bare the
thought of it.�

�So
you hid yourself from me � just as you are right now!� His eyes flashed in anger and I just watched
him and waited for the blow. �I can
understand before. I am not mad about
that any longer. It�s right now that
pisses me off, Kai. If you�ll recall a
recent promise you made, an oath you swore on these�� Tyson held up his inner
wrists to my view and I shifted uncomfortably despite myself � at least I thought
I didn�t feel anything. ��you�ll know
why I�m mad at you now.�

He
was right of course. �What can I
possibly say, Tyson? Everything I do
when it comes to you�I just fuck it up somehow! No matter what my intention was.� I said helplessly.

Tyson
glared at me and stood up abruptly. �Is
that how you feel about us? Our relationship? A fuck up?�

�No! I didn�t mean that!� I protested, burying my face in my hands
again. �See! Now I�ve done it again.
Damn it, Tyson, you�re the very best thing in my life! The light in my darkness! I could never think that about you! I love you.� I whispered the last part.

He
heaved a heavy sigh and sat down on my lap, winding his arms around me and
resting his head on my shoulder. �I
know. I know, Kai.� He hugged me tightly in apology. �Sorry.
You know my temper.�

I
shook my head and buried my face in his hair with a shuddering sigh of my
own. I came out of my emotionless pit
then, deciding it wasn�t worth staying there and causing Tyson more pain. �I�m sorry, too. I get the feeling I�ll be making a lot of apologies now that I�m
with you again.� I felt tears slip down
my cheeks. �I have a lot to be sorry
for.�

Tyson
raised his head and rubbed away the tears as they fell. �No.
I say we put the past behind us, love, and start over again. We�ve both made mistakes and we both know
we�re sorry. We�re learning from our
errors and we�re still together � that�s all that matters, Kai.� He drew my head down a bit and leaned up to
kiss me gently. When he pulled back he
smiled at me. �I love you.�

�I
love you.� I replied huskily, cuddling
him closer. �God! I don�t know what I did to deserve you � I
don�t think I do, really. But I�m
grateful.�

He
chuckled and played with a few strands of my hair idly. �And I say you do deserve me. Actually, I think you deserve better than me,
but I�m not complaining.� He pressed
soft kisses to my neck and shoulder where his head rested with a happy little
sound. �I�ve got you now and I�m not
letting you go. Ever.�

�Same
here.� I nuzzled him back fondly and
yawned suddenly, everything that happened today catching up with me. My head was fuzzy and there was a dull ache
building in my skull between my eyes.
�Let�s get some sleep, love.
I�ve got a headache now.�

�I
don�t blame you. It�s been a stressful
couple of days, Kai.� Tyson pulled away
and crawled up to the head of the bed and slid under the covers while I shut
off the lights. I joined him in bed and
curled into his side. He snuggled into
me in return and gently began rubbing my temples to soothe my headache away.

It
didn�t take me long to fall asleep.

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

I
woke up feeling as if I�d slept for a week.
I guess having the huge weights of my past removed, my darkest secrets
revealed to Tyson and still being with him must have let me get the best sleep
I�ve had in years � or maybe ever.

I
stretched lazily and yawned, looking over at the other side of the bed,
expecting to see my lover sprawled out there next to me. However, the spot was empty. I blinked stupidly a couple times then
rolled out of bed and padded over to the computer panel.

After
booting it up, I yawned again and activated the voice command so I could get
dressed while I made inquires.

�Computer,
what time is it?� I queried as I pulled
on my socks.

//The
current time is 10:23 am.//

�Is
everyone still asleep?� I didn�t really
think so, but I figured I�d ask anyway.
�Who is still in their rooms?�

//Subjects
Enrique, Kenny, and Hilary are in their designated rooms. Subjects Rei, Max, Bryan, and Oliver are in
the kitchens.//

�And
Tyson?�

//Locating�//
There was a pause and I glanced up at the computer with a frown of worry. //Subject Tyson is outside in the
Courtyard.// I gave a sigh of relief.

After
shutting off the computer again when I�d finished dressing, I went downstairs
to the kitchens for my caffeine hit and some breakfast.

�Morning,
sleepy!� Rei teased when I walked
in. I gave him a mild glare and went
straight for the coffeepot. �Where�s
Tyson?�

�Courtyard.� I sipped carefully and sighed as the coffee
slid down into my stomach. �Great
coffee. Who made it?�

Rei
crossed his eyes in annoyance and pointed at the green-haired Frenchman. �He did.
Damn kid practically took over my kitchen this morning. He was already making breakfast at six when
I came down!� Rei complained. I snickered.

�Your
kitchen?� I asked, smiling when he
glared at me and waved a spatula around for emphasis.

�I
got here first, so it�s my kitchen.�

�Whatever.� I glanced at Oliver. �Want a job? I could use someone who knows how to make a great cup of java
like this.�

�Ah�thanks,
but no. I�d be wasted on such an
occupation, Phoenix.� He replied,
graciously.

I
shrugged. �Oh well.�

Rei
shoved a plate of food in front of me and said, �Eat! You haven�t eaten much in the last couple of days and you�re
already too skinny.�

�What
are you? My mother?� I grumbled, but because I was hungry, I dug
in.

Just
as I was finishing, Enrique, Hilary and Kenny came in. I put my dishes in the dishwasher and downed
the last bit of my coffee before making my way to the door.

�Where�re
you going, Phoenix?� Rei inquired
curiously.

�Out
to the Courtyard. It�s time Tyson had
his training.�

I
smiled to myself at the moment of dead silence then the scrambling noises and
scrapping chairs as everyone got up and hurried after me.

I
heard Max say, �This I have to see!� and Enrique reply, �I wouldn�t miss
it. I haven�t seen Phoenix blade in
quite a while.�

�And
I want to see what�s so special about Tyson�s blading skills.� Kenny added, tapping his finger on his
laptop tucked under one arm.

�Don�t
worry, Chief.� It was Bryan who replied
to that, surprisingly. �You�ll get your
chance.�

�And
believe me, you�re in for a surprise.�
Rei agreed.

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

End
Chapters 06 - 10
- 1
- 2
- 3
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Running Scared