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Chapter no. : 11
Chapter title: Soldiering On
Story rating: M
BETAed: Phoenix Seal of Approval (Phoenixandashes)
Disclaimer: Me no own Beyblade. I mean, come on - how stupid are you? If I did own Beyblade, it would contain much swearing, blood, sex and rock'n'roll. And Yaoi. Don't forget the luffly yaoi. But since I don't own it, I have to settle for entertaining you guys with my stories and OCs - which is fine by me.
Warnings: The usual, you know.
Big thanks for reviewing...
The Goddess Azure Thunder
RussiansNekojinlover
shrouded-obsession
Neena14
Notes: Right, I understand this is a major late update and that some have noticed I've only been updating my Zelda story. Without going into much detail, and without being rude, I wish to state that I do have a life outside the 'Net and I do have a lot of shit to deal with as my life quite frankly sucks and writing any form of story is literally hell on Earth for me right now. I do not appreciate it when I am sent rude reviews to my Zelda story and then my apology shoved back in my face. I'm sorry I have not managed to update any BB story recently. I'm sorry for keeping you on the edge of suspense. But I'm not sorry for doing the things I want to do. Of course I won't leave my BB fics - that's unfair on you guys, and this story I will finish, even if it kills me, because I promised a great and loyal friend. If anyone else decides to take the... ah, route that your fellow reader has gone on, I will not be happy. Period.
I hope you enjoy this update. I'm sorry you had to read that rant. Read on in the knowledge that my blood, sweat and tears have gone into this chapter - and if you don't believe me, don't hesitate to ask Phoenix, or Lee-chan. No, go to Lee-chan. She'll set you straight.
Dedication: Caberwolf
The second feeling he became attentive of was water. It bubbled around him, sweeping his hair across his bare skin and soothing his burning skin with ethereal fingers. Opening his eyes slowly, he was met with such a sight; green tinted liquid, swirling around him and movement behind that. It didn't hurt his eyes like it should have done; he barely felt the need to blink.
A breathing mask was strapped to his face, a tube connecting it to an oxygen tank outside what must have been a glass cylinder. He heard the distinct 'clink' of chains rattling when he moved his hands and feet slightly – he was shackled in place – and felt material brush against his fingertips and thighs when they brushed by; whomever had imprisoned him at least had the decency to have him clothed in slacks.
"Hello, Bryan…" murmured a gleeful voice outside the water. "Or, should I say, Project Ragnarok 2.0?"
Boris…
And he was alone.
Opening sunny eyes, he stared almost-sightlessly out the window in front of him as he lay on his side. He looked but didn't compute what he saw; shock still coursed through his veins.
Near midnight or so, he had regained consciousness and scraped himself off the floor. After a trip to the bathroom to clean himself up a bit, he had once again collapsed from exhaustion, this time on his bed, thankfully.
He could hear the rest of the house buzz with life; people pottering around with morning routines, passing by his door whilst having a conversation or training out in the garden.
At various times, there were knocks at his door, mostly from Mariah. He knew she was worried about him and wanted to be the one there for him, but anytime she knocked, he stayed quiet, not reply, not making any indication he was awake.
He could tell it was quite late in the morning now. The scent of breakfast had long dissipated and now, with his keen cat-like senses, could smell lunch being prepared. Usually, Hilary would arrange the second meal of the day about half an hour before midday, so it must have been eleven-thirty or so. But then again, there were more mouths to feed…
There was another knock to his door, but unlike previously, someone stepped in. It wasn't Mariah; her footfalls were soft, as she wasn't exactly heavy, but this person had some weight to throw around.
The springs on his mattress went down as the person perched on the edge of his bed. A hand rested on his arm and rubbed comfortingly; it succeeded – he didn't feel so much alone anymore. Taking in a deep breath, he realised he recognised the scent.
"I know you're awake, Ray," Yelkov murmured, not ceasing in his soothing strokes of the tanned arm. "But you stay here as long as you want; just not forever."
"Will we ever get him back?"
The General sighed. "We will, Ray. I won't rest until he's back where he belongs. But, of course, I'll need your help. And for you to help, you have to get up."
"How's Alana?" He didn't mean to avoid the topic of facing everyone else; he wanted to know how the Russian girl was and if she was better than her breakdown the previous night.
"She's better… I'm guessing you heard what happened last night…"
Ray nodded, eyes still trained on the open window. "What about… the Project?"
"Imp? Alexei's looking after him, still in his designated room. Doesn't feel ready to face the horde of narrow-minded teenagers…" the Hawk murmured, earning a smile from the Tiger. "I don't know how long he'll stay in there… oh, news from the hospital, Spencer's managed to move his fingers, so hopefully, he'll get use of his arm back."
"What about Tala?"
Yelkov looked away. "Still no change."
"Before I start training, I have to see him."
"Ray-"
"I don't care if you don't think it's right," the Chinese lad interrupted, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and rubbing his eyes. He stood and made his way over to the dresser. "I… just need to see him. Five minutes at maximum if I have a time restriction. I just…"
"I understand." After a moment's pause, he spoke up again. "Want me to go with you?"
"Yes… please. I need a friendly face."
"No one's ever said my face is friendly."
"In a bird-like way."
"I take that as a high compliment, Ray. Thank you." With a chuckle, the man stood walked over to the door. "If anyone asks me, you aren't awake."
"…Thanks…"
Moving gracefully up to the bed, Ray reached out and brushed a few strands of crimson away from the too-pale forehead, half of which was hidden under thick bandaging, along with his right eye and cheek.
"He still has that air that demands respect, even when out-of-it, doesn't he?" Yelkov murmured, standing by the window.
"Yeah…" Ray shook his head. "I can't believe that… Garland could do this, on orders of Boris and yet everyone who saw it still sides with BEGA… when everyone saw Bryan beat me to near death…"
"They hated him straight away and still hold the resentment two years later," the General finished. "The crowd's just too hyped up about being able to be called a 'professional' easily and so sides with Boris, even though an idol is hurt in the process; still, Tala stood up against something these children think as the best thing nowadays so…"
"If that were all, I'd be seriously thinking of going over, but… they've nearly killed Tala, put Spencer out of action – possibly for life – and taken Bryan…" He shook his head.
"Things'll turn right soon, Ray… Fate always finds a way of rewarding the righteous."
The neko-jin nodded and perched on the side of the bed, much like Yelkov had done that morning. He sighed, and listened to the gentle hiss of the oxygen tank and rhythmic beep of the heart monitor, along with a steady drop of liquid from the drip attached to the redhead's arm that only the Tiger's keen ears could hear.
"I guess you must be some kind of medium, Tal…" the Chinese lad murmured, continuously stroking the porcelain cheek. Yelkov turned to the black-haired youth, frowning curiously. "Remember after that night, you had a nightmare? You said that Boris came back and… Kai left you to go back to Boris… and Bryan… B-Bryan was k-killed. I r-really hope the last p-part isn't true… but how can I be certain now when Alana couldn't find him and the first two parts of your d-dream came true…"
"Hey, now son," the Hawk murmured, striding over and wrapping an arm around the shaking shoulders. "Bryan is still alive. I can feel it. Trust me, Ray; I can feel he's alive. Boris will once again crawl away to the rock he was born under and Kai will come back. Have faith, Ray… have faith…"
The Tiger sighed. "I compared his nightmares to Armageddon when contrasting his and mine… and now I find out about Project Ragnarok and…"
"Coincidence," the General whispered.
"I hope so… God, I hope so…"
But upon arriving back at the Granger dojo, they found the inhabitants were in chaos. The girls (minus Hilary, the brunette having been cast out of the female group due to not being a blader) were gossiping madly about a topic Ray couldn't pick out and half of the males were outside watching the commotion inside, which consisted of the rest of the males. They were either watching or trying to calm Daichi and Alexei down, who were the causes of the uproar.
Correction – Daichi was the cause of the hubbub.
Whomever was the cause, they were the centre of the argument. Tyson was stood between the two, the midget trying to dodge around the Dragon, shouting obscenities, whilst the Otter stood calmly and coolly, black orbs stone cold as he replied steadily to accusations and the ilk.
Resisting the urge to fire a bullet in the air to shut everyone up (which is what he usually did), Yelkov marched right up to Daichi and hauled him up, motioning for Tyson to step away.
"Now then, now then, now, now, then, now then, then now, now… now then. What's going on here?" The General barked.
"General, even though I gave expressed orders for no one to enter my quarters, that little…" Ray knew Alexei was trying to retain some decorum in front of his general and not say any rude words. "Brat crept in. Not only did he disobey my orders-"
"Who's he to order me around?" Daichi demanded. "And put me down!"
"He is Second Lieutenant [last name, meaning he is of higher station of you, giving him the right to give out orders which I have given express permission to and the right to be treated with respect, kid," the Hawk growled out. "Carry on, Lieutenant."
"Not only did he disobey orders, but he upset my charge."
Yelkov frowned. "How?"
"I didn't catch it all – I was talking to Corporal Muzane outside for a progress report when he snuck in – and because he was screaming so much, but I most definitely heard the word 'corpse' thrown around a lot."
"You," the black-eyed man prodded the midget's nose, "will be a corpse yourself if I ever hear of you flouting any rules of mine again; that applies to everyone else too. Now scram." He set the redhead back on the floor, watching in satisfaction as the large room emptied, the bladers filing outside.
Ray, too, left, moving silently out of the room to his own. He just wanted a lie down, perhaps a little nap, before he would whip the others into training – he would be damned if he let them rely on mere luck in the tournament.
He froze. There at the end of the corridor was… a ghost? Possibly…
This… ghost… her long grey hair fell down to mid-back and short bangs covered the whole of her left eye and cheek, one sole red orb blinking at him, emotionlessly, what looked like black bruising around her eye. White garbed the spectre's thin body, the collar of the large sweater slipping off one shoulder, the sleeves and trouser-ends swamping her hands and feet.
"Hello?" He asked.
The ghost-like being simply turned around and walked through the open doorway, the door closing behind her silently. The Tiger stayed still, eyes still wide in shock; he could still see the black-ringed eye staring soullessly in his mind. Lifting a hand to his chest, he tried to calm his thudding heart, only succeeding in the slightest.
"Ray?"
Looking behind him, he saw Alana peeking out of her room, a frown slashing her usually-smooth brow, still-red hair tumbling from her head.
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I think I just did…"
She gestured for him to come in and he did, closing her door behind him. She sat on her bed, back against the headboard and a pillow clutched to her chest in a manner he had seen her do a million times before; was it a comfort thing? He didn't know.
"Did this 'ghost' have grey hair and red eyes?"
"Red eye, singular, yes."
"Oh, he's not a ghost."
Ray sat on the bed. "He sure seemed-" He paused. "Hold on, 'he'?"
"Yes, 'he'," the Russian replied with a smile. "Though I don't blame you for mistaking him for a female; I did that too when I first met him months back."
"So, I'm guessing he's Project Ragnarok," the neko-jin surmised. "When Yelkov and I got back, Alexei and Daichi were having an argument; apparently, Daichi got into his room and found a 'corpse' or something, then Alexei told Yelkov that 'his charge' was upset…"
Alana sighed. "He may seem like a corpse but when Imp gets enough confidence to go outside and meet everyone, damn that little midget's gonna get it… Ian-style."
"I'm guessing that's bad."
"You're telling me. Those two, I bet, would get on like a house on fire; if it were set on fire with explosives, that is…" She leant forward. "Listen, Ray. Lex and I aren't going to be staying here for long. As much as I hate to leave, we have to. The Majestics are having trouble with the BEGA bases in Europe and, with Yelkov being the Jurgen's family friend, they've enlisted my unit's help, so… do you think you could help him?"
"Sure," Ray replied quietly with a nod.
"Tell me something…"
"Hm?"
"When Alexei was arguing with Daichi and then talking to Yelkov, what was he like?"
"Uhm… not Alexei-like." Upon receiving a quirked eyebrow, Ray shrugged. "You know how his eyes are usually soft and he's all relaxed and childish? The complete opposite. He was so… adult and intense. Looked like a real soldier."
Alana sighed, albeit happily. "My little Otter's growing up…"
"Alana? If you were Boris' secretary, who was Alexei?"
"What?" The question caught her off-guard. "Oh, he was Head of Security. Boris, however, doesn't know Lex was undercover, even now. The Head of Security was unfortunately killed when Imp was taken."
"How was he?"
"How was Head of Security killed or how was Imp taken?"
"This Imp being taken."
"Oh… lots of explosions and flashing lights and all that jazz, y'know? Distractions. Lex and half my regiment did the distractions, as they were undercover too. The rest of the squad and I then proceeded to… escort Imp out of the building."
"Why Imp?"
"Why do you ask vague questions?"
Ray shook his head. "Sorry… this is all just a big blow. I mean, I'm losing everyone and gaining someone I know nothing about."
"Ray," the Russian soothed, smiling sympathetically. "I know how you feel in the former. But it's not for long. Everyone will come back."
"Yeah…" But the Tiger wasn't so confident as she was. "What I meant was why call him Imp?"
The now-redhead shrugged. "Even on his records he doesn't have a real name. No mention of a name whatsoever, apart from 'Project Ragnarok'. And when Lex and I befriended him in these past months, we needed to show we meant to stay by him and care for him – so a name was needed, of course. 'Ragnarok' was out of the question; too reminding of his fate. Lex came up with 'Imp' because of his impish nature."
"Doesn't he remember?"
"No. No memory whatsoever of his past, family, likes, dislikes… but can you blame him? He's been tortured and put through so much shit that his mind's blocked various memories out to save him from further hurt. Memory block doesn't last forever, so he'll get his life back with a bit of therapy."
The neko-jin nodded thoughtfully.
"Ray, I know how you feel about everything being fucked up. I'm so frustrated I want to scream till my lungs burst and kick the shit outta anyone in my way, company excluded naturally. And now that I hear that I'm being carted off to Europe when my brother is in danger…" She held the pillow to her face and screamed; to Ray, with his senses, she might have well shrieked aloud. "I just…" She then nuzzled the pillow, sniffing back tears. "I may have lived on the streets most of my life, I may have lost everyone dear to me – some nearly, some actually – and I may be an army-girl, but damnit, how much more can I take? I can't just turn off feelings, y'know?"
"Alana, sometimes, you have to lump it," he murmured in reply, looking down at his feet dangling off the bed. "I mean, you're going to destroy Europe's BEGA bases, and once we've got rid of BEGA here, Boris will finally go down, meaning Bryan will finally be safe and free."
She nodded, sniffling. "But, back to Imp…"
The Chinese lad nodded; such talks of Bryan and BEGA were bringing them both down when the times were not needing it.
"He, uh, doesn't sleep. Plain and simple. It's not a case of give him cold medicine on purpose to make him feel drowsy, give him warm milk and sing him a lullaby – because believe me, I've tried it. Imp just… people don't know the true meaning of 'insomniac' until they've met him. I think it's to do with the spirit inside him… but he's a snuggle-whore; he'll cuddle up to you in the night and, believe me, it's like he can inflict his body's lethargy onto you, so you sleep like a… well, like a cat. And if you see him meditating or with his eyes closed, leave him; he – as well as being the true meaning of 'insomniac' – really does rest his eyes; body too, as much as he can."
"So that explains the dark circles…"
"Yeah… and he's conscious about his left eye… that was inflicted by one of Boris' head scientists. Slashed right across it. Don't ask how the guy managed it, but five lines that destroyed the hair follicles in his eyebrow and eyelashes, and totally blinded him in that eye, leaving it milky-white with matching red lines marring it…" She shuddered. "Horror film material. That's why he has his hair over it – he's so self-conscious about it, so don't, like, brush it away or anything, y'know?"
"I'll need to write all these points down."
"I have already."
"…You really are scarily maternal…"
She snickered.
"What else do I need to know, oh Mother-Alana?"
Alana paused, mulling thoughts over. "Just keep an eye on him, pardon the pun. He may sound like a timid guy, but when he gains his confidence… Jesus… Tyson won't know what's hit him…"
"Surely that's a good thing…"
"…But that's not the point." Alana cleared her throat to distract her from thoughts of a terrorised Dragon. "Yelkov and his men will be at here constantly, so any help needed, go to him and he can get a message to me."
"These words remind me of when I babysat Mrs Chun's toddler…"
"Well, this is 'babysitting' a possessed teenager – big…"
"Big what?"
"Eh, I was about to say, 'big difference', but now that I think about it…"
"Charming."
She nodded smugly.
"When do you leave?"
That dampened her spirits.
"Tomorrow…"
He leaned forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Bryan will be with you – in here." He placed a hand on his own chest. "In your heart."
"Just as long as he's not up here." She gestured to her head. "Because, one: that will distract me from my job; and two: it will mean I've become schizophrenic."
Ray chuckled.
"Come on, I guess you should get to meet the subject of our conversation."
"Yeah…" The Tiger, however paused. "Could you give me a moment, though? Just want to… think things over…"
She nodded, standing up. "Sure. I need a minute too – to talk to Imp."
And she walked out, through the door, shutting the door behind her near-silently. Ray slumped in posture and ran a hand through his hair, expression grim. Every time his Falcon's name was mentioned or was near to being mentioned (being purposely left on the tip of the tongue, but both knowing what they were going to say), a jolt ran through his body, unsettling him quite a lot.
These jolts were full of emotion; sadness, fear, panic, worry, grief…
He needed time to compose before he came face-to-face with Ragnarok and then, training.
"Mm…" Ray murmured. "That's a nice way to wake up…"
He heard Bryan chuckle above him. "Ray, come on. Or I'm leaving without saying goodbye."
"I never would have thought you'd say something like that…" Ray whispered.
"Well I did." Bryan smirked. "Just don't expect me to say it around others."
"I won't. Your love is only for me." Ray laughed. "How mushy are we?"
"Very."
A kiss.
"-and always will-"
Another kiss.
"-I won't ever forget you-"
And another.
"-But I'll see you soon, I know." He stared into silver eyes. "I'll miss you."
"I never would have guessed."
"Bastard."
"Love you too."
He was suddenly pulled up and slammed against the wall beside the window.
"Look at me."
His eyes shot open and his breath caught in his throat. "Bry…"
"Ya Tebya Lyublyu…"
"So how're you going to manage that?" Bryan asked, pressing his nose against the younger's. "Handcuff me to the bed?"
"Now that's a point."
The elder smirked. "Kinky."
"I will stay by you - past death."
Amber eyes widened and he placed a slender finger on the Russian's lips. "You shouldn't tempt fate…"
"Sh, Kitten. I'm willing to take that chance. I love you more than anything. And no one can keep us apart…"
"…Boris came back and… Kai left me to go back to Boris… Bryan was killed and you…" A shiver wracked his frame.
"And me?"
"You were the only thing I had left, but even then… you couldn't live without Bry and you…" He trailed off, but Ray didn't need him to finish; he knew was Tala was trying to say.
"It was a nightmare, Tal," The amber-eyed one reminded the blue-orbed lad, soothingly massaging the elder's scalp. "It's not real."
But it was real. Boris was back, Kai was gone, Bryan could be dead and Ray was deliberating suicide if things got worse…
Ray felt a twinge in his heart at the redhead's wobbling tone. He himself hated nightmares; thinking about it now, the Russian's nightmares probably were Armageddon compared to his own, due to horrible, unspoken memories…
Armageddon, Ragnarok, Doomsday, Judgement Day - they all meant the end of the world. It was inevitable, Ray knew. The world would one day go belly-up and everyone would go with it, no matter how much they struggled to stay on their feet.
Sighing for what seemed like the millionth time, he stood and walked out the open doorway. Through the door at the end of the dim corridor, he heard the sounds of beyblades crashing against each other and battle cries; they had started training finally, Ray thought with a smile.
He turned, however, and moved to the opposite end of the hallway, walking away from the sounds of the beybattles and towards silence. Reaching the end door, he hesitantly knocked, his fist hitting the wood gently.
"Come in." Alana's voice echoed through the door.
He did so, stepping into the room carefully. He spotted the Russian girl sat in a chair in the corner of the tidy room and moved over to her, after shutting the door quietly. The only mess was that of the extremely rumpled duvet cover, that was haphazardly thrown onto the bed, the pillow near to slipping off the mattress.
"Imp," Alana called, looking at the lump of covers. "This is Ray – you've seen him before, yeah?"
It was at that point when the neko-jin noticed a sparkle of red peeking out from the darkness of underneath the bedding. He knew it was an eye from the moment it disappeared, then reappeared a second later – a blink.
"You coming out, or you going to be shy?"
"I'm not shy," a smooth voice replied, muffled obviously by the covers. "But why should I come out for him? I'm quite happy under here."
The redheaded girl glanced up at the Tiger. "See what I mean? Like babysitting a spoilt brat."
"I resent that."
"Then come out."
"Bite me."
"I would, if you would come out."
"Then I obviously won't appear."
"Imp…" Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"Lana…" came the mocking answer. "Okay, I tell you what – if you answer this question to my standard, I'll come out."
"Why, Imp?"
"Not you. Ray." There was clear amusement in his voice. "If I'm being babysat by him, I'd at least like someone with more than a family brain cell."
There was a very long pause. The Russian girl had a constant frown adorning her features, her eyebrow twitching occasionally in irritation.
"Fine," Ray said, crossing his arms over his chest. "What's your question?"
"What do you think of the end of time?"
There was a lengthy pause again.
"There are many theories," he continued. "Christians and Jews speak of angels and four horsemen, depicting an anti-Christ, war, famine and death, calling it the Apocalypse and Judgement Day, where their God decides who is righteous. The Norse folk spoke of giants and gods fighting. Politicians talk of genocide and nuclear war destroying the Human Race, yet scientists warn us of the sun dying and killing our beloved planet with heat, or the reversal of the Big Bang where we are all squashed to a size smaller than a single atom." Imp paused. "What do you believe?"
"I never really thought about it," Ray began, nonchalant. "But I certainly didn't see a power-crazed maniac being our demise. Therefore, he won't be. I don't know what to believe because no one can predict the future – no matter how hard we try."
When he received no reply, Alana metaphorically stepped in. "Is that to your standard? …Imp?"
The Tiger felt fingers brush against his shoulder and he whirled around, finding no one behind him. Both he and Alana frowned, but for different reasons; the Chinese lad in confusion, the Russian in dislike.
"Imp, don't do this. Don't freak him out like this."
"So what will you do to avert our end at the hands of a power-crazed maniac?" Imp asked, obviously ignoring the redheaded girl; it was impossible for even Ray to pinpoint his exact position in the room.
"I'll beat him at his own game."
"And if you fail?"
"I won't. I'll keep fighting 'til I win."
"But what of your love?" There was a long pause. Amber eyes widened.
"Imp, don't play this game," Alana growled threateningly. "Act civilised for once."
"If I lose him… then I'll kill myself…" the neko-jin murmured.
Out from the shadows of the far wall, the possessed boy emerged. His crimson orbs were wide, glittering with extreme uncertainty and chaos, and his brow twitched as he fought to express an emotion, but not finding one to communicate. He chewed uncertainly on the inside of his lip.
"You'd…" He broke off. "Die for the one you love? I… but… I thought such emotions were to be found in stories… fiction… fables… they can't be… true… can they? Alana?"
The Russian girl stood, maternal side taking over. "Imp, shush…" she soothed, pulling the child-like boy against her chest and rubbing his back softly. "Don't worry about it, okay?"
But Imp pushed her away, shaking his head and disappearing into the shadow of the wall. Alana stepped forward and reached out into the darkness, but was met only with the wooden wall. She cursed, biting the inside of her lip in annoyance.
"Well, that went well," she commented.
"I can't tell whether you're being sarcastic or truthful."
She turned to Ray. "Neither can I, Ray… come on, I'll get Lex to come look over him. I need food, and you probably do too, seeing as you didn't have any breakfast." She followed the Tiger to the door, but just before she walked out, she turned around. "Imp? I'll get Lex to bring you some food, okay?"
There was no answer.
She closed the door silently, glancing at Ray for a moment, before walking off down the corridor, the neko-jin trailing behind her. They stayed quiet, even as they passed the bladers in the main room and into the kitchen, where Hilary was literally slaving at the cooker.
"Hey, Hil," the Tiger greeted.
"Oh my God!" the brunette cried, suddenly turning around and leaping at the Chinese lad. "You're the first person to talk to me all day!"
"Er… yeah… really?"
Hilary nodded swiftly, letting go of Ray and stepping back, returning swiftly to her cooking.
"How are you Ray? You didn't come to breakfast…"
"I'm okay," he replied, seating himself on one of the high stools beside the breakfast bar. "I went to see Tala."
"Is he-?"
"No. No, he's not awake yet."
Hilary sighed. "I'm sorry- Jesus!"
Both Alana and Ray glanced at each other in surprise as the brunette jumped nearly a foot in the air, maroon orbs scanning the counter in front of her frantically.
"Hil?"
"What's wrong?"
"I… I swear there were six chicken breasts on that tray…" the Japanese girl muttered. "I… swear… But now there's only four… there were six, weren't there? Weren't there!"
"Hilary," Alana soothed, stepping up to the brunette and guiding her away from the stove. "Why don't we go outside, yeah? Ray can cook for a while. You'll make yourself sick if you stay in here any longer. Right, Ray?"
The Tiger nodded. "Yeah, you go rest, Hils."
Hilary nodded slowly, brow still creased in confusion, but allowed herself to be led out of the warm kitchen by the Russian. The Chinese lad turned to the chicken on the baking tray and placed them onto the chopping board, beginning to cut the meat up into rough pieces for the soup which-
"But why?"
It was a good thing that Ray had put the knife down to pick up the chicken slices to put into a bowl, or he would have thrown the blade somewhere in shock – who knows where it would have lodged? No one ever snuck up on him. No one except for… Bryan…
He turned sharply. "I-Imp?"
The shadowy boy ignored the stuttered exclamation of his name. He just stared straight at the neko-jinn with that single crimson orb from his perch on the countertop by the breakfast bar.
"I… still don't understand."
"Imp, you shouldn't be here. Lex will be worried," Ray chided softly.
"Tell me," the silver-haired boy demanded, his pale lips set in a thin line. "I… I don't understand why."
"Why what?"
"Why… why you'd end your time in this realm just because someone else had gone… why?"
"Imp, it's…" Ray sighed. "It's hard to understand unless you experience it for yourself. Now, you should go back to your room, before someone comes in here and-"
"No!" The younger's tone was not of anger, but of distress and sadness. A single bloody tear rolled down a porcelain cheek and the Tiger flinched, grabbing a paper towel and rushing to him, wiping the droplet of blood away with shock. "Why?"
"Imp… you don't need to understand something to accept it. These types of things happen – well, not all the time. It's not everyday your boyfriend gets kidnapped and could be dead, but…"
"He's lucky to have you…" Imp murmured, voice soft and soothing; so silky that Ray felt a wave of ease flow through his veins.
The Chinese lad shook his head. "He's not. We were made for each other. I'm the Yin, he's the Yang – we complete each other."
"Then… I will help you get him back – no matter what it takes. Senka too."
"Senka?"
Imp tapped his temple with a twinkling smile. It was the first smile Ray had seen the young boy crack and it amazed the elder how the blood-coloured orbs glimmered, compared with how dead and blank they were beforehand. Ray settled comfortably on the thought that he liked seeing Imp smile.
"And I accept your help, Imp."
"I think we will get along quite nicely, Ray Kon."
