gasp An update! Is this even possible? Actually not, this is a hallucination of yours. Still, enjoy.

-Melting Ice-

By: Me

The people on the plane were as quiet as corpses. Sure, a flight from America to Moscow wasn't the shortest one, still he would have thought he'd encounter more life. He'd wanted more talk, arguments, no matter what. Just something he could listen to and be able to forget a little bit about the... current things.

They'd given him a seat at the window and with the lack of entertainment provided on the plane he found himself staring out at the endless blue and creamy white of the clouds, letting his thoughts drift away with the wind.

He tried to focus on more important things.

The weather.

The time.

Dranzer.

A part of him. He'd thrown away a part of him, and deep inside he could feel it missing, feel that big black hole that was swallowing up everything around it. He shouldn't have given Dranzer away, he knew. Everything but not Dranzer.

It's just a piece of plastic, what the hell.

It wasn't. It wasn't only a pice of plastic, he scolded himself. It was the one thing he posessed since he knew himself and he'd given it away without another thought. Just because he had been angry.

Because you couldn't stop yourself.

Because he hadn't been able to keep his emotions under control. Because fury and rage and despair had taken over.

Because everyone is right.

Voltaire had been right. The Abbey. Tyson. They had all spoken the truth. Voltaire had told him endless times that feelings would only hurt. It was what he had learned in the Abbey. It was what facing his team only would have to clarify it even more. Still he hadn't cared. Had shut his eyes and ears, had pretended to ignore.

But... Somewhere there inside all distertation had manifested itself and from time to time – like now – it would surface and it would take a while to dimish again.

He yearned the moment to forget about these thoughts. Moscow was still a few hours away. He was yet closer to the Bladebreakers than to home. To safety. As soon as he would leave the plane, he would leave the captain of the Bladebreakers behind too.

Kai was determined to. He needed to. It was inevitable.

Closing his eyes, yet still imagining to gaze out at the many clouds, sleep embraced him, slow and warm.

When he woke up again the plane had just landed and people didn't wait for the seatbelt signs to turn off, were roaming for their bagagge.

Life had begun again.

Looking out of the window Kai recognized the so familiar snow of Moscow and was glad he had brought a jacket with him. They had trained in the Abbey – well, rather outside the Abbey – to withstand the icy winds of Russia, but Kai wasn't very fond of masochism and preffered to be warm rather than worrying if his toes fell of or not.

What he wished for had happened though. As he reclaimed his own bagagge from above his seat and looked around the people, taking his place in the queque to exit the plane he felt as if it hadn't happened at all. Kai, the leader of the Bladebreakers, though, remained seated, a calm gaze fixed on the window, waiting for things to turn out a better way, to change.

But him, the real Kai, the now Kai, didn't wait anymore as he returned the stewardess' nod. He would take matters into his own hands. He had waited long enough for things to turn out a better way. To change. He knew better than to waste his time staring at the endless sky.

Kai didn't follow the people to the actual baggage claim. Everything he needed, he had. He had himself and a jacket that would protect him from Moscow's coldness. He had everything to push the restart button and try to get a better highscore this time.

...I just wanted to appologize for the whole team...

What was that? Remains of the old game? He needed to delete each and every old gamefile to ensure maximal success in this new round.

...Fuck you Ray...

He knew Moscow's airport, so finding the exit didn't give him a hard time.

It was 3:47pm. Russian time. His timing was perfect, Kai considered as he pulled the jacket sleeve over his watch again. His eyes scanned the crowd of people, the snowy streets in front of the airport, and the taxis that where coming and going.

And then he felt a hand on his shoulder and for the first time in... a long time something similar to a smile formed on Kai's lips.

"It's good to see you again, Tala."

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