A/N: I suck. That's all there is to it. x.x I hope I still have some readers left.

Change the World
Chapter V
The Hunt Begins

Kai slowly walked down the stairs, his weight resting heavily on the banister. What was he thinking, just saying that he loved him like that? What horrible timing. He still had to give Rei his dinner later, meaning he would have to confront the injured boy. Different versions of rejection went through his mind, though one scenario had somehow managed to place Rei returning his feelings. Kai tried to focus on that one, but it slipped away the more he grasped for it.

He shook his head angrily, wild slate bangs blocking his line of vision as he looked down at the stair steps. It was best that he had confessed then. Kai knew bad things were to come their way, so Rei had to know the captain's honest feelings. Just in case... No, he refused to think of any harm coming to the younger boy. He would protect him.

"Yes... I'll protect him." he mumbled aloud, without realizing.

Suddenly, Kai's thoughts became comprehensible once again, and he remembered for the first time that day that he had other teammates who were currently likely in the middle of town. There was a possibility Takao, Max, and Kyouju were in as much danger as he and Rei, and honestly, that scared him. The captain had no way to contact the other three, unless he were to walk into town and retrieve them himself. But then, he couldn't leave Rei alone in the mansion.

Kai growled in frustration, childishly stomping the rest of the way down the staircase, unsure of what to do. He didn't even have an idea of what to make for dinner. Damn it all.

.x.

Rei gaped at the closed door for several moments, his mind in reverse. He must of heard wrong. There was no way Kai actually said that he loved him. Or maybe he did. It wasn't totally impossible, was it? Contrary to what Takao claimed, Kai did have feelings, including the ability to love. He was just saving his affection for someone special! Or at least, that's what Rei found himself believing. Maybe he could be that someone special...

The nekojin's fish face soon turned into a lovesick smile. There may be hope for his crush after all.

The injured teenager carefully swung his legs over the edge of the bed, intent on chasing Kai down. As he stood up, however, the room began spinning and he lost his footing, falling back into the embrace of the bed. Maybe he would nap a little more, then share his feelings afterward.

.x.

Takao, Max, and Kyouju entered the front doors of the mansion, still chatting amiably with each other, arms full of various bags that contained the fruits of their day out. They were quickly interrupted by Kai uncharacteristically rushing out of the kitchen, actually looking relieved to see them.

"Did anything happen?" he asked them seriously.

"Like what?" Takao questioned.

"Anything unusual."

All three of them exchanged a look, then collectively shook their heads. Kai visibly relaxed back into his usual demeanor, going back into the kitchen without any further explanations. His teammates curiously followed him, placing their purchases on the dining table to retrieve later on as they went.

"Why? Did something happen here?" Max asked, worry evident in his eyes.

Kai was silent for a moment, thinking of how he should phrase his news and suspicions so it wouldn't cause an uproar. He gave up when he realized that they wouldn't take it well any way he told them, and summarized the events that had taken place while three of their number were out shopping: his decision to go for a walk—never mind the reason—Rei following—still don't need to know the reason—the helicopter; the fight; Rei's fresh hurt and current state in his room.

When he was finished, Takao, Max, and Kyouju were fairly shaken up. It didn't help, he supposed, that he recounted the events without much emotion; that tends to stir things up with overreactive listeners such as they were.

Kai knew that when their mouths worked again they would ask why, so he went ahead and told them his deductions. "I doubt my grandfather has changed his reasons for wanting me, so it's likely he's still on a taking-over-the-world kick, but considering that the men that attacked us split up evenly like they did tells me that he—or possibly someone else—wants Rei as well, but I have no idea for what."

"Is Rei all right?" Max was the first to recover. Kai nodded, returning to preparing the chicken he decided Rei would like for dinner; cats liked birds, right?

"What are we going to do? We have to protect you guys somehow."

"How can we protect them, Takao?" the blond asked, looking at him with furrowed brows.

"Aizawa-san may be able to help." Kyouju suggested. Everyone looked at him then, causing him to shrug and mumble that it was only a suggestion.

"I'd rather we go to Daitenji-san instead of our gracious host," Kai said, lacing sarcasm into every syllable of the last two words. "Something seems off about that guy."

"Rei thinks so, too." Kyouju conceded.

The four of them remained silent for a good few minutes, musing to themselves. Their best bet would be to get a hold of Daitenji-san; maybe he could have them moved to a different location, or at the very least get their beyblades back, which would provide them with another way to defend themselves.

The captain informed them that they had better get out of the kitchen if they wanted dinner any time soon, as he was getting uncomfortable, to which they obeyed and left the room.

"I'm gonna go check on Rei." Max said quietly, while rooting through their bags to find the things they had bought for their nekojin friend.

"I'll go see if I can contact Daitenji-san." Kyouju said, at which Max and Takao nodded in agreement.

Max started up the stairs, Takao following him, the sudden seriousness of their newfound situation weighing heavily upon the both of them and dampening the cheer they had brought home. Things were getting very scary for all of them, and it seemed nobody could offer any answers, which was probably the scariest thing of all—unanswered questions.

Takao knocked lightly on Rei's bedroom door to save Max the trouble of shifting the items in his arms. A muffled sound of some kind came from within, and Takao took that as a "come in", opening the door and holding it open for his boyfriend to go in first.

Rei was laying on his side, facing the door, eyes closed while his arms were wrapped around his stomach, his blankets pooled in a tangled mess at the bottom of the bed, some partially sliding onto the floor.

"Rei? Are you okay?" Max asked, eyebrows knitted in worry as he gently placed the gifts at the end of the bed, then kneeling down beside it so he was eye-level with Rei's face. He felt Takao come up behind him, keeping a bit of unsure distance in case he should run for Kai.

"I'm fine," the nekojin said, voice heavy with sleep. His eyes fluttered open for a moment, but they were unaccustomed to the light, making him blink rapidly and squint. "How did your shopping go?"

"You don't have to pretend nothing is going on, Rei; Kai told us, and I won't believe you if you say you're not as scared as we are."

Rei seemed to focus only on being able to see, not replying to Max right away. "... Yeah, I am scared." he whispered finally.

Max automatically wrapped his arms around his friend as gently as he could, staying away from his abdomen, holding him comfortingly. Takao fidgeted slightly.

"Chief is trying to get a hold of Daitenji-san to see if he can get us moved somewhere else, or maybe go back to Japan altogether." the blond explained quietly, attempting to ease the raven-haired's worries as well as his own.

The painful silence descended again, no one moving or speaking. Takao, desperate to break it, went through the small pile Max had placed on Rei's bed.

"Hey, Rei, look what we got ya!" the bluenet said cheerily, placing the sweets Max had picked out on the bedside table. "You said you wanted something sweet, so here's some candy and things; oh, and we saw this and thought you might like it!" He picked up the remaining item and held it out to Rei.

Max pulled away so the nekojin could get a clear look at it: it was a plush toy of a white tiger cub pouncing on a little red bird that, despite the situation, was smiling at the tiger. Immediately a smile came to Rei's face, alighting his features, and he took it from Takao. He had picked up the hidden meaning behind the animal combination right away, recognizing himself as the tiger and Kai the bird. It was also made of a soft, fuzzy material.

"You guys got this for me?" he asked, looking from the stuffed animal couple to his friends.

Takao grinned, glad to see Rei smile, and Max nodded happily.

"It's cute, huh?"

"You didn't have to do that," he said, petting the plush tiger's head. "But I'm happy you did." he laughed.

"I'm glad you like it." Max said.

Rei continued to admire his gift for a few moments, his spirits obviously lifted, which in turn lifted Takao and Max's. Encouraged by the atmosphere, the Dragoon 'blader soon launched into telling the nekojin about their excursion, exaggerating everything as was his style, making boring things amusing. Takao didn't do well with serious situations, and so he was relieved by the lightened mood and determined to make it last.

Rei's attention suddenly shifted from Takao's tale to the doorway, where Kai had appeared, holding two plates. Max looked behind him to see what Rei was looking at, and Takao, realizing he had lost his audience, did as well.

"Your food's downstairs, go eat it." Kai stated simply, not-so-subtly telling them to get out.

"Why do we have to leave?" Takao asked indignantly. "I wanna stay with Rei."

Max looked between the nekojin and the captain and sensed an usual air that told him they needed to be alone. "Takao, don't be stubborn. Besides, I want to see if Kyouju got anything." He took hold of his boyfriend's hand and began walking to the door, attempting to pull him along.

Takao eventually went with him, though he mumbled about being bossed around and having no one on his side all the way.

After the click of the door closing, the room became unbearably quiet. Kai walked over and gave Rei his plate of dinner, then sat on the end of the bed, not taking his eyes off of his own plate. He clearly looked uncomfortable, and Rei couldn't help but think of it as cute. A small smile found its way to the nekojin's lips as he watched his captain's stiff posture. He never realized how fun being sadistic was; Kai had admitted feelings for Rei and was obviously awaiting a response that he likely expected to be negative, while Rei was overflowing with happiness on the inside and prolonging Kai's uncertainty; it was admittedly rather enjoyable.

Rei decided it was time to end Kai's worries, however, and whispered, "I love you, too."

Kai's head shot up and he looked skeptically at Rei for a moment, then shyly back to his plate. "Really?"

Rei couldn't help the chuckle that escaped. "Yes, really! For a really long time." he added quietly.

"So, then... What now?"

The nekojin thought for a moment, then grinned and said, "Kai, will you go out with me?"

Kai looked incredulously at Rei, then grinned. "Sure."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, occasionally stealing looks at one another. Rei had never seen Kai look so openly happy before, and it made his stomach flutter when he realized he would finally get his dream of being able to see every side of Kai, including the many ones that nobody else ever would. If it was the attack on them that caused Kai's boldness, then Rei wouldn't have that day any other way, even if he was in more physical pain for it; at least he was emotionally happy.

"This is good," Rei said, after swallowing a piece of chicken. "I should get hurt more often, just so you have to cook."

Kai gave him a slight glare, indicating he didn't find the comment very amusing.

They finished eating without any other interruptions, and Kai set the empty plates on the bedside table to be taken downstairs later. He reseated himself on the bed, this time closer to Rei than he had been before, and looked seriously at him.

"You have to tell me the truth, Rei. What really happened? How were you hurt?"

Rei fidgeted, pulling his legs as close to his chest as he could without hurting his stomach, wrapping his arms around himself in an unconscious protective manner Kai had noticed Rei did when he felt vulnerable.

"That guy punched me in the stomach a couple times, right where the gash is."

Kai knew Rei understood what he asked of him, but was playing dumb to avoid it. "You know that's not what I meant. How did you get the gash in the first place? I know you're not that careless."

Rei bowed his head so that his hair covered his face, obviously refusing to answer and not wanting to meet Kai's eyes.

"Rei! Tell me." Kai was getting frustrated, and Rei shaking his head "no" wasn't helping. He placed a hand on one of the ebony-haired boy's shoulders, then used the other to make Rei look at him. He was surprised to see the honey eyes shining with unshed tears.

"It said it'd kill everyone if I told." Rei whispered, obviously scared.

It?, Kai thought. That meant Rei had been attacked as he suspected. "It was a bluff, Rei. Think about it: how would it know? It's not here. We're all safe."

Rei shook his head, pulling away from Kai. "You didn't see it... It wasn't even human. It can probably hear me right now, so I've already put you and the team in danger!"

"If it has, then no more harm could come from telling me the whole story, right? Besides, if it really does pose a threat, you know I won't go down easy, and I'll protect you and the team."

Rei stared into Kai's red-brown eyes for the longest time, arguing with himself in his mind. He sighed and looked down, giving up; of course Kai was right, and needed to know. He should have told him sooner. Rei hesitantly recounted his run-in with the unearthly creature and its giant scythe that bit into his abdomen, leaving him unconscious for Kai to find.

Kai was stunned by the story, expecting almost anything but what Rei had just told him. The familiar silence descended, each drawn into their own thoughts. Kai was reexamining everything the nekojin had told him, from the creature's size and species, to his weapon and glow. His eyes widened as he thought of something.

He looked at Rei. "Do you think it could have been a bit beast?"

Rei looked at him with curious golden eyes. "A bit beast? I don't know, I never thought of that."

"It's possible that's what it was. I mean, all the clues are there. It's probably working for someone, which means we're probably in more trouble than I originally thought..." Kai ran a nervous hand through his hair. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible. Let's go see if Kyouju got anything."

Rei nodded.

.x.

"Yuriy, Boris, Ivan, Sergei—You're being sent on a mission." Souitirou called the NeoBorgs to attention. "You're being sent to Hisato's mansion, where the BBA Revolution currently reside, and you must capture and bring back Kai and Rei—"

"—Safely! Do not harm Rei, or I will have your heads!"

"Yes, safely," He gave Hisato a withering look, daring him to interrupt again. "It doesn't matter what happens to the others, they are of no use to us."

"May I ask the reason, sir?" the red-haired one ventured.

"No, Yuriy, you may not. It's of no concern to you."

"Yes, sir. I apologize." Yuriy bowed in respect, no expression on his face, but his insides were squirming.

He hated this company—they all did—hated being forced to go against his once-best friend, but it wasn't easy to leave Biovolt. They all thought, for a time, that after Borcloff was let go that they would be set free, but of course things could never be that easy. The NeoBorgs were forced to continue on, doing the boss's dirty work along with the others held captive.

"Now, go, and do not come back empty-handed."

A collective, "Yes, sir" from team NeoBorg and they each bowed, then left the building to the van awaiting them.

.x.

Rei was a little shaky on his feet, but Kai helped support him until he could sit down. The BBA Revolution had grouped together in the living room, Takao, Max, and Kyouju beside each other on one of the couches, while Kai and Rei sat in the nearby plush chairs.

Everyone automatically looked at Kyouju. He sighed before speaking. "I did manage to contact Daitenji-san, but he was called out of town on some business in another city, and the soonest he can get back is tomorrow."

"A lot can happen between now and tomorrow." Rei said quietly.

"That's true," Max said with a frown. "What should we do in the meantime?"

"We should play it safe and group together in a room deeper in the mansion tonight, and take turns staying awake to keep guard." Kai said, after a moment of thoughtful silence.

"That sounds like a good idea." Rei nodded.

After another moment, Kai gave Rei a look, asking permission to tell the others the truth. Rei nodded slowly, then directed his gaze to his lap, still feeling like his friends were going to be hurt at any moment and it would be all his fault.

"What really happened," he started off. "Was that Rei got attacked by what I think was a bit beast." A quiet murmur of "what?"s were heard, before he continued. "He said that it was a huge creature with the upper body of a white tiger, and the lower body of some kind of black dragon, and carried a scythe as big as itself; that's how it hurt Rei."

Rei felt the eyes on him, but didn't look up to meet them.

"Why did it attack him?" Takao asked what everyone was wondering.

"We're not sure, but it told Rei that it would kill him and us if he told anyone of his encounter with it, so that's why he didn't tell us until now. Personally, I think it's connected to this new scheme of my grandfather's; possibly a spy."

Kyouju shifted uncomfortably at the threat the bit beast gave Rei, but otherwise didn't say anything.

"It's getting kind of late, maybe we should set up the sleeping area now?" Rei suggested, lifting his head to look at each of his friends. They all nodded in agreement.

Kai stood up and walked out of the room, the rest of the team quickly following suit, feeling slightly paranoid. He stopped at the bottom of the staircase to give directions.

"Max and Kyouju, you guys take the right hallway beneath the stairs and start searching rooms. We want a small room—but big enough for all of us—and that's kind of out of the way, a room that could be easily overlooked, and maybe a bit difficult to get to. This mansion has to have one. Rei, you can help me on the left side. If you find something, head back and wait here at the bottom of the stairs. If you don't find something, just come back after a few minutes. Takao, you go to all of our rooms upstairs and bring the blankets and pillows here."

"Why do I have to do that? Why can't I search with Max?" Takao said indignantly.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Because he needs to actually search, not be felt up in a dark corner."

Takao's eyes widened and Max put his head in his hands, blushing furiously. "Y—You know...?"

"It was a secret?" Kai asked skeptically. Takao floundered.

"Er, actually... I already knew as well." Kyouju raised his hand slightly, embarrassed by the situation.

Rei was having difficulty stifling his laughter. Takao, unable to come up with a good counter, stomped up the stairs and grumbled all the way out of sight. Max put his hands back to his sides, but kept his head down as he hurriedly started down the designated hallway. Kyouju quickly followed after so as not to be left behind.

"You're awful sometimes." Rei said between his laughter.

"You said you loved me, you can't take it back." Kai said with a small smile.

Rei felt his heart flutter as he took in that smile only for him, and smiled widely back. "I wouldn't take it back for anything."

Kai's expression softened as he felt the sudden desire to be close to Rei, to feel the warmth of his body pressed up against his own, to melt their lips together. He took the few steps necessary to close the gap between himself and Rei, causing Rei to look at him uncertainly, then blush a becoming pink as Kai wrapped his arms around the nekojin's waist.

"I'll protect you." Kai breathed. He gathered all of his courage and slowly leaned closer to Rei, their noses brushing for a moment, their breath mingling with each other's, eyes half-lidded with emotion, and then closing completely as their lips finally met.

Rei's arms snaked up Kai's sides, coming to rest around his neck. Kai's hands slowly travelled up Rei's spine, coming to rest in his hair. He found himself undoing the wrap that bound the long ebony tresses, setting them free just so he could run his fingers through them. Everything felt right, and they felt complete, lips together in a warm, passionate kiss.

They eventually broke apart, but remained pressed against one another, foreheads resting together. Both of their faces were flushed, and the room seemed to be getting hotter the longer they stayed in that position.

"We should, um, stand apart before we get... excited." Rei said quietly, blushing more.

Kai couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him at Rei's choice of words; he really was adorable. "You're right. Let's find a room." He realized after the words left his mouth that that could be taken wrongly. "I mean... Oh, you know what I mean."

Rei burst into laughter again.

.x.

Max and Kyouju were the first ones back, having found a room that suited Kai's description, and met Takao pouting on the bottom step, five blankets and pillows spread messily around him, with Rei's new plushie in the mix. Kai and Rei came back a few minutes later, relieved to hear the other team had successfully found a room, as they ended up empty-handed.

They had already finished finding each of their makeshift sleeping arrangements in the room—which was rather far back in the mansion, some kind of art room with paintings decorating each wall, that had a second door they thought useful in case an escape was needed—and Kai told them their watch order: Takao, Max, Kai, Kyouju, Rei, Takao, etc.

"Why do I have to go first?" Takao complained.

"Because you're the most likely to fall asleep on the job, and the first hours have less risk of an attack happening."

Takao was again indignant, and again couldn't come up with a counter remark.

Everything went smoothly after that—Takao even stayed awake during his watch period—and everyone rested peacefully. Kyouju was feeling a little drowsy during his turn, however, and, try as he might, couldn't quite keep his eyelids from closing of their own accord.

That night everyone slept unusually deeply, and none stirred when the footsteps came down the hall, nor when the door was creaked open, nor when hushed voices gave orders to one another, nor when the boy with fiery hair that could be seen even in the dark whispered an apology to one slate-haired team captain.

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A/N2: NINETEEN reviews for the last chapter OMG. I love you guys so much. T.T I don't deserve that, however, for taking so long between updates! I suck! I have no excuses! Well, I do, but they're all pathetic and chalk mostly up to my severe case of the fatal disease I have dubbed lazystination: laziness mixed with procrastination. I do hope it makes you happy to know I spent two days straight, staying up three hours past my bedtime each time, thus not getting enough sleep and being half-dead throughout the day, finishing this chapter. I also bring the peace offering of the KaRe fluff in this chapter. X3 Aww with me now! Aww!

Well, on the bright side of taking so long since last chapter, I think my writing has gotten better? XD; I've decided I want to be a novelist when I grow up (XD), so I'm going to use these stories to train myself to finish what I start. x.X

The thanks section I had here literally came out to a page and a half long, so I decided I'd cut it out for this chapter and just use the review reply system (I hope that thing works okay. I haven't gotten a review replied to yet, so I don't know if it's troublesome or not; let me know!). I will post my replies to the anonymous reviews, however, since you can't review reply to those.

koduko kitsune/black demon wolf: Ah, thank you! I'm glad it wasn't rushed, that was really bugging me. I hate being unsure of how things turn out... x.X
Deragonmaji: I'm sorry T.T I take so long, I know. I feel awful about it, if that's any consolation. XD; But I'm glad to hear you like it. X3

- Toady-chan