Crystallis

Crystallis

Summary: Kai follows Rei back to China, but they are closer to Crystallis than they expect. They encounter an enigmatic villager who will change their relationship. Meanwhile, Volten returns closer to Kai than ever before, and the Bladebreakers will reunite in a final bid to save their lives and save Max. Kai/Rei lemon in 1st chapter!!! Sequel to "Angel and Devil".

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Krixel: Thanks. Hope you'll like this as much as the old story.

Maytel: Hey, a new reviewer! It's always nice to see new faces.

Amanda: Yay, another new reviewer. Well, I'm updating.

Cindy: Ooh, a lemon-lover. Don't worry, there'll be more lemons coming up. ;)

Rumi-chan: You're back! Yay! Well, just get your coat, don't mind Kai. (Kai: Hey!) As if it was some big secret what they were doing inside...

Shinwa no Akuma: Well, I will sprinkle a bit of Mandarin here and there, and I will always include translations, so you can relax. And I'm glad there are people out there who don't mind my lemons.

Kai/rei4ever: Hmm, another lemon-lover! Didn't know there were so many out there.

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Trueangel: Whoosh! Seven reviews for a chapter!

Xan: Quite a windfall there.

Trueangel: So much so that I can't wait to start this chappie! Do your stuff, Xan.

Xan: Trueangel doesn't own Beyblade. Never had, never will.

Trueangel: Well, let's go!

Xan: Go where?

Trueangel: -_- I mean start.

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Chapter 2 The Warning

Rei, Kai and Uncle Lin sat in the Chinese restaurant that lay just off the highway. It was where they were going to have their dinner. Rei looked around. The place was rather small for a restaurant, and it was quite crowded as well. It was dressed in red wallpaper and a red carpet. Patrons passed through the double glass doors that led into the main dining area, while food was brought in by a swinging door in a corner. Presently a waiter walked through that door, over to their table and passed them their menus. The three of them read through, deciding what they would have.

"Beijing duck, please," Uncle Lin ordered. "It's a must try when you're in China."

"Oh, and Hong Kong noodles please," Rei asked.

"Butter prawns as well," Uncle Lin added.

The waiter took down their orders conscientiously.

Kai sat quietly, looking out of the window, admiring the sunset. The entire sky was lit in various shades of red, orange and yellow. The sun lay in the horizon, giving off its final rays of light for the day. Suddenly, he felt Rei nudge his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"Umm... anything will do. You order for me."

"Ok then..."

Soon, they had placed their orders, and the waiter had left. Uncle Lin had went outside for a while for a smoke. Rei and Kai sat alone at their table.

"What's on your mind?" Rei asked, concerned.

"Oh, nothing much."

"Thinking about the village?"

"Yeah, partly..."

"Don't worry, they'll warm up to you quickly enough."

"Yes, but our relationship..."

"I guess that could be a thorny issue..." Rei conceded. "But Uncle Lin seems pretty ok with it."

"You told him?"

"Yes, and he doesn't mind, as long as I'm sure you're the one I truly love. And I'm as sure as hell."

"You seem to respect Uncle Lin a lot."

"Well, he took care of me after my parents died. He's just like a father to me."

"I see..."

"Don't worry, Kai. I'm sure we can get the village to accept us."

"But there's also something else..."

"What's wrong."

"Oh, no, it's nothing. I don't want you to worry, I can handle it myself."

"Kai, I'm almost as old as you. If you can handle it, then I should be able to as well. If you can't deal with it alone, then all the more we should handle this together."

"Well... remember the storm yesterday?"

"There was something wrong about it, I agree."

"Yeah, but it's not only that. Remember the lightning?"

"It was freaky."

"Well, for a moment then I s- I thought I saw... Volten."

"What? No it can't be. You must have been thinking too much about Xan's death."

"Just before Dreamer left, he told me that Volten would be returning."

"No..."

Just them, Uncle Lin returned and sat across from them.

"Did I miss anything?"

"Um, no," Rei said hastily.

"Oh look, the food's ready. Let's eat, I'm starving."

The three of them ate in silence.

+++

"We should reach the village by next morning," Uncle Lin told the boys.

It was deep into the night now. Rei and Kai sat at the back of the truck, where the cold night wind ran through their hair, lifting it and blowing it all over the place. The boys had wanted to get some sleep, but there was no place in the cab, so they had to sleep in the rear. But as soon as they were in the back the wind blew away all their fatigue, leaving them more awake than before.

"Get some rest," Uncle Lin said.

"Don't worry," Rei replied. "We will."

Uncle Lin turned his attention back to the road, and the boys sat there in a comfortable silence, enjoying the feeling of the cool wind on their young faces. Kai felt his scarf flapping about behind him, but he ignored it and closed his eyes. Rei too could feel his long hair being lifted by the wind, but he, like Kai, left it alone. After some time, Rei finally broke the silence.

"So, do you really think Volten is back?"

"I don't know, though I am compelled to think so."

"Let's look at it logically. Voltaire is dead, and Xan is gone as well. Volten cannot exist in this world in his true form, so he needs someone to use him as a bitbeast before he can unleash his power."

"Yes, but with him, you'll never know. How about all his servants? Especially Boris."

"Well, I guess so... but we're far away from them now."

"Yes... we're far away."

Both of them laid down, looking at the stars in the sky. Suddenly, Rei sneezed.

"Are you ok?" Kai asked.

"I'm just feeling cold, that's all."

Kai took off his scarf and wrapped it around Rei.

"You're gonna meet your village again, it wouldn't do for you to get sick."

Rei smiled, turned around, and kissed Kai lightly on the lips. "Thanks." Suddenly, he frowned as he noticed Kai shivering. "How about you? Especially when you're wearing a sleeveless shirt."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." But as soon as he had said that, he sneezed as well.

"Honestly, sometimes I wish you were a bit more selfish," Rei said, still frowning. Then, he had an idea. Rei put his arm around Kai and drew him closer in a protective hug. "I'll share some of my body heat."

Kai returned the hug, putting his hands around Rei as well. He snuggled up against Rei's body, pressing his head to Rei's chest and feeling his warm presence. Kai smiled.

"Thanks," he said, closing his eyes.

+++

Through the rear-view mirror, Uncle Lin watched the peaceful and innocent image of the two boys sleeping in each other's arms. He couldn't help but smile to himself.

+++

Rei's eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was that Kai was sitting up in the truck, looking into the dark sky.

"Can't sleep?"

Kai turned around with a start, but he realised it was only Rei.

"Yeah. You too, huh?"

Rei sat up beside Kai.

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Huh? Oh, it's about 6."

Kai continued to look up distractedly. Rei noticed it.

"What's on your mind?"

"I'm just nervous... about meeting the village and all."

"Me too. It's been more than a year since I met any one of them, besides the White Tigers."

The two of them sat in comfortable silence, watching the few vehicles that passed the truck.

"It's almost sunrise," Kai said to Rei after a while.

"It's been quite a few years since I saw a sunrise. I still remember the last time..."

"Tell me about it."

"I think I was about five then. I was with my family. We had drove up to this cliff some distance from the village to camp. We had watched the sunrise together. Me in my mother's lap, and my father standing beside her."

"You probably miss them."

"That day we drove down the cliff to return to the village. Unfortunately... there was an accident. Only I survived."

The first few rays of the sun peeked out from beyond the horizon.

"Oh... I'm sorry."

Gradually, the sky was tinged in a crimson red.

"It's ok. I've gotten over it long ago."

The rounded body of the sun began to show where the sky and horizon touched.

"Yes, but I know it hurts to lose a loved one."

Rei rested his head on Kai's shoulder, and Kai put his arm around Rei's waist. They watched the remainder of the sunrise in silence.

"Boys?" Uncle Lin's voice came from within the cab of the truck.

"Good morning, Uncle. What is it?"

"Just telling you that we'll be reaching soon."

Rei looked around and recognised the small dirt road within the woods that led to the village. Soon, they had entered a clearing. Uncle Lin stopped the truck, and the two bladers got off.

"Hmm, it's rather quiet," Kai said. "I guess most of them are still asleep."

"No, something's not right. Elder always gets up before sunrise," Rei replied.

Uncle Lin got out of the cab. "Well, let's bring your stuff to Rei's hut."

"Your hut?" Kai asked Rei.

"It was my parents', actually. But they passed it on to me."

"Well, after you left, the White Tigers trained inside," Uncle Lin explained. Then, seeing the horrified looks on the two boys' faces, he added, "But they left it intact, so don't worry."

The three of them winded through various houses and huts, but the place looked pretty deserted. Finally, as they approached Rei's hut, they saw a large crowd gathered in front of it.

"What happened?" Rei wondered aloud.

Kai recognised a certain pink-haired girl standing near the back of the crowd.

"Mariah!"

Mariah spun around, and recognised her two friends. She walked over to them.

"Rei, you're back!"

"Yeah. What's happening?"

"Well, last night we were training inside your house, when I heard a noise coming from outside. When I came out I saw no one, so I went back in. But this morning... when we came out we saw these weird symbols etched into the wood."

Rei and Kai squeezed through the crowd, to the front. There, they saw a few runic symbols carved into the wooden wall, possibly with a knife.

"What's the commotion about?" They heard a voice behind them say.

Rei turned around, and he saw a villager he didn't recognise walking towards the hut, evidently just awake. Another villager quickly explained the situation to him. The stranger's eyes widened in interest, and he approached the hut at a much faster rate. When he laid his eyes on the mystic runes, he frowned.

"This... this is Ancient Seraphish... language of the angels and devils..."

Rei and Kai turned to each other, worried expressions on their faces.

"Can you read it?"

Rei turned again. This time it was the village elder.

"A bit..." The villager turned his attention back to the carvings. "Vollos tendes kas vah ni... It says 'Volten is back'."

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Trueangel: Oops, sorry, left you with a cliffie!

Xan: Some readers do not like that.

Trueangel: Well, at least I put in a few kawaii moments between Rei and Kai.

Xan: Ok, I won't deny that.

Trueangel: Well, whodunnit? Review, and I'll work hard on the next chapter.