Kai - Part 2

Tori tried to look up into Kai's face. She wanted to know more. She wanted to know about the White Tigers and his extraodinary powers... She wanted to know why he was so wary for her, why he was draggin her with him... She had to know. He hit her back across the face.

"Oh no you're not doing that just yet little elf. I'm not lettin' ya do that." Kai snarled.

"Elf. I'm no elf." Tori tried weakly, knowing it was futile.

"Don't lie about who you are elf. I did hear your cry." He laughed. There was no humour in that laugh, just a bitterness that made her spine feel cold, the hairs on her arm raised...

"I'm only 3/4 elf." Tori muttered stubbornly, half hopingher wouldn't hear her properly.

"Still that's more than half."

She smiled slightly then came back to the situation and tried to pull her wrist out of his grip. It just tightened, vice like in it's strength. "Who are you, Kai?" Tori whispered again trying to raise her head.

This time he did not hit her but lowered his eyes to hers. She saw nothing but his eyes. His powerful, ice blue eyes....

***

The girl... This girl knew his name. The name he was given by the White Tiger's leader. Shaking his head he made himself focus on what was happening, not believing he'd slipped up on such a simple trick. But then again, was it that surprising he'd been surprirsed? If she knew his name then she probably knew alot more than he needed.

He didn't know what to think, what to do... He was stronger than her, he knewhe could keep her uietif it was necerssary but at the same time he knew that he couldn't kill her.

***That's against the code.*** He thought bitterly, ***Oh man I'm so out of my league here. I'm just a fighter! A fool with magic and a sword... I'm not a leader. Not yet anyway...*** His musings trailed off, looking at the girl properly for the first time. She had fallen limp in his grip and he could see the familiar markings tracing themselves across her forehead as if a shimmerng pen was writing in silvery ink over her flesh... She had seen the White Tiger in his eyes. And the White Tiger had chosen her to join them.

"Hmmm..." Kai lifted her over his shoulder. She was not going home now. She had to train now. Her path was chosen. He had to be her teacher. He frowned. He hated being around others, he always had. This had to be some kind of test.

Tori awoke in a smoky inn. She felt strange and her head was screaming. She saw Kai in the seat across from her. His arms were folded and his eyes closed. There was a frown across his face. For the first time she actually looked at him without being over powered. She decided she liked him. she did not know why after all he had hit her twice and nearly made her bleed to death but still. His strange blue black white hair falling across his closed eyes made him look like a gentle mage.
"So that's what you think of me do you?" Kai looked up. He seemed strangely aware of her. it was as if he could feel her.
"That's because i can. Now you've been marked." he passed her a glass of still water, "Drink this it'll stop you head from hurtin' to much." He closed his eyes again.
Tori did as she was told and he was right it did take away some of the pain. It did not taste like the usual water either.
"You are so dumb Tori. I can't see why the White Tiger chose you but seeing as it did i'll tell you. That water is from a spring in the mountains and it's one of the only springs that was not affected by the nuclear war in 2004." Kai sighed.
"That war ended in 2055." Tori stated.
"I know. I was in the last bomb attack on a school. I was seven so don't think i was a bomber." Kai shook his head at her thought.
"You were in that school." Tori gasped.
Kai did not answear her question. He plainly felt no need.

Kai lead Tori out of the inn at sun down. She seemed puzzeled. Going out on purpose at the toll. That was not right to her. He grinned. It was more of a brief twitch at the corners of his lips but it would do. After all he never laughed or smiled at all usually. It was a human pleasure that he could certainly not indulge in.
The park was quiet that night which was exactly what Kai wanted. If he was going to train her he wanted to make it quick. he took her to the secret place in the old pines. He lifted a metal chain up and a passage way appeared. He lept down into the intense darkness. Tori hesitated on the surface. Then she slowly lowered herself in. He let her struggle to see where she was for a miniute before turning on the lights and switching on the jumbo screened computor.
"Password please." the computor said. A gasp from behind him made Kai feel good.
"Tigers dark." Kai told the computor.
A hand shape appeared. It was plainly a hand scanner but Tori did not know that by the feel of her esscence but this time kai did not make any answear for her. Instead he placed his hand on the plasma screen and let the computor's lazers scan his palm.
"Access granted." the computor said. Then quite suddenly the screen changed. It had bars and charts and power reading graphs and several small clips of the park.
"Well well Kai i never thought you'd be back to visit me." The voice of a girl came from the computor.
"This isn't a visit Gizmo. I'm only here to get the newest of us to be scanned in. Highest power levels and all and of course to get her some gear." Kai lent forwards. a door to one side open up so that Tori could be scanned properly.

Kai pointed Tori into a strange room. Uncertainly Tori stepped into the room. The door closed behind. For some reason she did not want to run or escape. As her thought ended a blinding light filled the room.

He heard scream come from the scanning room. He bit his lip. It began to bleed. Kai could not help feeling guilty for not telling her about it before she went in. Even after 10 years he still could remember the agony he had been in when he had been scaned.
"You've got a tinge of pink in your aura Kai." Gizmo teased, "You like her don't you?"
"No i ..." Kai stopped in mid sentence. What the devil was he saying. He did not know what liking someone was really so how could he say he did not like Tori the most annoying girl he had ever saved from demons. Sighing Kai slumped down in the chair.
"So you do like her then Kai?" Gizmo stuck out her disk dive at him.
"I dunno. I might do." Kai admitted, seeing as he could not say he did not like her.
"Oh yeah. Kai's got a girl friend. Kai's got a..."
"SHUT UP!!!" Tori is not a girlfriend! I'm just her mentor and that's all i want to be!" Kai hissed. Gizmo fell silent."That's better."
The door fell open and Tori staggered out. She was moaning in pain. She had no energy to keep herself up on her feet. She slipped slowly to the ground. Kai went and lifted her back up.

Tori felt strong hands lift her into a chair. She let out a little moan and nearly passed out when she suddenly felt power and energy once again flowing through her veins.. She opened one eye and saw Kai infront of her muttering an incantation. He came to stop. Stiffly she stood up. She could tell by his face the one who had trained him had not been so kind as to give power back.
"Thanks." she croaked.
He shrugged. He passed a sword to her and a set of fine but strange clothes.
"What's wrong with these?" she asked pulling at her own clothes.
"Those are for the men that know no magic but these are for a mage in-training." Kai said, "You should change into them in there." He indicated yet another room. This one was bigger and more spacious.
This time Tori was even more wary. She shut the door behind her. She placed the sword on the floor and carefully unfolded each of the items of clothing. There was a pair of loose fitting trousers, a set of boots and a wavey looking dress. Reluctantly Tori changed into them. When she eventually stepped out she thought she must look kind of cool with a sword around her waist and wierd clothes seeing as the computor let out a gasp and Kai gave what he called a 'smile'. She tried to smile back but she could not. Her mouth was still sore from being scanned.
Her eyes fell onto one of the small camera clips on the screen. Three huge beasts were on it apparently arguing over something.
"Kai." she pointed at the picture. He half turned his head then swore harshly.
He turned on his heel and ran out of the room. Tori tried to follow but the computor shut the doors after him.
"This is Kai's buisness. You'll get you turn when he says so after all you don't know how to fight yet." the computor blew up the picture so it filled the entire screen. The creatures were now identifiable as Archdemons. Resentfully Tori sat down in the chair. She watched the screen intently. After a few miniutes she realised that the demons were doing the same things over and over again. Waving their claws, snarling then grunting in that tongue they called a language. Then it repeated. Also Kai would have been their by now. Even she knew that.
"It's on a loop." she groaned, "This a trap isn't it?"
"You're right Azalae." the computor agreed.

Kai fell to his knees. A power drain was around his neck and he could feel all his energy leaving him.
"Finally." the voice of his captor hissed into his ear, "I've got the last of The White Tiger's."
Kai dropped his sword into the grass. It soaked it up as it was supposed to.
"What no!" the captor shrieked then the voice once again became cruel, "You've signed your own death warrent Tiger."
"I know." Kai managed to gasp.
A hand struck him. He did not fall over as another hand followed.
"Do you like being powerless, Kai? Do you know who i am Kai? Or haven't you figured it out yet?"
"I know you Reef. I've always been able to know you."
"Oh really. Then why did you come?"
"You're my brother. I'll try anything to try and make you good again."
"Oh yes i'm your 'brother'. The one that was left behind at that!" Reef bent down so that his face was opposite Kai's, "The one you left behind might i add." Reef snapped his fingers. Something hit the back of Kai's head and he knew no more.


Tori gripped the sword tightly in the way Gizmo had taught her and slowly crept into the forest. She had heard every word that they had said. She was shocked. What had twisted that man so badly? What could twist any man that badly? Was that why Kai was so silent, so shadowy? She knew by instict that she had to be cautious herself now that she was tracking someone. Espeically as it included someone she -cared- about. ***Cared!*** she thought *** Oh what am thinking! Who am i to care about someone. I'm Tori and i'm not going to start liking people who won't even tell me their second name!***
A yell made her stop. Carefully she tip toed up to where the yell had come from. The man had called for a stop. He called a word out into the night and the ground began to groan. A tree split in half and a portal appeared in the park. Azalae could not stop a gasp. Luckily no one heard. One by one the people she was persuing disappered into the portal. As the last one disappered she knew she had to follow. Slowly she walked across the earth and stepped through.
The tunnel Tori had stepped into was incredibly gloomy. She saw a demon turn the corner at the end of the passage. She closed her eyes then followed suit. Suddenly she felt very alone. Only the computor knew she was gone and no one once they discovered that she was not coming home would care.

Kai lay still on stone cold floor. A drip fell onto his face. It made him look up. He realised he was in somekind of cell.
"So my dearest prisoner has woken up." Reef's dark voice rang through the cell walls. He groaned, "Not happy eh brother?"
"Oh yes i'm fine Reef, this tomb is heaven on earth isn't it? And the power drain is a massage on my neck. " Kai replied sarcasticly.
"As bad as that? As if i didn't know what it felt like to be in your position." Reef laughed. Kai bristled angrily.
"i did not leave you behind Reef. That bomb. I thought you were dead!" Kai attempted the truth. He knew what happened next.A foot kicked him in the jaw.
"I'll be sending in my Demon Prison Master shortly. Then, Kai, then you'll finally have paid for waht you did. Prehaps..."
Kai waited in the cell knowing he could do nothing to escape without help to take off the ring. Finally the threat was carried out. A demon came from the shadows and bore a rubber hose. THe hose was drenched in what looked like Beta Juice. it was just like Reef to use something he knew was in that last bomb. School, a waste of time. it certainly had been because if it had been a decent school it would have taught him how to escape. He was renched to his feet and tied to the ceiling. Then the hose struck him. Again, again, again, again. They went on and on, but it was the Beta Juice doing most of the damage. Making every lash a back stabbing pain. The juice tore through his skin and into his blood. Then suddenly the lashes stopped. The ropes were untied and he slipped to the floor.

Azalae looked down into Kai's unconcious face. He was weak. She knew that. His neck had a long gash across it his back was also badly hurt. Her first kill and it was all to save this young stranger that was going to be her teacher.
"Well then Kai. I guess that means that we've gotta get out of here with you next to useless." She fiddled with the collar around his neck. She felt somekind of evil around it. It fell off. A burst of energy suddenly flooded out of Kai,"Huh?"
His eyes opened and he lept to his feet. He grabbed her free hand and pulled her outof the door.
"What's happening?" Tori whispered.
"We've gotta get outta here Tori! Reef... He'll..." Kai croaked.
"I can see what he'll do. But you don't know the way do you?" Tori picked up footsteps behind them. They span round. There was no where to hide and Reef stood with a line of demons beside him blocking their path...