Kiri: Chapter 10

Loren’s eyes flashed wide open at a loud scream from Ryo’s bedroom. He rolled off the couch and sprinted into the room slapping on the lights.
“What happened?”
Ryo glanced up at him briefly then returned his attention to Kite who clung to him whimpering and shaking like a leaf. Pulling the small boy into his lap, the black haired man rocked him gently.
“Loren? Can you go make us some hot chocolate?”
Nodding, the blonde turned and walked from the room. When the man was gone, Ryo tilted Kite’s face upwards and stroked the sweat-damp bangs back from the soft face. “Kite…” The small form trembled violently and held more tightly to the older man. “Kite, calm down. It’s okay. Nothing’s going to happen to you. I’m right here.”
“I—I thought I was with my dad again,” Kite choked out as tears streamed down his flushed cheeks. "I thought—I thought he was—“
Cradling Kite comfortingly, Ryo pulled the boy closer to rest his cheek on the soft auburn hair. “Hush,” he murmured again as he began to stroke the smooth back. “You’re with me now.”
The Asian man’s jaw clenched angrily for a moment. It had never been an issue before—his not knowing about Kite’s past, but now, he had no way of knowing what to say to help the younger man. He continued to mutter soothingly to the boy as he waited for Loren to return from the kitchen.
Squinting at the clock at his bedside, Ryo frowned. They had only settled down to sleep a little more than an hour ago, but it was already just before four in the morning. After very little thought, he decided that it most certainly was not too late to call Kite’s sister.
“Ryo?”
The midnight blue eyes looked up as the blonde came back into the room carrying a steaming mug. Smiling slightly, Ryo reached over and turned on the bedside lamp as Loren flipped off the overhead light.
Patting the bed beside them, Ryo pulled back the comforter to let Loren sit down and then tilted Kite’s head up again. “I need to take care of something. Loren’s going to hold you okay?”
Scrubbing his hand over his eyes, Kite nodded slightly and sniffled loudly. He looked up at the blonde who smiled warmly at him. Kissing the reddish-brown hair gently, Ryo slid out of the bed and allowed his friend to take his place. He smiled fondly as the high school student hesitated only briefly to curl into the strong arms.
“I’ll be right back,” he said softly and left the room.
Walking to the kitchen, Ryo picked up the phone off its cradle and dialed the Daniels’s number quickly and from memory. It rang only once before a sleepy voice answered on the other side.
“Skye? It’s Ryo—“
“Oh my god is Kite alright?”
“He’s fine. Kite’s fine,” Ryo assured her quickly before she could panic any worse. “I’m sorry to call so late.” He rubbed his temple suddenly very guilty. “Kite just had a nightmare.”
Skye was silent for a moment before she sighed heavily. “It’s okay, Ryo. Is he really alright?”
“Yeah, he’s okay. I just… I know this isn’t the best time to ask about it, but…” Ryo closed his eyes and leaned forward to lean his head against the wall. “I want to know about what happened between Kite and his father.”
There was a sudden silence on the other side of the line, and Ryo could hear a man’s voice muttering softly in the background. From his own bedroom, he heard Kite laugh softly and felt a wave of relief that Loren had been able to cheer him somewhat.
“Alright—“
Skye’s voice startled Ryo back into himself, and he blinked. Before he could say anything, however, she continued.
“Where can I meet you?”
“Ah—Now?” Ryo asked taken aback.
“Yes, I won’t sleep thinking about that man. Where can I meet you?”
Frowning darkly, Ryo thought for a moment. “Do you know the coffee shop on Franklin Avenue next to the university?”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
The phone clicked and went to dial tone, leaving Ryo to brood unhappily as he hung up and made his way back into the bedroom.
“—And then I saw this little bitty thing stand up and place his hands on his hips and growl at the class! Now, don’t laugh! He may not look like it, but I swear, he can actually growl! Well, this little thing stood up and told the class in no polite terms that the poem might be hard for them to understand but if they would just apply a little of the gray jello they called a brain then they could understand the beauty behind it. You know… I think it embarrassed him to speak out like that because he was about the same color then as he is now…”
Kite glanced up at Ryo who stood in the doorway with a scarlet face. The boy had to clamp a hand down over his mouth to keep back his outburst of giggles. Shaking his head, the Asian man walked past them into his closet.
“Ha, ha, Loren. Don’t you ever get tired of telling people about that?”
“Nope,” came the happy reply. “It was funny, and you know it.”
“It was humiliating,” Ryo growled.
“See, told you he could growl,” he heard Loren whisper to Kite, who once more had to stifle his laughter.
Emerging from the closet now dressed in the khakis and shirt from the previous day, Ryo narrowed his eyes at them both. “Well, I’m glad you’re getting along better now. I’ll be back in a little bit okay?”
“Where are you going?” Kite asked with his green eyes wide and a faint pout beginning to show on his face.
Ryo smiled warmly and walked over to ruffle his hair. “I’m going to go get us something to eat from the coffee shop just down the road.”
“Can I come?”
“No,” Ryo said, shaking his head firmly when the boy’s bottom lip trembled. “I’m making it Loren’s task to get you to fall asleep again, okay?”
“But—“
“No.” Ryo’s voice and eyes were firm, and Kite fell silent and snuggled down beneath the warm comforter. Turning away, the author picked up his car keys and left the room.
Loren caught him by the arm just as he reached the front door. Vivid blue eyes searched his face for a moment and then in a hushed voice, the man asked, “Where are you going?”
“To the coffee shop—“
“And?”
“I’m meeting someone there to talk about something important. I’ll be back in a while. Make sure he gets back to sleep alright?”
When his friend nodded, Ryo smiled and opened the door. He didn’t hesitate before walking from the apartment into the pitch-blackness of the early morning.

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End Chapter 10
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