From The Past (Kyle)

[Kristopher Roberts]

Shadows played across his old room, the dirty walls in need of a paint job they never would get. In his small and frail arms was an old bunny that was as dirty was the walls that enclosed his small room. The small boy of four sat very still, his curls thick about his head, forming a mane. Wide green eyes stared at the dark doorway, light creeping under it, he could hear his parents shouting but what the fight was about, he never knew.

The fight grew louder, a picture of a Winnie The Poo shook against his wall as something was slammed into the other side. Kristopher hugged his bunny close to his sick body. Slowly, he slid out of the comfort of his bed, his small body shaking with each cough.

He was thirsty, he knew not to go outside of his room but still, he wanted something to drink. Standing on his tip toes and twisted the old knob, poking his head out he spotted his mother. He opened his mouth and spoke her name, but she didn't hear him. She was fighting with his father about something and throwing a can at him.

Knowing what might happen if he was caught, he still snuck out and went to his elder brother's room but he was fast asleep. He chewed on his bottom lip and headed into the kitchen. He stood there, staring up at the counter he couldn't reach and to where the cups rested high up. He stood there staring for a good while as the thumbs and screams continued on in the household of five.

Finally, he made a decision and climbed the cabinets, dropping Bunny on the floor. Now, how he managed to get there, he couldn't remember. But he turned to his bunny and smiled, "See, I can do things myself." Of course, Bunny didn't reply and so Kris went back to his quest.

Standing on his toes, he reached for a glass, but he couldn't get it no matter how hard he tired. He pushed himself up higher and higher, moving cook books to stand on. Finally, he was able to see just enough to grab a glass, but it was so far back. He put his weight into it. But the old wooden cabinet was rotten and in need of repair.

It took very little extra weight to break it, which it did. The cabinet cracked and pitched to the right. Startling Kristopher, he could do nothing but watch the cabinet tilted at a sharp right and crack. The glasses followed the sharp angle and crashed into each other. Some fell onto the counter, other the floor, and some remind in the cabinet but still breaking. Only four out of twenty survived.

The blond froze, his head slowly turning as the argument stopped and footsteps came hard towards him. It only took half a second for his mother to storm into the room, see the mess and freak out. She came at Kristopher like a bat out of hell, grabbing him by his thick curls and pulling him from the counter violently by the arm. She didn't care that his legs caught the cook books and knocked them down and sending glass flying across the floor.

She screamed into his face as she shook the small four year old and pointing at the glass. The younger boy screamed in terror as his mother dropped him in the glass and demand he clean it up without help or protection. Being Kristopher, he went to work quickly, slicing open his hands, knees and legs, crying. He turned to look at his mother but his mother changed, it wasn't the crack addict. It was Vasant, he was standing there and laughing. He bent down to the four year old and took him by the head and slammed his face into the broken pieces.

"You're useless! All you do is break shit and cause problems! Look what you did, look at the mess you're making!" He screamed his mothers words at him and repeated slammed his head and body into the glass.

Until Kristopher woke up screaming and holding the side of his face and his hand. His eyes where open in complete and utter horror, he was fully awake but he could feel the glass in him, in his hands, knees, legs, and his face! Even though the wounds had healed long ago, they felt as fresh as a new born baby.

The blond panicked, he didn't even register he that he was in reality, safe. He was in his brothers room, having fallen asleep on his brothers bed after delivering pain medication to him at three in the afternoon. It was now nine at night and the blond couldn't stop screaming and apologizing, asking to be let up from the glass.

[Kyle Roberts]

Night in Wonderland. It was not so different from the human world Kyle thought. Outside he could hear crickets chirp, wind blowing through the eaves of the palace, the creak of limbs as they swayed. There were other sounds of course, the howl of some otherwordly beast, the piercing scream as some poor creature met its end, the sweep of wings too large to be anything normal rushing past the windows. Outside and inside, it was a land of death. A land where survival was the priority; where no one cared about anyone else beyond how they could use them for their own ends. A grim smile spread across his face at the thought. Not so different at all....

He was sitting up in his bed, staring at the darkened walls of his room as he listened to the by now familiar night sounds. Next to him lay his little brother Kris, tossing fitfully in some nightmare that may or may not have been as grim as his reality. The blond had arrived some six hours earlier, bringing him some much needed medication to help with the still excruciating pain cause by the wounds he'd received at the ball. For a moment he glanced down at them; the arm and leg that were almost completely shattered, the other arm and leg that were bruised so badly there wasn't an inch of flesh that wasn't black and blue. It was all he could do to stand let alone go about his daily duties.

The blond sighed wearily, wondering how long it'd take his wounds to heal this time. Like his brother he was resilient, nothing ever managed to keep him incapacitated for very long at a time. Unlike the others though he was hardened; a solid mass of iron that refused to give even an inch of ground. It was the only way he'd been able to survive in the old world, the only way that he was of any use in this one. Time and again he'd found himself the rock that his siblings clang to when it seemed like the storm of their lives would sweep them away. If he faltered, it was not only himself he risked, but them as well. He couldn't permit that, couldn't allow even a moment of weakness to show; no matter what it cost him to stand so steady.

The thoughts continued unabated, his mind wandering through the maze of what he had become and what he must yet be. Around him the night sounds had disappeared, leaving in their wake a dark wash of emptiness where normality was not welcome. He barely registered the silence, hardly noticing it until it was shattered by the scream.

Immediately he turned towards his brother, not a bit surprised to see him in such a state. The boy had had such moments before, and Kyle had been there for as many as he could. It wasn't hard to guess what the nightmare had been about, the boy's fear said it all. That was why he didn't panic, didn't grab the boy or try to shake him awake because it would only make things worse. Instead he raised the arm that was still functional and gripped the boy's shoulder tight enough to hold him, but light enough to show he wasn't a threat. When he spoke his voice wasn't loud or hurried, it was calm, reassuring. "It’s alright Kris. Don't worry, I've got you. I'm right here. You don't have to be afraid anymore." Hopefully he was awake enough to recognize his voice. If not then....well, he'd get to that if and when the time came.

[Kristopher Roberts]

For a moment all the boy could see was nothing, but slowly his senses where coming back to him. He wasn't in his old home in the human world, nor was he in his room with Augusta...or rather Vasant. He was in his older brothers room, having fallen asleep. When did he fall asleep? He couldn't remember but the hand on his shoulder brought him peace of mind. His screaming came to a stop but he rested there, breathing as hard as ever.

"S-sorry," Kristopher managed to get out with a shakey breath. He laid still for a good moment before getting his breath under control. From there, he remained resting on his side but slowly sat up. With his knees bent, he leaned forward and held his head. "Kyle." He turned a disfigured eye towards him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. I just...just didn't have a pleasant dream...." The blond said nothing more.

What could he really say? That he was starting to have nightmares again about his parents? That Vasant was now a part of it, truly that wouldn't make sense at all to Kyle who had no idea about Vasant or what was happening behind closed doors. "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

Falling back over he laid back down and this time, rested beside his bruised brother. Kristopher didn't look at him but merely stared off into space, his hands shook but he wasn't sure if it was because he was cold or frightened. "What time is it?" he asked softly, wondering how long he had been laying here, catching up on his very much needed rest.

Being with his brother made him sleep easier, it always did but he never liked waking up screaming, even if it was with his brother close by who just made sure he was fine. He never shook Kris during these times nor did he do anything but talk and hold him lightly. Chewing on his lip, he cuddled against his older sibling.

"Why did I have a nightmare?" It had been so long since he had a nightmare like that. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to talk about it, even with Kyle or anyone for that reason.

[Kyle Roberts]

It took a bit of time, but that didn't bother him; Kyle held onto his brother until the screaming stopped and he knew that he was awake. Kris was still shaking a bit but then he would be for a while; so Kyle just leaned back a bit to give him the space he'd need. When he apologized he just smiled a bit. "Its alright Kris, that’s what I'm here for." That was mostly the truth. It was his room of course but that wasn't the point. His siblings were what mattered most. If he couldn't be there for them when they needed him then what good was he?

Again the boy apologized, but this time Kyle didn't say anything. Kris knew that he never minded the boy falling asleep in his room; afterall it certainly wasn't the first time it'd happened and lord knows it wouldn't be the last. Something about being in his room made Kris feel more at ease, so he figured it was the least he could do to let him stay there when he wanted to. And besides, some part of him felt like doing so would let him make up for all the time they'd lost because of what had happened to them in the past.

What time was it? That was a good question. Kyle didn't have a clock or anything in his room; so far as he knew Augusta was the only slave with any sort of time telling device. The rest of them were left to guess or travel to one of the many ancient clocks that the boogies kept around in certain places. It had been about six thirty when he'd passed through the entrance hall, but that had been a while ago and he wasn't sure how much time had passed. It couldn't have been more than a few hours though because he knew for a fact that he hadn't fallen asleep. "I'd say...about nine or so probably."

As for the next question.... Kyle sighed, not really having any idea. Things were obviously hard on Kris as of late, but they didn't talk much, never really had. Most of the time they were together Kris was asleep so there wasn't alot of conversation. Maybe that needed to change though...

He leaned back against the headboard, staring off at the ceiling. He could hear Kris breathing, knew he was waiting for an answer; but he had to pick his words carefully so as to not upset him any further. There really weren't alot of options left open when taking that in consideration. In the end he gave up and took the most sensible solution, auburn eyes turning to meet the blonde's mismatched orbs before speaking. "I think we should talk about things Kris, starting with the other day. You never did explain what happened." Hopefully he wouldn't go getting mad again, it had hurt a bit when he'd just been brushed off like that. Maybe this time things would be better. Big maybe...

[Kristopher Roberts]

He merely nodded against his brother and sighed softly. It was nice to know he had a place to go when he wanted nothing to do with anyone and just stay with his flesh and blood.

The blonds mismatched eyes grew half an inch wide. "N-nie?" he asked with a small stutter. "Oh crap. Okay then, can you tell me when its five till? I promise Augusta I would be home before ten tonight." He smiled up at his brother then, cheerfully or a cheerful as a scared blond could be from a nightmare.

The next question put a frown on the boys face and he looked away from his sibling. The wall was far more interesting. He supposed he was getting away with this as much as he would like too. A sigh escaped his lips as he became uncomfortable with the subject and squirmed a little.

"She made me angry." He replied and glared at a spot on the wall. "She hit me with roses, in the face." His next line turned into a mumble, "I hate her." He hated her so much that he didn't even care if she lived or died.

"She tired to take Augusta from me..."

[Kyle Roberts]

A noticeable frown appeared on his face at that. Since when did anyone other than his mistress tell Kris when he had to be back in his room? He didn't like it one bit, and frankly he's had about all he could take of Augusta period. The boy had never really been someone he liked, but of late what little good will he had for him was jumping out the window. There was something going on with him. He didn't know what it was but he could tell nonetheless. For starters he clearly wasn't thinking straight; that stunt at the ball had been just as much of a fiasco, if not moreso, than his completely ill advised idea of setting the entire North Wing ablaze. At least then he'd managed to kill a few boogies; this time all he'd gotten killed were his own people.

He shook his head, still frowning. "No, you should stay here tonight. It’s cold out and you know full well how drafty the halls can be, I don't want to risk you getting sick if it’s not absolutely necessary." In all likelihood Kris would argue, but Kyle wasn't about to let him get away with anything. If he got sick then he'd be bedridden for weeks, and there was a very real chance he might not recover at all. His own room was at least secure; he'd made a point of patching it up since he'd moved in and so it was just as warm as the boogies' rooms for the most part. Kris would be alot better off staying with him. And if Augusta didn't like it, then he could take it up with Kyle.

The older boy didn't miss his little brother's uneasiness, in fact he'd been watching for it. He knew that Kris wouldn't want to talk about that evening but it was something that needed to be done. As the younger boy spoke he listened quietly, sighing a bit as he went on. "You shouldn't say that Kris. I know she certainly didn't act anyway near what she should, but you can't really blame her. She just lost her master; think about how you'd feel if something happened to Miss Naelona. You wouldn't be yourself and you know it."

As for the last part.... Well, he didn't know what Kris was talking about; if he had then he would have already given Augusta a piece of his mind, or boot as the case would be. That’s why all he could do was reach over and squeeze his brother's arm reassuringly and try to make him feel better. "I don't think you have to worry about that Kris. There's no way Augy would ever go for a girl." He grinned a bit, moving his arm to poke the blond teasingly. "Why would he when he's got a pretty little thing like you?" That'd probably get him, but it could have been worse. He could have mentioned how Kris looked like more of a girl than Aione did.

[Kristopher Roberts]

Resting on the bed, the blond had turned over on his side and rested his head against his brothers side. He stared down at the fabric of his brothers shirt, wondering about a few things. Such as, getting home on time, if he wasn't there tonight...Vasant would make his life hell tomorrow or worse. That scared him to his very core but he was careful not to show that fear that he held within.

He had grown up with Kyle and though they never spent much time together, his brother knew very well how he acted when he was normal, scared, or ill. He knew a lot about the younger blond, more then Kristopher would like sometimes.

"But I promised him, Kyle. If you want, you can walk me to my room, it's not that far." He said to his brother, "But I can't break a promise, you know how I feel about that." Ah yes, the cards Kristopher could play, though it didn't mean he was going to win the game. But he was going to try still.

The blond frowned and lowered his head, his forehead rested against Kyle's side again, hiding his face. "I don't care." He mumbled, "I don't like her, I never have and she would rather see me dead." Just like he would love to see her dead.

It took all he was worth not to flinch when his brother squeezed his arm gently. Beneath that white fabric where bruises and a burn, Kyle had managed to find one bruise. Kristopher was suddenly thankful that Kyle could not see his face when his eyes slammed shut in pain. He did not hiss nor flinch, he took it well, just like he was supposed too.

But he didn't look up at his brother, but for some reason, Kyle thought it was a wonderful idea to poke his baby brother on his wrapped burn. Once again, he didn't make a sound. However, tears came to his eyes.

Shit. Time to fake out.

He raised one hand and clang to his brothers shirt.
"I'm not that pretty..." The blond chewed on his lower lip, hand tightening on his brother. "Kyle, I am scared I am going to lose him." The blond slave was being honest right now. Honest to God, he was afraid he was losing his love, but not in the terms he was playing off of.

"She might take him from me...then what will I do? I know you disapprove of him, but I love him. I don't know what I would do if I lost him...especially to her." Yes, he was playing his cards out right. Using Aione as a true distraction rather then the abuse Vasant was putting him through. Vasant was taking Augusta away, he was losing him a little bit each day. But he wasn't going to leave him, he wasn't going to lose hope, he would help his lover come home.

He just hoped he could do it before he ended up in the Hosptial. Or dead.

[Kyle Roberts]

d at the boy. Kris was trying to work his way out of having to spend the night away from Augusta and Kyle know it. But he also knew that the risk of Kris going out into the drafty halls for even a short period of time was more dangerous than it was necessary, especially since necessity was up to opinion in this matter. Quite frankly he didn't give a rats ass whether Augusta got mad or not, and Kris would get over it. What was important was that he keep Kris away from harm of any kind, even if it meant the boy getting upset with him.

Even so, he didn't like the thought of Kris being mad at him. There had been a time when that was the norm, when his little brother hated and despised him. It had hurt him more than he'd ever told anyone. Back then all he'd had was Sarah, and while she was enough to carry him through, he wanted his family to be together. Kris' relationship with Augusta was the biggest obstacle to that. Augusta hated Kyle, Kyle couldn't stand Augusta. Normally he would have just kicked the frenchman's ass and washed his hands of the matter, but he knew all too well who Kris would side with in that fight. If Kyle did anything to Augusta, he'd lose Kris forever.

So that the reason he leaned his head back against the headboard, mulling over what he could do to keep Kris from going out and yet keep him from getting mad at him. It was a tough problem, especially since he didn't want anything to do with his brother's significant other. In the end he sighed, relenting to the inevitable. "If you absolutely have to be with him tonight, then you two can stay in Sarah's old room so long as you keep it down. I fixed it up when she first moved in so it should be pretty warm." Hopefully Kris would just settle for staying where he was though.

The elder Roberts didn't say a word as Kris started to go off about Aione again. He wondered if it was the same Aione he knew; though he supposed it had to be, afterall he doubted there was another girl named Aione even here in Wonderland. But it didn't make alot of sense to him, the Aione he knew was far too sweet and innocent to ever do anything like what Kris was insinuating. The death of her master must have unsettled her far more than he could have imagined.

That thought brought a frown to his face, one of confusion more than distaste. Why would she be so distraught over the death of the man? Of course Kyle knew that he doted on his slaves and frequently kept other boogies away from them, everyone did. The thing was though, he hadn't been aware that they, or at least she, had been so attached to him. Had there been something between them...? Most of the humans believed such a thing impossible because they saw the boogies as heartless monsters; but Kyle was more grounded. He knew that at least some of the boogies were just as capable of emotion as any human, so it wasn't such a stretch to think one could be in a relationship with a human. In fact, he was starting to suspect something of the sort was going on between Zeke and his mistress. It was a puzzling thing, and one that he decided to do some looking into.

But just as he was attempting to unravel the matter, he sensed a shift in the boy next to him. To anyone else it probably would have gone unnoticed, but Kyle knew his brother, had known him from birth. He felt the way the small body tensed imperceptibly, heard the almost silent grinding of teeth, felt the wetness of tears on his side. The hand clinging to his shirt only further cemented what he already knew. Something had hurt his brother.

What it was he wasn't positive, but he knew that nothing had happened to him since he'd arrived earlier. It couldn't have been caused by anything he'd done; his motions had been far too gentle to inflict any sort of pain on someone, even someone as frail as Kris. That meant that something had happened to him before, when Kyle or Naelona hadn't been present. Yes, he immediately discounted the fact that his mistress might be responsible, he knew she wouldn't hurt Kris unless provoked and he couldn't think of anything at all recently that might do so. That left a few other suspects, one of course primary in Kyle's mind. He didn't say anything about what the boy was saying, hadn't even listened. His voice was calm as he spoke, yet firm enough to clearly display that he wasn't going to be taking no for an answer. "Take your shirt off Kris." Or I'll take it off myself.

[Kristopher Roberts]

The blond shook his head against his brother's body. Staying here with Vasant would be like a ticking time bomb, never knowing when it was going to blow up. Furthermore, trying to diffuse it was nearly impossible, especially with his brother around.

"No, no thank you. I don't want to disrupt your life with mine. I know how you and Augusta get when you are in the same room." He sighed, his silent tears coming to an end. He was lucky it only lasted a few moments. Now, that he was sure his face was clean, he looked up at his brother with a small smile. "But that is nice of you to offer." He chuckled.

Sitting up, the younger brother yawned and rolled his neck in a half circle, popping it. "I know you don't want me out in the hall, but I do have to get back. Someone has to feed Ken and Augusta won't do it." he chuckled, "He hates that cat and vice versa. But I just don't see why." Leaning in, he kissed his brother on the cheek.

Pulling away, he felt his brothers gaze harden in thought. Blinking a few times, he raised a brow at his brother, then the words came out, one that shook him to his core.

"Take your shirt off Kris."

Bewildered, Kristopher stared at him as if he had grown to heads. "My shirt?" He asked softly, "Why?" He looked as if he didn't understand why on earth he had to do such a thing. Kyle had seen his brother naked before and so it wasn't such a big deal to go around shirtless about his sibling, but it was such an out of the blue statement.

However, he shrugged lightly, he knew better then to argue with his brother and to argue would mean something was wrong. Putting up a fight would only encourage his brother to think the worst and demand knowledge of things Kristopher did not want to speak of.

The blond took hold of his white sweater by the bottom and lifted it up and over his head, holding the fabric in his hands. The boy's chest was pale as ever and had nothing unusual, the back would be the same. Though, his arms where a different story. Blending in with the sleeve style tattoos where bruises. Some on his shoulders, others on his forearms and inner elbow. The biggest thing that would stand out was the bandage that started on his wrist and ended midway down his forearm.

The blond looked down at his arms without much care. "And now I am cold." He stated in a matter of fact tone. Lifting his shirt up, he started to put it back on.