New Life : A Second Chance

Kay narrowed her eyes when she saw the slight, furtive glance Kyle gave her.

"Just what did you do??" Kay hissed, leaning forward.

Sam, Ali and Xing Han quickly distanced themselves from Kay.

Kyle gulped. When Ali asked that question earlier, Kyle had simply grinned. When Kay asked, however ...

He gave her an innocent smile but before he could open his mouth, Kay pointed a finger at him, "Straight to the point, oh my *dear* brother."

Sam, Ali and Xing Han shivered noticeably as she said those words sweetly, while emphasizing the word 'dear'. One could tell how much anger oozed out of that single word.

They glared at Kyle. Even Xing Han.

Their Angel hardly ever got angry, but when she did, she became the Devil. All Hell would break loose. They could even see a slight sheen of sweat on Kyle's forehead and was appeased.

A bit.

"Wait wait wait," Kyle said, putting up his hands in surrender, "I didn't do anything ... yet ... no, I did for one, but but but!!"

"Spit. It. Out. NOW," Kay replied, not taking any nonsense from Kyle.

"I bought a house!" Kyle announced suddenly.

Kay sat back, puzzled, "That's it?"

What was so surprising about buying a house? Well, true, he had never done so before. It had always been shares for investments or buildings for MIB. Nothing for personal reasons like a house or a car.

"Under our names," Kyle continued, "Next door to Master Shifu's houses."

"Why?" Kay asked.

Kyle looked at Kay and said seriously, "Because you can't stay at the dorms any longer."

Kay stared at him.

"You're not happy, Kay," Kyle said softly, taking her hands in his, "But I know you don't have the heart to move out and let go."

"She's not a bad person, Kyle," Kay said, "I'm just sad, but I'll get over it."

Kyle shook his head, his expression tender but sad, "No. You won't. I know she's not a bad person, but you're suffering. I can feel it, even though you try to hide it from me."

Before she could protest, Kyle put his finger on her lips and said, "We're hardly going to be around the school this year, since I'll be busy with the promotional tours. We can't be selfish and take up the rooms that other people would need."

"We?"

"All three of us will move out. You, me and Xing Han. We'll stay at the new house and commute. Father will be happy as well that we're around and I'm sure Auntie Rhea will love pampering you."

Xing Han's mouth drooled, thinking of Auntie Rhea's home-cooked meals. He wiped the side of his mouth, looking about to see if anyone saw it.

Then his face scrunched up. Wait. That would also mean that ... thing ... would be there as well. Food vs the Thing. Xing Han felt conflicted. The emotions he felt for both were equally strong, though one was positive while the other was negative.

Love vs hate.

Urgh, Xing Han resolved to steel himself. For the sake of good food, he'll just put up with the Thing. Hopefully, that Thing would be so busy at work that he would hardly be home.

What Xing Han didn't know, or realise, is that both 'love' and 'hate' are extremely strong emotions and two sides of the same coin.

There is no love without hate; and there is no hate without love. The opposite of love is not hate, but indifference; the opposite of feeling can only be the absence of feeling. Love and hate must go hand in hand; and the people we love most we hate also, because hate is grounded in the nature of love.*

Nitocris knew that very well.

His teasing and constant ribbing of Xing Han wasn't just to rile him up to show him all those sorts of expressions that he so dearly loved. It was also to make Xing Han think of him all the time. He wanted to occupy a space in Xing Han's heart, even if it was 'hate' or 'annoyance'.

It was far better than indifference.

Kay understood what Kyle was saying, and his last sentence was an excuse for her to give to Sarah without any guilt. It was true that the accommodations were limited, and for them to use up the resources when they were hardly around wasn't fair.

Seeing the gentle care in Kyle's eyes, she felt him project his worry onto her and she sighed, nodding her head. Her anger dissipated as she knew that he had done so for her; and him not telling her beforehand was because he also knew she would reject it.

"Fine," Kay said, "You're forgiven."

The other Elite Five gave out a breath of relief, having avoided the missile.