NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

A year later

It was a big day. It was their first day in school. A real school. A school that was outside of the house.

In their entire 7 years of life, before this day, they had always been cooped up at home. On the really rare occasions that they were allowed out, it was always with a whole team of bodyguards. You can't really do or see much when they had to be encircled by those darn bodyguards wherever they went.

Imagine being two short kids walking about and all they could really see were the butts of the bodyguards walking in front of them.

They were squeezed together so tight with only the most minimal of a gap in between each guard made Kyle think they were tied together by an invisible string or something.

Going to the zoo? It was like a circus. Instead of being able to see the animals, they were the ones that were being looked at and being pointed at.

Going shopping? Puh-lease. People had to avoid their weird circle formation of people and that caused inconvenience.

In the end, it wasn't enjoyable at all, so what was the point then of going out?

Their house was being fitted with all the latest gadgets and electronics such as a huge-screen television, game consoles, a small movie theatre (just for the family), a kitchen that had a 24hr chef on standby to meet their every demand, a comprehensive library with children books and encyclopedias and even a huge backyard. Also, they had each other so they weren't lonely …

But it still wasn't the same as actually going outside.

Which was why this morning, at the God-earthly morning time of 5am, Kay was busy jumping about and skipping around Kyle. Though it appeared like she was merely playing around, it certainly took a lot of energy and endurance to be able to continue that repetitive action for 20 mins.

She could hardly contain her excitement but she didn't disturb Kyle in his morning routine. As for Kyle, he wasn't really bothered by the bundle of energy going around him. He had on a peaceful expression on his face as he focused on his morning routine exercises.

He started with some warming up, followed by push-ups, sit-ups, and the horse stance. He then did about 15 minutes of ninjutsu patterns, concentrating and channeling his energy, making sure that each punch and kick was done with a burst of power.

As it was early morning, he merely synchronised each punch and kick with a short burst of hiss through his teeth, rather than a shout. Both still used power that he took from his gut.

These were the basic patterns that Master Shifu had told him to do, and he incorporated them into his morning exercises. Master Shifu believed in forming a firm foundation, and these repetitive actions would become instinctive.

Kyle had actually started some basic psychomotor and stretching exercises since he was two years old to hone his reflexes, develop better motor skills and flexibility. From the age of four, he slowly started adding resistance exercises to develop strength and endurance; and upgraded the stretching exercises to gymnastic movements such as flips and somersaults.

As his body was still growing, he knew how to listen to his body and not push himself too much, and he would not be doing any weight lifting until his teens. Doing any such weight lifting would only stunt his growth and that was not something he wanted.

For now, he does about 2 hours of exercises daily which were spaced out during the day. In fact, other than his daily morning routine of 30 minutes, his exercises were actually designed to look like play so that his parents wouldn't suspect anything amiss.

Climbing trees, swimming, playing tennis (small version, of course) all appeared 'normal' but was in reality, to him – exercises. Since he started ninjutsu classes, of course the exercises were incorporated as well but while before he did them secretly, he could practice them openly in the backyard. As a result, Kyle was very fit for a boy of his age, with fast reflexes.

Kay wasn't that far behind either.

She wasn't as dedicated as Kyle in exercising but she did more than a normal 6 year old would. She preferred the more flexible routine and Kyle developed a gymnastic type exercise for her. Thus, she was also extremely flexible and nimble; which often was translated and seen in the way she walked.

It appeared like a natural inborn grace, and people never realised that it wasn't so much an innate ability but an ability born from practice. Nothing is actually ever easy but people never see the work: they only see the result and puts it down to it being "natural".

After the last sit-up, Kyle took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged. He looked at Kay's grinning face that was mere inches away from his, and closed his eyes again. He took several deep, long breaths.

Soon, he heard her asking impatiently, "Aren't you done yet?"

Kyle opened an eye, tilted his head a bit then replied, "No-pe" while making a popping sound at the end.

Kay rolled her eyes, knowing that he was lying purposely. She knew his routine by heart, and he was deliberately being slower than usual to tease her.

She then grinned, her dimples more pronounced as she took the face towel she was holding and rubbed it on his face.

Kyle laughed, took the towel and wiped the rest of his face and neck of sweat.

Kay clapped her hands happily and grabbed his hand after he finished wiping the sweat off, and dragged him over to the bathroom. "Quick! Quick!! Bathe and get ready!!"

Kyle smiled, letting her drag him along. Kay was such a bundle of sunshine that Kyle couldn't help but dote on her even more.

She was so pure and innocent, taking everything around her with such a fresh and sweet outlook that it refreshed his soul in a way that could not be explained.

Since Kyle was mentally an old person, he had found it extremely taxing and mentally exhausting to act like a toddler all the time. Kay was like the sun for him.

She would shine on him and make him feel happy again, enabling him to view the world through brighter eyes rather than having the darkness within his heart consume him.

She was his lifeline, literally, and she was what kept him sane as they were growing up. Kyle shuddered to think what his life would be like without her. He couldn't think of it at all.

He didn't want to think of it at all.

So his sense of protectiveness wasn't an act. It may have started from the twin connection and strengthened from the maternal instincts of his previous life, but it was honed and solidified by Kay herself.

He wanted to protect this angel, so that she never loses her innocence but at the same time, not coddle her that she would wilt should he not be beside her. He wanted the best for her, and any boy who would want to woo her would also need to go through him.

It was a miracle that she would unconditionally accept all that he taught her without losing such innocence. So people naturally would only see her outer fa?ade of gentle sunshine, not knowing the sharp glint of steel that was concealed underneath. She was his hidden sword, his strength.

Kay dumped the towels in his hands and pushed him into the bathroom. The bathtub was already filled with slightly hot water and the usual mineral concoction they had created after experimenting a bit.

As Kyle lowered his aching body into the water, he could smell the slight lavender scent emitting from the water. The minerals soothed his tired muscles and relaxed them, so he lay there for about 20 minutes before finally scrubbing himself with a loofah.

Getting up, he rinsed himself then walked out of the bathtub. Dripping wet, he took one towel to wrap around his waist. Just as he secured it, Kay suddenly burst into the bathroom. Kyle's hand stopped, and if this was a manga, there would be a sweat drop on his face.

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised, but she was oblivious to his gaze. Her innocent smiling face showed her lack of awareness. Kyle shook his head and mentally smacked his forehead. Of course, she would be unaware. She was only seven years old, and his twin for goodness sake. Seeing her brother naked wasn't something she would think was wrong.

He shook his head at that. He's going to have to slowly teach her that it wasn't normal, especially since they're going to school now. Being exposed and learning how to interact with other people will certainly be beneficial to her.

He shuddered to think if she started following boys to the bathroom or something ...