NEW LIFE : A SECOND CHANCE

There was a week left before the promotional tour would begin, so Kyle decided to spend it at home. Partly to make it up to his mother, and partly because he needed a break. He also missed Kay. Although they were connected mentally and emotionally, it couldn't beat actually seeing her.

That, and wanting to get back those pictures.

"You sure you don't mind being dragged here and there, Xing Han?" Kyle asked as they were having breakfast.

"Why should he mind?" a deep voice answered beside Kyle, "He's like your little puppy, following you about."

Xing Han stared at Nitocris, chewing angrily, not able to refute that but he did say, "I am not a little puppy!"

Nitocris looked lazily at him, while giving that lopsided smile of his, then said, "Oh, then should I say tail? The way you wag behind Kyle, it seems like it."

"You .. you ..!" Xing Han stuttered angrily, pointing his fork at Nitocris just as Rheia came back to the dining room.

"Xing Han, dear, no pointing at people," she scolded him gently, "And you, Nitocris. Stop bullying the poor boy."

"Yeah! You tell him, Auntie Rheia!" Xing Han said happily, going back to his meal, "This is the best pancake ever, Auntie Rheia! You're the best!!"

Rheia patted Xing Han on the head, and he continued eating with a smile on his face.

"Puppy," Nitocris said just as his mother entered the kitchen again.

Just as Xing Han turned to glare at Nitocris, he saw him patting Kyle on the shoulder and go close to his ear, saying something.

Kyle nodded, not saying anything while continuing to eat his breakfast.

Nitocris patted him back on the shoulder, got up and left for work.

Xing Han's eyes narrowed and he looked at Kyle, then asked, "What was that all about?"

Kyle turned to face Xing Han, said with a straight face before taking another mouthful of pancake, "Shazam."

Xing Han mouth gaped open, then he slowly closed it, narrowed his eyes at Kyle and without another word, continued eating breakfast.

All the while saying in his mind, 'don't mind it, don't mind it, don't mind it' since he had promised Kyle that he would not question and there would be no hard feelings.

But it was Nitocris, damnit!

Kyle watched Xing Han from the corner of his eye and sighed a bit. He could see how agitated Xing Han was being, from the way he was poking the pancake like he was stabbing someone (Big Bro, most likely) and chewing angrily.

Kyle wondered why Big Bro Nic loved to tease Xing Han by showing some sort of connection between them that Xing Han could not be a part of. Earlier, Big Bro had simply told him that his men had found a few more moles in the organisation so he would like Ice to be there when they were going to extract information.

Apparently, they had some connection to Richard's child trafficking network, and Kyle may have some questions that they might miss. Since their train would depart later in the afternoon, Kyle had time to go over to HQ and participate.

He couldn't quite tell Xing Han that Big Bro was actually the King of the Underworld and he, as Ice, was one of the top assassins now. This was one secret that he was not planning to tell the Elite Five unless Big Bro allowed it. After all, Ice and the Black Dragons were too inter-connected that he couldn't tell about Ice without revealing Black Dragon.

Anyone who knew about the Black Dragons were all targets, so Kyle did not want any of them to be exposed to that danger.

"I've got some work to do for Big Bro later," Kyle said to Xing Han, "Meet you at the train station."

"Sure," Xing Han said with a forced smile, "Spy stuff?"

"Spy stuff," Kyle affirmed, telling a white lie.

"So Nitocris is part of that?" Xing Han pressed.

Kyle looked towards the kitchen, then at Xing Han, gave a soft smile and said gently, "All I can say is, he's not MIB or will ever be. As for the rest ..."

Xing Han nodded, and jerked his head towards the door, indicating to Kyle that it was fine for him to go, "I understand. It's enough to know he's not MIB."

Kyle ruffled Xing Han's hair and left, entering MIB's underground base underneath the house. After changing into Ice, he left through the second exit so that he wouldn't run into Xing Han.

? Black Dragon HQ ?

"Really, Big Bro?" Ice said as he looked at the three men sprawled there, naked.

Ice was sitting cross legged on the table, while the three men were tied tightly, bondage style, with their backs on the cold floor.

"Yes, really, Ice," Nitocris answered languidly, sitting on the chair beside the table.

"I can do a-ny-thing I want to them?" Ice said as he studied them, raking his eyes over them and making the three buff men, shiver.

"One," Nitocris clarified.

Ice pouted, gave puppy eyes to Nitocris but before he could say anything, Nitocris simply gave him a cold stare and repeated, "One."

Ice sighed loudly, jumped down from the table and took off his jacket. He put it carefully on the table, and walked over to the three men, looking from left to right.

"Eeenie ... meenie ... miney ... mo ... Three moles caught by Brother Go .. Big Bro Nic say choose one, so ... Eeenie ... meenie ... miney ... mo ..." Ice chanted, pointing to each one at every different syllable.

When his finger stopped at the guy on the left.

"Oh, it's you," Ice said with a smile, his eyes that had been half-closed now opened and focused entirely on the poor sod who began whimpering.

"Let's have some fun now, shall we?"