Rain had just locked his badge and gun into the safe in his room and collapsed on the bed when the door opened and the one person he trusted most in the world walked in. "Is it him?" a voice asked. Rain lifted his head to look at his most favourite face and simply nodded. "He has escalated. Tufts of hair were gone in the new victims. I saw the latest; the signature seemed clear," he said. He felt the bed dip. "Rain, you know you have to be careful, right?" Ple asked, her voice filled with worry and fear for the only person in the world who had her back. "We lost Yihwa, I cannot lose you baby." "I will not let that happen Princess. Trust me. Also..," Rain trailed off, unable to put into words what had happened with his LT.

"What is it?" she asked. Rain sighed. He couldn't hide anything from her. She was his sister in everything but blood. "I found more like us," he said instead. "What do you mean?" she asked, perplexed. "One of my team members is psychometric, a touch empath. His partner is most likely a seer, because he doesn't have the same energy signature that we give out. It's reads more like Yi's did. And my LT..," Rain trailed off again. How could he possibly put into words what he had felt when his hands had brushed Phayu's? It was like his entire body constitution had changed. Those visible sparks had made him feel scared, yet so alive, almost as if he had found the safest place on earth. He had felt that connection, and he desperately wanted to ask his LT if he had felt the same.

"Your LT what?" Ple asked, quirking a brow, jolting Rain out of thoughts, a small knowing smile playing on her lips. "I was giving him my laptop and our hands brushed. There were actual sparks, the type you see when an electrical circuit breaks. That has never happened before Ple," Rain said, fear and curiosity fighting a battle within him. "What are his powers?" she asked, a little shocked. "No idea. First mind that is this locked against me. Usually, either they are open, or I get an inkling when they touch me. But his? Zero! Zilch! Nada! It felt surreal. He is like the Fort Knox," Rain said, finally sitting up and looking at her. "Maybe I can tell," she said. "Well, Dr. Bun did invite me to come in, and I would like to meet P'Tan too. You come too. They will be happy to see you," he said, and she nodded. "Okay, let's go then," she said.

Phayu looked up at the sound of the bell at the bar and turned away disappointed. Yet again, it was not Rain. Why had he even thought the boy would come, he didn't know. A knowing look passed between his team members. Finally, someone had captured the attention of their LT; something unheard of. Phayu was bi, and that had never been a secret. But he had never ever exchanged literal sparks with anyone. And they had never seen him so lost. Bun and Tan shared a look as well. This is exactly why Bun had wanted Rain to come to Bangkok. There was someone who had told him that Rain's destiny needed to be changed, and only one person could change it; a shield so powerful that he could not only protect his own mind, but also the mind that needed more protection than anyone else. Both he and Tan had seen evil up close and personal, and both of them believed that there were people in the world whose mind was wired in a way that they could use more than their regular 5 senses. Rain had been one of those and having a mind like his was not going to make it easy for him as long as evil existed and as long as he hunted that evil. He would need Phayu, and Bun and Tan were going to ensure his happiness, whatever it took.

"Rain! Ple! You guys came!" Tan called out, as the bell jangled again. Phayu looked up so fast that his team was afraid he must have gotten whiplash. Rain walked in, looking gorgeous in fitted black jeans and a red shirt, hair pulled back in a ponytail, slight make-up dusted across his face. The girl who walked in with him was just as spectacular, dressed in a short black leather skirt, black top and a red jacket. Her hair was pulled back as well, and her make-up was en pointe too. "Wow you sexy people! Are you twinning again?" Bun asked, as he and Tan came out from behind the bar laughing at the two of them. "As usual, it's purely luck Phi!" the girl said, her voice twinkling with laughter. She then locked her arm around Rain's. "Are you not going to introduce me to everyone?" she asked, pout in place as she looked up beguilingly at him.

Phayu eyes hardened at the sight and he wanted to just storm off, but he gritted his teeth as he sat there, irritated beyond measure. "Members of the SVU, P'Pat and P'Pran, P'Pai and P'Sky, P'Sam and P'Mon, and this is my LT and partner, P'Phayu. Everyone, this is Ple, my sister and best friend," he said, smiling broadly at them and then at her. Phayu stared transfixed at that smile, jolting out of the treacherous thoughts in his head when Ple greeted him. "Phi, I am so glad you are here to help Rain. I hope he is able to help you in every way. I leave him in your care," she said, smiling gently at him. He nodded and excused himself to go the men's room. He desperately needed to control his emotions before he was ready to talk to anyone that night.

When he stepped out, Ple was waiting for him. "May I talk to you Phi?" she asked. He was surprised, and not a little annoyed. Why did his partner's sister want to talk to him? He didn't want to give her, or anyone, any wrong ideas. "What is this about?" he asked. "Phi, you are a shield, aren't you?" she asked bluntly. Phayu was taken aback. His powers were not really an open book like most people's. So how did this girl know? "How did you know?" he asked, frowning. "I also know you are a medium," she said, completely unfazed by his bad temper. "How. Do. You. Know?" he asked, suspiciously. "Consider that my power," she said. "I can guess your power. I am a telepath Phi," she said calmly. "Well, what can I do for you?" he asked, still put out with the fact that she was with Rain.

"Without being able to tell you everything I can, I just want to warn you. As you know, Rain is a clairvoyant. He is also a sense empath. Both of these skills mean he is constantly bombarded with thoughts, feelings, and energies of the people around him. But he is also a dog with a bone; he will not let go until things get solved. Even the case six years ago, if I had not forced him, he would have worked himself into the ground. Phi, I have already lost someone very beloved to me. I can't afford to lose Rain too. If something happens to him, I will become a complete orphan. I only want to request you to take care of him, be by his side. He will never admit it, but he will need you," Ple said. Phayu looked at her. Her eyes had filled, but he realised that not a single drop had fallen, and that she had held on by sheer willpower. He admired her for that.

"I will try my best," he said, and left it at that. He watched her leave, taking a moment to take a deep breath. Rain was his boy, his partner, and while he didn't need anyone to tell him to take care of his person, he was glad Rain had someone. He had understood the despair in Ple's voice, the need to protect the person you cared about. He had lost his partner once, and even though Sig had been just his work partner, Phayu had felt his loss deeply. And even though he had met Rain just that morning, he knew with a clarity that he had never had, that Rain was going to be even more important to him than anyone else in the world.

He slipped into his seat and his eyes immediately found Rain's. They were sparkling with merriment, but Phayu could see the fatigue in them clearly. He understood that Rain must be exhausted with the continuous influx of thoughts and feelings that must be bombarding him. "Why don't we call it day? We will be in for the reports tomorrow morning Doc. What do you say?" he said. Everyone nodded. "Don't worry about it. I will come in early tomorrow. There are things we need to discuss about the case anyway. Also, breakfast will be on me," Bun said, and a cheer went up. They all stepped away, and Rain and Ple wished everyone goodnight and left first. Phayu watched as Ple tucked her hand into Rain's and the two of them went away, laughing and giggling over something.

The next morning, Phayu met Pai and Sky just as they were entering the precinct. "Morning LT!" Pai said and Sky waiied too. "Let's get cracking as fast as possible today. We need to expand the timeline. Whatever you guys found, and whatever Rain showed us, let's put it up for all to see. It will make it easier for us," Phayu said. "We will need another boa..," Sky trailed off as they entered their area and saw that all the information of the case they had put up was gone. "What the hell?" Pai said, and Sam turned around. "Before you panic, let me tell you. No one stole anything. Our sweet rookie moved everything to the smaller conference room. He said that most of the information was confidential, plus it needed to be spread out," she said. "Smart boy, that one," Mon said, smiling indulgently. No one was supposed to be indulgent about his boy, Phayu thought, irritated again.

"Okay, you guys get back to work," he said, moving with Pai and Sky towards the room Sam had mentioned. He really needed to control his weird spiral when it came to Rain. Rain had commandeered another board. On one was printed the notes and the timeline, along with the photos of the previous case, and on the other was everything they had on this case. Rain was sitting hunched on his laptop, typing something at top speed. "Wow! You are fast on that thing," Sky stepped forward, admiring the ease with which Rain used the system. Rain looked up smiling. "Morning P'Pai, morning P'Sky, Swasdi Khap LT," he said, waiing. "You can call me Phi too," he said, and Pai's and Sky's mouth dropped open in shock! It had taken them several months to win over Phayu's trust, but this boy. They grinned knowingly at each other, thrilled with these developments. This is exactly what they had been hoping for.

"So, what do we have here?" Phayu asked. "Actually, seeing the board like this makes you understand the level of escalation each time, right?" Sky asked. "I am still wondering why he stayed silent for six years though," Pai asked, flipping through one of the files on the table. "His cooling-off period?" Rain asked. "That's quite possible. But why 6 years?" Phayu asked. "6 seems to be his number. But the bigger question is what triggered him this time?" Rain asked, staring at the board and rubbing the furrow between his eyes. "Don't think too much before drinking some coffee," a voice said from the doorway. "Doc! Are you here with food for the body and the soul?" Pai asked, jumping up.

Phayu immediately picked up a coffee and held it out to Rain. Rain looked up gratefully and took the cup, as their hands brushed again, and sparks flew. Again. But this time, instead of jumping back, Rain grasped Phayu's hand, both their eyes widening in shock. Pai and Sky looked at each other and quietly left the room along with Bun. Whatever needed to be said and done could wait a few minutes. Rain looked down at their joined hands in surprise. "How are you doing that Phi?" he asked, his voice tinged with wonderment. "Doing what?" Phayu asked, just as enamoured by the look in Rain's eyes as he was by the feeling swirling inside him. He was a psychic with very high walls, shields that had been created through worst of his experiences, but here was someone who looked at him like he was perfect. Phayu felt his breath hitch, his pulse fluttering like butterfly wings on the points, his heart thumping, trying to find a pace to match with something, anything.

"I can't hear anything," Rain said, sounding a little dazed. "Hear what?" Phayu asked, a little confused. "The voices. The voices in my head. They are silent. They have never been silent!" Rain now sounded positively plaintive as he considered that something was wrong with him. He looked back down at their joint hands and then pulled back gently. "And they are back," he said, sounding triumphant. "Oh. My. God! You are a shield. But I have never met a shield who can cover the thoughts of others so well," Rain said, surprised. "I didn't know I could do that either," Phayu said, smiling down at his boy. "Phi, will you come home with me tonight. Ple can tell us what's happening," Rain said. "You and Ple live together?" Phayu asked, a little upset, but not showing it. "She is my sister Phi; we only have each other. So yeah, we live together," Rain said, guilelessly. "Okay, I will come with you. For now, we should call the others inside. The bullpen must be going crazy. Plus, we do have a killer to catch," Phayu said, just as the door opened. 'Glad you both remembered that," Bun said, noting with a smirk how both Rain and Phayu blushed to the tips of their ears.