~ such a late goodbye

[nicotardle.]

"I don't have much of an appetite for hospital food," Kaige said as he rubbed his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. The door opened then and the nurse from before returned holding a glass of ice water and a pitcher with more in case he needed it. She set it down on the table beside his bed, smiled, then turned to leave again. As soon as she was gone, Kaige began poking at the various needles stuck in his veins and taped down to his skin. These were annoying. Laying down wasn't helping him either and he was tired of it. It was time to sit up... or attempt to, at least.

"Let's see if you can do this, old man," he muttered to himself as he placed his hands down on either side of the bed and braced himself. He began to push himself up slowly, though it appeared to be difficult to do so. His arms shook slightly and he tried to keep it from showing, but it was useless. Once he was up enough to where he was satisfied, he eased himself back enough to make himself comfortable. "Woo... head rush," he said, bringing his hands up to his head. He felt a mixture of dizziness and weakness. It wasn't a good combination. "I'm seeing stars!" He squeezed his eyes shut and brought his fingers to them, pressing down to try and make them go away.

"This isn't helping." He let his hands drop to the bed and just sat there like a lump, trying to balance out the feelings he had going on. He didn't want to pass out, but if it happened, it happened. "Anyway...," he said after awhile, slowly bringing his head up to look in her direction. "You can go home, you know." He proceeded to slowly bring his legs up, bending them at the knee. He cringed at how stiff they felt. He definitely needed to get his body used to moving around again. "I mean, I'm not trying to get rid of you," he continued, still bending and stretching his legs. "I'm only saying you don't have to stay here twenty four-seven. It's fine if you want to leave for awhile."

Suddenly remembering he had the nurse bring him water, he turned to the table, perhaps a bit too fast, and grabbed the cup with a shaky hand. He downed the water quickly, shivering faintly due to the coldness, then felt pain rush up his spine and to his head. "Dammit," he muttered, bringing his palm up to his forehead. "That's what I get for drinking too fast, I guess." He snorted quietly and shook his head. "Water just kicked my ass."

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[::WOLFURchik::]

She frowned as she watched him struggle to move. She couldn't imagine how trapped he must have felt in that bed, all tied up to those needles... It was enough to give her the chills. She wanted to tell Kaige to calm down, and take things slowly. After all, he JUST woke up from a coma... but she knew it wouldn't do any good. Kaige had to do what Kaige had to do.

She looked at him nervously when he drank the water... She was noticing just how bad of a condition he was still in. Besides having no place to go, she didn't want to disapear and have him die on her... Maybe she was being a bit over protective, but... this was all she had left.

"Its not like I have any other plans..." Salena muttered from her chair. She sighed, looking over at Kaige. So this was how they spent their first date together... how romantic. She chuckled to herself, though it probably sounded as if she was laughing at Kaige. "Sorry." She sputtered. "I wasn't laughing at..you." She just wanted to clarify.

She glanced away. Now that Kaige was awake, she probably wouldn't stay in that room twenty four seven. She didn't want Kaige feeling overwhelmed, or getting annoyed... but she wasn't going to go far. She would probably just sit out in the waiting room for a few hours at a time, maybe take a walk around the hospital... but she wouldn't go any farther than that. Ofcourse, she would never tell Kaige that.

((sorry for the short and TOTAL suckishness, but I dunno what else to post XD ))

[nicotardle.]

Kaige inhaled slowly and closed his eyes, waiting for the brain freeze to be over with. He began to feel normal, or as normal as he could get in his state, after a little while. "Man, that sucked," he said as he let himself drop back down onto the pillows. "This sucks as well." He threw his hands up in the air only to have them yanked by down, forgetting needles were stuck in his skin. "And that sucked. Everything... sucks," he groaned as he shut his eyes. "And you suck too." That was added in just for good measure. He didn't mean anything by it. It was just Kaige being Kaige.

He fell silent for awhile as he began to think. He wasn't sure how long this feeling of weakness was going to go on for, but he didn't want to stick around this place for much longer. There had to be a way out of here quicker. Maybe he could fake getting better, but then again, the doctors and nurses would know the truth just by reading up on the machines that were monitoring him. With a sigh, he opened his eyes and turned his gaze to Salena. "You're not telling me something," he said, concentrating on her eyes. "But it's alright. I won't bug you about it." He looked back to the ceiling and linked his hands together on his chest. "But just so you know... I know you're hiding something." He paused to make it seem more dramatic before adding, "And I'll find out what it is."

It wasn't a threat and he wasn't trying to be an ass. It was just idle banter to him. Being stuck in a bed, feeling weak and in pain was driving him up the wall and he hadn't even been up that long. "I gotta get out of here," he muttered, now tapping his fingers against his chest. He looked over to the machines, then to the needles in his veins. "There's gotta be something I can do." He paused and looked back at her. "And don't even say anything. Don't be all, 'Oh my gawd, what are you thinking? You need to stay here and rest!'," he said, speaking in a high pitched tone of voice. I'm going to figure something out." He pushed himself back up and started to think. He'd get it all figured out sooner or later.

[/font][/center][/blockquote]

[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena held her frown and looked away. She was a little disapointed to hear Kaige call out everything that sucked, especially herself... She knew she sucked. She always knew it. She hated herself. She just hoped she didn't have to hear it from him... she rolled her eyes and decided not to let herself be bothered by it. This was Kaige, after all.

She hated how he always saw right past her... well, most of the time anyway. Perhaps it had something to do with the whole mind reading thing, or maybe it was just because Salena wore her heart on her sleeve. It was a dangerous place to keep it... It isn't like she meant to be so controlled by her emotions, but no one ever let her forget it, and she could never forgive herself.

But whatever she was hiding from Kaige, it was none of his business. Or maybe it was... but she still didn't want him to know. What she planned on doing was for his sake... he could hate her all he wanted. She still wanted to stay close and help him.... She began thinking about other things, random things... the flowers, the stars... eventually, she forgot what she had been hiding in the first place, which was of course, her objective. You had to stay on your toes around a mind reader.

She didn't even say a word while he struggled. She worried that he might hurt himself, but Kaige had to do what Kaige had to do. She knew that no amount of words could hold him back. She was probably doing him a favor, keeping her mouth shut. Words just always seemed to aggitate him further... try even harder. Maybe by keeping her words to herself, he would eventually just give up and go back to sleep. She sighed, her mind taking her away from the machines and the hospital... She didn't want to watch him hurt himself.

(This post is so... What? What is this, I don't even... >.< )

[nicotardle.]

"Gee, and and everyone used to say I was a stick in the mud...," Kaige muttered to himself, not knowing or really caring if Salena heard him. "Someone's got issues and it's not just me." He shook his head and began to look over everything hooked up to him, continuing on with his muttering, though it was under his breath this time. It seemed like when something was bothering him or if he was keeping something to himself, he was bugged until it was out in the open. How come it wasn't like that now? "Girls and their double standards... and their... whatever...," he grumbled. He knew guys had double standards too, but he didn't care about that at the moment. If she didn't want to talk, then fine. He wasn't going to be annoying and try to pry her open like a clam.

Shaking his head, he began to think things over. The nurse had come by recently and probably wasn't going to come back for another few hours... or so he hoped. He was clueless as to how much time he had so he had to be fast, even if he didn't have the strength. He had been in this hospital for a week unconscious, he wasn't going to stick around in it for another week now that he was conscious. He sat there for a moment, waiting for the wave of dizziness to pass before he started moving again. "Ooh, this is going to be an adventure," he said to himself, sighing heavily. But it was going to be done. As far as he was concerned, he was in the clear. His mother told him he still had things to do, so that had to mean sometime. Death would not be knocking on his door anytime soon.

With the dizziness gone, Kaige pushed himself up further to test his strength. It was nowhere near better, but he had to make do with what he could. He threw the sheets off that were covering him, perhaps a bit too fast, and noticed his legs were bare. "Oh, god." He glanced down and saw that they had stuck him in one of those fashionable hospital gowns. "Lovely," he said dryly. At least they left him with his boxer briefs, and hopefully the rest of his wardrobe. He would have to go hunting for it as soon as he unhooked himself from the many machines surrounding him. He would have to go about that part carefully as to not alarm any lurking nurses or doctors.

He would start with the heart monitor. First thing was getting it turned off instead of ripping the stickies off of him and setting it off. He slid over to the side of the bed and leaned over a little, trying to keep himself from passing out. "There's gotta be a switch somewhere," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as he searched over the machine. A minute later, he finally came across it. "Haha." He stretched his arm out, flipped the switch, and dropped back against the pillows. He began to carefully pull each strip that was attached to his chest off. Once the was done, he slowly and carefully began to remove the other needles and strips stuck in him or on him. "Finally... success!" he said minutes later, though he didn't sound too enthusiastic.

Now that he was able to move around more freely, he pushed himself to the end of the bed and swung his legs over so his feet touched the ground. He wasn't sure how well he'd do standing, but it had to be done. Taking a breath, he grabbed the frame on the side of the bed and slowly got himself to a standing position. It was obvious it was a little difficult - his legs shook slightly, but he ignored it. "It's time to find my clothes and get the hell out of here."

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[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena looked over at Kaige. It pained her to see him in such condition... but at least he was still himself, more or less. Though... she wasn't quite sure if that was such a good thing anymore. Maybe she was being selfish... but she had just spent a week with him, worried about him. He didn't seem very appreciative. But she didn't want to dwell on it. With Kaige, you never could tell what he was really feeling, so she didn't exactly want to jump to conclusions. Maybe he did care. She could hope.

The problem was, for once in her life, she just didn't want to talk to Kaige. She had tried to talk to him her whole life. Kaige was good for some things, but listening just wasn't one of them. At his comments, she figured it was time to take a breather. "I...I've got to use the restroom." She lied, and slowly stood up from her chair. She headed towards the door, and glanced back. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm away..." She pleaded with him, then turned away and walked out.

She combed her fingers through her hair. She probably looked a mess... her thin black hair caught in frizzy tangles and sad curls, her eyes tired and worn. She could use a shower... She glanced around and noticed that the nurses were ignoring her presence. They had grown accustomed to her sneaking into the shower room and the cafeteria to grab a bite. They just turned their backs, letting her get away from it.

She put her hand on the knob to the shower room and twisted, but before she could throw herself inside, a nurse stopped her. "Ma'am!" She spoke somewhat excitedly. Salena let go of the door and turned her attention to the brunette.

"We all heard that your brother is awake. We are glad to hear it. We've been praying." Salena cocked her head. "Bro- oh. Yeah. Er...thanks."

The woman smiled at Salena and put her hand calmly on her shoulder. Salena knew she was trying to be supportive, but she couldn't help but find the woman to be annoying. "His recovery is nothing short of a miracle." Salena scoffed. "Miracle? Whatever. This is your job. Hospitals are supposed to make people better, aren't they?"

The nurse pulled back her hand and shrugged softly, her smile fading. "Yes... I suppose so... Even so, we are all glad to see him awake." Salena smiled slightly and nodded. "Me too."

The nurse, whose name tag read "Brooke Sales" turned away, and attempted to leave, but stopped short in her tracks, giving her attention back to Salena. "You know, he is lucky to have someone like you around. He may not realize it now, but he will. Have you told him? Exactly how you feel?"

Salena's mouth dropped, and she glared at the nurse. She guessed this might have happened... hospital gossip is worse than high school gossip-or so she heard. She had never actually been to high school. Still, sometimes, she wished people could just mind their own business. "He's my brother." She replied sickly.

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Oh yes. I guess I ... forgot." She smiled innocently, then walked away, an almost too peppy bounce in her step.

Salena blushed and turned around, quickly swinging the door open and throwing herself inside. Was it that obvious that she had been lying? Was she that easy to read? She sighed and undressed herself, leaving behind a trail of clothes as she stepped into the shower and turned the water on.

The cool stream of water felt good against her skin. It was relaxing, for a little while. Unfortunately for her, it gave her time to think about things. She thought about how badly she just wanted to be with Kaige. She was closer now than she had been... but it still seemed so far from possible. Maybe it was just her lack of self esteem, but she wasn't getting her hopes up too high.

Still, she couldn't explain just how she felt. She may not have looked it, but Salena was extremly grateful that Kaige was awake and alive. She found her mind wandering into a fantasy. What would the future look like? Maybe he would eventually take her back... maybe they could love each other again. Maybe do more... maybe start a family? They could have a little boy. She'd name him Tyson. She had grown rather fond of that name recently...

She reached out and turned off the water, shattering her fantasy in an instant. It wasn't healthy to try and think so far head. It was a dream, and nothing more. She sighed and grabbed a towel from a metal rack against the wall, and wiped herself dry. There was a large mirror on the wall, and she studied herself for a moment. She was pretty enough, wasn't she? She wasn't over weight, or oddly shaped... her curves seemed almost too good to be true. So why was it that it was so hard to feel loved?

She sighed, her eyes travelling to the wolf tattoo on her right hip. She had gotten it done when her friends decided to throw her a birthday party. They promised to pay for whatever tattoos she cared to get. At first, the idea of needles and ink in her body scared her a little. Eventually, she gave in, and she had gotten two tattoos; the wing that wrapped around her left wrist, and the wolf on her hip. Staring at it made her long for home... but what was there to go back to? She had nothing.

Finally, she pulled her clothes back on, her hair still dripping. The blue streak almost blended into the rest of her dark hair when wet. She felt a draft, and shivered. She was so ready to be rid of this hospital... but first, Kaige had to get better.

When she finally returned to the hospital room where Kaige had been trapped inside for too long, the sight of him made her cup a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping out loud. "Kaige!" She shouted in a whisper. She caught a glimpse of his backside behind the opening in his gown, and looked away, red from embarassement. She threw her hand in between her eyes and Kaige, keeping away the temptation of peeking at him.

"What are-" She knew he would be trying to get out of there, but she hadn't expected him to be so successful in his endeavor. From what she could see, he had already gotten rid of the wires abd machines that were attached to him. Already he was standing. In a way, it made her proud. Kaige was still just as strong and determined as ever... but in another way, it made her worried. She didn't want him hurting himself again.

Still... she didn't want him to be trapped here anymore, and neither did she feel like staying. The least she could do was give him a hand. She spotted his boxer shorts, and grabbed hold of them, holding them out to him, still a bit embarassed. She wasn't sure where they were hiding the rest of his clothes, or even if they had them...they were probably stained with blood, not to mention the hole from the bullet, but atleast it was better than nothing.

"Here..." She spoke. "You'd better be quick... I don't want to have to knock out one of the nurses that's been helping you stay alive."

[nicotardle.]

Kaige was off in his own world, scanning the room for the rest of his clothes. He thought he saw something that resembled his jeans, but he was mistaken. "Good god," he muttered, wondering where the hell his stuff was. He wasn't keeping that gown on - it was starting to irritate him. With a grip that wasn't as strong as it normally was, he yanked the cloth off and tossed it to the floor. He hadn't noticed that Salena was back in the room and jumped slightly when she spoke up. "I'm moving as fast as I can!" he hissed, shooting her a glare. There was no anger or malice behind it, though. He wasn't even supposed to be doing this in the first place, but he was never one to abide by the rules.

It suddenly dawned on him that he was standing in the room half naked with Salena right there. He wasn't sure why, but he was beginning to feel self conscious. It wasn't like he had a bad body or anything of the sort - he was built well enough and it showed. Maybe it was just because they were both human now and things were... different. He didn't know. He just wanted to find something to put on. "Well... they've gotta be around here somewhere," he said, standing there awkwardly. He began to look around everywhere again, hoping something would pop up. He spotted a small dresser off to the side and started to slowly walk over to it. "Why didn't I think of that before?" he mumbled, talking more-so to himself than to Salena.

About a minute later, he finally reached the dresser and yanked open a drawer. "Awesome," he said, seeing his torn and blood stained clothes. At least his pants were still wearable. He pulled them out and then looked down, wondering how he was going to pull this off without falling over. There was no way he was going to ask Salena for help. He had far too much pride for that. "Oookay..." He shook his pants out and slowly began to lift one leg to place it in. One down, one to go. He wasn't as successful with the second one - he nearly lost his balance, but caught himself just in time. "Alright, now that that's taken care of...," he said as he buttoned and zipped up. He wasn't going to bother with the shirt. It was ruined anyway.

"Let's get out of here," he said, turning to Salena. He made his way over to the window and looked out. "Sweet. We got lucky. First floor." It would be too risky to head out of the hospital using the halls. Someone could easily catch him wandering off, especially since he wasn't able to move too fast. Despite the fact that he was on the first floor, it still seemed a little further up than it should have. Oh well. He wasn't staying here. "Guess I'll go first," he said as he began to fidget with the window. This one seemed a little different from regular house windows, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. He finally got it open after awhile, looked out and down to see if there was anything bad he'd land on, then looked back to her.

"Here goes nothing." He half smiled, half frowned, then turned back to the window. He placed his hands on the ledge and threw one leg over the side carefully. He was still feeling weak, but that wasn't going to hold him back. He started to slide out the window, but somehow lost his balance and ended up falling out of it, landing flat on his back a moment later. "Fuck!" he groaned, feeling the pain surge through his body. It wasn't a long fall, but it was still a fall and in his condition, it didn't feel great. He laid there for a moment, just staring up at the sky, before trying to get himself back up. When he did, he felt pain go to his head, but ignored it. "Alright, you're turn. Don't be an idiot like me," he said, although he knew she knew better.

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[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena rushed to the window as Kaige toppled out, a look of panic evident on her face. She leaned out, and looked down. "Oh my- are you ok?" She asked, though it was in such a whisper, he probably couldn't have heard her, even if the fall hadn't been that far. She knew he was in no condition for this sort of thing. She had no idea why she was supporting him in his escape, and even more baffling to her was why she was going to continue supporting his madness.

She grabbed hold of the window pane and swung herself out, clinging to the side of the building cautiously, then without any effort, she glided down and landed on her toes, hardly disrupting the grass below her. She turned and looked at him with a frown. "Are you alright?" She asked. That fall must have hurt... maybe this wasn't such a good idea... maybe she should report him, maybe even drag him back into that hospital...

In one hand, she held an apple, one she had snatched from the table before she made her exodus. "An apple a day." She repeated the old phrase, holding out the apple with a smirk, though she wasn't quite sure what it meant. Maybe she was just aquiring a taste for apples. "Lets get the hell out of here before anyone sees us." She whispered, more to herself than anything.

She glanced around. It appeared as if no one had seen them. They were lucky to have had a window at the back of the hospital, instead of the front. She could see the forest just a few hundred feet away from them. It was probably the easiest way to escape. They just had to be careful not to travel to far into the woods, unless they wanted to be eaten by giant flesh eating arachnids, which she cerainly did not.

She tried to hide her worry from Kaige, but it was pretty evident in the looks she kept shooting him. "Do you... need any help?" She would gladly carry him to safety. She was strong enough. She highly doubted Kaige was the kind of person to let anyone, especially a girl, especially herself in particular, carry him anywhere. Infact, she doubted that he would admit to needing her help at all. Atleast she couldn't say she didn't ask.

[nicotardle.]

"Yeah... I'm fine," Kaige grumbled as he stood back up, brushing the dirt and grass-blades from his body. Truthfully, though, he was in more pain now then before. Of course, falling out a window didn't exactly help. He wasn't going to admit that he hurt. Like every other time, he just kept things to himself. It was something he would eventually have to stop doing, but he didn't care at that point. "I don't need any help. I'll live," he said, waving his hand as if he was trying to brush her away. "Let's just get out of here before someone sees us..." There was no way in hell he would be caught in the hospital again, not if he could help it.

With a slow start and a slight limp, he began to head off in the direction of the forest. He could feel the stiffness in his muscles and he could feel himself shaking every so often, but he tried to keep it under wrap. There were a few scrapes on his back from the fall, but nothing major. The wound from the bullet was healing up, but still looked somewhat fresh. "Another one to add to the collection," Kaige sighed quietly, looking down at the mark. He was starting to feel worn out already and he wasn't even a few yards away from the hospital yet. He was starting to wonder if he would make it alright, but quickly shook the thought away. He had managed just fine over the past century, why wouldn't he be alright now?

"So..." He started to speak, but had no idea what to say. The silence was starting to get to him and it left him to think about things he'd rather forget about or ignore. "So.. uh..." He was terrible at starting conversations. Being charismatic was never a strong point for him. Instead of continuing to sound like a fool, he shut up and dropped his gaze to the ground, watching his feet shuffle along as he moved. Sick of moving at the same pace as a turtle, he started to pick up his speed, something he really shouldn't have done. He could feel his weak heart beating erratically as he moved and a wave of weakness washed over him. His vision started to get blurry, but then went back to normal. If he passed out, he passed out. So long as he was out of that hell-hole, he didn't care.

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[::WOLFURchik::]

Kaige wasn't the only one who was bad at starting a conversation. Salena was aweful quiet... and she had been since becoming human. Her new human friends often teased her, but it never bothered her. Now, however, the slow pace, and the quiet were starting to get to her. It was way too akward for her liking.

All she could think about was how Kaige was really feeling, how he was really doing. She felt so stupid for letting him run away. She didn't know much about medicine or doctors, but she knew that even a small fall could mess up your insides if you were hurt enough. It wasn't too long ago that Kaige had finally awaken. It had only been a few days since his heart stopped and he was considered dead...

She wasn't sure what kept her from taking him back to the hospital. Maybe it was because she felt deep down inside that Kaige would be alright. After all, they've survived this long. Or perhaps it was because she still considered Kaige as alpha. She may have looked human, but she still had a wolf's thoughts. Kaige was, and always would be her alpha. She would follow him to the end if she had to...

"Kaige, if you have a problem... please, let me help. I don't want you hurting yourself even more, or worse!" She shut her mouth and sighed. She didn't want to sound pathetic and worried. She didn't want to be naggy, but at the same time, she hated how stubborn Kaige was acting. The man would rather put his life in danger than sit in a hospital for a few more days. All though, when she thought about it, she didn't blame him.

She looked out ahead at the forest. They were nearly there... each step was long and painful. Even if they reached the forest, they wouldn't be home free. Where would they go from there? Would the doctors send rangers to recover Kaige? These were the questions forming in Salena's head. She would fight for her alpha if she needed to, but she really hoped that this wouldn't be the situation.

"Where will we go?" Salena finally asked Kaige. His house was probably out of the question... at least for now. Most placed wouldn't exactly pursue a patient, but Taikai Ueki was a bit stricter. They had little tolerance for crime and disobedience, and from what Salena heard, the hospital was a big deal. She was unsure of the future. Would they be treated as criminals? Surely not. Salena shook the thoughts from her head. Her mind often wandered to worst case scenarios... possibly something she needed to change. However, it did occasionally prepare her, because most of the time, things did get rough. Only time could tell.

[nicotardle.]

"I'm fine," Kaige said, putting emphasis on 'fine.' "Don't worry about it. I'm alive and moving around. I'm fine," he repeated. It seemed like he was saying that more to himself then to her. It was almost like he was trying to convince himself that he was alright. He couldn't remember a time when he felt as weak as he did now, or as in much pain as he was now. Sure he had gotten in a few scuffles here and there as a wolf, but this was different. The human body was strange and he didn't really like it, but he had to deal with it. He would be stuck like this for the rest of his boring, uneventful life.

His vision continued to go in and out every other minute, but he paid no attention to it. The only thing he had on his mind was getting out of the hospital's view before a nurse or doctor came in his empty room. He wasn't sure if they would come looking for him, but he wasn't too worried about it. He was stubborn and had to get away. If he absolutely had to in the event that they did look for him, he would just leave and go somewhere else. Roam around again like he used to. Moving from place to place was something he knew well. A life of solitude didn't seem so bad, but at the same time, he didn't really want it. He had grown used to being alone, but sometimes... sometimes company was nice. He would never admit that, though.

"Yeah, sure," he said although he had no intentions of asking her for help. He was stubborn and it would be the death of him, assuming he could even die in the first place. He didn't even know if she would be able to help him in the first place. "It's nice that you care and all," he said as he continued to limp along, "but really... I'm fine." Yeah, right. Who was he kidding? He could see the forest growing closer and he breathed a sigh of relief. Only a little ways to go and he could take a breather, but he wasn't sure if he was going to. Half of him wanted to stop, but the other half wanted to keep going.

He didn't answer her question right away. He wasn't sure where to go. If someone was sent to find him, would they go to his house? He thought about that, then came to the assumption that they most likely didn't know where he lived. They didn't even know what his name was when he was placed in the hospital. He had no other ideas, so that was what he was going with. "My house," he said after a minute, visibly struggling to keep moving. "It's hidden off in the forest... I doubt anyone will come across it. I don't think they'll be looking for me anyway." He half shrugged, glaring ahead. "I'm not that important."

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[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena nodded and kept going. So it was hard for Kaige to get out of the forest too... it was a comforting thought anyway. You can't take the wolf out of the forest. It was good to know that they weren't completely conforming to human society. In a way, it made her miss her home just a bit more. The Forgotten Forest had a lot of trouble... there were a lot of sorrows in it. But somehow, she just couldn't get it out of her head.

She wanted to believe that Kaige would be just fine, but the truth was, she was still awefully worried about him. Humans were so fragile... so frail. Sure, they lived longer, much longer, than wolves, and they claimed to be at the top of the food chain... but they were just so easily hurt. Their skin was so easily torn, their hearts so easily broken...

"You know..." She began to speak, hoping to get both their minds off of the current situation. "I told the doctors that I was your sister." She laughed slightly. How odd would that have been... they obviously hadn't seen them the morning before in the forest. She shrugged. "Apparently, they only let relatives stay with someone who was in as bad as condition as you were in..." It was an odd conversation to start, but somebody had to break the akward silence.

[nicotardle.]

Kaige could tell there was something on Salena's mind, but he wasn't going to pry. He could also tell that she was still worried about him. He supposed that wasn't going to change no matter how much he tried to convince her that he was doing alright. He couldn't even convince himself, but he wasn't going to dwell on it. His main goal at the moment was just making it to the forest. The cover of the trees and bushes would soon hide him from the hospital's view, although they were already far enough away they probably weren't recognizable. Besides, the nurses and doctors saw a bunch of different patients every day. Surely they wouldn't be able to remember what Kaige and Salena looked like, or who they even were.

With just a few more yards to go, Kaige picked up his slow pace, finally reaching the edge of the forest after what seemed like an eternity. As soon as he was sure he was out of view, he leaned against a tree and sighed heavily. He could feel his heart fluttering against his chest and hear a ringing in his ears. He bent over, placing his hands on his knees, and looked down to the ground as he tried to steady his breathing. No, it wasn't a good idea to leave the hospital in his weakened state and this wasn't helping his 'I'm fine' case look any better, but he didn't really care... much. He would just learn to deal with it. He would get better in time.

After awhile, he stood upright again and leaned back against the tree as he closed his eyes. "Yeah... relatives or significant others. Something like that," he said, bringing both arms above him and crossing them, letting them rest on the top of his head. "Don't ask me why it's like that because I have no idea." He listened to the sounds around him, noting that there was hardly any noise aside from a random bird here and there or the sound of the wind running through the trees. It was nice not hearing the name monotonous beeping every other second, or hearing some sort of commotion outside the hospital room door. He could hear himself think, although there had been plenty of time for that when he was out cold.

"Don't you need anything of yours?" he asked, snapping back to reality. His eyes were still closed, but he was focused. "You know, like at your house? Maybe you should go there just in case they send someone out to get me. Wouldn't want you getting in trouble for someone like me." His eyes were open now, looking up at the tree tops. He wasn't sure what her situation was; she always seemed to avoid it when he brought it up. "I mean, I'm not trying to sound like I'm wanting to get rid of you... I just figured it might be better for you." He shrugged. "But you can do whatever you want." He knew there was something she wasn't telling him, but he wasn't sure what. Perhaps he would find out soon.

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[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena allowed Kaige to rest, and didn't try to bother him further. She simply leaned herself against a seperate tree, playing with the grass between her toes. She was still barefoot. She hated shoes. Perhaps she would never wear them.

As Kaige questioned her, she looked away, out into the woods. The breeze felt good against her cheeks. She had gotten out only a few times during Kaige's coma for a quick walk around the hospital, but it had been too long since she had stood under the shade of the trees and really felt the wind on her neck. It was a refreshing feeling. She only hoped she wouldn't regret it, seeing as how Kaige was still in a terrible condition.

She looked over at him, and almost smiled. "You mean you aren't completely tired of my presence yet?" She laughed sadly to herself, then simply shook her head, turning her gaze back out to the forest. She crossed her arms, a bit chilled from the wind. It didn't help any that her hair was still wet from the shower before. "I don't..." She almost didn't want to tell him. Not because she would feel embarrased by it, not because she wanted to keep it a secret. The main reason she didn't tell anyone about her living conditions was simply because she didn't want them to feel sorry for her. Sure, she didn't have a warm house to crawl in when it rained, but she had her own little den in the woods... She was happy with it. Besides, she would much rather bathe in a cool stream outside than a stuffy shower stuck inside.

Against her better judgement, she decided to just tell the truth. "I don't have a home. Well, not a house anyway. I guess you could say I'm a girl of the woods..." She shrugged it off. It really was no big deal to her. "Really the only things I own are a few keepsakes and these clothes I'm wearing. I've got an extra pair in my... er...den." She said it, as if she were embarassed to admit she still did such a wolf thing as build her own den. But this was Kaige she was talking to, not some human who just thought she was making up the first hundred and so years of her life.

She slid her back down the tree, enjoying the rough feeling of the bark against an itch on her back. She sat just infront of the tree, crossing her legs together while she waited for Kaige to catch his strength up. She realized she may have to wait a while, but she had no problem with waiting. She had grown to be pretty patient.

She turned her attention back to Kaige. She could see the pain in his eyes, but she wouldn't tell him that. Even as weak as he was, he was still fairly handsome for a human... he had a good looking face. He was built well enough... over all, she thought he looked pretty darn good. She didn't notice it, but her pale cheeks began to fill with a light red blush. "You know, Kaige... for a human, you look really good." She laughed to herself, then frowned, and quickly looked away, realizing that now probably wasn't the best time to start flirting with a guy who had just escaped from a hospital.

"Sorry..." She quietly apologized, hoping he wouldn't be angry with her advances. She had just been speaking her mind. She didn't mean to say it out loud, but she didn't regret saying it either... She did find Kaige physically appealing. She found him very attractive... maybe even more than his wolf form. She just wasn't sure if this was the best time to bring something like that up. Embarassed, she reached up and tucked her black hair behind her ear, hoping she hadn't just made the situation akward once more.

[nicotardle.]

The feeling of weakness grew stronger as Kaige rested against the trunk of the old, gnarled tree. It felt like his body was shutting down and there was nothing he could do to get it better. His stomach growled loudly and he realized then that he hadn't eaten in over a week. Along with the pain he was already feeling from his body, he was now experiencing hunger pains. Things just seemed to be getting worse, but there was nothing he could do to fix it now. His house was in the forest not too terribly far away, but it felt like miles to him. So close, yet so far away. He needed to keep moving, but he was lacking the strength.

With a heavy sigh, Kaige dropped to his side and then rolled over onto his back laying flat on the earth ridden ground beneath him. He closed his eyes again and brought his arm up to cover them, blocking out any light from the world around him. There was nothing but black now, however he was conscious. He could feel the cool breeze tickling his skin and he could hear birds chirping and small mammals scurrying about the brush. He wished he could move freely like they did, but he was trapped. He silently cursed the man who did this to him, wishing nothing but bad things for him. Maybe if he hadn't headed to the store to buy cigarettes, he would've been fine. There was no maybe about that one - he would've been fine. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to the date thing with Salena. Had he said no, he wouldn't be in this mess.

After thinking that, he felt somewhat bad. It wasn't her fault. "Wrong place at the wrong time," he muttered out loud with another sigh. Unfortunate things seemed to have a habit of following him around. Having forgotten again that Salena was there, he jumped slightly when she spoke. He needed to pay for attention. All these startles were no good for his already weak heart. "Oh...," was all he could think of to say. He could sense that she was trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal and he didn't want to turn it into something she didn't want. "Sounds.. nice...," he added as an afterthought. "Whatever you like."

He was silent after that, falling back into his thoughts. He felt tired, but he wouldn't allow himself to sleep. Besides, he didn't know if he would succumb to another coma if he slept. If that happened, he'd be screwed. He wasn't taking any chances. He could hear Salena speaking again, but he wasn't paying attention to her words. He was lost in his own world. "Uh huh," was all he said, completely unaware of what she had just said. His eyes were still shut and his arm was still covering them. He could feel himself growing drowsier by the second, but then what she had said just registered in his overcrowded brain. "What?" he asked slowly, still in the same position. "So you're saying I was ugly before?" he asked, his tone neutral. It was hard to tell if he was taking this seriously or if he was only kidding.

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[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena sighed and rolled her eyes. "Can't you take a compliment, Kaige Omenstar?" She muttered sarcastically. She didn't feel like she had to answer his question. Ofcourse he wasn't an ugly wolf. He was strong and brave... but also attractive to her. It would have been hard for her to fall in love with somebody she wasn't attracted to... Even so, there was something different about his human form now. Maybe it was the fact that she herself was no human, but she was definately starting to like seeing him.

She rolled the apple over in her hands. It was bright red, and fresh. She supposed it was better than the rest of the food they had served in the hospital. Then she realized something... Kaige hadn't eaten in a week. Sure, the doctors hooked him up with enough protein and calcium to survive, but he still hadn't eaten. She felt bad for swiping the apple for her own use. She grunted, then tossed the apple at the ground. It rolled and came to a stop beside Kaige.

"If you're hungry... you should eat. It isn't much, but its better than nothing." She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself to block the increasingly cool wind. Her ears twitched at the sounds of the forest, but she kept her attention focused on the hospital still in view. She didn't want to let her guard down, just in case.

"You were never ugly, Kaige." After moments of silence, she felt it appropriate to bring up the subject once more. "Far from it, actually." She laughed akwardly. "But I don't know... I guess I'm just starting to get used to your human body. And... well, I kinda like it." She blushed, her cheeks turning a soft red. She was just speaking her mind, but she had no idea how Kaige would react to her. So far, he had been taking things alot differently than she expected. Unlike herself, Kaige was unpredictable. And in a way, she sort of liked that aspect of him.

[nicotardle.]

"Can't you pick up on people who aren't being serious?" Kaige asked, his tone just as sarcastic as Salena's. He supposed it was probably a little hard to tell with him, but at the same time he figured she would've known. "You should have known that. You've been around me long enough." His arm dropped from his eyes as he opened them, staring up at the bits of blue sky that peeked through the trees. "I guess it's been awhile," he added after a moment, bringing his arms up over his head as he stretched. It made him feel better, but only moment airily.

He turned his head as the apple came to a stop at his shoulder, but pushed it away. "I'm not much of a fruit guy," he said, looking back to the sky. Even though he was rather hungry, he passed. If he was dying of starvation, he would still pass. He was a stubborn fool who wouldn't eat things he didn't like. "You can have it," he said as he picked it up and tossed it back in her direction. "I'll take nothing," he muttered as he rolled onto his side, his back now facing her. He brought his arms up under his head and shut his eyes again. He would have to start moving again or he'd be here forever.

"If you say so," he said in response to her, studying the grass blades in front of his face. He didn't pay much attention to what she said. It wasn't that he thought he was god awful looking or anything, he just didn't really agree with it fully. While his well defined body was actually visible for once, so were his scars and they were an eyesore, specifically the largest one that ran from his ear to his chest. "Should probably getting moving," he said, blatantly changing the subject. "It'll probably get dark soon.. I don't know. I don't know what time it is." Getting back up, especially from the position he was in, was going to be difficult.

He brought himself over to the tree he had been leaning against and placed his hand on it, bracing himself for support. "God, I feel pathetic," he muttered quietly as he struggled to get himself back up, finally succeeding after a minute. He swayed back a little, nearly losing his balance, but caught himself in time. "Let's go," he said, beginning to feel dejected. He said nothing else as he started to walk unsteadily off into the forest. All he wanted to do was get home and lay down. Maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn't wake up.

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[::WOLFURchik::]

With her unhuman reflexes, Salena snatched the apple from the sky, trapping it in her fingers. She turned it over in her hand, examining it closely. She shrugged. She had lost her appetite. With a quick flick of her wrist, she threw the apple far into the brush behind her.

She felt aweful. She wasn't quite sure to her what Kaige had been doing in that alley, but she had a guess that he wouldn't have been there if it weren't for her. Sure, she had stayed with him the entire week he was a temporary vegetable, but what difference did that make? Had she really helped him at all? He batted away any help she tried to offer him. Apparently, all she was good for was moral support, and she wasn't even any good at that... She was beginning to feel like maybe she was more of a burden than a help.

It was always that way... no matter how hard she tried to be the best person she could be for him, she never truly amounted to anything. She could never be the person he wanted her to be... that he needed her to be. She would always be Shinrin, and maybe... that just wasn't good enough.

She tried to think of all the ways Kaige had helped her. When they were together, she felt stronger. She felt like she was actually worth something. Kaige had helped her get out of many of her fears. He made her feel like she belonged... but in what ways had she helped Kaige? She couldn't think of a single one. All she could do was think about the word relationship, and how it usually meant consensual. A relationship should be mutual... two parts, helping to make each other whole. So why did this all feel so one sided?

She was beginning to think their meeting here was coincidence after all...

"Yeah..." Was all she could manage to utter, but she didn't budge. She didn't really have the inspiration to... What difference would it make if she stayed or go? Kaige wouldn't ask her for help if he truly needed it. Kaige was a lone wolf. He would probably rather die than let her help him...

Even so, she didn't want to leave him alone. She knew how it felt to be alone, and she didn't want anyone to have to feel like that, especially not Kaige. If he asked her to leave, she would leave. Otherwise, for the time being, she would stay. In her mind, he was still her alpha. She would follow whatever he asked. And hopefully, she would come to find that all her preconceptions were wrong. It had been a long time, maybe too long since they were together... and Salena was starting to feel like she didn't know Kaige as well as she believed.

Finally, she stood to her feet, slowly, and brushed the leaves from her pants. Her head lowered, her shoulders dropped, she looked more like an omega following the orders of her alpha than a woman following the man that she loved...

[nicotardle.]

The sun was beginning to set overhead and the light in the thick forest was growing dim. The temperature felt chilly as night began to make its way in, casting shadows over the land and making things appear different from what they really were. Crickets began to fill the air with their music and owls began to hoot from different locations. Kaige had little to no strength left, but he mustered up enough to keep moving as he grew closer and closer to his home. He hadn't said much after he started moving again and he hadn't heard anything else from Salena. There were a few times he'd look back to see if she was still there, unsure if she had taken off since it was too quiet.

Finally, the trees began to lighten somewhat and spread out, revealing a small clearing ahead. There was a cabin in the center, not too large, but not too small, with a fair sized pond off to the right side. It was a place Kaige had built himself to his liking, and being out in the middle of a forest was nice. There were no neighbors within miles, no loud noises, no bright lights... nothing. It was peaceful to him and it was where he could be found on days he wasn't working. "Oh, thank God," he sputtered, nearly tripping over his own feet as he set foot into the clearing. It had been a long day and he was drained. All he wanted to do was eat something and lay down and never wake up.

Somehow, Kaige had found enough strength to run the last few yards to the porch and throw the door open. He never locked it. There was no point in it, especially since he lived far away from human civilization. Once inside, he breathed a sigh of relief. It felt a little muggy, but it was bearable. He would just open a few windows if he needed to. It was a two story cabin - two bedrooms up top with a fair sized bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and a smaller bathroom downstairs. He had also built a deck out back. "Make yourself at home, I guess," he called over his shoulder, not sure if Salena could hear him or if she was even still around.

With that, he stumbled on into the kitchen and headed over to the fridge, yanking the door open. He scanned over the things inside, his eyes stopping on a package of ground beef. "It'll do," he said as he took it out, ripped the plastic off, and grabbed a chunk with his hand. He shoved it in his mouth, swallowed without really chewing, and leaned back against the fridge. He knew humans weren't really supposed to eat raw meat, it was "bad" as everyone said, but he was no ordinary human and even if he was... he didn't care.

[/blockquote]

[::WOLFURchik::]

Salena approached the cabin slowly. It wasn't as detailed as most of the houses she saw carved in Taikai Ueki, but she still found it amazing. She stood before the door, peeking inside as Kaige went on in without her. She felt odd, standing at the door of his house, like looking into another wolf's den. She didn't feel like she belonged... It was so out of the ordinary, but that was all part of being human, which she supposed she would eventually get used to.

She took small steps until she was inside, and tried carefully not to look around too much at things. She had been invited in, but it was still so strange to her. She ran her hand along the side of one of the walls, enjoying the feel of the wood beneath her fingers. It amazed her, what humans were capable of doing... and to think that Kaige had built this himself, it intrigued her.

She herself had nothing more than a den made of tree bark and mud. Often, when it rained, she had to rebuild... but it was no different to her than when she was a wolf. Ofcourse, she did make a bed out of leaves and fur she found lying around. It was much harder to stay comfortable in her human body than it was with her wolf body.

She followed Kaige into the kitchen, and wasn't in the least bit disguisted in the ritual she saw Kaige partake in. She herself usually enjoyed her meat raw, though she also found well cooked and seasoned food even better to eat. She glanced around the kitchen, taking in every tiny detail of woodsmanship. "You built all this?" She spoke, her tone obviously in awe. "Its... amazing."

She looked down at her own hands and snorted. "The best I've built was a puny den made out of forest scraps..." She looked back at Kaige and shrugged. "Not that anyone should feel sorry for me. I've always liked the woods. But this... this is... art." She barked. Art... until she had become human, the idea of art was always just a myth to her. Now, it was a huge part of living. She enjoyed looking at the little things... Kaige's house may not have been the biggest, or the most elaborate, but for a wolf... he did a pretty darn good job.