She hugged him back and really tight, He resisted letting out a sigh of relief, She wasn’t running, and if she wanted to avoid the subject they certainly could, they could go into as much denial as they liked, if that is what would keep things comfortable, she now knew he liked her, which he needed her to know. Ouch, she was actually hugging him a little too tight, but he wasn’t about to complain about it. SO he just happily stood their holding her just as tight…well maybe a little less tight, he didn’t want to hurt her after all. After a few minutes Koga rested the side of his head on hers, his lips were close to her and he didn’t want her to think that he was going to steal another kiss again.

Time ticked by and they just kept holding each other standing a little bit closer to the exit then they were a little bit ago. He yawned as he was actually starting to get a little drowsy, what was it about being next to Katrina, holding her and remaining quiet that made him want to slowly move them toward his futon and take a nap with her. He was pretty sure he’d be up all night other wise. Besides it was already closing in on curfew, the evil digital clock kept moving toward nine. Technically they were already breaking the rules as they were holding each other while they were alone in the room, the door was open so that would probably keep them out of trouble, but still. If she really wanted to stay she could, all it would take is her using her abilities. But would she sleep next to him now? How was he supposed to say she could say with out it coming off weird now? It would be nice to not be alone. She did tell him not to let go….but he already did…and he kissed her. His cheeks lifted slightly as a smile came to his face.

He didn’t say a word, afraid to say or do anything that might get her out of his arms again...arm.

Destiny, does it exist? How do you explain these random encounters that guides us as puppets to the last place we would want to be at the wrong time ? Why we occasionally go to places that we usually do not or choose different paths to go somewhere and end crossing path with the person we needed at that precise moment? Or sometimes it is exactly the opposite. Is true that we are not free to choose our actions? Is true that a superior entity moves us as puppets for its amusement? Why if we are all owned by a mutant with psychic abilities named Destiny ? If that little mutant is bored he could play tricks on people messing their lives . All would be playing its game without knowing it , everyone would be his jesters even when someones believe to be kings , It was what happened to the little fallen angel. He doesn't have the slightest idea about what was happening there .

Just that day he had decided to obey a advice and went to visit DocProf for a checkup, even when he knew it was a waste of time, if something had been wrong in his own body he would have to notice it. He did not like Docprof at all . He always knew how the wound was made, always and always asked questions. too many questions.
Katrina was not in her room when he returned from his medical checkup, or she did not want to open the door, the idea carved in him a sad smile . It was sad because he missed her and now were rare the times he could talk with her in class and he smiled because he always let the stupid hope to command him . Perhaps the next day she could be there or answer him any of his calls. He missed the melody of Pinball Wizard that announced her calls, he became very attached to that song since it was the trumpets in charge of announcing that Katrina wanted to talk with him . The emotion came over him and hoped her to appear from nowhere every time he listened it . What would she feel when she heard it every time he called her ? His thumb slides fearful and anxious on small numbers, he phoned her .
It was almost as if he could hear the gentle guitar solo from the beginning of the song while he walked with hope filling his heart. It was as if the song was sweetly whispered in his ear ... He really was listening it ... Katrina was closer!

His heart was racing and his footsteps followed the beats, he jogged toward the song that caught him without letting him resist as if it were a mermaid's song . And surely was a mermaid who leaded him there because his fate was as fatal as these of the sailors who followed their songs. It came from one of the rooms, the door was open and when he reached the door frame his feet refused to rise again , his feet become heavy as elephants. Two people hugged each other, but why this simple vision made his heart beat a hundred times faster?
His eyes widened and his pupils shrank with fear or surprise or both at the moment he recognized the person who took refuge in the boy's arms , Iron's mouth opened in a silent gesture of surprise, he felt betrayed even when there was no more than a hug between friends. They were friends right? nothing more than that ... or was that guy the reason Katrina had not answered him at Valentine's day?
His heart was beating wild , much faster and crazy than when he listen Pinball Wizard, as fast and wildly as frightened horses, all what he thought seemed to stumble toward a dangerously and deep abyss, his lungs were about to explode and they would have done it if he did not exhaled the air and began to breathe again, the oxygen that entered his lungs was not enough to clarify his ideas, but it was enough to revive his paralyzed tongue. ¨ Sorry, wrong room. ¨ He added slowly as if tongue had turned to lead and to move it was a almighty effort for him . Using all his concentration his feet lifted off the ground and turned slowly to face the corridor . Again his heart was filled with hope , if he was lucky enough Katrina could had not seen him or recognized his voice. His head said he must to be angry, he must show all his fury in a flurry of punches and bites and destroy the entire mansion but he just could not get angry, his heart simply was limited to hum Pinball Wizard instead of the classic beat, a fact that would had frightened any doctor but not him, because he knew his heart belonged to her.

It was growing late, but an infinite amount of time didn't seem to be enough for Katrina to figure out what she was supposed to do or supposed to feel. There were two boys who were competing for her heart, and may not even know they were in a competition. The troublesome thing was Katrina wasn't sure that she was ready to offer her heart up as a prize to anyone. How was she supposed to say "I love you" back, or kiss someone back (which was really the same thing with fewer words), when she didn't even know what love was supposed to feel like. Or rather that kind of love. She already loved both of them as friends.

It was as if her thought of Fausto called to mind the song that always rang when he called her phone. The song came unbidden to her as if trying to confuse her even more. It took a moment for her to realize that her phone was actually ringing, muffled slightly by her back pocket. One of her arms was pinned, the one closest to the phone, and she let go with the other one trying to reach around herself and Koga's arm, but she couldn't quite get the right angle to pull it out of her pocket. She wriggled more, but her one armed captor seemed to have taken her at her word this time that he was not to let go.

"Ryuichi, my phone. You have to let go for a sec. Sorry" Whether he let go or not didn't quite matter, because the ringing suddenly stopped just as Katrina was able to get her fingers around the beaded cell phone charm that hung from her phone and pull it out of her pocket. She opened it one handed as best she could and held it up to her ear. She might have answered it in time. Maybe.

"Hello?" she asked experimentally.

It was the voice she was expecting to answer, but not from where she expected to hear it or saying what she expected it to say. Nor did she expect him to sound so... hurt. How long had he been standing there behind her back without her knowing it?

>>>¨Sorry, wrong room.¨

Katrina whirled toward the open doorway in the same direction that Koga's arm was wrapped around her, which meant that as she turned his arm would now be more across her shoulders than around her torso.

"Fausto," come back. What had she done?

She was wiggling around and he considered snatching the string from outside of her pocket, but one he’d be taking something from her pocket near her hip…and he wasn’t sure he should be so forward or assume much of anything right now and two it would have caused him to let go which he would not be doing until he was forced to by say a meteor and he needed to protect Kat, or asked to

~~"Ryuichi, my phone. You have to let go for a sec. Sorry"

“no need to apologize, I’m just not one to make the sssame mistake twice.” Besides, she said he had to let go for a sec, in other words, he’d be holding her again momentarily.

~~"Hello?" she asked experimentally.

Koga’s hand rested on Katrina’s arm not holding the phone, still a little hesitant to break contact, the situation was so fragile it would take only the slightest bit of more tension and things would be spiraling away from the perfect night he had envisioned. His eyes stared at the clock, it was only a matter of twenty minutes before they would have to decide to let go or try to get away with hanging out for the night.

>>>¨Sorry, wrong room.¨

Koga’s eyes flashed to the door that he was pleased with being open only moments before, being at the end of the hall meant little traffic, so there was little risk of random passers by, but its being open also spoke to Katrina’s innocence. Well their innocence really…it however was also the little push that he had just considered, wasn’t that the I'm going to leave the country guy, the rock singing, song dedication guy?...The guy that had the audacity to go and hurt Katrina’s feelings on Valentines…that couldn’t have waited a day?

His arm moved from around her to jumping up to her shoulder as she spun as to avoid any areas that would be pleasant, but absolutely forbidden and as he heard the tones of both of their voices, his hand and arm dropped to the middle of her back and then down all together.

~~"Fausto,"

Both of them sounded instantly wounded, and he had, had enough of wounded feelings, He hoped his rival hadn’t been there for too long, he assumed from the sound and timing of his voice.

“Hey, Fausssto.” he patted Kat’s back to reassure her that he was fine and everything else would be too, if he could help it. “I sssee you made it back from your travelsss! Good to sssee! If you came to sssee Katrina or me, then you got the right room. Come on in.” Koga tried his best to sound like nothing was wrong with this.

For the love of all that was awkward. He was trying to do the right thing, maybe the three of them could hang out, He could even close the door now with out worrying now that there was an odd number, sure, they’d all get in trouble, but who really cared! They weren’t doing anything wrong, what could they be guilty of, being young?


“You have to tell usss all about it! I have Ramen and popcorn and dvd’s and video gamesss! and extra sssleeping bagsss.” He glanced stepped forward and glanced down the hall way “Hurry up and get in here!” he encouraged.

His name acted as a strong spell when it was uttered by that sweet voice he desired to hear , he could not move nor wanted to try. Would it change anything? she already had discovered him .She saw him, maybe she even recognized his voice and she had pronounced his name in a very appealing way that he could not do anything but stand there waiting for the next order from her . A sad though invaded him : he was like a dog that raises his ears when he heard his own name, When he had become an obedient dog? He did not know but he liked to be around her, anyway her words wasn't orders , perhaps advices .That awful situation was making him think stupidities about their relation , they were friends , no one was the master. He loved the sound of his name on her lips. If she did not see him it would be easier ... she simply could make him invisible to ran away smoothly, like a coward . He also wanted to pronounce her name to see if the spell worked in both directions and could well dissuade her stay with him and not with that rare reptilian eyes but even when he tried he could not say a word. He felt like his tongue had been dissolved in its own saliva.

¨Fausto¨ His father had chosen that name from his grandfather. He loved to hear that word on the lips of Katrina, to which his name sounded so beautiful, so melodious. In contrast to how it sounded when it was pronounced by the small treacherous lizard , it sounded so dissonant in his lips , hurtful though he was struggling to speak kindly as if nothing was happening, but Fausto was not blind. He would like to be so blind as Luke, well more blind than Luke to did not have to see what he saw , that hug. "Hey, Fausssto." That voice calling his name has awakened him from trance, its inanimate state in with he can not be angry."I SSSE you made it back from your travelsss! Good to SSSE! If you came to SSSE Katrina or me, then you got the right room. Come on in. ¨

It was impossible to know how much Iron Mouth was irritated by him , it would be a wise choice to retreat ... but he did not leave , he turned on his heels without looking at Katrina in the eye even once (He did not want kill her with his Basilisk's glare , he was not angry with her .) He stabbed with his sight those eyes without pupils. He pronounced each word as he always did when he was angry, with a extreme coldness. He suppressed a growl 'cause it was not nice to give free rein to his killer instincts .At that moment he would have to find out how things really were. ¨ As if you cared how was my travel. ¨ He grinned , he was really malicious when he felt betrayed and angry at the same time , hopefully he would not harm her unintentional but it was hard to tell 'cause his words were said before he could though again in them .
¨I did not come to see you but Katrina seems to be busy at the moment ... ¨ His words were so much dangerous than what he wanted them to sound .He could not blame Katrina, his heart just did not wanted to allow him to blame her but the last line sounded like he was blaming her. Wounded dogs always bite . It was his fault for leaving to go to Columbia, and was the fault of the boy . Who know what kind of trick used to take her to his room , it could end in a non-suitable for all public scene . He had no choice but to accept that proposal. what else could he do? He even had sleeping bags, it was obvious that he planned to manipulate her to sleep there with him ... ¨ Whatever ... I'm in. ¨ The door made a stunning noise as it was closed by the little singer.

Fausto looked like he was about to storm away, which she didn't want him to do. Miraculously he decided to stay, but it didn't help the situation as much as she had hoped it would. She had wanted to explain things to him, to make him feel better, but his staying only seemed to make things worse.

Koga, ever chivalrous, invited him in. She could tell that his voice was just a little forced. He sounded way too cheerful to actually be cheerful about someone barging into his room. His smile of welcome was just a little too sincere.

Fausto and he didn't even pretend to be cheerful. He acted like a little black thundercloud had settled behind his eyes and was ready to shoot lightning at anything that moved too fast or said the wrong thing. His glare at Koga seemed strong enough to melt faces; even stronger than his corrosive saliva. His words were chilling and sharp, like icicles ready to fall like daggers on their heads. His smile couldn't have been any more malicious if he'd had pointy teeth instead of simply super strong ones.

The worst part was that he refused to look at Katrina at all. He could be as angry as he wanted at the other boy, but he was too disgusted and angry to even look at her. He was hurt and it was all her fault. She hadn't tried to lead either of them on; she hadn't asked for anything more than friendship. Maybe that was the problem, though, they wanted more than she had to spread around.

>>>¨Whatever ... I'm in.¨

With that the jealous teen singer slammed the door closed behind himself. It sounded like the door to a prison cell locking them all in. Katrina couldn't see any way out. There was no escaping the awkward situation of the three of them hanging out, and there was no graceful way to get out of the larger situation either. There was nothing she could do to make either of them feel better without hurting the other one or hurting both at the same time. She couldn't make herself fall in love, and even if she could, she couldn't be in love with both of them at the same time.

She looked back and forth between both of their faces. Ryuichi looks strained under his smile. Fausto just looked pissed. Katrina's own face wasn't sure what to do. Her eyebrows puckered and her lip quivered. She took a shaky breath.

“You're both stupid,” she exclaimed, took two running steps and leaped onto Koga's bed and buried her face in his pillow.

~~¨ As if you cared how was my travel.”

“Actually, yeah I do.” Curious about any information he could get about a guy that seemed like a jerk and was interested in Katrina.

~~¨I did not come to see you but Katrina seems to be busy at the moment ... ¨

“alright.” He was pushing it with the slight to Katrina, he didn’t mind him being grumpy toward him but this crap towards her…or not even toward her was useless.

He would have offered to let them have sometime alone time or some privacy but this guy seemed angrier than he had a right to be about a hug, Katrina said a friend was going out of town, not anything more.

~~¨ Whatever ... I'm in. ¨

Koga’s smile grew a bit and left it there. “ Cool.” His mind raced as to what to suggest to do next… should he suggest food?”

“You're both stupid,”

Koga’s smile slipped for a moment. He was stupid, how was he stupid? He, yes, seven times over Fausto was stupid. Koga was being nice to her friend, even though he wanted to tell him good night and kick him out of his room. While he was thinking, Iron mouth was moving. Im was already at the head of his bed. Koga set silently at the foot of the bed and stayed quiet…He was pretty sure ti would make Kat happy that the stubborn fool decided to look at her, much less talk to her… He kept up a pretense of a smile. He had nothing to say to any of it. Not that he needed to be said to either of them at the same time. His mouth betrayed him however letting out a couple syllables.

“Ok.”

He ran first, he always acted first . Not because he was the fastest or most agile, but because he never though a lot about things. His body moved instinctively and knelt beside his head. He was expecting to heard her crying but he could not . Maybe she was crying , to glare at her friend did not worked well but it was what he felt , he felt every word he spat with anger . He had never taken time to analyze the results of his actions . His mouth always mover faster than mind and than his feet .

He started speaking slowly and went faster with each word as his heart accelerate barely doing its work .
¨ Katrina. " Without waiting for an answer he added again but this time in a much more sweet and gentle tone . ¨ Kat, sorry. He is a stupid. ¨ An uncomfortable silence. ¨ It was a joke, you are right we are both stupids. ¨ He did not know was happened between them but he knew that he had promised her that nothing would change until she can give him a clear answer about her feelings ... ¨ Sorry I broke my promise, Kat. but I can not sit and do nothing when I see he is ... I was jealous. You are really important to me .¨ He sighed as he caressed her hair gently. ¨ I am very jealous. I acted so stupidly, your boyfriend invited me to enter, he even asked me how was my trip ...even when i ignore the fact that he missed an arm, I did not asked what had happened as any person would do ... How can i achieve redemption? if you could tell me with certainty Yes or No to the answer i am waiting ...If you say No I would leave without bother you again , I swear. ¨ It was quite true, if she choose Koga , he had no choice but to go, he even would leave the mansion to avoid things like these happen again . According to Johnny , Mondragon 's beds were not too bad. ¨Katrina give me an order ... Ask me to leave ,tell me and I'm going to disappear , please. ¨ He was in a hurry to soothe Kats 's heart . She doesn't deserve a airhead that run bold to conclutions and get owned by feelings easily . The battle was already lost, Koga seemed to be the winner as he was more calm and polite just the kind of world Katrina likes , if he only had known him more to find out if he would treated her nicely ...

While his position at the Mansion hadn't become 'official' yet, Kaz still decided to get a head start on it. He was sure Sam would give him the rundown of the duties and specifics in time, but he did remember one thing as he glanced at the clock. Nearly curfew for the kiddies. In his brief time in the place nearly three years ago he couldn't remember anyone sneaking out and about, but even so, he decided to give the floors a quick once over. In the den he found a young girl curled up with a book ready to fall out of her hand as she slept. He roused her gently and sent her off to her room with another student who had been passing by on their way to the rooms.

He stood in the quiet of the first floor for a few minutes just listening, when he was satisfied he headed up the stairs to the second floor. He checked first down the girls' hall to see if the girl from the den got to her room alright and if any of the girls were having a little sleep over. Not that he would tell them to break it up, at least not until Sam said it was a 'no-no', he didn't see a problem with it in a general sense. It was good for kids to socialize, and if they got their work done, who cares, he more wanted to make sure they wouldn't be too loud and disturb the others' rest.

He headed down the boys' hall next. He had missed seeing a young man enter a room at the far end by moments, but the sharp sound of the door closing was something he did not miss. He raised an eyebrow and swiftly made his way down the hall until he reached the door he thought was the culprit of the sound. As he approached the door he heard two voices. One was male and though he wasn't sure if he recognized it or not, the other was female and sounded unquestionably familiar. He looked at the room and it's position in the hall. He had looked over the layout of the rooms and who lived where. It would take him a while to remember them all, but he picked up two names quickly and memorized where their rooms were. Kat's voice had come from Koga's room, and that might have been Koga, but he wasn't sure.

As he reached to knock on the door a third voice popped up from within, this one seemed as if he were asking forgiveness or something similar. Kaz raised an eyebrow curiously and knocked. "Koga I hope this door is unlocked, may I come in?" Kaz let a short moment pass before he opened the door and leaned against the doorframe arms crossed lightly across his chest. Kaz took one sweep of the room with his eyes, the place was incredibly clean, though with Koga's arm as it was, he wasn't surprised. He looked at Koga, "Evening Koga," he said in a friendly tone while his eyes flickered to the clock then back at the boy. He then pegged both boys with his gaze, "You know what time it nearly is. I suggest you head to your respective rooms."

His gaze fell heavily on the unknown boy, he was near Kat's head attempting to smooth things over with the girl. This did not put him in good standing with Kaz. He assumed that whatever the boy had done had been directly responsible for Kat burring her head in the pillows and perhaps even cause her to cry, he wasn't sure on that part. Kaz's gaze and tone were directed at the boy, excluding the other two teens in the room, it would be fairly obvious he didn't think highly of the kid.

Katrina wasn't crying, even though she felt like she should be. Instead she just felt confused, with maybe a little bit of anger seeping in at the edges. It was so frustrating not knowing what to do or how to make the whole situation better. Hiding in the pillow was not necessarily helping, but nothing else was either. She didn't know what she wanted; to be comforted, to be left alone, to be rescued, or what.

Fausto came after her first, settling next to her at the head of the bed. Another weight that must have been Koga settled by her feet. Koga was very quiet, muttering only an unreadable 'okay'. Fausto on the other hand, had a lot to say. His words changed from icy winter daggers to words of warmth and comfort and sleepy summer days. He stroked her hair and apologized and admitted he was jealous and said she was important to him. It should have made her feel better, but it didn't.

Throughout this speech Katrina glowered into the pillow, her unseen face twisted into a scowl. The anger at the edges of her emotions was creeping its way toward the center. Her shoulders tensed and the muscles in her arms tightened. That answered that question; she didn't want to be comforted just yet. And he was wrong; Ryuichi wasn't her boyfriend. Even though he wanted to be, probably. Fausto did too, that was why he was so jealous. Did either of them care to find out if that was what she wanted, too?

He would leave, he said. He would leave if she asked him to go. She didn't want that either. The very last thing she wanted was to be alone. She had enough of being alone, but being together like this wasn't right either.

She didn't hear Kaz through the door and pillow and over the pounding of her own heart. She only realized he was there when she sat up again, face red. If he was here to rescue her, he was a bit too late for that now. Katrina glared at all three of them and the room in general. She clenched the edges of the pillow in her hands as she held it in her lap like a protective shield.

First things first. Something had to be straightened out for the acid mouthed singer. “He's not my boyfriend. I don't know what he is anymore. I don't know what you are either.” Her words sounded angrier than she had expected them to sound, but it felt a little better to say them that way. She twisted her fist fulls of pillow.

Her angry words fell on the silver haired elf that lingered in the doorway like a chaperone that thought he had every right to be there. “What are you doing here, anyway?” She meant that two ways. He had shown up at the mansion like he belonged here even after months of being absent and he had shown up in this room at the most awkward time possible. “Where have you been all this time?” She didn't wait for the answer to either question.

To the lizard boy at the end of the bed, “You don't get it either. None of you do.” The tears that she hadn't cried earlier were starting to shimmer in her eyes as she turned away from him again. She couldn't look at any of them now.

“All I need is a regular friend. Someone who is actually here for me all the time without disappearing. Someone that doesn't make things all confusing. Someone that actually cares enough to ... ” ...to find out what had happened to her.

“You want something but it isn't something I have. And you all want to be something that I don't need right now. My life is messed up enough as it is right now without you all trying to make it even more confusing by coming in and trying to be a boyfriend or a brother or a father or whatever. Where were you all when I was kidnapped and tortured and rescued and healed and having nightmares and...” She stopped abruptly in the middle of her own sentence. Words that had flowed so easily so suddenly trailed off. She hadn't meant to say that. She hadn't meant to ever think of it again. Tears that had been gathering on her lower lids spilled over and she twisted the corners of the pillow around her little hands.

More interruptions, more stones in his path. First the lizard boy and later someone very attached to inspections . They were not doing anything wrong, all they needed was to fix things talking but it was impossible by this intruder. Why everything was always so complicated? It never was easy. How could imagine some sweet words would help to fix all the harm he had done? All his pride and confidence fell off and sank 100 feet under the ground when Katrina got up screaming. "He's not my boyfriend. I do not know what he is anymore. I do not know what you are either. " The fact that Koga was not her boyfriend could not make him smile because that phrase was followed by a great truth that smote him and his future smiles.

Even when these words were still ringing in his head, destroying it while his heart was struggling to keep running, other words came from these angelic lips, the words were more accurate but no less painful.
"All I need is a regular friend. Someone who is actually here for me all the time without disappearing. [...]¨
Those words were etched in his memory to last forever ,these were sad and damaging words . He never expected to heard them in that tone and by her, Fausto felt ashame for the intonation she gave to these word , She was angry and wounded . He liked her so much, he appreciated her a lot but sometimes some sacrifices are needed to make the world a better place... the idea of saving the world from poverty, oppression or/and war did not longer seemed so good. Kabal perhaps was not for him, perhaps he needed to stay in his new home and live a full life without pain nor glory, living quiet even knowing the situation in the world ... He was selfish with her, although he had accepted her decision ... How dare him to put his own feelings before hers ? He was sincere and it was wrong, maybe the solution was to lie all the time, Isn't that what adults do all the time ? They always masked their feelings, perhaps it was the best way . Kabal was not his place, It was not if that keep him away from Katrina... should him give up his dream? What made him though that Kabal needed him? She needed him seriously and he had not been there for help. if he was not in Kabal, they would know how to find someone to replace him although he was trying to pretend to be incredible and indispensable, He was nothing but a fussy child dreaming of being a hero, that's what he was.

Things never went as expected. And things always got worse, they could always be worse. These two rules were always met and could not fail. As always also happened the rule that if something could get wrong it will went wrong and things were going to get worse. ¨Where were you all when I was kidnapped and tortured and rescued and healed and having nightmares and ... "
The astonished boy sat in the bed where moments before Katrina was without saying a word. What could he say to help? He had no excuse, but really there was no way from where he could know what was happening since no one replied on her room and no one answered his calls to her but the anguish still drilled his chest. He failed as a friend and that was the same as betrayal.

This was not what he had in mind when he had impulsively made a choice to go for broke and lay it on Katrina the old fashioned way… he had hoped for a better response, but he could work with a retreat and then a hug…but it was doomed if she had of responded positively it would have been interrupted by a phone call or a guy willing to track down Katrina by the sound of her ringtone…the who, if he was any judge of ringtone versions. And even if that, hadn’t been the case. If she responded positively and continued to do so, then there would have been Kaz, asking what they were doing …or splitting them up… who knew.

He set there and let Fausto plea his case to Katrina, he waited patiently for anything to make the situation less awkward.

~~"Koga I hope this door is unlocked, may I come in?"

For a second he thought Kaz had saved the day. Getting away with this was exactly what they needed to bring them together and clear the air a bit. “ uh, one..” but no, of course not..

~~"Evening Koga,"

Koga offered a slight smile. “Hi Kaz.” He would have been more enthusiastic, except he was pretty sure he was about to get read the riot act.

~~"You know what time it nearly is. I suggest you head to your respective rooms."

He was about to hop up and try to placate Kaz…let him know Kat was going through a rough time, she didn’t want to be alone. He would even vouch for IM that nothing would happen at absolutely all…he’d even offer to move their sleep over to the common room if needed. He started to stand, that was about the time that Katrina went from timid little kitten to Tigress. The first sentence stunned him into plopping right back down on his butt.

“He's not my boyfriend. I don't know what he is anymore. I don't know what you are either.”

He wanted to reply what he was, but she was not done with her…rant? And he didn’t have the heart to interrupt it. He was pretty sure that she was overwhelmed before she came to his room then he overwhelmed her some more, and then Im overwhelmed her a third time…and by the time Kaz got here she was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t be overwhelmed more than she was, so she simply exploded…that however did not mean that his feelings didn’t take the brunt of the force that was directed at him…he couldn’t be upset with her though.


“You don't get it either. None of you do.” “All I need is a regular friend. Someone who is actually here for me all the time without disappearing. Someone that doesn't make things all confusing. Someone that actually cares enough to ... ”


“You want something but it isn't something I have. And you all want to be something that I don't need right now. My life is messed up enough as it is right now without you all trying to make it even more confusing by coming in and trying to be a boyfriend or a brother or a father or whatever. Where were you all when I was kidnapped and tortured and rescued and healed and having nightmares and...”
He couldn’t have known about the kidnapping….he tried knocking on her door at least once a week if not four times…he tried to find out where she was but nobody had information for him…but none of that was something he could rectify just now.”

“Katrina, I apologize for making ssssomething complicated that didn’t need to be, I misssread sssomething and I am honessstly sssorry. If you need a friend I am know both of us would prefer that to hurting your feelingsss or ssstepping on what you want or need.” He saw it in Fausto’s face that he felt the same. He said all of that before he could even let the rest of it process. “Katrina, do you know who hurt you?” there was a certain reptilian coldness in the way he said it, if his force spoke of protecting her earlier. It championed malice for whoever hurt her so.


Torture….


He would leave tonight, with only one arm, and heart full of hatred for anyone who would destroy something beautiful.

There would be hell to pay.

Kaz hadn't expected the scene he walked in on, nor had he expected Katrina to jump for joy when he walked in the door. He had been gone for some time, as she happened to point out quite clearly, he had not expected her to react the way she had. Kaz closed his eyes for a moment and looked away as Kat began to verbally berate the three of them, which if he understood things correctly, they all deserved. More importantly however was what Kat said about what had happened to her. He glanced at Koga momentarily and caught the way he spoke. The boy seemed to feel the same way Kaz did. "I was checking around the halls to make sure my students were obeying their curfew."

He looked back at Kat and moved towards her quickly and knelt down in front of her. He lifted a hand slowly and moved it towards Kat's hand. If she flinched away, he wouldn't take it badly, if not, he'd hold her hand gently and softly in his. He tried to keep the anger, rage, and pain for Kat held in check and off of his face, out of his voice, and out of his movements, he forced himself to speak calmly, softly, and warm. He looked up at her face. "Shhhh, you're safe now. We're here for you kiddo, you don't have to hold back or hide." He didn't know what to do, Kat was obviously distressed and he wasn't the best in this type of situation. Koga asked her if she knew who her assailant was, it was a good, important question, but Kaz wasn't sure if had been to ask her at this time.

She didn't look up to see the shock, the hurt, and the betrayal that was written on their faces. Her heart knew it would be there without her eyes confirming what she had done. The truth was a very sharp weapon, which cut wielder and allies even more easily than enemies. She shouldn't have said those things, but some very small part of her felt a little better that they had been said. She unclenched her hands that had been squeezing the feathers out of the corners of Koga's pillow and took several deep breaths.

The painful truths were out in the open now, and they could start healing. The painful memories were likewise revealed, and she might as well be rid of the burden of carrying them alone. These were her friends, no matter how she had cut them down, they hadn't run away. Instead, they had offered apologies and comforting words, even after that. She had hurt them with the truth, but there was still more truths that they deserved to know. Koga's icily voiced question hung in the air, waiting to be answered. The ice seemed to freeze her tears in place.

"I'll never forget," Katrina whispered finally. She let Kaz take her hand without flinching away. Already the shadows in the room seemed to be a little darker to her, just by starting to remember what happened.

"Please hold my hands?" Katrina begged the two teen boys, letting the pillow rest in her lap without gripping it at all now. One of the boys would have to share a hand with Kaz, because she didn't have enough hands for all of them. She wanted their hands because their touch was comforting and she wanted to remember that she wasn't alone, not because it was a prerequisite for the workings of what she was about to do.

In the next blink the twilight of the bedroom was gone and they were all in the park, surrounded by sunshine and bird song. Leaves rustled in the trees, freshly sprouted and displaying the brightest green they would all year. They stepped back to admire a poster that advertised two missing cats. From behind them they heard the sound of a boom box cheerfully and loudly proclaiming its progress across the park. The owner of it approached them, wearing his bright red jacket and smiling with his toxic green eyes. He pointed to the poster and then down the path and they followed him.

Sudden pain at the back of their heads blackened out the vision of the park. In the dark, came the serpant's voice. Green eyes glinted in the darkness. A flashlight beam illuminated a shadowy face as it choked them into blackness again. Then, tied to a table, ropes around their wrists and feet, cold stone pressed against their face and chest and stomach an legs, a cold steel knife blade slowly sliced into their back while the black haired demon with acid green eyes wiped their tears away and whispered with a silken tongue, "Do you know why you are here?"

The whole memory took only a few seconds before the darkness faded away and they were back in the bedroom. She couldn't show them any more than that; the start. Katrina hunched into herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. Her eyes were tightly closed, all the color had fled her cheeks, and she was shaking all over. She didn't realize that she was digging her little fingernails into her friends' hands as she gripped them, unwilling to let them go. Her mind was still in the sewers remembering each event that had happened.

~~"I'll never forget,"

The small hairs all over his body raised, the pain in that statement made him want to build a time machine for the girl. The only thing he could imagine to help would be to tell her whoever hurt her was dead. Dead. His heart sung murder. And he wanted to play the tune all over who ever put the pain in her voice. It didn’t belong there, a soft and haugh laugh belonged there.

~~"Please hold my hands?" begging wasn’t even necessary the slightest hint of invitation would have had him holding her right now., there were only two reasons that he wasn’t holding her before she even had to ask. And they were both kneeling in front of her. He sat next her his side next to her.

Koga reached out and laid his cool palm on top of the hand closest to the door. So that Kaz was between him and Fausto.

His jaw dropped as they were transported to Katrina’s memory, The vision of the man had his body mouthing the word run. He was breathless. run kat! he begged the vision. His skin too on the solid black hue of his comforter, his hair the fiery orange of his pillow case.

“Do you know why you are here?” the vision asked.

“To put you in the ground where you belong” his mouth answered silently.

They were thrust back into his room and for a moment he was silent his tounge poking out tasting the air. His rage filling him past being able to conjour words he could speak in front of Katrina that were polite enough for her to hear.

Finally he spoke into the room each word pronounced with disgust and a statement of its very own. His teeth didn’t hold venom but his voice certainly did.“That isss the sssame man, who did thisss.” He rose his stump. “And nearly killed ghossst.” His hand wiggled a little under Katrina’s grip.

“He must be stopped.” permenantly.