Heart within the beast

[Ixidor92]

'Us'


Out of everything Rhea said, that one word resonated with him more than anything else. What was Rhea to him? Why did he go this far?


Someone that protected him.


Someone to be protected.


Someone who comforted him.


Someone to give comfort to.


. . .


Since he had come into her life, he had become more and more accustomed to her presence. It now seemed as if she had always belonged here, just like a member of the pack . . . Like family . . .


Some realization came into Kurogan's eyes, and his face flushed more. That didn't help the current predicament at all. It wasn't like they could just-- . . . why couldn't they?


"We could . . . just leave."

 

[Ricia]

"L-l-leave?!" Rhea asked looking up at Kurogan, her voice even squeaked a bit as she pushed against him to get away from his chest, "A-and.. go where?!" She asked. The thought was actually... really preposterous. She was only 17. She couldn't leave home, could she? Well legally she shouldn't be able to. She would just be considered a run away. On top of that her father had the resources to bring her back.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan loosened his grip slightly, but only enough for her to pull out from directly against his chest. His hands were kept firmly on her shoulders.


"Wherever."


He spoke the word simply, as if it was just a night's walk away


"We could go to the coast, we could go north, we could cross the entire continent . . . We could go wherever."

 

[Ricia]

To Rhea... sleeping anywhere outside a house was a simply terrifying notion. She looked a bit wide eyed... and even a bit frightened. It was certainly an option, to just... run away. Would that be considered 'saving herself'? Or was this Kurogan saving her? "What about... food, money... shelter? Cloths and...basic necessity?" She asked him. She didn't know a thing about surviving outside. Sure... she survived with a job, school and an apartment, but what Kurogan was suggesting was something Rhea imagined to be along the lines of... hitting the road.

 

[Ixidor92]

"Would it be impossible to start over?"


Kurogan's eyes never left Rhea's. Hers were wide, both with surprise and fear. But his seemed even and steady. Serious.


"Find a small place, and build up from there?"

 

[Ricia]

"It..." Rhea let out an uneven breath. "I..." This moment felt so... unreal. Everything felt frozen. "It wouldn't be impossible... no." Rhea said trying to be realistic, "But... It doesn't seem realistic..." She told him softly. Maybe it was and she just didn't want to see it. The option Kurogan just placed in front of her was scary, and he was so serious about it. What about Sage? She would just leave her...


Rhea felt herself grow weak in the knees and her chest swell up with fear. Run away? "Do... do I have to make a choice now?" she said, her gaze finally leaving Kurogan's. She felt like crying, this was too much of an emotional overload.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan blinked once, feeling her knees go weak. He gave a small smile and pulled her close to him again.


"No. I didn't mean to scare you . . . only that the option exists."


He closed his eyes. Family. He knew what that meant to him. And what he thought of Rhea.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea relaxed some at the knowledge that he was not going to just... jump out the window with her and take her to the ocean to build a house and live. "If... I went and live out in the middle of no where... I wouldn't be able to become a doctor." She told him, though she re-wrapped her arms around him when his embrace tightened again. "I want to help heal people more then anything else. Like my brother." She told him.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan let out a sigh and closed his eyes. He was getting way too ahead of himself. Of course that would let her get away from her father . . . but that would be away from everything else she wanted as well. That wasn't doing anything but fulfilling his own selfish desires.


"I know . . . I'm sorry."


One of his hands slipped up to the back of her head, running through her hair.

 

[Ricia]

"Can we lay down? I... think my body finally caught up with the one to many surprises on my mind." She told him, her head still pressed to his chest. If felt embarrassing.. but good. It didn't feel as embarrassing however because she wasn't really the one who initiated the long drawn out hug.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan gave a smile and gently picked her up before walking the few steps back to the bed and setting her down.


"It's been something of a hectic night hasn't it?"

 

[Ricia]

Rhea nodded slowly, "Even for you." She said with a smile, "Poor Sage had you running around dodging Rick all night... all while trying to take care of me."

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan let out an exasperated breath and let his face hit the bed full-on


"Don't remind me . . . She's going to pay for that."


Kurogan's mind started to swirl with the ideas of how to go about returning the suit he had borrowed in an obtuse and ridiculous manner.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea almost giggled when she watched him face plant the bed. She reached over to him and ran her hands over his soft ears. "You... really shouldn't... but I guess it would be funny to watch her get a taste of her own median." Rhea said with a soft smile, "Just... don't hurt her."

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan's muffled voice came from the blanket he was currently planted into.


"I make no promises."


His head turned upward, letting his chin rest on the blankets.


"Hey, can we read tonight? . . . It sounds really good right about now.'

 

[Ricia]

Rhea smiled and nodded before letting go of his ear and turning over to retrieve the book, "Only if...." Rhea trailed off softly, "You'll stay in this form while I read..." She told him a bit timidly. He always took his wolf form when they read... if was just normal ,before they discovered his secret. It was a way to cope with everything that happened all at once. It felt like booking reading happened with Hikaru... as if Hikaru and Kurogan were two different people. She was done coping, and she wanted to accept him in both forms, as one person.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan tilted his head to the side briefly. It seemed something of an odd request. Then again . . . wasn't it odd that he insisted on going back into his wolf form whenever she read? He stood up and sat on the front of the bed, leaning back against the headrest


"If you desire . . ."

 

[Ricia]

Rhea nodded slowly before opening the book. She looked at Kurogan one more time before smiling and beginning to read. She read rather late into the night, yawning every so often to the end. Soon enough she closed the book and gave him a small smile, "I think it's time to catch some sleep." She told him.

 

[Ixidor92]

"I would agree."


Kurogan gave a smile before standing up off the bed. He walked around to where his own bed was, gently taking the book from Rhea's hands before setting it on the desk.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea smiled before pushing the blankets away from their neatly folded postion and snuggled into the warmth. "Good night Kurogan. Thank you." She whispered, taking off her glasses and putting them on the bedside table. She laid down with a soft thud and closed her eyes, listening to Kurogan move about the room.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan was quiet for a few minutes before he leaned over Rhea and kissed her forehead.


"Good night."


He spoke softly before his form changed back to that of a black-furred wolf. He settled down right beside the bed, letting out a sigh as his ears twitched every so often in his sleep

 

[Ricia]

(Yep... I'm up late tonight..)


Rhea blushed fiercely when she felt Kurogan press his lips to her forehead. Tonight had just been full of awkward thoughts and perhaps many out of place ones as well. Her mind continued to run until it couldn't run any-longer. With that, she lulled into a soft sleep.


Morning came offley early for Rhea, though it didn't help she had stayed up a good portion of the night with Kurogan. Not that she regretted it at all. Her stomach twisted a bit with the thought of last night's conversation. She was not sure if they actually did come to terms with anything other then there was an option of running away...


The days started to pass slowly and in a rather boring manor until Rhea's father started setting her up on lunch dates. She would meet guys in their garden while eating lunch or having tea. Rhea was beyond awkward in most of the meetings, unable to relax like Kurogan knew her. Most times she was quiet and let them guy do all the talking, other times she was asked endless amount of questions which she would try her best to answer. Most times she would answer them in such a way that didn't quite answer the question at all. On top of that she talked so quietly that some of the men had a hard time hearing her.


About 4 days after the party, Rhea informed Kurogan that Sage was going to be coming to pick up the suit some time in the noon. She told him mostly for the benefit that she would be coming through the window again... and so he could prepare what ever he had planned. Rhea would admit, she was curious as to how and what Kurogan was going to do.

 

[Ixidor92]

Over the next several days, Kurogan started to feel even more protective of Rhea than he had been before. He couldn't pinpoint why, but somehow these 'lunch dates', as Rhea referred to them, felt more oppressive than when she had been in physical danger. Needless to say, someone a little more forward than usual was not exactly comfortable around a massive black-furred beast.


Four days had now passed since the party, and Kurogan couldn't help but smile while he remained by Rhea's side. He had already prepared his little surprise for Sage. The hat for the suit was sitting in Rhea's room . . . JUST the hat.

 

[Ricia]

Rhea had left the window open for Sage that day, though she left for tutoring for a few hours, telling Kurogan she will be back... plus he had to play nice with Sage. Rhea did however leave Kurogan to his own plan which she knew he was dying to try and catch Sage on her own game for once. Rhea was a bit curious herself how the whole ordeal was going to turn out.


Of course when Sage did appear, but Rhea wasn't going to be back for at least another forty-five minutes. She opened the window a few inches and peaked through over the seal, mostly to scope out the room before she even entered. With everything in the all clear, she opened the window fully and slipped in, pulling the ladder in with her quietly.

 

[Ixidor92]

Kurogan was sleeping, or rather appeared to be, as Sage slipped in the window. His form lay at the foot of the bed, a giant lump of black fur. His ears twitched slightly when the door opened, but he made no motion that he had recognized Sage's entrance. The hat to the suit was sitting on one of the nightstands, and inside was a small note, scrawled in very unkempt handwriting.


Where, oh where, could the rest of me be?