New Author's Note (No that does not mean it is being written by a new author, rather, at a new time): Sorry for the time. Kinda lost traction on this story, but a recent interest has come forth, prompting me to write more.

Chapter 4: Payment

"Karane..." Kaito began but she just seemed to ignore him. He reached over and touched her shoulder, almost feeling the pain radiating off her. Quietly but firmly, he said; "Karane, look at me."

She slowly turned to look at him, shyly avoiding his gaze. But he kept looking at her, waiting for her to meet his gaze. She honestly didn't expect him to look at her this long, especially considering her deformity. Sighing, she finally lifted her eyes to meet Kaito's blue ones.

Kaito took in the full sight of her face for the first time. As Neru said, the left side of her face was horribly marked, veins of almost obsidian colored scars traversing across her face, meeting in a horrible patchwork of pain. A few crept across her eyelid and held it slightly closed.

Karane felt herself pulled in by the depth in his eyes. They seemed so sad, something she was not used to being directed at her. His expression showed only concern for her, nothing more. He cared, as he had said. He really cared.

A stirring emotion came over Karane and she threw her arms around Kaito's shoulders, crying against his chest. Kaito hugged her tightly, ignoring the damp feeling that her tears were creating. He held her close, speaking calmly. "It's alright, it's fine. Just take your time."

Karane tried to gather the strength to speak but it felt like she couldn't do anything but cry and breathe (just barely). Kaito just smiled his gentle smile down at her, and Karane felt a little better, seeing his warm face.

Finally, she could speak. "I...I don't want to die, but I don't want to live." She was unsure of how more to explain it. Kaito just nodded.

"I think I understand" he stated. "And whether or not you believe it, I felt that way once." This shocked Karane, as he seemed so happy and unburdened. Someone like him had once considered death..?

Holding her tight, he spoke quietly. "How may I help?" Karane couldn't say anything other than; "Get me away from them." Kaito nodded quietly, carefully and delicately extracting himself from her grip. He gently helped Karane lay down, making sure she was comfortable. Karane slowly faded off into sleep, tired from her effort.

When she woke up the next morning, Kaito's scarf was on the table beside her, wrapping up a note saying "I promise".

Kaito awoke late the morning after he had gone back to see Karane. Him waking up late was unusual as he normally was an early riser. A very early riser. He drifted into the kitchen, fighting off the chains of tiredness that clung to him. He groggily began making himself some coffee, something he didn't normally indulge in. But having finally got some sleep, his body was wanting for more.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he looked about his kitchen. It wasn't a mess, but he certainly would have to tidy up if he ever wanted guests. Not that he would any time soon. He had no friends, and his family was far away or busy. Glancing over his cup of coffee, Kaito could see his answering machine. A message was saved on there. Kaito raised an eyebrow. He wasn't expecting any messages.

Wandering over slowly, he pressed the playback button and leaned against the counter, slowly bringing the coffee to his lips again. The beep of the recording beginning rang out high in the morning silence. A brash voice split the thickness of the air, and Kaito's head.

"Hey bro, it's me Akaito! Just wanted to remind you that we'll be coming over on Christmas Break." Kaito nearly spat out his coffee. He had completely forgotten about the planned visit. They had been looking forward to it so much, but with the recent drama, he had simply forgotten.

"Kaiko's nearly reached winter break, so she'll be along after me. Not sure when, but she'll be there. Any way, I'll be coming down in a few days. Hope to see you then. I got some work to do, so don't bother calling back." The phone beeped, signifying the end of the message. Kaito shook his head and sighed.

"I should probably clean this place up for their arrival…" he said, looking around his messy adobe. He picked up an odd item or two, looking around, not fully awake. He sighed again and stretched. "Okay, now time to get serious" he promised himself as he starting picking up dishes and cleaning them before setting them into the dishwasher. He set the dial, making a mental note to check on them when it finished.

He moved into his tiny living room, observing the papers strewn about. He plopped onto the couch, turning on the news while starting to sort bills from his other papers. Occasionally, he picked up a page he had been working on. A play idea or story prompt, nothing serious, but still something he liked doing. He could just never get them straight. He tossed a few of them, crumpled, into the wastebasket, but kept some of them, stacking them off to the side.

The news itself was mindless drawl, human interest stories, and obligatory weather updates. Hardly interesting, but they helped Kaito wake up, as the mere presence of the voices aroused his consciousness. It was a day off, so he'd have the whole day to himself.

Not that that meant much. He wasn't a very exciting person, or so he thought at least. He began thinking about what he'd need to do today. Probably pick up some extra groceries for Akaito's visit, maybe some sleeping bags. He would have to pick up a tree or something. He could barely remember Christmas, as he had missed most of the family Christmas' because of work. It saddened him a little to think about it.

He shook his head and tried to refocus on what he'd have to do today. Lights, look up a recipe for Christmas dinner, visit the hospital...oh right. His sleep deprived brain had conveniently left that part out. His memory flashed back and he felt a small bit of energy rise in him. He felt determined to finish his work here and head over when he could. Kaito stood and began going into a cleaning overdrive.

A few hours later, he showed up at the hospital doors and sauntered in. A tired, familiar looking receptionist greeted him. "You're here early!" she said happily, then tried to conceal a yawn. She laughed nervously. "Sorry, not exactly awake. Just arrived myself actually. My shift begins in a little bit."

"That's okay. Mind if I head up to see Karane?" he inquired. Hatsune frowned.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can allow that until the official visiting hours. I really am sorry" she said, looking pained. Kaito waved off her concern with a smile.

"It's fine. I'll just wait until then. Come on, we can have some coffee or something while we wait for your shift" he offered, jerking his thumb towards the small hospital cafe. Ms. Hatsune smiled and nodded thankfully, and they headed in.

Soon, they were seated at a table, hands clasped onto the warm surface of their cups. Ms. Hatsune let out a pleased sigh and hovered her face above the warm current of air of the cup. Her nose turned a mild red as she began to warm. "Thanks! I really needed a warm beverage to keep up!" she chirped, taking a sip of her coffee and sighing in ecstasy.

Kaito chuckled and lifted it to his lips, taking a sip. "This is my second of the day. I generally live on this stuff" he explained. Ms. Hatsune nodded and smiled, but said nothing, leaning back in her chair. "So, what's work like?" Kaito asked pleasantly.

"Not really interesting. A bunch of depressed people, some angry ones. Work's like that in a hospital. What really interests me" she said, leaning forward, "is why you are so determined about a girl you only just met."

Kaito shrugged, trying to give an air of not caring, but deep down he knew it wasn't true. "I just think that someone should care, and seeing as I'm the one who found her, it makes sense" he explained, leaving out the part about a promise. Ms. Hatsune nodded solemnly.

"You know, she's set to be released soon, but we haven't gotten any parental info, so we don't know where to release her. I'm honestly worried her domestic situation is sub-par and we could be sending her to a harmful environment." Ms. Hatsune looked around and leaned close. "I really don't want to discharge her back to there. Do you think...maybe you could take her?"

Kaito looked surprised. "Why me? I'm just the guy who found her" he defended, though not very heartily. He saw where Ms. Hatsune was coming from and had to agree.

"You've come back for her at least twice. I have no idea why, true, but so far, you're the best option" she said with a defeated shrug. "So will you take her?" Kaito leaned back and thought about it. It wouldn't be too hard to bring in another person. And he was pretty much the only person aside from Neru who visited her. He nodded, and Ms. Hatsune lit up. "Thank you! Now you'll have to take care of some papers, and I'll probably have to visit on occasion to check on her…"

Kaito chuckled and interrupted her. "Whatever it is, I'll do it" he said, looking at the clock. "Looks like it's time" he smiled. He pushed himself to a stand, and followed Ms. Hatsune to the ward doors. He nodded his thanks and travelled down the hallways, remembering the route to her room. He came upon the familiar door and gently knocked.

"Come in…" a quiet voice commanded. Kaito stepped inside with a smile and beheld Karane. She was still in her hospital gown, but she looked a bit better than she had. Her normal clothes were on the nearby table, cleaned and repaired, at least by the looks of the seams. A small spike of rage hit Kaito as he beheld the number of seams. She had taken a real beating. He turned back to her.

"How was yesterday?" he asked pleasantly, sitting beside her in a chair. She smiled a little and seemed to relax.

"Neru came by and we talked a lot. She mentioned running into you, literally" Karane joked with a small laugh. Kaito returned it, happy to see her feeling better.

"Ya, I was walking back home and I was so lost in thought I bowled right into her. She almost tore me a new one until I mentioned you. She asked me how you were and I got her an umbrella so she wouldn't have to walk in the rain" he said, relating the tale. Karane listened, her expression unchanging till the end.

"Sounds like Neru, if she tried to chew you out for that. She's one to talk about not paying attention, practically being attached to her phone" Karane stated with a laugh.

"So how do you two know each other?" he inquired with a smile. Karane laughed a little.

"We've known eachother since we were kids. She's from a pretty big family, but never liked being around people. She's got a brother and sister, Nero and Lily. Lily's much older than her, but she would always take us places, especially when she got old enough to drive." Her eyes had the nostalgic look to them.

"She seems like a great friend" Kaito said happily, glad to hear about something good for once. Karane smiled back and laid back against the pillow.

"Sorry, just a little tired. Still not up to full strength" she explained with a sorry smile. Kaito waved off her concern and smiled.

"It's fine. I should probably let you rest. Sorry if I interrupted you" he said. Karane looked surprised that someone would apologize to her. Kaito reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. He handed her some money. "I hear hospital food sucks. Use this to get something from the cafe" he said with a smile, standing up. Karane regarded the money, then him, unsure if she was meant to have it. Kaito gently curled her hand around it. "Go ahead. All yours." With that, he gave a small wave and walked to the door. Behind him, Karane gave a small smile.

GOMENESAI! I'm sorry it was so short and crappy, I just wanted to release something on this.