Laina woke with a shiver, she opened her eyes to see the sun reflecting off of a trophy on his shelf. She shivered in the cold morning air, and then an arm came around her. Her body stiffened, unsure of what she should do. Should she push him away? Should she get up and go back to her room? Or should she just relax, and enjoy the fact that someone is holding her without the fear that he might kill her… Not that he couldn't, just that he wouldn't. You could tell the kind of person he is by the friends he has. They've been his friends for a while, much longer than any friends Wyatt has ever had, and they are kind, but also strong. They're the kind of friends that would back each other up, loyal to each other in a way that shows how golden their character is.

No one would ever be loyal to someone like Wyatt, who would love you one minute and try to kill you the next. He lost most of his friends because of jealousy, or his venomous tongue. She should have known from the start but she had ignored the signs. Believing there was some good in him, even after he hit her that first time. He claimed it was an accident, even apologized profusely, and she had believed him. She believed him because she didn't want to think that anyone, she cared for would ever want to really hurt her. An errant tear fell down her cheek as she realized how gullible she had been. He must have known, maybe she wore a sign on her chest that said "Gullible: Please take advantage".

Once she was clear of him, she would never be Gullible Laina again. No, she will never let anyone take advantage of her again. As she reached out of the sheet and put her hand over Ryo's warm forearm, she wondered if she was gullible with him as well. Would he hurt her? Would he try to kill her with a knife, or chair? She thought about the pictures he had all around his house. Pictures of many friends, and many pictures of seven of them. Happy pictures ranging from a child, to adult, doing many things together. Someone like that wasn't abusive like Wyatt was, right? Maybe?

Maybe she was gullible, but she had to trust someone. Life would be terribly lonely if she kept away from everyone for fear of being hurt. If she didn't open up to being able to trust in someone who could save her from a monster like Wyatt, then she would have to hide in a cave by herself the rest of her life. She couldn't do that. When she went to college, she had goals of helping people. She couldn't close herself away from them now. Ryo seemed to need her as much as she needed him right now, so why not? Why not accept the challenge? Why not trust him, the way he was trusting her. She could already see him changing. Changing from the grumpy guy, to the caring one, the kind one. Wyatt was the opposite, he started out kind and then turned grumpy, to downright murderous. At least Ryo was going the opposite way. Maybe he will be a saint by the time she really gets to know him.

Ryo's hand grabbed her breast as he pulled her back against him. His warmth made her relax, and the woodsy scent of him was purely masculine. He kissed her neck and waited for her to push him away. With a smile she turned and put her hand on the rough stubble of his cheek. She smirked realizing that he had been shaving himself this whole time as well. Maybe he didn't need her as much as she thought he did.

"You better watch out, or I might start getting ideas," he said with a chuckle, and then he kissed her lips, licking her bottom lip and gently sucking on it. His stomach grumbled then and Laina snorted.

"Ideas of bacon and eggs?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely bacon and eggs. Did you want some sausage first though?" Ryo asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Ryo!" she said hitting his arm, but then chewing her bottom lip, "What would you do if I said yes?"

"Well, you already have me pitching a tent, so it really wouldn't take much," he replied, lifting an eyebrow, "But I thought you wanted to take it slow."

"It's not like I'm a virgin," Laina shrugged, her hand sliding over the muscles of his chest, and resting at his neck. Ryo kissed her passionately. They had mind blowing sex that left Laina wanting more. She knew she should have waited, or maybe felt guilty, but she just couldn't. As she lay naked in his bare arms, sated and happy, she couldn't think of anywhere she would rather be. It was strange, to actually want more, but Ryo was a more compassionate lover, and actually cared about making her enjoy it as much as he did. It was more than she could say about Wyatt. Ryo's fingers traced lazy circles on the back of her shoulder, his warmth and scent surrounded her, making her feel safe.

"Now that's my kind of wake-up call," Ryo said with a seductive chuckle, "You can wake me up like that anytime. No wonder you have a stalker."

Laina snickered, "Good thing you're strong enough to fend him off, huh?"

"Damn straight! Now feed me woman! I need sustenance to keep up with you," Ryo smirked tilting her chin up and kissing her gently on the lips. He treated her like she was sacred, and she kind of liked it.

Grabbing her nightshirt, she threw it on as she trotted down the stairs to the kitchen. Glancing at her reflection in a mirror on the wall she was practically glowing. For the first time in a long time she felt that fear melt away and happiness replaced it. If only things could stay this way.

She went to work making bacon and when she heard the now familiar growl, she threw White Blaze a hunk of steak, which she happily chewed on. Ryo sauntered in with just a pair of shorts on, and came behind her, kissing her neck.

"Smells delicious, kind of like you," he said giving her butt a squeeze. Laina gasped and then giggled, shoving him away.

"Touma's coming later today. I gave him a call and he said he'd come and get the video for me. I don't really know how that stuff works," Ryo said with a shrug, "But I'm mostly happy that I got an excuse to get Touma to come visit. It's been a while since I've seen him. Hopefully he brings Mia along."

"Mia? The girl from the picture?" Laina asked.

"The very same," Ryo replied.

"Wait, you said video? What video?" Laina asked, her eyebrow furrowed as she moved around the kitchen. Ryo moved to the table, sitting in a chair, and tapping his fingers on the table.

"The video, you haven't noticed the camera's?" Ryo asked pointing up. Laina looked up and gasped.

"No, I guess I never looked up. But, why?" Laina asked.

"Well, I had my own stalker before, and I literally had to fight her off of me. She seemed to decide that if she couldn't have me no one could," Ryo said, "Well she got hurt when I pushed her out the door. I promise I was gentler than I was with your stalker. Anyway, she tried to sue me after, and Touma insisted I get some video cameras to cover myself for next time."

"Next time? You planning on getting more girls to chase you down?" Laina asked pouring a cup of coffee for herself and one for Ryo.

"Only you," Ryo said with a smirk, "I plan on keeping you coming back for more, if you know what I mean…"

Laina giggled, she hadn't giggled this much since she was a school girl with her first crush. Shaking her head, she knew she shouldn't be this giddy. After all, Wyatt was still a threat. He'll be back, and when he did return, she would be ready to fight back. It was like Ryo was on the same wavelength as her, because he turned serious suddenly as well.

"You know, we'll have to train you up extra hard. I want you to be able to protect yourself if I have to leave for any reason. Just so you know, there might be a time where I'll be gone for a few months," Ryo said taking the coffee Laina handed him. He looked sad for a minute and then took a sip.

"You'll have to leave?" Laina asked tilting her head.

"Hopefully not anytime soon, but it'll happen eventually. It always does. It's like we're cursed or something. We find happiness and suddenly they show up to ruin it. I'm at a disadvantage this time. I have to figure out how to- I said too much. Ignore my ramblings," Ryo said sipping his cup of coffee.

"What are you talking about?" Laina asked, her eyebrows furrowed in slight worry and confusion.

"Sorry, I'm not at liberty to say. You'll find out though, soon enough," Ryo said, frowning and turning his head towards the window. Laina forgot for a moment that he can't see and found herself following his gaze to the sunny woods. It was very peaceful, she realized it was probably more that the warm sun was shining on his face. She couldn't help herself, reaching out and touching his warm rough cheek. He reached up and held her hand there, then turned and kissed her palm.

"It'll be nice coming back to have you, though. It can really suck when you go off and come back to a dirty empty house. But when you have someone who cares about you, it's different. I was actually jealous of Shu, and Touma. Now Seiji has someone," Ryo said giving her a smile, "And maybe I do, too."

Laina chuckled, giving him a soft kiss, "Yes, you do, too. As long as you treat me right."

Ryo turned serious, taking her hand in both of his.

"Laina, I swear to you that I will never, ever hit you. I promise that no matter what, I will keep you safe," Ryo said. Laina looked into his unfocused eyes and saw the determination in his face, she smiled wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm going to hold you to that, you know," Laina said, giving him a squeeze. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her as though she was a precious gift.