Towa no Mirai: Elemental Gem Stones: #10 - Umi no Chikara to Kigurai! Chunzhu-chan no Hatsuni Tabine
- The Power and Pride of the Ocean! Chunzhu's First Sleepover -
By: AMENO (Contacts: Oomori Aya-KitsuneMayakoreanmail.comTowasei Norei-mokuro29802aol.comSango-katelynroptonline.net)
Official Webpage: http:towa-no-mirai.tk Chunzhu heard a faint rustling behind her. It was the familiar sound of footsteps, and she was able to tell this individual wasn't as hefty as the others, but all the same approaching. She really couldn't handle another fight, but she really couldn't have herself act as a punching bag either.
"Hey-"
Her new opponent was cut off as she whipped around, pounced, and tackled him to the ground. He shouted in surprise as the force of the attack caused them to roll, limbs tangling, across a soggy grass patch. She felt strong arms circle her hips and pull her down. They went through one last tumble before she pinned him under her. She secured his torso between her knees and shoved his head to the ground. Adrenaline getting started up again, she tightened her grip around his neck to get a better look at his face.
The rain was seriously playing tricks on her. Either that, or excessive bleeding caused illusions. She blinked twice in disbelief, feeling her heart sink down to her stomach. It was Kurama.
She let him go with astonishment, and he used the opportunity to flip her over imediately. He pressed her shoulders into the ground with his hands, kneeling over her.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked above the loud storm. He noted what looked vaguely like blood through the dark night. She hadn't fought the ocean demon, had she?
"Getting the elemental gem stone, but these guys came and attacked me," she responded relatively calmly. She was having a hard time taking in oxygen. It was either the storm water, rising up to her earlobes by now, the dizzy confusion caused by her wounds, or the fact that Kurama was gripping her waist too tightly between his knees, and digging the heels of his hands into her chest...or a combination of it all.
She moved fluently, grabbing both his arms with her hands and pulling them out from under him. That didn't help. He fell over unexpectedly on top of her, and she flipped him over again with some quick thinking. She drove a knee into his abdomen and pinned him to the ground with her forearms. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
He sighed, feeling absolutely silly for putting up with this. "Looking for you. You can't be out here. Now get off!" Becoming more forceful, he wrapped his arms around her back in a violent spin-off ofa bear hug and tried to roll her off. She didn't move.
"I will," she muttered quite audibly, considering her face had been buried into his neck. "You have to let me go first though." He could actually feel her lips form the words onto his skin, uncomfortably making him want to get out of the awkward state. However, neither of them made an attempt to move.
"I want you to go first," he muttered into her hair, his voice strained by her knee practically impaling his stomach.
She slowly, reluctantly let up the pressure from her knee.
He quickly threw her off, surprisingly hard, her bottom coming into a stinging landing on the pavement. She gave a quick hiss-like exhale as a complaint.
She couldn't help having a sudden surge of anger. As soon as he got to his feet, she got to hers and shoved him. He stumbled back a little, then jumped at her and shoved her right back.
This was unbelievable. It was so completely unexpected of him...As soon as she gained her balance, she stormed at him, shoving her shoulder into his solar plexus, due to his tall height.
She was pleased to see she had nearly knocked the wind out of him. She put two hands on his stomach and pushed him to the ground.
With impressive speed, he rolled towards her and hugged her ankles. She cried out in surprise as he pulled her legs out from under her, causing her to fall directly on top of him.
Confused and offended, she grabbed whatever she could, which turned out to be his hair. he grabbed hers right back. She advanced her grip to the back of his neck, trapped otherwise. her legs were wrapped with his, and his arms encircled her waist.
She stopped when she had finally regained a tiny bit of sense to realize what she was doing. Well, to put it bluntly, she was on top of some guy she had only known for about a week, being reduced to pulling hair like a five year old. She was a master at Wind Dance though! She had weapons! What was she doing playing around when there was a thunderstorm going on around them?! The long crimson locks slipped from her hands in surrender.
He also, in realization, let go of her, allowing them both to stand up. What had just happened? It seemed like more of a hazy, messed up dream than an actual happening.
She started to walk away again, her walk evolving into a sprint before Kurama grabbed onto her arm. She whirled around in surprise. "I have to go," she insisted.
Was there any way to convince her? He pulled her up to himself, wrapping her in a diliberate embrace...or was it intended to be a temporary restraint for what was a wild animal a minute ago? "The only place you're going is back," he demanded.
"No, I..." She stopped when she felt another dizzy spell come over her, and she let out a small, sibilant sneeze, followed by a cross between a choke and a cough. A weakened sigh let itself from her lungs as it became obvious she'd get pneumonia if she were to stay out any longer.
"Darn, I am getting sick..." she muttered, finally giving up the fight for good. She let out another sneeze.
Funny. She seemed a lot more determined than to be stopped by a cold. Though she could be considering the chance of pneumonia...He let go in triumph. "Let's go them."
She had just gotten out of the warm shower, washing off bloodstains and the cold seawater of the flooding ocean. She felt chills rush at her body before she wrapped on a towel and got out.
"Kurama?" she called.
"I'll be right there!" he responded from downstairs.
Chunzhu nodded. She had never really been to anyones house before. It was a lot smaller than hers, but had this odd, warming feeling that hers lacked. Her right cheekbone ached. The cut on her forehead stung. Her stomach muscles ached. At least the cold had gone away though; she had found it lucky to have it last for such a short time. She felt herself travel across his bedroom from the adjacent bathroom and sit on the bed. There was an odd feeling she got from this whole place, unfamiliar yet comforting.
"Ri-chan?" Kurama said, announcing his arrival, and breaking her form the trance she had watching the rain.
She turned around, her gaze alarmingly soft, "Hi."
He was quiet for a moment, not realizing it, he looked at her, noticing how frail she looked. It was supernatural how someone so delicate looking could manage to go through a fight. He wanted to say something, but for some reason, his conscience held his tongue. He took a few steps towards her instead.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"Fine. You?" Since when had he become monosyllabic?
"Fine," she muttered back. After a long pause of consideration, she said, "I hope you forgive me for attacking you. I wish I could do it over." Her voice had a new kind of glass-like tone to it now, irritatingly fragile, ready to shatter at any moment.
"No, it's..." Oh! He remembered something he wanted to ask her. "What happened earlier? You seemed unnaturally paranoid."
"Like I said, people attacked me. A gang saying I owed them something." She Nervously raised her arm to brush some hair out of her face, revealing a small, mauled spot right above her elbow.
"Oh." He felt himself catch his breath as he sat down right next to her, fingers hovering above the injury.
"This?" She raised her arm to him, a little confused about his reaction. Good thing she bandaged the only serious cut she had gotten on her head. The sight of the thing was really inexcusably large and damaging to her appearance.
Without any thought, he let his fingers graze the damaged area, feeling that sympathetic emotion again. She really probably was fragile, but more in mind than body. He set his hand down when he felt his face turn warm. He sincerely hoped he wasn't blushing as he felt the warmth travel across his arms and chest. Some insane instinct made him inch closer to her, breathing in her scent, one that strongly resembled camomile.
She gave him an amused smile. "You should see the ones on my stomach. That is nothing in comparison."
Inari-sama...it was a mistake even to imagine it.
"And..." She lifted a damp sheet of hair to reveal another slash right under her ear.
The inexplanable instinct made his hand go to her hair. It was a little wet still, but kept its silky texture and odd but lovely blue-purple, night sky color.
His eyes went to the wound, followed by his lips. It was all so sudden, he had managed to surprise himself. He felt like he had lost his mind, and seriously believed there was some drug that was taken accidently at one point that made him act so thoughtlessly and odd.
His lips brushed against her neck in a small half-kiss tenderly. She let out a breath and let her head and body relax against him. She let out sort of a comforted mewl.
The feared and evanescent idea of doing that again came over him as a strange idea and powerful urge. He was doing his best to resist doing so. After all, they weren't exactly on friendly terms, and they'd known each other for such a short time, it was positive either hormones or Youko Kurama were dying to take control of him.
He felt the druglike, instinctive something take over as he gently raised her chin and lowered his face a bit towards hers.
Her eyes were wide, glowing with a bunch of questions. They looked up at him in wonder. Her fingers were wrapped around his, and her lips were parted in a question. Her eyes then darted outside quite suddenly. "Your house is flooding," she said, her warmth and openness turning quickly back into ice.
So much for a possible first kiss. He was so surprised by this he shot himself back, a good two feet or so from her, finally regaining control of himself. He rushed downstairs, finding out she was right. Was there anything he COULD do about it though? He went back upstairs, carrying Chunzhu's clothes he had just ironed dry.
"Since the guestroom is downstairs, you'll-"
"-have to stay up here?" She looked at him, understanding the storm was too fierce to go home.
He nodded, handing over her outfit.
"They smell like saltwater," she pointed out, standing up. "I will go and put them in your washing machine. Um..." she pointed to his garments, which he had not been able to change since he let Chunzhu bathe first. "Want me to put those in as well?"
"I'll do it myself."
"Why?"
"I would have to get undressed in front of you."
"So?"
He chocked on a response. Did she just say that? Well...he really couldn't blame her that much. She wasn't a human, not even born into human ways. THings like that probably weren't a huge, awkward issue. So in that case...
He got into the bathroom, got undressed in there, and tossed his clothes out to her.
"That works too," she said to herself, picking them up. "But I wish you would not dress in such an aesthetically displeasing way," she commented, walking downstairs.
"What?" No response. Was she superficial or something? He only quickly washed off, taking only about five minutes. When he tried opening the door, it seemed to be stuck.
"Do not come in yet," Chunzhu called from the other side of the door.
"Why not?"
"I do not have anything to wear," she responded.
Obviously, she was washing her clothes. He had forgotten about that...And since he really didn't want to go through his mother's closet, there really was only one option, strange as it was for him to request it.
"Um...Borrow something of mine, I guess. A shirt or something. It should be big enough for you to not need pants." Did the last part sound too perverted? Inari-sama...He came out to see her buttoning up a pajama shirt. Straightening it out, she looked up at him in a silent greeting.
"Where do I sleep?" she asked, innocently watching get dressed (without a bit of amusement or any electrifying thought go through her head).
"Wherever you want," he said, pulling his covers over himself. He immediately jumped back up when she got next to him.
"I want to sleep here," she decided. She noted his nervousness, "If you want, you can go somewhere else-" She noted his surprised and maybe worried look. "I do not understand what you are afraid of though."
Was she dumb or something? Playing innocent in order to fulfill other wishes she had? Or maybe she really was this way. But she was centuries old! How could she not know?
"Do not worry. I will not try anything."
She did know. "What do you mean?"
She smiled, a little sadly, "I think it should be done with someone you truly love. Besides, I am saving myself."
He baecame suddenly interested, "For who?"
"I do not know his name, but he had long silver hair, golden eyes, and animal ears. Like a fox's or cat's or dog's."
The description formed a vague picture in his head. It was familiar looking, obviously resembling his kitsune other self, which made him wonder who she had met that she owed herself to.
"What if you were to fall for someone else?" he asked.
"I would not," she insisted.
"Ri-chan," he began, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You can't help it if it happens. You can't prevent loving someone."
"But I have to. I always will. He had saved my life more times than I could count." She looked as if she were about to break down in tears. She looked away from him. "Why am I telling you all of this anyway?"
He looked at her in sympathy. "You know, I wouldn't mind if you cried," he said, his hand inching from her shoulder down to over her heart, unaware of what he was doing.
She grasped her hand over his, clasping onto it in a mild warning the contact of the area caused a slight pain. "I honestly do not know how. I never have cried. I have just gotten used to everything and blame myself for it so I don't get angry."
"You shouldn't blame yourself for everything," he insisted, cutting her off, "Others need to do things too, but a lot of people can't admit their faults to themselves. Stop blaming yourself."
Chunzhu felt an odd, stinging tug at the back of her eyes. He was getting too close to a place that hurt, and she desperatelywanted him to get away from it. She covered herself up to the neck in the comforter, lying down.
"I'm fighting Youso'umi tommorrow, okay?" Kurama said, also lying down. Surely she'd be concerned for him, and try to convince him out of it? He waited...and found out he was wrong.
She let out another mewling sound in response, giving him the consent to. Another gentle, comforted one, a little restrained from a mysterious sorrow all the same. She was making him wonder way too much. What had made her so upset?
He finally realized what the drug that had controlled him had been. It was Suishori herself, that etheral kitsune...She seemed like she was a magnet to trouble, and it would be best to avoid her and her netherworld of problems, but he couldn't do that, somehow. It was sympathy, the other drug that had been laced into the one that was already poisoning his mind.
- The Power and Pride of the Ocean! Chunzhu's First Sleepover -
By: AMENO (Contacts: Oomori Aya-KitsuneMayakoreanmail.comTowasei Norei-mokuro29802aol.comSango-katelynroptonline.net)
Official Webpage: http:towa-no-mirai.tk Chunzhu heard a faint rustling behind her. It was the familiar sound of footsteps, and she was able to tell this individual wasn't as hefty as the others, but all the same approaching. She really couldn't handle another fight, but she really couldn't have herself act as a punching bag either.
"Hey-"
Her new opponent was cut off as she whipped around, pounced, and tackled him to the ground. He shouted in surprise as the force of the attack caused them to roll, limbs tangling, across a soggy grass patch. She felt strong arms circle her hips and pull her down. They went through one last tumble before she pinned him under her. She secured his torso between her knees and shoved his head to the ground. Adrenaline getting started up again, she tightened her grip around his neck to get a better look at his face.
The rain was seriously playing tricks on her. Either that, or excessive bleeding caused illusions. She blinked twice in disbelief, feeling her heart sink down to her stomach. It was Kurama.
She let him go with astonishment, and he used the opportunity to flip her over imediately. He pressed her shoulders into the ground with his hands, kneeling over her.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked above the loud storm. He noted what looked vaguely like blood through the dark night. She hadn't fought the ocean demon, had she?
"Getting the elemental gem stone, but these guys came and attacked me," she responded relatively calmly. She was having a hard time taking in oxygen. It was either the storm water, rising up to her earlobes by now, the dizzy confusion caused by her wounds, or the fact that Kurama was gripping her waist too tightly between his knees, and digging the heels of his hands into her chest...or a combination of it all.
She moved fluently, grabbing both his arms with her hands and pulling them out from under him. That didn't help. He fell over unexpectedly on top of her, and she flipped him over again with some quick thinking. She drove a knee into his abdomen and pinned him to the ground with her forearms. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
He sighed, feeling absolutely silly for putting up with this. "Looking for you. You can't be out here. Now get off!" Becoming more forceful, he wrapped his arms around her back in a violent spin-off ofa bear hug and tried to roll her off. She didn't move.
"I will," she muttered quite audibly, considering her face had been buried into his neck. "You have to let me go first though." He could actually feel her lips form the words onto his skin, uncomfortably making him want to get out of the awkward state. However, neither of them made an attempt to move.
"I want you to go first," he muttered into her hair, his voice strained by her knee practically impaling his stomach.
She slowly, reluctantly let up the pressure from her knee.
He quickly threw her off, surprisingly hard, her bottom coming into a stinging landing on the pavement. She gave a quick hiss-like exhale as a complaint.
She couldn't help having a sudden surge of anger. As soon as he got to his feet, she got to hers and shoved him. He stumbled back a little, then jumped at her and shoved her right back.
This was unbelievable. It was so completely unexpected of him...As soon as she gained her balance, she stormed at him, shoving her shoulder into his solar plexus, due to his tall height.
She was pleased to see she had nearly knocked the wind out of him. She put two hands on his stomach and pushed him to the ground.
With impressive speed, he rolled towards her and hugged her ankles. She cried out in surprise as he pulled her legs out from under her, causing her to fall directly on top of him.
Confused and offended, she grabbed whatever she could, which turned out to be his hair. he grabbed hers right back. She advanced her grip to the back of his neck, trapped otherwise. her legs were wrapped with his, and his arms encircled her waist.
She stopped when she had finally regained a tiny bit of sense to realize what she was doing. Well, to put it bluntly, she was on top of some guy she had only known for about a week, being reduced to pulling hair like a five year old. She was a master at Wind Dance though! She had weapons! What was she doing playing around when there was a thunderstorm going on around them?! The long crimson locks slipped from her hands in surrender.
He also, in realization, let go of her, allowing them both to stand up. What had just happened? It seemed like more of a hazy, messed up dream than an actual happening.
She started to walk away again, her walk evolving into a sprint before Kurama grabbed onto her arm. She whirled around in surprise. "I have to go," she insisted.
Was there any way to convince her? He pulled her up to himself, wrapping her in a diliberate embrace...or was it intended to be a temporary restraint for what was a wild animal a minute ago? "The only place you're going is back," he demanded.
"No, I..." She stopped when she felt another dizzy spell come over her, and she let out a small, sibilant sneeze, followed by a cross between a choke and a cough. A weakened sigh let itself from her lungs as it became obvious she'd get pneumonia if she were to stay out any longer.
"Darn, I am getting sick..." she muttered, finally giving up the fight for good. She let out another sneeze.
Funny. She seemed a lot more determined than to be stopped by a cold. Though she could be considering the chance of pneumonia...He let go in triumph. "Let's go them."
She had just gotten out of the warm shower, washing off bloodstains and the cold seawater of the flooding ocean. She felt chills rush at her body before she wrapped on a towel and got out.
"Kurama?" she called.
"I'll be right there!" he responded from downstairs.
Chunzhu nodded. She had never really been to anyones house before. It was a lot smaller than hers, but had this odd, warming feeling that hers lacked. Her right cheekbone ached. The cut on her forehead stung. Her stomach muscles ached. At least the cold had gone away though; she had found it lucky to have it last for such a short time. She felt herself travel across his bedroom from the adjacent bathroom and sit on the bed. There was an odd feeling she got from this whole place, unfamiliar yet comforting.
"Ri-chan?" Kurama said, announcing his arrival, and breaking her form the trance she had watching the rain.
She turned around, her gaze alarmingly soft, "Hi."
He was quiet for a moment, not realizing it, he looked at her, noticing how frail she looked. It was supernatural how someone so delicate looking could manage to go through a fight. He wanted to say something, but for some reason, his conscience held his tongue. He took a few steps towards her instead.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"Fine. You?" Since when had he become monosyllabic?
"Fine," she muttered back. After a long pause of consideration, she said, "I hope you forgive me for attacking you. I wish I could do it over." Her voice had a new kind of glass-like tone to it now, irritatingly fragile, ready to shatter at any moment.
"No, it's..." Oh! He remembered something he wanted to ask her. "What happened earlier? You seemed unnaturally paranoid."
"Like I said, people attacked me. A gang saying I owed them something." She Nervously raised her arm to brush some hair out of her face, revealing a small, mauled spot right above her elbow.
"Oh." He felt himself catch his breath as he sat down right next to her, fingers hovering above the injury.
"This?" She raised her arm to him, a little confused about his reaction. Good thing she bandaged the only serious cut she had gotten on her head. The sight of the thing was really inexcusably large and damaging to her appearance.
Without any thought, he let his fingers graze the damaged area, feeling that sympathetic emotion again. She really probably was fragile, but more in mind than body. He set his hand down when he felt his face turn warm. He sincerely hoped he wasn't blushing as he felt the warmth travel across his arms and chest. Some insane instinct made him inch closer to her, breathing in her scent, one that strongly resembled camomile.
She gave him an amused smile. "You should see the ones on my stomach. That is nothing in comparison."
Inari-sama...it was a mistake even to imagine it.
"And..." She lifted a damp sheet of hair to reveal another slash right under her ear.
The inexplanable instinct made his hand go to her hair. It was a little wet still, but kept its silky texture and odd but lovely blue-purple, night sky color.
His eyes went to the wound, followed by his lips. It was all so sudden, he had managed to surprise himself. He felt like he had lost his mind, and seriously believed there was some drug that was taken accidently at one point that made him act so thoughtlessly and odd.
His lips brushed against her neck in a small half-kiss tenderly. She let out a breath and let her head and body relax against him. She let out sort of a comforted mewl.
The feared and evanescent idea of doing that again came over him as a strange idea and powerful urge. He was doing his best to resist doing so. After all, they weren't exactly on friendly terms, and they'd known each other for such a short time, it was positive either hormones or Youko Kurama were dying to take control of him.
He felt the druglike, instinctive something take over as he gently raised her chin and lowered his face a bit towards hers.
Her eyes were wide, glowing with a bunch of questions. They looked up at him in wonder. Her fingers were wrapped around his, and her lips were parted in a question. Her eyes then darted outside quite suddenly. "Your house is flooding," she said, her warmth and openness turning quickly back into ice.
So much for a possible first kiss. He was so surprised by this he shot himself back, a good two feet or so from her, finally regaining control of himself. He rushed downstairs, finding out she was right. Was there anything he COULD do about it though? He went back upstairs, carrying Chunzhu's clothes he had just ironed dry.
"Since the guestroom is downstairs, you'll-"
"-have to stay up here?" She looked at him, understanding the storm was too fierce to go home.
He nodded, handing over her outfit.
"They smell like saltwater," she pointed out, standing up. "I will go and put them in your washing machine. Um..." she pointed to his garments, which he had not been able to change since he let Chunzhu bathe first. "Want me to put those in as well?"
"I'll do it myself."
"Why?"
"I would have to get undressed in front of you."
"So?"
He chocked on a response. Did she just say that? Well...he really couldn't blame her that much. She wasn't a human, not even born into human ways. THings like that probably weren't a huge, awkward issue. So in that case...
He got into the bathroom, got undressed in there, and tossed his clothes out to her.
"That works too," she said to herself, picking them up. "But I wish you would not dress in such an aesthetically displeasing way," she commented, walking downstairs.
"What?" No response. Was she superficial or something? He only quickly washed off, taking only about five minutes. When he tried opening the door, it seemed to be stuck.
"Do not come in yet," Chunzhu called from the other side of the door.
"Why not?"
"I do not have anything to wear," she responded.
Obviously, she was washing her clothes. He had forgotten about that...And since he really didn't want to go through his mother's closet, there really was only one option, strange as it was for him to request it.
"Um...Borrow something of mine, I guess. A shirt or something. It should be big enough for you to not need pants." Did the last part sound too perverted? Inari-sama...He came out to see her buttoning up a pajama shirt. Straightening it out, she looked up at him in a silent greeting.
"Where do I sleep?" she asked, innocently watching get dressed (without a bit of amusement or any electrifying thought go through her head).
"Wherever you want," he said, pulling his covers over himself. He immediately jumped back up when she got next to him.
"I want to sleep here," she decided. She noted his nervousness, "If you want, you can go somewhere else-" She noted his surprised and maybe worried look. "I do not understand what you are afraid of though."
Was she dumb or something? Playing innocent in order to fulfill other wishes she had? Or maybe she really was this way. But she was centuries old! How could she not know?
"Do not worry. I will not try anything."
She did know. "What do you mean?"
She smiled, a little sadly, "I think it should be done with someone you truly love. Besides, I am saving myself."
He baecame suddenly interested, "For who?"
"I do not know his name, but he had long silver hair, golden eyes, and animal ears. Like a fox's or cat's or dog's."
The description formed a vague picture in his head. It was familiar looking, obviously resembling his kitsune other self, which made him wonder who she had met that she owed herself to.
"What if you were to fall for someone else?" he asked.
"I would not," she insisted.
"Ri-chan," he began, putting a hand on her shoulder, "You can't help it if it happens. You can't prevent loving someone."
"But I have to. I always will. He had saved my life more times than I could count." She looked as if she were about to break down in tears. She looked away from him. "Why am I telling you all of this anyway?"
He looked at her in sympathy. "You know, I wouldn't mind if you cried," he said, his hand inching from her shoulder down to over her heart, unaware of what he was doing.
She grasped her hand over his, clasping onto it in a mild warning the contact of the area caused a slight pain. "I honestly do not know how. I never have cried. I have just gotten used to everything and blame myself for it so I don't get angry."
"You shouldn't blame yourself for everything," he insisted, cutting her off, "Others need to do things too, but a lot of people can't admit their faults to themselves. Stop blaming yourself."
Chunzhu felt an odd, stinging tug at the back of her eyes. He was getting too close to a place that hurt, and she desperatelywanted him to get away from it. She covered herself up to the neck in the comforter, lying down.
"I'm fighting Youso'umi tommorrow, okay?" Kurama said, also lying down. Surely she'd be concerned for him, and try to convince him out of it? He waited...and found out he was wrong.
She let out another mewling sound in response, giving him the consent to. Another gentle, comforted one, a little restrained from a mysterious sorrow all the same. She was making him wonder way too much. What had made her so upset?
He finally realized what the drug that had controlled him had been. It was Suishori herself, that etheral kitsune...She seemed like she was a magnet to trouble, and it would be best to avoid her and her netherworld of problems, but he couldn't do that, somehow. It was sympathy, the other drug that had been laced into the one that was already poisoning his mind.