Disclaimer: I'm tired of writing these. You get the picture.

The hours slithered by slowly as Kiba tossed and turned fitfully in his sleep; with good reason. Kiba gasped audibly as visions of his friends flashed in his head. Tsume…Hige…Toboe…they all lay motionless amidst the rubble that was once Darcia's keep. Then, one image stood alone: a lily-white girl, unconscious, being carried off in the arms of an man clad in black armor…the flower-maiden…it was… "CHEZA!" Kiba gasped, bolting upright. He put a hand to his forehead as cold sweat poured down his back. "I've got to get out of here," he muttered, breathing hard. Comfort be damned, I've got to find the others. Tsume, Hige, Toboe. They could've been injured. And Cheza, I've got to save Cheza, he thought, plopping back onto the bed and drifting back to sleep.
Kiba awoke to a gentle nudging and a girl's voice. "Pssssssssssssst! PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST! Hey! Wake up! Come on, Sleeping Beauty!" Yuri said, hovering over Kiba as she nudged his shoulder.

"Who's Sleeping Beauty?" Kiba asked groggily.

Yuri stood upright, placing her hands on her hips. "That would be you. But now that you're awake, I guess it doesn't apply very much."

"Right," Kiba replied, rubbing his eyes. "Going somewhere?" He asked, glancing at Yuri. She wore a pair of dark, tight, low-fitting jeans and a white blouse with a bit of floral embroidery along the wide neckline, which lay just past her collarbone. In her arms, Yuri carried a large straw hat, and wore black tennis shoes, just like Kiba's, on her feet (they look just like Chucks, don't they?).

"Uh, yeah. That's why I woke you. I would've left a note but…uh…I wasn't sure…you know…"

"No, I can't read or write," Kibainterjected, putting an end toher stammering.

"So I figured," she replied. "Well, I was going to make breakfast this morning…until I realized something."

"And what wasthat?"

"I don't have any food," Yuri replied with a nervous laugh as she scratched her head. "Soooo, I thought I'd head into town to get some."

"Good idea," Kiba replied.

"Right. So, is there anything in particular that you'd like?"

Kiba nodded.

"Ok, and what's that?" Yuri asked.

"I'd like to come with you."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Yuri replied. "You're injured. Your cuts are probably closed by now, but that's beside the point. You still need bed rest, not a long trek through the desert."

"I think you'll find that nothing you say will either change my mind or stop me from going," said Kiba, standing upright, right in front of Yuri. "You'll also find that wolves are far more resilient than humans."

Yuri was not one to be intimidated. She turned her head upward, looked him straight in the eye, and said: "Fine." She also knew better than to argue needlessly. For all his damn machismo, Kiba's eyes gave him away. Yuri could see their genuine look of pleading in an instant. She turned to leave.

"Wait a minute! I said I was coming with you!" Kiba cried, grabbing her arm.

"Oh, keep your hair on!" She responded. "I'm not leaving yet. I was going to get your clothes, and show you the bathroom so you can take a shower."

"Shower?" Kiba said confusedly, releasing Yuri's arm.

"You're right, it's too soon for a shower. Your wounds are still too fresh. But I'll bet a nice sponge bath will do you a lot of good. I'll go prepare one." With that, Yuri turned on her heel and exited the room.

The sound of running water led Kiba to the bathroom, were Yuri was filling a large bowl with water. Kiba walked in slowly, and stood next to her. "Oh good, I was about to go call you," she said, shutting the tub's faucet off. Kiba's eyes fell on a familiar-looking mound of clothing lying on a small table by the sink. Next to his clothes lay two neatly folded white towels. Noticing the direction of Kiba's gaze, Yuri said, "Oh yeah, I sewed your clothes up last night. It wasn't too bad, but the stains, oi! I did the best I could."

"Thank you," Kiba replied.

Yuri left the room as Kiba undressed. When she reentered, he stood naked except for a large white towel wrapped tightly around his middle. As Kiba sat comfortably in the empty tub, Yuri gently scrubbed his neck and back with a soft sponge and a little soap, slowly removing his bandages as she went along. She inspected every wound before proceeding, and poured only water over these areas. Kiba closed his eyes and breathed softly as she worked. Yuri's hands seemed to work some sort of magic on him. Her gentle touch was like the moonlight's kiss on his skin, with all the softness and delicacy of a flower's scent. Despite his injuries, he felt no sting or pain—only a little soreness from his bruises. What a welcome change from Tsume's usual nursing care!

"I'm just about done here," Yuri said, "I'll leave so you can finish up and dry off. Dress yourself, but don't put your shirt back on. I want to put some fresh bandages on you." After leaving, Yuri retrieved her First Aid kit and sat down to wait for Kiba in the living room.

Meanwhile, Kiba made short work of the rest of his bath. He grew impatient with the sponge—his violent scrubbing was not the same as Yuri's gentle caresses had been. Taking the bowl in both hands, he poured the remaining water over his head and stepped, dripping wet, out of the tub. He removed the towel from his waist and slung it in the tub. Grabbing the second towel, he rubbed it all over himself roughly, reopening some of his wounds in the process. He dressed quickly and walked, nonchalantly, into the living room with his shirt clutched in his right hand.

He received a brief reprimanding from Yuri for his carelessness. "I ought to just let you bleed to death next time," she had said. But for all her sharp words, her touch remained as gentle as before. Then, hesitating, she stopped.

"May I ask you a question?" she asked.

"That depends on what it is," Kiba responded.

"Who is Cheza?" Yuri asked, fearing a reproach for her imprudence. She hadn't intended to overhear him, she explained. But she couldn't help it. He had been gasping and thrashing about in his bed all night. She was about to enter his room to check on him when she heard him say the name Cheza. He understood, but was surprised at how violent his sleep had been.

"She's…a friend," he responded. "A friend that needs my help."

"Is she your—"

"She isn't my mate, if that's what you're thinking. I don't have one," he said, cutting Yuri off and pinning her assumption right on the dot.

"Oh," she replied. Yuri found herself strangely relieved by this knowledge. Cheza wasn't "his mate"…he didn't have one.

"Was she caught up in the explosion with you?" Yuri asked.

Kiba nodded affirmatively. "Along with three more of my friends. They were all there, and I don't know what's happened to them."

"Oh, I get it. That's why you want to go into town so bad. You want to find out if they found their way there. You want to find out if they're OK," Yuri said softly, comprehension dawning on her. This was what had brought that sad pleading look into his eyes earlier. Finishing the last bandage, Yuri stood up and handed Kiba his shirt.

"Well then," she said, suddenly cheerful, "we'd better be on our way." As Kiba slipped his arms into the sleeves of his jacket, Yuri placed her large hat firmly on her head. Shutting the door behind them, Yuri and Kiba set off, finally, on their way to the city.

Thank you for reading! Hmmm…I really don't know what to say except please review. Again, I welcome both positive and negative comments. And a special thank you to those who actually have been reviewing!