Sapphire Vixen
--By SunFireVixen--
Vixen: I'm sorry this is one day late... We had to move to a hotel since thursday, becausepeoplewere fumigating my apartment.
Anyways, thank you for the reviews, and it's okay to flame, alright, supershark1.
I only hide the swear words or cut them off because I really don't like them myself. Fierce characters like Fei and Emerald would use them 24/7 in every single sentence if this were a 'R' story, but it's not.
I suck at fight scenes, storm-of-insanity.
Before I forget, no cliffy for this chapter...
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Chapter 36: Doubts
Fei punched at the wall, making small dents. He swore loudly as he stomped out of the room.
Why would anyone give their life to save someone else's!
Hiwatari must have messed with her mind… yeah, that's it. I'll get him back for this- especially for taking away my toys.
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The dark purple firefox stared at them for a moment before returning to her human form.
Riza stood in front of them after the white light vanished. Her long black and white dress was stained with blood, and she held on to Aquamarine for support.
Tyson and Max helped Riza stand up as Aquamarine stepped away, letting the boys support her.
"Let's take her inside," Hilary said, worried. Aquamarine nodded, and led the others inside.
Takato whistled happily as he turned the corner. His eyes widened when his eyes met Riza and her deep wounds. He ran over, and helped the boys who helped her.
"I'll take it from here, guys. Someone call Nikki," he said, and Max raced off.
Tyson raced off after Max. Hilary glared at them as they came back, panting.
"Who's…. who's Nikki?" Max panted heavily.
"She's probably doing laundry now," Aquamarine said, looking up at the clock. She turned to Max before speaking. "The room is beside the kitchen, to the right."
Max nodded, and Hilary grabbed Tyson's collar before he could follow Max. "Where do you think you're going?" Hilary questioned. Tyson smiled sheepishly.
They followed Takato towards Riza's bedroom, which was pretty big, but small compared to Sapphire's room. Takato had already placed Riza on her bed, and Max had come back, bringing a very pretty lady in her early twenties with dark green hair and vivid lime green eyes. They figured it was Nikki, whom Takato had requested.
Nikki rushed over to Riza, as Takato shooed Tyson and Hilary out. He closed the door as Max stepped out.
"I hope she'll be okay," Hilary said, worried. Tyson nodded.
"Now I know where that blood came from."
They all looked up at Aquamarine, who studied the floor, in deep thought.
"What… what do you mean?" Hilary asked, her head slowly tilting to the side.
"Remember this morning? That was Riza's blood." Aquamarine took a deep breathbefore going on, "Fei probably wanted to test if she was good enough to control. Riza was the first target he saw." Aquamarine murmured.
They all looked up again to see Kai covered in blood andcarrying Sapphire, who looked even worse than Kai. Blood made a small thin trail down his arms.
They all ran over to help him, and he sank to his knees, exhausted. He pushed Max and Tyson away when they tried to help, and instead stood up weakly and walked towards Sapphire's room.
Aquamarine and Hilary pushed open the double doors to her room, and Kai placed Sapphire slowly on her bed.
"She's lost lots of blood," Hilary said, as she wiped Sapphire's face with a wet cloth she had brought from the bathroom.
Sapphire was breathing slow and small breaths now. Hilary gasped as some of the blood that started to slip down her stomach went back up, like a video that had just had it's 'rewind' button pressed. Her chest rose up and down slowly, and the blood that had stained her clothes disappeared under her clothes.
"Her body doesn't have much blood at all-" Aquamarine scowled and fell to her knees as she pressed one of her hands to her chest. "She needs-" she groaned in pain.
"Aquamarine, what's wrong?" Hilary asked, growing frightened.
Aquamarine closed her eyes and through clenched teeth said, "She needs blood- because even I can feel the pain she feels-"
Kai wiped the blood on his shirt with his hand, and grabbed her arm. His eyes widened slightly andclenched his teeth tightly as he felt the blood in his hand stop circulating.
A link formed, and blood flowed down his arm like a river with a swift current, and her skin sucked it all up. He forced himself to pull away, and he stepped back as he jerked his arm away. He rubbed his arm, which had gone all numb.
Aquamarine panted heavily and slowly stood up, her hand leaning on the bed for support.
She looked up at Kai. She smiled weakly and said, "Thanks."
Kai gave a nod as he squeezed his arm tightly. Sapphire's breathing became more relaxed, and her eyes slowly opened.
Everything was blurry, and she shut her eyes tight for a moment before opening them again and blinking. Five worried faces stared down at her.
She frowned as they gathered closer. "I'm claustrophobic- get away." Sapphire mumbled before sitting up. Her arms gave away and she fell back into her pillows. She groaned inwardly.
"I don't think you should try to get up for a while, Sapphire. You lost a lot of blood. Kai was able to provide you while the healing process was active," Aquamarine said, glancing at Kai.
Sapphire turned to Kai, who gazed down at her with a face full of concern, and blood trickled down the side of his face.
She stared down at her knees and muttered, "Thank you."
Kai stared sadly down at Sapphire.
Why have you been acting strangely today, Sapphire, he mouthed.
She slowly looked up at him. It's none of your business.
Don't talk to me like that. I'm worried, I don't like seeing you act like this.
Go away- leave me alone. Sapphire mouthed before she looked away.
Kai glared down at her, and then pointed to the door. "Everyone out."
Sapphire glared at the wall she stared at.
"What? Why-!"
"OUT," Kai roared, and Max squeaked. They all crowded around the door to quickly exit. Hilary made sure to lock the door behind them.
Kai turned to Sapphire and she simply stared at the wall, with a frown on her face.
"Why are you acting this way?" he asked, stepping closer. Sapphire said nothing as her scarlet hair covered most of her face when she looked down at the bed sheets.
"So we're back at square one." Kai sighed as he looked down at his blood-covered hands.
Sapphire clutched the edges of her bed sheets, her small fists trembling. "I'm not playing around, Kai."
Kai turned to Sapphire, his eyebrows rising.
"I'm not something to play with. I thought you would understand by now," Sapphire murmured, looking down at her bed sheets.
"Understand what?" Kai growled, growing impatient. She felt blood as her nails sunk into her palm.
Kai grasped her small hands with one of his, and turned her face towards him. She glared at him with difficulty.
"I don't know what you are talking about. And I don't like seeing you like this." Kai said, his face extremely close to hers.
She closed her eyes tight and a red haze crept over her face at his closeness. He caressed her cheek with his thumb as he smirked.
He placed a small kiss on her lips, and she opened her eyes in surprise. He stared down at her sapphire eyes only to find that they were much different up close.
Around the edges, were pools of a dark sapphire-blue color. Then it swirled into a lighter sky blue around her pupils. He smiled at the red blush under her eyes.
"Now tell me what's wrong." Kai said a he moved down to kiss at her pale cheek. His eyes widened when she tried to push him away. He backed away and stared confusedly down at her. Her cute fox ears were flat against her head as she looked down.
Kai glared down at Sapphire. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Sapphire, please, tell me what's wrong..."
Sapphire suddenly tackled Kai, and they fell to the floor, Sapphire holding Kai around the waist. Kai sat up, as Sapphire buried her face in his chest, and grasping his purple shirt.
He stared down at her confusedly before wrapping his arms around her small waist. Kai looked down at her for a moment, then he smiled as he heard a small hiccup escape her throat. He held her tighter, close to him and she finally looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. Her scarlet hair complemented her intense blush, and Kai smiled at her adorable face.
"Tell me what's wrong." Kai whispered as he held her tighter.
She hiccupped. "Kai-you-(hic)-I'm-(hic)-" She buried her face into his chest again. Kai smiled at her stuttering.
Kai held her face in front of him, small tears flowing down her rosy cheeks. He kissed the tip of her nose, and she hiccupped.
She sat straight, and looked down at her gloves, and fumbled with the cloth nervously.
"Do you…(hic)…." her blush grew to a deeper color before she continued with a small voice, "…like me?"
Kai smiled as he pressed against her pink lips with his own before she could say anything. She grasped his shirt with her small fists as he pulled away.
Her lips partly separated, she looked up at him, and her tears stopped pooling in her eyes. "Does…" her eyes moved to the carpet. "...it matter… if-if…I-I look like this?"
Kai smiled as he understood her problem. "If you're still Sapphire, I really don't care what you look like..."
Sapphire smiled and tears swelled up in her eyes once again. Kai petted the fox ears on her head, and she slowly leaned against him, her eyes slowly closing.
He scratched behind her ear, and to his surprise, a small fox purr escaped Sapphire's throat.
"Sapphire?" Kai asked, and stopped. She suddenly looked up, and blushed.
"I'm sorry… I don't know why-"
"It's okay, I was just surprised." Kai cut her off. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Kai… I… I-"
The doorknob started shaking. They separated as Nikki opened the door.
"Mistress? You shouldn't be out of bed…" Nikki said, walking closer to them. Kai quickly stood up and straightened out his clothes.
Sapphire sighed as Kai helped her stand up. Nikki helped him put Sapphire back into bed.
The blood had completely disappeared from the bed sheets by now. Nikki tucked Sapphire in, and placed her hand on her forehead, then on Sapphire's.
"It seems that you're getting a fever," Nikki murmured, and Max peeked inside from the door.
Nikki seemed to sense his lurking presence, and turned around. "Hello," she said in a soft voice, and smiled.
Max reddened and shyly stepped in as Nikki turned back to Sapphire. "You must not get out of bed, Mistress. You are very weak right now."
Sapphire nodded silently and grasped the edges of her bed-sheets. Her face was slightly red.
"Good. I'll bring wet towels for you, then, Mistress, " she said, sweetly, and turned to Max. "Would you like to help?"
Max backed away, his face red. He nodded and stared nervously down at his feet.
Nikki smiled. "Great."
She turned to Kai. "Would you like to help too?" she asked, her voice making him feel irritated.
"I'll stay here."
Nikki went to the door, Max right behind her. They left, and Sapphire turned to her side. Kai leaned on the wall, his arms folded, staring down at the curled up ball on the bed, her back facing him.
"Kai?"
"Hmm?"
"I…t-thought you were going to die."
Kai stared at Sapphire, who clutched the covers around her tightly. He sat down on the edge of her bed, and wrapped his arms around her. He could feel how she shook slightly.
"I thought so too. But as long as you are alive, it doesn't really matter."
Sapphire stared at him, then smiled. "Don't be stupid. I won't let you die."
He reached down to kiss at her neck, and she closed her eyes, purring. Kai smiled at the noise that emerged from deep within her throat. She opened her eyes again, and her face reddened even more.
"I… d-did it again… Sorry…" her fox ears were flat against her head, and his smile grew.
"I like it when you do that." Kai murmured, sitting up and releasing her from his embrace. He scratched one of her ears, and she slowly started to close her eyes again, and he stopped.
She turned, and glared up at him. "Don't do that… it's embarrassing," she said, the cute red haze forming once again, and she frowned.
Kai smiled, and they turned when Nikki and Max came back. Nikki carried towels and Max held a bowl full of water. Nikki smiled and sat at the edge of Sapphire's bed. Max set the bowl on the bedside table.
"Thank you, Max. You've been a great help," she said, her smile making him blush. He nodded as she dunked one of the cloths in the cool water in the bowl.
"Now, Mistress, Riza should be alright-"
Sapphire sat up, her eyes wide. "What-? Why? Riza-?"
Nikki placed the towel on Sapphire's forehead so she collapsed back into her pillows.
"She had minor injuries, the only problem is her leg-"
"What-!"
"-it seems to have been stabbed badly. Since she is much stronger physically as a firefox, the wounds aren't intense-"
"How did she get-"
"-but she'll be okay in a few days-"
"Eh?"
Nikki smiled sweetly. It seemed that she wasn't paying attention to Sapphire's questions. "Meanwhile, rest, Mistress. She'll have to stay in bed this whole week, would you like to assign someone else to do her job-?"
"HOW did she get hurt?" Sapphire asked, panting.
"Oh?" Nikki looked up at the ceiling, one of her fingers on her mouth, thinking. Then she looked down at Sapphire again, smiling before shrugging. "I really don't know. Takato didn't tell me anything because he was too busy panicking," she said, happily.
Kai raised an eyebrow at Nikki.
"Aquamarine said that she thought it was Emerald who-"
"WHAT?"
"Well, she isn't sure, so I really don't know." Max continued. Sapphire stared down at the bed sheets.
"So she's going to be okay?"
Nikki nodded happily. "You just take care of yourself andI'll take care of Riza. Now rest, Mistress."
Sapphire nodded, and Nikki turned to Kai, who casually leaned on the wall, still bleeding like there was no tomorrow.
Sapphire noticed this, and Kai turned to them, a scowl on his face. Nikki smiled happily.
"Would you sit? Max, would you please bring more water?" Nikki asked sweetly, and Max nodded as he took the half empty bowl from the desk. He closed the door with his foot as he exited.
"Let's do this fast, now sit down," Nikki said, her voice changing to a serious one. Kai stared, confused.
"Kai! Hurry, before Max comes back!" Sapphire said, glancing at the door then back at him. He sat down, and Sapphire removed his scarf.
Nikki placed her hand on his wound, which made him flinch horribly.
"Kai, relax. Or she won't be able to do it right," Sapphire said, holding his arm.
"Alright, ready?" Nikki asked, and Kai nodded, even though he wasn't really sure what they were doing.
Nikki squeezed the wound, but Kai felt no pain at all. Instead, the pain began to fade away quickly.
As she removed her hand, he felt sharp pain for a moment, but Sapphire took his hand in her glove-covered ones.
He stared at his shoulder. There was no wound, and blood had started to suck itself into his skin. Sapphire held his hand tightly, but he felt her grip wasn't very strong.
Her face was flushed, and she closed her eyes tightly. The blood on his scarf and clothes started to vanish.
"I can't anymore…" Sapphire panted, and collapsed back into her pillows, exhausted.
"Do you feel okay, Master Kai?" Nikki asked. Kai nodded as he stood, but his shoulder felt numb.
The door opened, and Max stepped in, carrying the bowl with water. Nikki smiled sweetly at him, and he reddened as he stepped back. "Thank you, Max."
He nodded, and Nikki soaked one of the cloths again in the water before placing it gently on Sapphire's head.
"You may go now with your friends, Max. Thank you once again," Nikki said as Max walked over to the door and stepped out, closing the door behind him.
"I'll do the same with Riza, though I wish she had the same healing system you have, Mistress." Nikki smiled as she walked to the door, and placed a hand on the doorknob, looking back at Kai. "Will you be taking care of Mistress, Master Kai?"
Kai nodded silently, and looked down at Sapphire, her eyes half-way open, her face red, and her fox ears drooped.
Nikki nodded, and closed the door, and Kai smiled at her cute state.
He stared outside, looking up at the orange-red sky and setting sun. He turned to look at Sapphire.
Her eyes were closed, her fox ears flat against her head, and she clutched the edge of her covers with her paw-gloves.
Kai opened the balcony doors, and cool air made her face less red. He crouched down on the floor, and Sapphire opened her eyes to look at him.
"I hate feeling sick," Sapphire said, gazing at him lazily. Kai smiled, and kissed her nose.
"It feels… horrible." Sapphire closed her eyes again. "But… I can feel it going away."
Kai removed the cloth, and put one of his hands on her forehead, and she smiled.
"You feel cold," Sapphire said.
"It's you that's warm," Kai corrected, and Sapphire leaned her head into his hand as he stared down at her flushed face.
Kai waited until she fell asleep, which didn't take long, and stood up. He closed the glass balcony doors, and placed the cloth on the table beside her bed. He took one more look at her before turning off the lights and exiting the room.