A/N: :) :) :) :) Thanks for all the reviews! They totally rock hard core! I'm deciding to be a bit selfish and update really, really soon. Maybe it's just me, but the 27th seems like frickin forever ago. Perhaps it was my week? I think so. There were a lot of ups, and just as many downs, so... enjoy(?) Lol. No, but seriously, enjoy. Oh, and reviews are nice as well. :) :) :)

Chapter 4

I was so comfortable sitting like that, I didn't want her to go away. However, I knew she had to pull back sooner or later. She did so, sniffing a bit, and wiping tears from her eyes. I almost wanted to wipe the tears away for her, but I restrained myself. She gave me a small smile and tried to busy herself by picking up the blood-stained cotton balls. The floor had blood stains that I would have to wash out as well. I felt sick for a moment, but managed not to hurl. I looked at my hand.

"You did a good job," I said. She threw the cotton balls into a mini trashcan nearby. She also looked at my hand and her smile grew into a proud one.

"Thanks," she said as I stood. I walked by, expecting her to get up and follow me, but I felt a hand close around my pant leg. I stopped walking and looked down at her frail figure. She gave me a sheepish look. "Uhh... can you help me up?"

My face must have said exactly what I was thinking: Huh?

"I can't feel my legs," she answered, probably feeling pathetic.

I blinked, a throb of pain in my head. Although there were several good reasons why I shouldn't have picked her up, I ignored them. Getting down on my knees, I extended my arms, my back facing her.

I heard her squeak. "O-oh, no. You don't have to do that. I just... a hand is just fine..."

"It doesn't bother me," I said.

She protested a little, but I gave her one more look, and she caved. With a sigh, she scooted closer to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. A chill ran up and down my spine. Sucking in air, I took her legs in the hoops of my arms, braced myself, and hoisted both of us up. I didn't let her hear me grunt, but instead decided to walk down the stairs and to the living room.

I carefully set her down on the couch. Risa didn't say anything because she was too busy being embarassed or flustered over herself. Without thinking, I walked into the neighboring room, the kitchen, and began making onigirl. It was practically the only thing I could make given the supplies inside my cabinets.

Krad hadn't spoken to me at all yet, and I was begining to get worried. I didn't try talking to him, but I could feel my muscles tense up. I felt like he was an assasin, and it made my blood boil. I shook the thought away, but still felt uncomfortable. What was he planning now?

The sound of the coffe pot starting made me jump. I looked at Risa, but she just waved at me.

"I can feel my legs now," she said. She saw my expression, and stuck out her tongue playfully. "Don't look so surprised. It was only a brief moment of weakness. Normally I can stand, just like most other humans..."

"You just startled me," I told her. "I didn't hear you come in." That sort of started my brain working again. "What are you doing here?"

Surprisingly, Risa had found my advil. Two glasses of water were already poured by her, and she took one. She put out two for me, and motioned for me to take them. I did so automatically.

"You ran away without a word," she explained, sitting on my table. With a shrug, she sighed. "I didn't know if you were ok."

"I was fine," I lied, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. "I just remembered I had to do something important." Amazing how I could still lie in the blink of an eye after so long. Sadly, I couldn't lie very well.

Risa gave me an incredulous look. "Like punching out your mirror and cutting your hand into a million pieces?"

I ignored that. "Why the window?"

"You were the one that locked your doors," she replied with a sip of water. "I had to find some way to get in."

"Very romantic of you," I said, pulling out the chair next to her and sitting down in it. She giggled, which made my headache mysteriously dissapear. Then we were stuck in awkward silence. I didn't like it much, and I could tell that she didn't as well. I took a breath. "You really shouldn't be here."

Risa glanced at me, looking the tiniest bit annoyed. She began twidling her thumbs, and I knew instantly that something was coming. In case I haven't stated before, whenever Risa twidles her thumbs, that means she's nervous and/or going to say something that she didn't want to say.

"Why did you leave?" she asked.

I knew it was coming just like any other person, but I still found myself unable to answer. I looked away, out the window, and tried to think of what to say. Nothing came to mind, and all I could do was look at the grass. I could feel her eyes on me. Inside, voices were saying that it was "now or never" repeatedly. Each time I was apparently chosing never.

"It's been two years," she said quietly. "Maybe even more than that... and you just left without a trace. Everyone thought you had moved or something, but... you've been living here?" I didn't respond. "You've been concealed inside your own home for more than two years?"

I shrugged, too ashamed to look her in the eye. I cared for Risa, but sometimes she didn't know when to stay quiet.

She softly kicked my arm, getting annoyed. "Come on, Satoshi, talk to me." Every hair on my body stood on end when she called me by my first name. Goose bumps arose to that special ring it had when she said it.

Now or never. Now or never. Now or never.

"I left-" the noise, and smell, of something burning made me jump to my feet. I rushed over to the rice cooker and unplugged it. I sighed, frustrated and disgusted. So close...

"You left...?" Risa pushed again. I glanced over my shoulder at her, and contorted my face. I then noticed that I wasn't wearing my glasses. They were still upstairs in the bathroom. I sagged and cursed inwardly.

"I left... for your own protection," I mumbled before I turned and quickly began walking towards the bathroom. Part of the reason why I hurried was because I didn't want to face her... but the other part was that, when I was looking at her without my glasses on, everything was crystal clear.

I heard her get up and follow me, much to my discontent. I swore over and over again, my heart begining to race.

"Whoa! Wait- hang on a minute!" she said, grabbing my sleeve. I stopped walking, but did not face her. "What was that?"

I really didn't want to repeat myself. "You heard me."

"For my protection?" she tried to clarify. I nodded. "What do you mean 'for my own protection'? As far as I can see, I wasn't in any danger-"

"Did you completely miss the part where Krad almost molested you?" I snapped, unexpectedly.

"Ok, there's him to be a little afraid of..."

"A little?" I spun around. I stopped myself from yelling and took a deep breath. "Look... I didn't want you getting hurt. Do you understand that? Krad could have easily raped you-"

Aw, you make me sound so horrible, Satoshi.

Every hair on my body stood on end. Was it just me or had his voice sounded stronger?

Risa then seemed to toss all respectiveness out of the window, and she crossed her arms, pouting. "Krad can just shove it up his."

I stared at her. A little part of me wanted to laugh, but I head Krad scoff. I swallowed. "Risa..." I ignored the heat rising to both of our cheeks when I said her first name. "Do you have any idea what he can do?"

"Kill me, torture me, hurt you, destroy everyone's lives," she listed them off, acting as if they were nothing. She was evencounting them on her fingers. Her uncaring worried me, but more importantly, I was angered.

"Don't say things like that so easy-hearted," I hissed. I hadn't meant to sound mean, but she just glared at me.

There was a long moment where all we were doing was glaring at each other. At last, she heaved a sigh and uncrossed her arms. She looked at her feet, not wanting to meet my eyes.

"I never really... cared about Krad," she said, her voice quiet. Something strange panged in my heart, and she glanced at me. Flustered, she waved her arms. "No! Not in that way! I mean... I... his exsitense just never stopped-" Abruptly, she ceased talking and looked at her feet again. "I mean... you know what I mean..."

Actually, I didn't. "Not really."

Her eyes looked pained as she slowly lifted them to meet mine. I thought my heart would break, and all I wanted to do was take her in my arms and never let go. Thank god I didn't. She seemed to be fighting over an important desicion to be made, and I was confused. Risa gulped visibly, and took a few steps forward. Before I could even do anything, her hands gripped my shirt and her eyes were closed.

I blinked as a familiar, yet completely new, sensation filled my body.

Risa was kissing me.

A/N: So... review and give opinions, please! Even bad ones are ok (they help me improve myself) :)