Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Anarya-Isilya-Elenya for the great comment on my writing. It was really great. Thank you Another thanks to Jay FicLover. Who I wish good luck to on her own fiction. Thank you all for reviewing and being such great readers. You're the best! I also want to say, if you want me to read one of your fictions, please tell me. I'll be sure to do so. Now onto the story! I hope you like Chapter 5 and I promise to get Chapter 6 up before Christmas!
Chapter 5
Stay
Nikki groaned and opened her eyes. The first rays of light were jetting through the window as she rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes. She yawned and stretched her arms out. Suddenly she stopped. Her fingers brushed across something warm. She blinked and looked down to find an arm wrapped around her. Immediately, her face turned red as she remembered Kiba and the day before. Nikki turned around slowly to find the wolf sleeping soundly beside her. Only it wasn't a wolf she found, but a man!
"GET OFF!"
Kiba was awoken with a start as he tumbled off the couch and onto the floor. He groaned and opened his icy blue eyes. Rubbing his head he muttered, "Ouch. You didn't have to throw me to the floor." He had fallen asleep and dropped his guard; it was no wonder she panicked.
Nikki was confused. She had no memory of the night, or of her dream. She was completely clueless to why Kiba had been sleeping beside her. For all she could guess he was being a pervert. She sighed, for some reason she couldn't bring herself to scold him. He was just so cute to her. She was blushing furiously now, the thought she had just had not helping conceal the crimson color within her cheeks. "It's ok, I shouldn't have acted like that," Nikki sighed again as she ran her fingers through her messy hair, trying without success to straighten it.
Now Kiba understood. She had forgotten everything. The dream, his company… It had all disappeared when she had fallen back asleep. He decided not to remind her of what had happened, even if it did make him seem like a pervert. Thinking quickly Kiba replied, "You were shivering last night. I simply wanted to warm you."
Nikki knew he wasn't telling her the truth. When she looked into his eyes, she knew he was keeping something from her. She decided not to pry about it. "Maybe he isn't hiding anything and is telling the truth. It'd be rude of me to just convict him of something he probably didn't do," Nikki thought. She smiled as she added quietly to herself, "He's too nice to do that."
Kiba decided to change the subject. He was beginning to feel very hungry. He was still confused to why he had been shot. He could only remember guns, huge planes, Hige, Tsume, Toboe, Blue, Cheza, they were all running. From what? His head spun as he tried desperately to remember. Why had he been separated from them? Were they still alive? Had Darcia captured Cheza? It was all too overwhelming. He ran his fingers through his brown hair and turned his gaze out the window. There was a bird singing upon the windowsill. A cardinal it looked like. Kiba watched the bird sing loudly.
His attention was diverted when Nikki stood up from the couch. She straightened out her shirt and adjusted her shorts. Once she was finished and felt comfortable once again, she walked to the window and held out her hand. The little red bird sang a high note. To Kiba's amazement, the cardinal jumped from the windowpane and landed on Nikki's finger. He hadn't noticed that there wasn't any glass left in the window, also he was a bit shocked that Nikki could coax such a shy bird right onto her finger. The small bird began to sing as if it were giving a worldwide solo. Kiba stared in wonder as Nikki let the bird hop onto her shoulder, hardly flinching as it gripped onto her skin with its tiny claws.
"How did you do that?" Kiba asked, clearly amazed at Nikki's accomplishment.
She turned towards him and giggled softly. The laugh touched Kiba's ears, making his eyes shimmer in the warmth of the sound. Her voice came to him like a warm spring breeze, melting away the bitter winds of winter. "I don't know. I have a way with animals I guess." Nikki smiled and nuzzled the little bird, the feathers glided over her pale flawless features.
Kiba smiled at her. She was so nice to him. She was unlike any human he had met. Nikki was kind, sweet, gentle, caring, protective, and strong. All those traits he thought only existed in wolves and wolves alone. She couldn't be a wolf though. "She's human, no doubt about it. Then why in the world does she smell like lunar flowers and seem like a wolf? It's so hard to believe she's a human."
Nikki suddenly turned her head to face Kiba. For a moment their eyes met. Kiba's blue pools swam in her gentle brown orbs. They locked for what seemed to each other an eternity. Then, quite reluctantly, Kiba turned his head away and gazed at one of the pictures hanging from the wall. This one was of Emily and Nikki swimming in the lake. The lake! Kiba's mind felt like he had just found a cure for the common cold. "There was a lake! When we were being chased we had to swim across the lake. That's it!" He was trembling with anticipation and excitement. This may be the clue he needed to find the others.
Kiba was about to get to his feet and run out the door, when he heard Nikki giggle again. He froze and slowly his eyes came back to her. The bird was now perched upon her head, playing with one of the blue strands of hair. Nikki was laughing happily, trying to get the bird off of her scalp but to no avail. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at the bird comically. "You just love to tease me like this don't you?" She said with a smile and a warm laugh.
Kiba suddenly felt drawn to her. He couldn't move his limbs. He could scarcely breathe. Did he want to leave Nikki? "What if I'm wrong? What if I have the wrong lake?" Kiba looked down at his hands. He was never quite used to seeing fingers, it was always paws he had been used to. Kiba's hair fell over his eyes, cloaking the troubled sparkle in his orbs.
Just then, Kiba felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around to face Nikki standing over him. She had a warm, tender look upon her face as she kneeled down to look him in the eye. Kiba felt his ears burn as he stared at her face. He wanted to pull away. He wanted to move, he wanted to look at something other than her. Unfortunately, his body disobeyed his desires and merely stood still as Nikki spoke. "Hey what's wrong? You seem so quiet."
Kiba had only been there for barely 24-hours, yet he felt like he had known Nikki forever. He suddenly felt very protective of her, and now looked at the bird, still propped upon Nikki's shoulder, in nothing but envy. He nodded his head, taking in her question… finally. He answered quietly, "I was just thinking of my friends. That's all."
His reply made Nikki get struck with a heavy pain of guilt. "I'm keeping him from his pack. I'm treating him like a pet." Nikki sat down next to Kiba and gently shooed the bird away. The little cardinal gave a soft tweet before flying back out the window. Nikki turned to look at Kiba and then she gazed down at the floorboards. "You don't have to stay here, you know." Kiba gasped a bit and turned his head to face her as Nikki continued. "If you want to leave, you can."
Kiba was taken aback. Was that the impression he had given her? He didn't mean to. It wasn't his intention. Kiba was suddenly torn between two desires. He wanted to go find the others, he wanted to so badly, yet… Kiba looked at Nikki. Her blue-streaked hair, her gentle brown eyes, her delicate skin, her scent of lunar flowers. Could he really leave her? He suddenly didn't want to leave. He didn't want to be away from her. Kiba had barely known her yet he could trust her with his life. She was the greatest human Kiba had met. He wanted to be with her.
Nikki had been hurt by her own words. How could she say such a thing? She would have been very wounded inside if Kiba had left. He was starting to become her friend. She felt like she could rely on him. Kiba was the closest thing to a friend she'd had in long while. She could talk to him and he wouldn't make fun of her. She didn't want to lose him. It tore her apart. She didn't know why, but she felt like she needed to be with Kiba. Like an instinct that she never knew but now surfaced. She felt comfortable around him. She'd be very hurt if he left.
"No…"
Nikki looked at him in surprise and shock. He didn't want to leave? Or had she heard wrong? "What did you say?" She asked, her voice quivering in disbelief.
Kiba smiled a bit and turned back to her. Their eyes caught and for a moment, they both were hit with a strange desire. Kiba leaned closer to her, causing Nikki to blush a bit. "No. I don't want to leave. I don't think I'm completely ready to travel. A… And my friends might not even be alive." His voice was a little hurt but he wanted to stay beside her.
Nikki's eyes began to water. Not because she had allergies or anything, she was just touched that Kiba wanted to be with her. She quickly turned her eyes away so he wouldn't spot the tears that were clearly within her soft hazel orbs. Nikki smiled a bit, unable to hide it. She turned to Kiba again and nodded. Then she stood up and stretched, her shirt revealing a scarred belly. Kiba had to look closely to see the scars, but after awhile he could clearly see them. Nikki relaxed and her shirt fell back over her scratched abdomen. "Well, I guess I'd better go check on Midnight Sky." She began to walk out the door before she stopped and looked at Kiba. A warm smile spread upon her face. "Thank you, Kiba." Kiba felt a warm sensation in his stomach. He nodded, beginning to blush. Nikki giggled a bit before going out the door to check on her mare.
Kiba's eyes followed her as she departed. He wanted to join her so badly but he thought he'd look foolish if he was near her 24/7. He was staring at the photos of Nikki and Emily, studying each scenery in the background when he heard it. A shrill scream. Fear gripped Kiba's heart as he raced outside. "Nikki what's wro…" His voice trailed off as he saw Nikki pinned under a silver colored wolf. A large X scar was upon its chest.
"Tsume!"