NOTE: I apologize for such a loooooooooooong hiatus but I'm back with some more inspiration

Chapter Six

We sat in the garden for a while till the sun was just below the horizon. Orange and red flooded the pathways as we walked back through the breezeway, making our way towards the mansion again. She held my hand, tiny fingers wrapping themselves snugly around my calloused paw. I had learned that she liked to talk. That was alright though—I was better at listening.

"So that's what happened with her," she said, speaking about her once close friend who somehow betrayed her or something. I honestly could say that I had lost track of the characters in her story long before this point, but I nodded anyway.

"You ok?" she asked. I looked at her as we stopped under a canopy of sakura trees. I looked around. The pink buds were rustling in the wind, sprinkling gently onto us. Their smell made my innards wrench with a misplaced longing that now had some kind of distinction, having finally gotten my mind rightfully back.

Hiroshima…

"James?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong?"

I didn't answer. I looked at her, smelling the heavy sweet scents around us. I swallowed.

"We should go inside."

I smelled rain in the air.

She looked at me curiously at first, but then giggled.

"Your nose twitches, you know," she said as we resumed walking. I looked at her. She smiled. "It twitches when you smell something, I suppose. You have that ability, right? You can smell stuff?"

"Everyone can smell stuff."

Idiot. You knew what she meant.

She sighed through a smile.

"You have like…a canine nose," she said, poking my nose as we walked through the doors into the mansion. I scratched my bridge and made an affirmative grunt, which for some reason made her laugh, as we re-entered the dining hall. The table had been cleared, and a few were was sitting down for coffee and some dessert. Jean looked at me and smiled.

"There you two are," she said, standing. I searched her with my senses. She wanted to tell me something.

Natalie was glowingly happy to be in the presence of everyone again. She loved being around people, I'd observed. I was curious to know as to why on Earth I'd be so drawn to someone who was so the opposite of me. As we sat and talked, I caught myself staring at her too many times to count, and I was thankful that she was preoccupied with talking to Jean and Storm. The rain had come, but no one had really noticed. The clock struck about 8pm, and by then it seemed that everyone at the table knew and loved Natalie more than they had anticipated. Jean shot me a smile and a quick thought

She's special, you're absolutely right.

I nodded at her. My ears caught a peculiar buzzing sound then, and my head cocked to one side. Natalie caught my animalistic gesture and giggled.

"What is it?" she asked with a short laugh.

"Is something…vibrating?" I asked. Everyone grew silent. Natlie then sprang from her seat and hurried over to her bag, where she dug for her cellphone.

"Damn, oh God please…" she was saying under her breath. I watched her. She looked at the phone and her face went white. She looked at me once before answering the call.

"H-Hello?"

Quiet muttering ensued at the table as I followed Natalie into the lobby silently.

"No…no I just didn't check the time…yes I did. I did! No it was right on the…please don't…don't yell at me! I was just going…please stop yelling at me and listen to me! I just…ok. Ok fine, bye."

She closed the phone and leaned on the banister with a great sigh. I walked over to her.

"Everything ok?" I asked. She looked at me, surprised for a moment that I was even there. She swallowed hard and put her hands on her temples.

"Jack is mad because I didn't make him dinner and that he didn't know where I was…even though I left him a note on the counter, but he says he didn't see it. Stupid drunk bastard…he says I need to come back to the apartment right now…"

Heat jumped and curdled in my core as I searched her broken face.

"No," I said, taking her shoulders. "You're staying here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll take you there so you can get your things. You're staying here. I'm not…"

I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh.

"I'm not going to let you go back there with him anymore…"

Natalie looked at me, sad, glazed eyes piercing my weak heart.

"Won't you have to ask Xavier?" she said, her voice small and breaking. I stroked her hair.

"He'll say yes," I said, pulling her into my chest. "After all, he can't resist my charm."

She laughed, and I held her like I never thought I'd hold anyone in my life.

"It's alright," I said. I kissed the top of her head, taking in her beautiful scent. "You'll be safe with me."