Hey readers! I need some feedback from you guys. I'm thinking of making a playlist of sorts, just a song or two to go along with each chapter. Any suggestions? Help me out!
Things are about to get interesting!
Do not own Bane (wish I did :P) or any TDk related content. Kali is mine.

Bane sat on the steps of the back porch, looking over the wide field. It was a beautiful location. It was the beginning of June, and the heat was finally starting to build up. After removing his mask, Bane tilted his head back, feeling the warmth on his face. A soft breeze brushed by. How long had it been since he just stopped, sat down, and actually felt the world?

Suddenly Harley flew past him, chasing after some small furry creature that bolted up a tree. He had not heard the screen door open behind him. He quickly reached for his mask.
"You can keep it off, I won't come out." Kali said quietly from behind him, and he heard the creak of the crutches as she moved into the room Barsad had filled with all her books and movies.

Harley barked furiously at the furry animal that was no longer in sight, circling the tree. Birds chirped happily nearby. Bane felt settled, at peace, for once, especially now that Kali seemed to have recovered. Bane sighed, glad he was able to smell the flowers and fresh air for once, and not the metallic sting of the inside of his mask. The breeze shifted slightly, and suddenly the heavy smell of peppermint filled his nose, with a lemon scent underneath it. He realized the smell was coming from the small window that led into Kali's bathroom. It smelled delicious.

After a while Harley wandered back towards him, sniffing absently at the mask beside him. The dog tilted his head slightly, then went to the door and lightly scratched at it. Bane picked up the mask, got up, and went into the kitchen, handing the dog a treat as he passed the counter they sat on. He then headed upstairs, to see if Barsad had even left. Of course he had. Bane couldn't even tell he had been there. The upstairs consisted of two guest bedrooms, with a small bathroom between them. In the one guest room, a door led to the attic. It had a rather low ceiling, but there was nothing remaining from the person who had resided in the house before them.

As Bane went back down the stairs, he heard the microwave in the kitchen beeping and assumed Kali was making herself something to eat. He turned the corner to go to his room, and collided with her. She gasped, falling backward, and he caught her around the waist, pulling her to him to keep her from doing any more damage to herself as the crutches slipped from her grasp. Clinging to him for a moment, she let out a nervous laugh as she tried to move back from him. That's when she saw the mask, which he had dropped to catch her, on the floor by her feet.

Slowly she looked up at him, working her way up from his chin to his eyes as he gauged her reaction. What he saw was not expected. He saw pain in her eyes, pain and horror and fear.
"Oh... Bane." She breathed, and her cool fingers oh so lightly touched his lower lip, where the largest of the scars was located.
It felt amazing, to have someone else touch the part of him no one had seen since he first go the mask. Not even Barsad had seen this. Warmth, sudden and scary, filled him as he realized he was relieved she had not reacted as most had.

"Who did this to you? Why did they do this?" She asked, voice trembling, and with awe he realized she was on the verge of tears.
"It's a long story. To shorten it, I saved someone from a terrible fate, and took the punishment for it." He said slowly.

He shifted her to one arm, and carefully leaned down to retrieve her crutches, and his fallen mask. She did not take her eyes off his face, studying it with a mixture of horror and wonder. And suddenly her cool fingers were touching him again, tracing the grooves the mask left along is cheeks and jaw. It felt incredible, and Bane almost moaned from the feel of it. He shook the emotions away suddenly, and helped her regain the crutches. Then he rapidly stepped away from her, and turned to continue to his room.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." She spoke quickly.
"You did not. In fact, you've done quite the opposite." He said softly, and disappeared into the confines of his room, the smell of peppermint haunting him.

Kali found a plastic container in the corner by Harley's food and bowls, and pulled out one of the many toys in it. Harley waited, oozing excitement as she sat carefully on the couch, and tossed it lightly. It bounced only once before Harley snapped it into his mouth. She played with him for a while, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

Poor Bane... She could not begin to imagine how painful those injuries had been. She had seen he had no teeth, which would make the no food thing make sense. Yet he spoke in the same perfect velvet tone, even without the mask. She wondered if he just used the mask to scare people, and cover the scars. A sudden cough caught her attention. Bane leaned against the wall in what was becoming his typical pose, arms crossed, one leg crossed slightly over the other at the ankle. Yet he was not staring at her the way he had before. The mask was back in place.

"Tomorrow we're making our first trip to the hospital to check on your progress." He informed her solidly, leaving no room for argument.
She nodded, rolling her eyes. Harley scratched lightly at the door, and Bane wordlessly let him out, eyes never leaving her.

Bane had just got off the phone with Barsad. Out of curiosity Bane had had him do a background check on Kali. Barsad had told him some very interesting news. Now he just had to decide whether he told her or not. He continued to look at her, trying to see it. Her eyes were such a light green, they nearly glowed. They had gorgeous amber flecks in them, and he found himself trapped by them many a time.

"Bane?" She asked cautiously, and he realized he'd had her trapped in a stare of his own.
"You said your parents died when you were very young. Do you remember them at all?" He asked.
"Not really. I know I got my hair from my mother, and my eyes from my father. That's about it. Why?"
"Just...wondering." Bane said.
Now was not the time. She needed to recover.

Kali suddenly remembered she'd had a sweet potato in the microwave. She quickly hobbled over and reheated it, digging through the cabinets for brown sugar and cinnamon. Once the potato was heated again, she sliced it open and smeared some butter into the steaming center. She sprinkled the brown sugar and cinnamon on top of it and let it melt for a little while before digging in.

"So I take it your food has to be in liquid form for you to eat it?" She asked over her shoulder.
"Not quite liquid, just extremely mashed." He replied from incredibly close.

For such a large man he moved unbelievably quietly.
"So if I take the sweet potato out of the skin and mash it up really good you could eat it?" She questioned, turning to face him.
He had a very thoughtful expression, then shrugged. "I suppose."

"Good. I'll make one for you." She said sternly, and ignored him as his eyebrows shot up.
"I already ate." He protested. "Besides, microwaved potatoes?"
"Hey!" She burst out. "I don't know how to cook very well, but potatoes come out ten times faster if you put them in he microwave then bake them for up to an hour." She grumbled at him, and he smirked.

"Fine. Cook for me." He gave in, and went to the front porch to let the dog in.
The dog pranced into the kitchen, where Kali dropped a spoonful of the orange mush into his waiting mouth as she popped a second potato into the microwave. Why the hell did Barsad get potatoes?

Reviews please, and suggestions!