Chapter Four

Hoshi was nervous as she got off the subway. When was the last time, she felt nervousness? She had lectured classes with three or four hundred students at a single time. She wasn't accustomed to it and it made her feel ill, and her head pulsed every so slightly. She fumbled in her purse with her weak hand for her medicine and quickly took it. She didn't want her headache to upset the evening after all the work she put into the small details. She had spent almost an hour or so picking out her outfit. She decided to keep it simple, no use in being someone she wasn't, even though Leea advised otherwise. A plain cream colored pink skirt was matched with a ruffled blouse and pink kitten heals. She wore a pearl necklace, and matching earrings. It had been a long time since she "dressed" up, and she felt ridiculous.

The evening was cool, she slightly shivered because she forgot her sweater, but she knew his apartment wasn't far there. Also she wasn't too spooked about walking to his place, it was a decent part of town. She saw something move in the peripheral of her right eye, and she turned to look. There was a red wolf starring at her from the roof of nearby house. It was clad in silver armor, and its eyes glowed green. The wolf jumped down and she took a step back as it snarled. She gulped but then heard a noise behind her, and she turned ever so slightly to look that way as well. A giant cat, no that wasn't right, a black tiger wearing a white armor stood behind her growling at the over sized wolf. The cat leaped, and the wolf knocked her down. She felt her bad arm hit the pavement and pain shot through her shoulder but when she looked up, they were gone. She looked around. Had she imagined it? She must have, the medicine she had just taken was new and it must have been some sort of hallucination. She struggled to her feet, and realized there was a scrape on her arm.

"Great," she mumbled in defeat as she found Rowen's apartment building. He was on the first floor, so she was happy about that, stairs were not her best friend. She took a deep breath and rang his door bell. She hoped that the medicine wouldn't react around him, last thing she needed was him to think she was crazy and deformed. Even if he got past the scars, which she was unsure he had, the additional ailment probably wouldn't do so well. No guy could do disabled and crazy. She raised a hand to the door, and knocked softly. The door quickly opened and she was greeted by Rowen's gentle and smiling face.

"Welcome," he grinned but it disappeared when he noticed the scrape on her arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just tripped is all," she lied. She hoped that was all at least.

He quickly ushered her in, and the house's heavenly smells overwhelmed her senses. He asked her to have a seat while he got the medical kit. She blushed a little as she saw some movement in the kitchen. She craned her neck to see in the kitchen , and saw a young an auburn haired man Rowen's age. She frowned a little bit, it would be just her luck if Rowen turned out gay. That hasn't happened to heryet, but it was bound too eventually she supposed.

The man turned around and smiled at her with his chipper blue green eyes. He wiped his hands on a towel and came out to greet her. "I bet you Rowen doesn't even have a med kit," he laughed as he sat down next to her, his words strung together with a British accent. He held out a hand to her, "I'm Cye Mouri."

She shook it with her left hand awkwardly, she noticed he noticed her scars but he didn't seem to appalled by them. Just like Rowen, she thought, he isn't phased by what I look like. "Are you and Rowen..."

"Friends?" Cye finished for her with a smug smirk, "Just friends, I assure you. He just asked me to come cook for you is all, well...because he can't cook! Shhh. Don't tell him I told you his dark secret!"

Hoshi started laughing, "so he calls on you then?"

"Yup," Rowan said as he back in the living room carrying a box of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic. "And I know I can't cook, I'm smart, but I can't be perfect."

Hoshi laughed, she liked both of them. His friend Cye was nice, but Rowan still seemed more of her type still. As nice as Cye was, she was still attracted to Rowen's brain. Not that she had a type set in stone.

He knelt down on the floor so he could look at it more closely. The alcohol stung but she was almost numb in her right arm anyways, so it didn't bother her much. He bandaged it carefully, his fingers gently touched her hand. She felt her face turn read, he was so gentle! She noticed Cye looking at her and he laughed sweetly, "well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone. Dinner is ready, I made my mums cottage pie and biscuits, oh, and for dessert there is a green tea crème brule."

She watched him leave and she looked at Rowen, he was still holding her hand in his. He caught her eyes, and he blushed as well. He sat next to her, where Cye had been sitting. He still had his hand on hers, he turned his look towards her hand, a single finger crossed the scars softly. They were smooth, soft, and little waxy feeling.

She blushed sadly, "you want to know, huh?"

He shook his head, "you don't have to tell me."

"No, I want you to know," she said as she placed her left hand on top of his. "I was a girl when it happened. My parents were diplomats from America, and they were very passionate about their work with nuclear power but they upset too many people. So...I only assume that's why someone placed a homemade bomb in our car. I was only lucky to be thrown clear and only have such few injuries."

He ran a finger across the waxy scars again, "do they...still...hurt?"

"No, I do have some nerve damage in my shoulder though," she paused as he lifted his hand to the right side of her face. She felt her skin grown hot, no one had ever been so comfortable with touching her scars before. She had only known him a couple weeks, why did she feel she could trust him so fast? He leaned forward and she felt his lips brush against hers. They were soft and warm, and she had never had a kiss that felt like electricity in her veins. Then a pain shot through her head, and she pulled away.

He looked away embarassed, "that was too soon."

"No," she replied as she cupped her hand around his face. "It's just the nerve damage shot some pain through my neck. I'm on a new med, it doesn't seem to help me though."

"Oh," he seemed a little upset that their kiss had been broken. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

She liked the kiss, so she placed another one on his lips. For some reason, she felt the tingling return, and it was almost as if the pain in her neck shoulder and head vanished instantly. He moved his hands to her back she lowered hers from his face. They broke their kiss momentarily to look at each other, and he pulled her close again. His heart was racing, but she was okay with his advances. He stopped himself, he didn't want to do anything he would regret later on and he pulled himself back.

He smiled at her blushing face, "let's have some of Cye's amazing food before it gets cold, we have all evening."