A/N: Someone had sent me a very inspirational message and now I'm motivated to get my ass back in gear and continue this story! Of course, this is a wee bit shorter than most of my other chapters, so sorry about that. The next one will be longer, I promise.

Chapter Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Chapter Rating: M

Rating Content: Scenes of Blood, Self Harm, Coarse Language

Pagan was just finishing in applying his mascara when he thought he heard something scratching. He paused for a moment, listening for the scratches again. After a few moments, he shook his head and put the mascara back on the counter. "Hearing things..." He muttered.

The scratches suddenly came back again, this time sounding like they were directly on his bathroom door. He whipped around, grabbing the pen (which really also doubled as a knife) from his front pocket. Whoever the hell it was, he was going to stab the ever-loving shit out of them.

He slowly approached the door, almost flinching as the scratches grew more intense. A hand on the doorknob, he took a breath, and rapidly swung it open.

Pagan was suddenly tackled to the ground and he yelped with surprise. He fell back and an indescribable weight settled itself on his chest.

Then there was the barking.

He glared at the annoying little creature, who continued to bark incessantly at him. Growling, he shoved Pup off from on top of him. "How the hell did you even get in here?!" He demanded.

Pup growled and grabbed at Pagan's pant leg, tugging harshly and shaking his head. He kicked at the wolf pup. "Enough of that!"

Pup growled again, this time more menacingly, with his ears flattened and his lips curled up in a snarl to reveal his sharp, pearly-white teeth. Pagan froze, unsure as to what to do with the creature. If what Tahki had said yesterday was true, then Pup was more than capable of handling something bigger than him.

The thought suddenly struck him. "Why are you here and not with Tahki?" He asked the creature.

Pup suddenly ran for the door leading to the hallway, barking viciously and jumping up and down, scratching at the door almost impatiently and 'digging' at the floor whilst whining. Pagan watched almost curiously at how the cub was behaving and then he knelt down beside him. "What's wrong?" He asked, scratching Pup behind his ears.

When he removed his hand, he didn't fail to notice the slight red stain on his skin. His brows furrowed in confusion and, dropping the pen, wiped at the odd substance with his other hand. It easily came off and it felt wet, almost warm.

Almost.

Pagan's eyes widened and he shot up from beside Pup, practically throwing open the door and charging off down the hall. "RONIN!" He shouted as loudly as he could. "Get the doctors, now!"

He flew by various guards and soldiers, merely pushing them out of the way as he barreled down the halls. If what he was fearing had happened had happened, then he had very few moments to get to her before time ran out.

He nearly tripped over his own feet as he turned the corner, stumbling slightly before picking himself back up. "TAHKI!" He hollered.

He skidded at her door and grabbed the doorknob, forcibly pushing open the door and Pup made an immediate beeline for the bathroom, barking viciously in front of it. Pagan soon followed and attempted to open the door. Locked. Pagan pounded his fist against the wooden door. "Tahki Gagné, open this door right now!"

Pup had joined in with trying to get Tahki's attention, barking and howling at the front of the door. Jesse must have been woken up by Pagan's sudden shouts as he had entered the room, just pulling a shirt over his head. "What the fuck is all the noise about?!" He demanded.

Pagan ignored the Canadian and tried to force the door open by charging at it with his shoulder. "Tahki!"

Pup barked and tried to help in getting the door open, placing his two front paws on it and trying to push it open.

With a low growl, Pagan stepped back from the door and, with a small huff, kicked at the door. It was pure oak wood, but it was also centuries old; termites had to have gotten at it at some point!

His silent prayers were answered as the door flew open with a loud crack, the doorknob breaking off as the wood splintered and flew off of the door. His eyes darted around the room and they fell to the floor, where a small dark pool of crimson liquid was slowly spreading, staining the pure white marble.

Pagan immediately dropped to his knees and turned Tahki over. "Tahki, you'll be fine!"

The knife, also stained with blood, her blood, fell from her hand as she fell onto her back. There were so many cuts, oh god, how did she manage so many of them?!

Jesse gasped and also fell to his knees, not caring for the blood that got onto his pants. "KiKi! Girl, come on, stay awake!"

Pup licked at her face, whining and laying down beside her. She stirred, a small groan slipping past her lips. Pagan released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. She's alive, at least.

The medics arrived not even a few moments later and they carried Tahki from the bathroom to the bed, carefully laying her down and inspecting her wounds. Pup, Jesse and Pagan could only watch as they did their work.

"Did you know she did this?" He asked the Canadian.

"Yes, but..." He shook his head. "I thought she had quit after... this isn't the first time something like this has happened." He turned his head and glared. "What the fuck did you say to her, last night?"

Pagan glared back. "Don't pin this on me, Harper!"

"What did you say to her?!"

"She had told me about her problems with her father; I had said almost nothing!"

A feeling of dread overcame Jesse at the King's words. The last time Tahki had ever spoken about the abuse she had gone through... it was only to him, and that was when he had found out about her being abused in the first place. Just even mentioning it could get her emotional, but actually talking about it...

Jesse grabbed Pagan by the arm and practically dragged him out of the room, tossing him out into the hallway and slamming the door shut. "Listen, I don't care if she told you willingly or not," He started. "You never talk with her about her past. You shouldn't even be bringing it up! She was emotionally scarred by what had happened to her-"

"Do not pin this on me, boy!" He hissed. "Yes, she willingly told me about her father. But if I had known she would do something like this over it, I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place. My job is to keep her safe, not to get her killed!"

Jesse scoffed.

They stood out in the hallway in silence, then, with Jesse leaning against the wall and Pagan pacing back and forth. His thoughts were racing, trying to figure out why she would've done this.

When his men had gone through their luggage, they took note about the medication in Tahki's bag and, upon asking the doctors, Pagan had discovered that they were all anti-depressants and sleeping pills. He had merely tossed it off as something small, at first, but now he fully understood the extent of her depression. This explained her attitude, her dark nature, her need to fight and survive; her memories haunted her. She was constantly in and out of the system, and after her father adopted her, gained her trust and love, he had turned it against her. The anti-depressants were meant to keep her from doing anything... rash. The sleeping pills, he guessed, were because of nightmares she might suffer during the evenings.

Her father was gone, but the pain still existed. She was still suffering.

The door to Tahki's room opened and they both looked expectantly at the doctor. "Well?" Pagan asked.

The doctor urged the other medics out and he sighed. "She'll be fine. You caught her just in the nick of time, though. One artery was cut and if you came any later, she would've bled out. She's awake now, of course, but just don't try and be too... complicated. She lost a lot of blood."

They two men nodded their thanks and the doctor left them. They both walked into her room. Pup was laying beside her, his head on her lap and his paws on her hand. He was trying to comfort her. The medics had wrapped her legs in thick bandages, which were already beginning to be stained with blood.

Jesse was the first to be at her side. "Hey, KiKi..." He smiled slightly.

Tahki looked away from him.

Pup whined and nuzzled his nose under her hand, to which she stroked him slightly behind his ears.

"When did you take your meds last?"

"Last night..." Was her quiet reply.

"You could've just came and talked to me, you know?"

"I didn't want to be a bother..."

"You never are."

Pagan, seeing that she was alright, turned on his heel to leave. If those two were going to have a conversation just among themselves, then there was no sense in him staying there.

"It wasn't your fault."

He turned back around. "Beg your pardon?"

Tahki pushed herself back slightly, trying to sit up. "I don't want... you shouldn't blame yourself."

Pagan immediately scoffed and rolled his eyes. "What makes you think that I do?"

She smiled, slightly. "I see it in your eyes. It wasn't your fault, Pagan." She then gestured for him to come closer. "Sit down, stay a while. We need to talk." She spared a glance at Jesse. "All of us."

/ / /

Tahki quietly sipped at her tea, her hand shaking ever-so-slightly. "This isn't the first time this had happened." She started. "After my father tried to... it was before Jesse got home with his family. I was at his house, he told me where a spare key was. I was still crying from what had happened. I was paranoid, I was scared." She took another sip. "I was in a lot of emotional pain. Thought the knife would help, cut a little too deep on my ankle. The rest is history."

"What about professional help?" Pagan asked quietly.

She shrugged. "My father, simple as that. He probably didn't want people to know he was abusive and I didn't want to be out on the streets or even possibly be put back into the system."

Jesse sighed. "Hence why I took her to see my trainer. Mixed Martial Arts and self-defense classes were her way to vent. She also had me to talk to."

Tahki placed the mug on the nightstand, sitting up a little straighter on the bed. "I still... cut, sometimes. And even after this... if things still hurt, I might turn to the knife again." She looked to Pagan. "Which is why I need your help."

Pagan's brows furrowed and Jesse's eyes widened. Tahki was never one to ask for help. At all. Especially from him! "Why not Harper's?"

"Is it his job to keep me safe?" She asked rhetorically. "He's already a mother hen, but he can't be around me all the time. And now, with you deciding to stay at the palace, you can actually help."

"With what?"

"With me."

Silence. He was shocked, she was waiting. The only thing that could be heard was Pup's quiet sighs as he slept soundly on Tahki's lap. "You and I may not exactly see eye-to-eye on things, but you can really help me... change. I'm a grown woman, I shouldn't be getting into habits such as cutting. You already know whenever I fall into my 'bitchy teenager' act, so now you know why I put that act forward; to hide something."

"I gathered as much." Pagan stated.

"My point exactly." She said. "No matter what my mood may be, if I'm pissed off or looking just about ready to cry, if I'm starting to put up that act, I need you to ask me if something's wrong. Compel me to talk. I can't keep these emotions bottled up anymore."

"And how do I know you won't try to hit me if I pressure you?"

"I probably will hit you, but I'll try not to."

Jesse leaned back in his chair, his eyes moving from one to the other. He never really watched when Pagan and Tahki interacted, but he guessed that when they did, they managed to get along a bit better than the first few times they tried to have a conversation. They'll have their moments, he thought, but at least they aren't trying to kill each other. Much.

The King of Kyrat finally nodded. "Alright, if help is what you want, then I can give it to you. However, you're not staying in this room."

She gave him a look. "Excuse you?"

"The bathroom is bloody, the door needs to be replaced which means there could be termites, you also have a tree underneath your terrace where someone could climb in and kill you while you sleep."

"If you're suggesting I sleep in the same room as you-"

"Absolutely not!" He exclaimed. "You're sleeping in the room that is next to mine."

"Fuck no!"

Jesse placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a stern look. "KiKi, come on, I'm not that fast and I'm a heavy sleeper; I won't be able to hear if someone snuck in your room."

"I've got Pup!" She retorted.

"He can't shoot a gun though, now can he?" He said. "Pup can act more as an alarm than anything else. Remember, Pagan could hear him all the way to his room."

Pagan stood from his chair and straightened out his shirt. "I've already made arrangements and your room is being prepared."

She narrowed her eyes. "No you haven't; you've been here this whole time."

He turned on his heel and shouted, "Ronin, get over here right now!"

Tahki groaned loudly and fell back against her pillow, making Jesse laugh. "Girl, you gotta remember, when he's set on something, he's set on something!"

Pup barked and howled, his bushy tail wagging happily. She patted his head. "Well, on the bright side, I can piss him off and make Pup here sing for him in the morning."

"That's not a good idea, KiKi."

"Hey, if I'm awake, then he should be too."