|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 16:57:50 GMT -5
Raoul lay on the hospital bed, the heart monitor on the table beside his bed the only source that said he was still alive. After Reiko had ran away, said her part, he had gone back to the Cage and requested to fight every male that would participate. He had gone through many of them, about seventeen in number. Some were killed, even when they begged for mercy and pleaded they had a mate or a family outside. Others were mortally wounded. Throughout those battles, Raoul had suffered many wounds from head to foot. Scratches and large gashes could be seen wherever anyone would look. On his face, a rather ugly wound crossed from his right eyebrow at left angle, crossing over his nose and ending below his left eyes.
Raoul's deep gray eyes, blank and void of any emotion, were opened slightly, pinned on the ceiling. His body felt numb to him, as if it wasn't there at all, but his heart hurt for some reason. Why? Did someone get to it? Yeah.. Reiko did.. he thought, answering his own question. For once, he regretted something he had done. Raoul had hurt the only person he had truly, actually cared for, loved. But.. she didn't deserve to be in my life. She needed something better than me. What is it that I could give her, anyway? What did she see in me? I'm just a cold blooded murderer, a monster and a killer, nothing more. His eyes slowly drifted shut, feeling slightly dizzy. Maybe I can finally leave. I feel like I'm ready.. but can I actually let go...?
I'll always.. love you, Rei... Why the hell did I say that? Why did I say that, then turn around and tell her something completely different? An image of Reiko appeared in his mind, of her smiling and looking up at him with so much love. Genuine love, really. He hadn't really seen it that way, but now.. it seemed too clear. Then the image started to fade, Reiko crying and running away from him. Raoul gritted his teeth and his hands curled into fists, but he was unaware that he really was. You're right...it was a mistake... I trusted you about that secret because I thought you cared... Rei... I need to see you one more time, just to tell you something... important to me..
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 17:53:30 GMT -5
"So why... why is there so much pain inside your eyes, Raoul?" she had asked, leaning against the wall and staring up at his face.... "I want…to stay with you, Raoul.." "What about you? Raoul...what was painful to you?" "God, we must be crazy...falling in love in one night with a total stranger. Especially you, who in the right mind...with me?" "Raoul, I love you..."
The images flashed in his mind. Every moment that he treasured secretly coming out at the last moment. Yes.. the last moment. I've.. gotta pull that damn plug and just let go.. he thought. But the thought of Reiko kept getting in his way. She kept popping up, her emotions getting the better of him. He couldn't stand to see her so sad, or in pain. He loved it when she was happy and laughing, even more when she looked at him with love and care. Why had he thrown that away?
"Raoul...?" His teeth gritted together even more, tears threatening to overflow. No.. Stop it! Stop the memories, I don't want them anymore! Dammit, she has that fucking pretty boy now, so just leave me the hell alone! It was then it clicked in his mind that the voice sounded too real to be part of a memory. Raoul forced himself to open his eyes, only slightly though, but it was enough to see her. Reiko was standing there, in the infirmary at the foot of his bed.
"Rei..?" he murmured, barely even a whisper. Why is she here..? Why the hell did she come back to me after what I did? he thought. Shaking it away, his hands unfolded and began pushing on the bed so he could sit up. The pain shot through him with each inch he moved, moving his right arm over his slightly damaged stomach. Once he felt he was able to sit up by himself, without the help of his hands, he opened his eyes and looked at her again. The blood from the mark on his face had begun to bleed again, but only slightly, leaving a thin trail moving down his left cheek. "What.. are you doing here? What about that damn pretty boy?" He stopped abruptly, his blank silver gaze falling to the floor off to his right. "Look... Rei, I wanted.. to tell you something.. What I said wasn't.. it wasn't true. I honestly do.. love you, you know. But if you want to be with Kiriya, I won't stop you. I won't control your life. I just wanted to say... you're free to leave me, but please.. don't deceive me, Rei.." By then, the tears had freed themselves, a few running down his face and leaving a burn in his wounds. But it didn't phase him. Not as much as losing Reiko did. Nothing would measure up to that.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 18:32:43 GMT -5
Raoul's eyes widened when she slapped his leg, pain racing up his leg. "Ow! Dammit woman, I'm not a fucking rag doll! What do you think you're doing abusing me in this state!" he exclaimed, fangs showing and fist raised angrily. But he calmed down immediately once the girl, Ruby, had walked in. Gruffly, he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, his head tilted downward. He didn't speak a word until Ruby had left, his eyes wandering back to Reiko. He grimaced when she clung to his arm, but shrugged the pain of as much as he could.
"Look, I'm fine.. I.. I just bit off more than I could handle. I couldn't exactly stop when I had to get something out," he said, his right hand going to her hair and threading through it. "I ended up killing over half of them... I don't know what exactly came over me, but I couldn't stop fighting until I was knocked unconcious. During the whole thing, I didn't feel any of the blows, none of the weapons or the claws and teeth. Nothing." Raoul wondered what he really did look like then, sitting in that hospital bed when she was looking as radiant and beautiful as ever.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 18:58:43 GMT -5
Raoul let out a muffled growl of pain, eyes widening half in anger and half in fright. "A sponge bath?! I can do it myself, Rei! I'm not a kid, you know!" he called after her when she left. He knew she wasn't going to listen and would insist on her treating him, so he just let out a sigh and relaxed. "Like you could slap me hard enough to make me cry... Men don't cry!" His thoughts then wandered back to that day that happend who knew when. With a slight growl, he rolled his eyes and put his left hand over his stomach, right where the claws marks of the cougar shifter were. Damn white silk shirt... It's so irritating.. Sitting up again, he began to unbutton the tattered white silk shirt until he could see the claw wounds. They were bad, but he'd live. A few smaller and less significant scratches could be seen as well as old faint scars from when his father was still alive and beating the living hell out of him. "Well.. the collection still goes on, doesn't it..?" he muttered to himself.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 19:41:00 GMT -5
Raoul scratched the back of his head, letting out a sigh. "You aren't going to get anywhere near those parts if all you're thinking about is violence. Now if it was something else that pertained to the fact of removing clothes and getting oh so close... maybe I could make arrangements," he said, grinning wickedly at her. When she threw herself at him in a hug, he smiled warmly and hugged her back, feathering a quick kiss on the top of her head. "And don't worry. I probably won't go back in there for a while. I had my share. So quit calling me an idiot. It might break my precious heart in three." He faked a sad face, placing a hand over his heart, but a grin broke through the act as he looked over at her.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 20:31:22 GMT -5
"Woman! If you'd quit abusing me like this, maybe I wouldn't fidget every time your hand comes near me! I mean, come on! I'm in imense pain here and I thought lovers are supposed to help each other!" he whined, wincing when she poked him. He gritted his teeth together when she sat on his stomach, his eyes shutting tightly together. "Rei, that.. hurts a whole lot more... than you think..." Abruptly, he wrapped an arm around her and turned his body to the left, dragging her with him. He was only going to let her down on her feet, but for some odd twisted reason, they both ended up tumbling over the side.
Luckily, being the flexible and talented feline that he was, Raoul had landed on the floor first to blanket Reiko's fall. Propping himself up on his elbow, he leaned over Reiko and looked down at her. "You okay? I didn't mean for that to happen, honestly..." But his voice had drifted slightly, barely noticing that he had closed the distance between them and was kissing her softly. Hell, he wanted to kiss her passionately, but that would only make his punishment worse after this if she decided to beat the living hell out of him for a mistake.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 20:55:47 GMT -5
"Barely harmed me..." he murmured, his left hand moving along her right side, shaping her body's curves. He grinned at her reaction to her position, dress and all. "I think we're okay for now. I think that Ruby chick got the hint before anything happened and is probably.. keeping her distance.." Raoul lowered his head again, taking possession of her mouth once more as his body moved over hers more, just in case someone did decide to drop by and check on them. His mouth moved away from hers, trailing kisses along her jaw to her throat. He nipped gently, then kissed the same spot to ease the pain. "Rei... I missed you the past three days... I regreted all those things I said that day... It really was stupid of me to try and keep you from getting hurt, blind to the fact that those very words had hurt you. I'm sorry.." He mouthed the words against her throat, nipped it gently again and kissed it. Hopefully no one would pass by or check on them. He needed this time alone with her.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 21:47:31 GMT -5
Raoul, in between all the hurry and hustle, couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh. Helping Reiko to the bed, he snatched up his white tattered silk shirt and kissed her once more, grinning. "I can't help but feel like we're teenagers that got caught necking," he said, smoothing out her hair some so it wouldn't look like she had been doing something. His hand moved down her face, his thumb feathering over her lower lip. "I've gone through hell for you, Rei. I'd give the Devil my body and God my heart as long as my soul could stay with you. I don't have any plans to leave you as long as I live, so you don't worry about a thing..." Hearing shuffles and voices, Raoul glanced behind him before moving through the curtains that seperated each bed. Raoul passed through the one that lead away from the door Kiriya had come through, just beside the one he was residing in. He didn't want to get too far in case he tried to do or threaten her. It could be a possibility... I just want to make sure she's safe..
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 30, 2006 22:22:56 GMT -5
Raoul's eyes narrowed dangerously as he heard slaps, skin contact, then Rei. It was as if she was whimpering like a pup and it tore his heart just to hear it. Fangs exploded in his mouth, even his fingers grew into some semblance of claws. With a growl, he stepped out from behind the curtain, dropping his tattered shirt. "Kiriya, you get your damn filthy hands off of her," he said in a low voice even as his hand closed over Kiriya's arm. The claws dug into his arm until he let go of Rei, Raoul's eyes swimming with bright yet mixed with black. He jerked Kiriya away, letting go of his arm as he did, and punched him square in the stomach, sending him flying out of the small room and into the larger portion. Raoul shifted into his panther form, a black streak darting toward him and leaping onto his body lying on the ground, fangs bared dangerously. He didn't care if Ruby saw. He didn't care who saw. This was the last and final straw he had with pretty boy.
"Look, pretty boy, she doesn't love you okay. It was your mistake to leave her in the first place. If you truly loved her like you keep saying you do, you either wouldn't have gone or at least let her stay by your side. I would have let her come because I'm loyal to my duty as well as to the person I care for. The only time she'd be in danger is if they got through me first. If they wanted to put a sword through her, it'd have to go through me first. If they wanted to shoot her, it'd have to go through me before it reached her," he growled, claws digging into Kiriya's chest. "If I died and she didn't, she could do whatever, but I'd know she was happy that I let her stay with me because it showed that cared for her and that I couldn't stand our seperation. I just wonder what the hell you were doing while you were away. I guess we won't find out, now will we...?"
A feline growl emitted from Raoul's throat, his fangs only mere centimeters from Kiriya's throat, but he stopped. "Your childhood friend..." "You're lucky I'm sparing your life because I care for Rei's feelings. You're just so damn lucky you really were her childhood friend," he spat, but he wouldn't leave the man unscathed. Turning away, he instantly snatched one of Kiriya's arms in his maw, clamping down hard and breaking bone easily. Afterward, he calmly padded away from him and toward Rei, standing in front of her. "I couldn't kill him.. Not in front of you, Rei..."
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 31, 2006 16:43:59 GMT -5
Raoul only stared at Ruby, not in shock or fear, but just stared with his red/black eyes. He didn't even speak when his panther form fell away due to his lack of strength or when Reiko helped him to the bed. Why didn't I.. just kill him...? If he gets better, he's going to go after her again and it might even be worse than before, he thought, eyes changing into a dull gray. When she left him on the bed, he just stared up at the ceiling, eyes half closed and his mind completely blank for once. With a sigh, he sat up enough so he wasn't completely on his back yet it still wasn't flat on the wall either, ignoring Reiko's little threat, and grabbed the pencil and notebook on the stand next to the bed. Raoul sat there staring at the paper, but nothing came to him. His mind wandered to Reiko, at her love and care for him, how much she was a miracle. His heart seemed to hurt, as silly as it sounded to himself, whenever she looked at him with sad eyes or even the fact that she could die anytime soon. It wasn't hard to know, seeing as she was still taking the medication.
Without much thought, he had started to write on the paper. A slight tune was held in his head, something quiet and tranquil, slow. Never knew I could feel like this Like I've never seen the sky before I want to vanish inside your kiss Everyday I love you more than this Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings Telling me to give you everything Seasons may change winter to spring But I love you until the end of time
Come what may, come what may I will love you until my dying day Eventually, his eyes betrayed him and he fell asleep fitfully, only getting the first part of the song finished. Raoul always finished a song once he started, and most likely he'd finish it tomorrow when he had the time. Even then, he hadn't noticed that the several claw marks on his stomach had been bleeding lightly, yet now it had stopped for the moment. Other than the slash mark on his face, that would be his weakest point should Reiko be evil enough to punish him in the following days.
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 31, 2006 17:29:44 GMT -5
Raoul's concious woke to the feeling of warmth beside him, or rather, in front of him. He had turned on his side sometime in the night, toward Reiko, his arms around her waist and holding her close to him. His face was nuzzled comfortably against her neck and he could faintly feel that their legs had entertwined sometime during the night as well. This was how he wanted to wake up every morning; with her right next to him in the same bed, as if she was a part of him. Raoul opened his eyes slightly in the semi-dark interior of the room, noting the time of day. It was pretty much early, maybe eight in the morning, but they had gone to sleep before midnight last night.
With a light sigh, he nuzzled her neck slightly and feathered a kiss there, his arms tightening a little bit around her, though it wasn't enough to hurt. He nibbled lightly on her lower jaw, moving down to the side of her neck before nipping gently and licking it like a cat. His right hand then moved up to her face just as he lifted his slightly, brushing her baby blue hair out of her face and looking down at her. I still can't see how her spunky attitude got to me... he thought even as he laid a kiss on her mouth softly. But I guess I wouldn't have a real life to live if I had never met her.. saw her in that club..
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 31, 2006 18:29:07 GMT -5
Raoul had scowled at Ruby's back, disappointed when she had interrupted the romantic growing moment. He looked over the edge of the bed at Reiko, the same disappointed look on his face. "I think clinics are evil. The so-called nurse seperates us at any chance she gets and if she even thinks about coming near me with a needle, I fear I might have to retaliate like a cornered cat..." he muttered, glancing at the room-seperating curtains in case she'd be standing there, eyes glinting evil as she held an injecting needle in her hand. Glancing at Reiko, he arched a brow. A sudden thought, maybe a few images accompanying it, entered his mind and he sighed, covering his face with his hands but leaving his left eye uncovered to look down at her. "Rei, why do you have to look at me like that? Especially when you're on the floor. It might entice me to do something that Ruby would absolutely be scarred with if she came barging in at the wrong moment, and I absolutely don't want to do that..."
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 31, 2006 18:57:40 GMT -5
Raoul bit his teeth together as she purposely teased him, enticed him with everything she had. When she had moved away, he moved with her, but covered most of her body with his, supporting most of his weight with his arms so he wouldn't be hurting her. Looking down at her, he traced a thumb over her face. "I don't think a few minutes will help me, Rei. If you're going to tease me, and by all means I have no problems with it, at least do it when we're alone and not likely to be interrupted. Because since when we weren't together for those three days, I thought of you a lot... My mind and body needed you close.. I want you, Reiko," he said quietly before kissing her, his hand wandering to her left shoulder, pushing the strap of her dress down her arm slightly. "Are you sure you want something to happen here and let Ruby catch us in a few minutes...?"
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 31, 2006 19:31:19 GMT -5
Raoul sighed, resting his head on her shoulder, his face turned toward her neck. "Rei... if it's important.. you should go. What if it's something about you? Your cure? I don't want to wait until it's too late..." But he was already kissing her neck gently, hands beginning to roam slowly over her body. "I mean... if the cure is done.. we would have all the time in the world to do what we want with each other. Then we won't have to worry about clinics or shots or needles for a long while.." He moved along her collarbone, placing little kisses and gentle nips as he moved lower still to the edge of her dress. Raoul then stopped and looked up at her face, silver eyes like molten steel. "Maybe we should have at least waited until we got a secluded room..."
|
|
|
Post by Anya™ on Mar 31, 2006 22:39:20 GMT -5
Raoul laid on the bed quietly, hands behind his head. His silver gaze was locked on the ceiling, a slight smile on his face. Only Reiko could make him smile anymore. But soon, seconds turned into minutes and minutes into an hour. When it reached about three hours, he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, sighing. Where was she? It shouldn't be taking over three hours just to tell her something. Should it...? Scratching the back of his head, he slipped off the bed and snatched up his tattered silk shirt and slipped it on, walking toward the room Ruby was supposed to be in. Knocking on it, he opened it up and looked around for Reiko. "Um.. Ruby, where's Rei at?" he asked, seeing no sign of her. His worry started to rise and he entered the room fully, looking around again in case he missed a spot. But still no sign. What.. the hell? he thought, his gaze landing back on Ruby. He wanted an answer and quick.
|
|