He gurgled and almost fell over when he was pulled into a headlock and noogies. He actually let out a laugh and pulled away, hair ruffled and face a bit red.
"I'll still kick the crap out of you anytime you please..." he laughed, rubbing his nose. I smiled at them both, finally happy seeing a smile on Naohs face; never seen one before. The professor laughed and waved a hand.
"Nonsense. you both need your rest. Go on, Noah will show you the way. I need to get some shut eye as well." He headed off to the west wing, yawning. Noah smiled and led the way down the hall.
"Follow me"

"Till death.." Kane smiled taking Risa's hand.
"Till death." He kissed her cheek and followed after Noah, finally glad to see the hybrid with something positive to say.

Noah led them to a lavish room, a huge bed in the center of the room with draped hung all around it, marble floors and a huge bathroom on the other side of the room.
"This si the guest room, the finest one we have. Im suprized the professor offered it to you two. Well... get washed up and rest. I shall as well. If you need anything, you know where to find me." He smiled and nodded at me and walked out of the room, closing the door. I marveled at the room and looked around.
"This feels like a hotel, doesnt it kane?" I asked, looking to him, clasping my hands together.

"Yeah, thanks.." He turned to Risa and sighed.
"Yeah a little TOO like a hotel.....too fancy for me.." He edged around the room unsure of his surroundings. He turned around with a smile however.
"But...as long as I can sleep with you, it's not so bad.."

"Its nice... a bit big... but the bed looks like it could be made into a private area, once the drapes are closed." I looked at him, looking a bit uneasy and smiled; his feathers were standing on end.
"Go on and get a shower, then ill dress that would of yours. Then I'll get a quick one then we'll get to bed." I smiled at him

He smiled.
"Alright, I'll be out in a bit..." After sniffing around a moment, he found the door to the bathroom and he nudged the door shut, a moment or two later the sound of running water could be heard, along with low off-key singing.

I giggled hearing his singing and sighed, went to the mirror handing over the dresser, looking at my reflection. I was so disheveled. I thought about Kane and smiled, I touched my lips and closed my eyes softly. I looked down at myself, still in my pajamas from his house; one of his loose fitting tshirts and sweat pants. They still smelled like him.. I smiled, spreading out my wings slightly.
Though his singing was off key, I smiled, thinking he was comfortable singing infront of me, kind of.

It took Kane a full half hour before he was convinced that all the dirt and crud was out of his hair, off his skin, and out of his...here he laughed, feathers. He ran a hand over the fluffy feathers and flapped them a few times, ridding himself of excess water. He came out in his shorts and a towel slung over his head.
"Sorry that took me so long.." He said, ruffling his hair with the linen.
"I don't think I've ever felt so.....cruddy in my entire life."

I looked to him as he exited and I smiled, smelling the warm air that emerged with him. He looked adorable with wet hair. I nodded and stood up.
"Its alright, I'll get a quick one then sleep." I said gently and quickly kissing his lips and going into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked a bit. I stripped quickly and jumped into the bathtub, putting on the steaming water. I hummed a sweet song and scrubbed my body.

He smiled against her quick kiss, and then moved over to the bed and stretched. It was so warm out of the shower...and his eyes felt heavy. It had been one more day hadn't it? He gingerly touched his cheek that had started to swell from the punches Noah had given him, Kane wouldn't be surprised if he could barely talk in the morning...but none of that mattered, not now that everything had started for the better...or at least he hoped...Kane reached over to the bedpost and knocked twice for luck.

I finished quickly, washing my hair, body and wings and stepped out, drying off my body and wrapped myself in a towel and came out of the bathroom. I went to the dresser and opened the drawer.
"There has to be something in here for me to wear...ah here we go" I gripped up a long tshirt and found small shorts and turned my back to Kane, dropping the towel and slipping the shirt and shorts on. The back of the shirt didnt go down my back all the way, g aught on the top of my wings. I was used to it; not all clothes were altered for me. I smiled and went to sit beside him on the bed. my other clothes and undied were drying on the windowsill in the bathroom; I had handwashed them in the shower.
"Feeling okay? Noah got you good" I looked to his face, and his thigh.

Kane smiled sleepily.
"Yeah, he got me good...about six or seven times. Eh, I asked for it though...I just...I just got sick and tired of looking at myself." He looked away.

I leaned over him, getting a worried look on my face.
"Looking at yourself? Elaborate?"

Kane sighed, holding Risa's hand that lay on his face.
"I've....never told you about...what life was like after my parents died have I?" He asked.

I closed my eyes half way, my hair fell from behind my shoulder to curtain our faces together. I sat Indian style beside him, leaning over his face and I simply shook my head.
"No.. you didn't. I'm assuming rough?" I said with a fake smile at him.

"Not just rough...horrible. When me and Juri started living together, I was fine....for the first month, I did what people thought I should, said 'thank you' and 'don't worry' when they expressed concern...but after a while, I started hating them...hating Juri...and mostly hating myself. I ran away so many times...the cops hauled me home time after time, and Juri, knowing EXACTLY what was going on, would just look at me and say 'welcome home'....god, that made me hate her all the more. When I entered high school I shut everyone out...I started picking fights, wearing black clothing, and this ridiculous headband.." He thumbed it and chuckled.
"....I was so stupid back then...I left Juri for an entire year at one point, eating out of trash cans, living in boxes....I went home only after I saw my face on one of those missing child posters...After that..I saw how miserable Juri had become...she cried when I came back...there was no 'welcome home'...there were only tears. After that...I started finding what work I could and helped out a little, but...I can't say that I was ever the same." He looked over.
"I didn't want that to happen here...even though I hated him...HATED Noah with every fiber of my being...I couldn't bear to watch anyone go through something like that."

I sat back and folded my hands together.
"I'm.. sorry... I apologize for never asking... I figured you'd tell me when you were ready." I sighed closing my eyes.
"I had a pretty rough childhood also... Father left mother right as I was birthed... literally. When I came out, he dropped his video camera and walked out, and never came back. She struggled raising me as an only parent... she depleted her 401k and retirement funds to bribe the nurses and doctors and my physicians in my life to keep them quiet about my.. condition... I was told it was bad to have such a thing and the reason I wasnt given surgery is because I could die. I... actually used to live in San Fransisco... I was born there... but after someone would find out about my condition, always on accident, as a child... we'd move... then eventually we ended up here... in Glenwood, North Carolina." I closed my eyes.
"Ive been ripped and uprooted more times than I could count... in 6th grade and on, I completely secluded myself from other people so we wouldnt have to move... but something always happened... and someone would find out...I... have been so alone all my life, with Mom working 2, sometimes 3 jobs just to pay my medical bills and feed me and keep us in a home... she would never let me work, when I turned 16... she was afraid i'd be found out... again, and moving and bribing was depleting all of her funds. There came a point in my life.. where I felt like she hated me and wished I was never born..." I sighed deeply, holding in the tears.
"One night, I found her in my room, asleep at the foot of my bed holding a pillow, crying. I had a feeling she wanted to suffocate me, but didn't have the guts to go on and do it..." I looked to him.
"We've... had out share of hardships... because of such a cruel world."

Kane had to laugh then.
"Cruel isn't even the word for it." He squeezed her hand.
"But....even after all this...I don't think I'd change a minute of it..."

I smiled down at him, blinking away my tears, nodding.
"Indeed. I think... we were meant to share our lives together... so we can be there for each other." I pushed my wing forward, mixing my feathers with his.

He smiled, pressing their foreheads together.
"Heh....you must have done something terrible in a past life then....or I did something REALLY good.."

I smiled at him and took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes.
"We... it doesnt matter what happened in our past lives... what matters is the here and now. I love you Kane... so much.." I whispered to him.

He took her hand in his, linking their fingers amazed at how small, how fragile her hands looked...compared to his, they were ivory..smooth and perfect. For a moment..his heart caught fire, it hurt, like nothing he'd ever felt before. His grip tightened around her hand and he bent forward. He didn't love her.....that sentiment..wasn't enough, not to describe this. He merely choked out a few words before turning up and catching her mouth in his.

I let out a small moan into his kiss and my body fell limp under the pressure of his pressing to mine... his warm, soft body, covered in scars, I ran my hands over his shoulders and onto his back, down to the base of where his wings began.
"Kane..." I whispered at a moment our lips separated.

He pulled back, a hot blush turning even his ears red, his face was down, bangs hiding his trembling mouth, speaking unheard words. He stopped..and then started laughing..
"I'm such an idiot.."

I blushed and pulled my hands away from him and lay them at my sides.
"Are you okay?" a bit of blush evident in my cheeks as well.