The bonds that hold, For Cazuki

[GodofMischief]

Thumping his head back against the wall behind him, a snow white haired individual raised dull crimson eyes up to the concrete ceiling over his head. Leaning against a cold cement wall in a small enclosure, knees bent and arms settled motionlessly between them, the Inugami gave no signs of giving a damn about anything. If anything, by the droop in his shoulders and the way his white canine ears remained slightly lowered, the man gave of a sense of bone weary defeat. Something extremely uncommon in a man that had always held himself with grace and discipline....It was hard to believe that it had only taken one event to bring the grace of the man crashing down to the ground.

 

Raiza had been one of the best in his canine division. His skills had been well above his fellow Inugami and his intelligence had been on par with only that of the division Director and the man's own Inugami. The snow haired agent had often turned heads and caused whispers of awe and admiration to explode every time he left his division to walk around the normal groups of the police agency. However, he hadn't been the only one who had been admired. His partner, his best friend, his Handler had also been just as well known...if not more. Kinoue Ukitake had been a man many considered a friend and mentor. A man who always wore his heart on his sleeve and was rarely ever seen without his easy smile and friendly twinkle in his emerald eyes.

 

They had been polar opposites, Kinoue and he...however, they had made their partnership work. Kinoue had become a beloved individual in Raiza's life after the canine had first seen Kinoue as a nuisance not worth being his Handler. Kinoue had taught Raiza of kindness and patience. Of handling situations with strategies other than race in and tear everything apart. Kinoue had matched Raiza's temper with his determination to tame the Inugami....at least a little bit. He had brought life and warmth into Raiza distant and cold existence after the Inugami had lost his parents in an assassination. Kinoue had made everything better for his Inugami from the moment Raiza had fallen into his care. They had bonded throughout the years and had come to love one another deeply.....

 

Yet now Raiza was alone again. Kinoue wouldn't be coming back for him. He wouldn't hear his Handler's easy going tone or feel the painfully familiar, loving pat on his head. There would be no more "Sheesh, Rai....you're such a pain sometimes. You're lucky I love you enough to put up with you". Kinoue wouldn't be there to drag Raiza out of whatever confusing predicament he had landed himself in. Kinoue wouldn't laugh at Raiza's comical annoyance at situations he still couldn't comprehend, no matter how many times he had been in the same situation. There would be no more warm arms that wrapped around him when Raiza's mask threatened to fall and reveal the nervous, weary individual that lay beneath all the stern nature. No more whispers in his ear of "Everything is going to be alright, Rai. You just wait and see. Trust me, puppy, I'll make sure that everything turns out fine".

 

Blinking back tears of frustration and heavy grief that seemed to want to suffocate him, Raiza thumped his head once more against the wall and closed his watering eyes as he grimaced silently. He hated this. Hated that instead of being killed, the higher ups had decided to keep him alive. He hated that they had stopped him from following after Kinoue in death. They couldn't understand that all he wanted was to be with Kinoue again. This world meant absolutely nothing without Kinoue in it and Raiza had no will to keep on living. His heart longed for Kinoue, his mind rebelled at the thought of not being allowed to be with his Handler again.

 

The higher ups had claimed they had run into a man determined to keep Raiza alive. They had gone as far as recruiting another Inugami to be his Handler for the first time in a very long time. Claimed that the man would suit Raiza just fine and bring one of their top Inugami's back from the hole he had sunk into.....Raiza called bullshit to that. Nothing and no one would be able to give him the will to live again. However, the choice wasn't his. The decision had been made and now all Raiza had to do was wait in his "kennel" as the obedient Inugami he was expected to be while his new Handler came to get him....

 

Raiza couldn't hate the situation anymore than he already did.

[Cazuki]

Today, Hotaru decided, was just not his day. Why? Well, where to begin.

 

Waking up in the morning had been pleasant, at first. He'd woken up to the gentle warmth of the sun's ethereal, golden rays on his body, gently warming his white tail and ears. He'd languidly flopped onto his back from his side and had simply stared up at his apartment's whitewash ceiling, humming a random song to himself. He'd thought to himself, today was going to be his day.

Then he'd turned his head and was proven oh so wrong. Far from waking up at 6.30 AM, as he was meant to, the LED display of the electronic clock on his bedside table read, in green, glowing numbers: 7:55 AM. He swore he was like lightning as he jumped up from his bed, running desperately around his apartment to get dressed and out the door. It was at times like that he was sincerely happy to have the increased speed, perception and co-ordination of an Inugami. He was out the door in 5 minutes flat, barely remembering to lock his door before he started pelting full-speed down the corridor. That had been the first misfortune of the day.

 

2 minutes later came the second. As Hotaru ran down the stairs, deciding the lift would take too long, he met his landlady. Well, more specifically ran into her. Literally. No-one was injured, luckily, he'd caught her before she'd fallen backwards down the stairs. However, being lectured hadn't helped his tardiness.

"I know you're excited Hotaru, but please be more careful. Not everyone is as physically-adept as you." Well, Hotaru couldn't deny that. All he'd been able to do was meekly apologize, and promise he'd make it up to her before he continued to run down the stairs. Finally, Hotaru managed to get out of the apartment bloc and glared at his wrist-watch. 8:06. He had 24 minutes to get to the office before he was officially late. And today was the one day he couldn't afford to be late.

 

He ran to the closest bus-stop that had buses into District-D of the city and for a moment he thought luck was with him again. A bus was already at the stop and it was a fast one too, stopping straight outside the police-station. However, it was then he realized he had no money on him. Hotaru didn't swear often, but he couldn't resist a small one under his breath as he bounded off the bus and down the street. There was nothing for it except to run full-pelt to the station. He was lucky he'd been assigned an apartment in District-C.

 

20 minutes later, Hotaru stormed into the station, doubling over and taking forcing himself to take deep-breaths before his lungs gave out.

Made it... He thought, slowly regaining his ability to live.

Eventually, after milling around the reception for a few minutes, Hotaru saw a tall human in a dark suit enter the reception and walk towards him. As the human approached, Hotaru instinctively began to gather information, closely observing the human's behaviour and body. Firstly, the human was male, above average height at a good 6 feet and from the confident gait and stern expression he was definitely an experienced fighter. A handler, in fact.

 

The man spoke. "Like what you see, newbie?" Hotaru's eyes widened a fraction. Had he been that obvious? He coughed, directing his gaze and smile to the man.

"Sorry, sir. Academy habits die hard." He shrugged, his ears lowering. The man chuckled, closing the remaining distance between them.

"Oh, don't I know it." He stopped a comfortable distance away from him. Hotaru had been ready to relax when suddenly the man leaned in, his face only a few inches from his own and his deep blue eyes staring into his brown ones. "Good answer newbie," he said, voice low "anything else and you would have regretted it."

Yep, definitely not his day. The man must have seen his discomfort, because he smiled and pulled away, grinning. "Name's Akihiko Kashou, Director's PA and your boss." He put out his hand for Hotaru to shake, which he did gladly, falling into the familiar rhythm of conversation.

 

Akihiko lead Hotaru out of the reception and through the corridors of the station. As they walked, Hotaru's tails and ears flickered curiously, taking note of all the different sights, smells and sounds of what was to be his new home. It'd been about 2 weeks since he'd gotten the go ahead from the director of his old station and the director here to move and about a month since the death of Kinoue, a beloved handler of the special force who'd been killed in action, leaving behind his paired Inugami. Akihiko walked in front of him, explaining little bits and pieces about the department and how it worked. Eventually, they made their way to the colloquially named 'Kennel', where normally rouge Inugami were held before being tried.

"And here he is." Akihiko indicated the door of the hennel with his chin, his eyes clouded and his grin settling into a sadder smile.

 

Hotaru carefully made his way to the door, looking through the crisscrossing steel bars that formed a small viewing window in the heavy door. Inside, curled up on the floor in a small ball was an Inugami. Hotaru already knew the Inugami's name, having heard it enough from Kinoue on several occasions. Raizen. From behind him, Akihiko continued. "The director said it'd probably be best if you introduced yourself." He moved towards the door, opening a small hatch to the left of it. A biometric scanner scanned his eyes and thumb-print before the door hissed, the pressure locks opening, allowing the door to swing silently open. Akihiko put his arm around Hotaru's shoulders and grinned at him again. "Thanks for doing this."

"Of cour-" Hotaru was interrupted as he was pushed firmly into the kennel, the door hissing shut behind him.

"Call me when you're both ready!"

 

And there he was, shut in an impregnable stone room with Raizen. Hotaru sighed inwardly. Something told him working in this department was going to be interesting. For a moment, he composed himself. Then walked slowly towards Raizen, stopping a metre away from him and crouching down.

"Hello? Raizen, can you hear me?" He said softly, giving the Inugami an easy smile.

[GodofMischief]

Flickering his ears at the sounds of footsteps approaching, Raiza didn't bother to open his eyes until the footsteps stopped in front of his kennel. Breathing in the air around him, the Inugami briefly noted the two scents that filled the air before one of the two began to move away again leaving the second one behind. Of course, t was after his kennel door had opened and hissed close again. On other occasions, Raiza would have been quick to raise his guard and watch the person standing before him with caution, however, he had no reason to now. Not only was he sure he wasn't in danger, he just simply didn't care. Years of training melted into a gray nothingness at the emptiness his handler had left inside the Inugami. Thus, the canine couldn't really careless about who had decided to pay him a visit. Though he could take a simple guess.

 

Opening his eyes slowly when a voice addressed him, Raiza lowered his head slightly to direct his crimson eyed look towards the man that stood before him. Red eyes observed the man with a distinct hollowness in them. They weren't cold or haughty....they were simply empty, almost as if what had been left of the Inugami was simply a shell of what the man had once been and what he had once stood for. That couldn't be closer to the truth. Raiza didn't feel quite alive anymore, everything felt numb to him and cold. Living truly had lost its purpose on him and the only thing he truly felt was the overwhelming surge of exhaustion. He had no energy, no will to even try anything at all.

 

"Why are you here?" he asked softly, voice a hint raspy from disuse. Raiza had been in this kennel for several weeks and from the moment he had arrived, the Inugami had not said a single word. Feeling a lifeless smirk lift the corners of his lips, Raiza chuckled a sound that held no essence to it. No life....just blankness. "Are you the one they have chosen for me? My my, they certainly work fast, don't they" the white haired man asked, voice never rising nor taking on any sort of emotion as he spoke.

 

Closing his eyes once more, finding the effort to keep them open was to troublesome, the Inugami leaned his head back against the wall once more while saying "You should leave, boy. I have no interest in you, you'll only be wasting both our time....As I told the Higher ups before, I will tell you.....I won't be accepting a new Handler, not even one of my own species. I belong to Kinoue and though he isn't here anymore, I won't abandon our bond. So instead of trying to convince me otherwise, I suggest you leave out the door you just walked in from and leave me be. Find yourself someone more interested in having a fellow Inugami as a partner".

 

Raiza truly didn't care about the opinions of his leaders or their determination to save him. He didn't care that they thought his potential and skills weren't something that could be lost to the tides. He didn't care if they claimed he could still save so many people and be the role model to young Inugami, as he had been before. All he cared about was being allowed to be with Kinoue again. Everything in this world had lost its appeal on him after Kinoue had slipped away to a realm Raiza couldn't follow.

[Cazuki]

Hotaru was saddened, but not entirely surprised, as hollow ruby eyes stared into his lively brown ones. He'd never had the experience of losing a partner, but he'd heard stories of those who had. It rarely ever turned out well for those who were left behind.

Raiza spoke to him in a low, soft voice, dry from misuse. "Why are you here?" Raiza smiled lifelessly and chuckled. "Are you the one they have chosen for me? My my, they certainly work fast, don't they?" The fellow Inugami then leant his head back against the stone wall, staring up at the ceiling as he continued his monologue. "You should leave, boy. I have no interest in you, you'll only be wasting both our time....As I told the Higher ups before, I will tell you.....I won't be accepting a new Handler, not even one of my own species. I belong to Kinoue and though he isn't here anymore, I won't abandon our bond. So instead of trying to convince me otherwise, I suggest you leave out the door you just walked in from and leave me be. Find yourself someone more interested in having a fellow Inugami as a partner"

 

It was depressing to hear it from Raiza's own voice, considering his reputation for stubbornness and a strong drive. But, again, Hotaru had expected this. Well, more specifically he'd been told he'd be like this.

"'Stop being so dramatic, Rai'" Hotaru quotes, putting on a deeper voice in an impression of Kinoue. He dropped it as he continued speaking. "Or, at least that's what Kinoue would have said." He grinned, clapping his hands together, brightening the room with his cheerfulness. "Alright, so. Introductions! The name's Hotaru Najime, but most call me Hotaru." Hotaru's tail started wagging, beating the stone floor loudly. "And you misunderstand 3 things. First, the higher-ups didn't choose me. Kinoue did. Second, I don't intend to replace the bond you have with Kinoue. I intend to create a new one. Three, don't think you can push me away so easily."

Hotaru stared at Raiza with a spark in his eyes. "It's nice to meet you, Raiza. I hope we can get along."

 

Despite his speech, Hotaru couldn't help feeling like he should comfort the other Inugami. He looked so withdrawn, even more than how Kinoue told him he would be. He dipped his ears, slowly moving his right hand towards Raiza's head, intending to pet him. After all, petting always made him feel better, so why shouldn't it make him feel better too?

[GodofMischief]

Looking once again at the other Inugami when the man deepened his voice to sound almost identical to Kinoue, Raiza felt a hint of unease filter through him. He didn't think the man was a large threat per say, he just hadn't exactly been expecting to hear a sound similar to his deceased Handler's voice coming out of a Inugami. Blinking blankly when the man's tail began to wag, Raiza unease turned into a mixture of bewilderment and confusion...something that only grew at what the Inugami started to say. After weeks of feeling absolutely nothing, the snow haired Inugami rebelled at the new emotions coursing through him but he could do nothing to stop them. This other Inugami was not what Raiza had been expecting, the man reminded him quite a bit of Kinoue and it was unnerving. Not exactly something he wanted to be reminded off despite how much he longed for the human to walk into the kennel now and stop everything that was happening around him.

 

When Hotaru began to reach out to touch him, Raiza narrowed his eyes and peeled his lips back into a snarl as his ears flattened against the top of his head and the fur of his tail bristled and stood on edge. The transformation took less than a second for the snow colored Inugami's dead gaze to flash into one of anger and dislike. His distaste fighting for it's place in the dark void that had been born inside of Raiza with Kinoue's death. "Do not touch me" he practically hissed, the ends of his long white hair beginning to stick up as well in barely contained aggression. Raiza had never enjoyed being touched. Only Kinoue and a handful of others had ever been able to get away with it and that was because they had earned Raiza's trust and he had learned to care for them deeply. Others though, didn't get off so easily. From experience alone, some knew that Raiza would snap the offending appendage clean off him in less time than it took to blink or take a breath.

 

"I do no know what Kinoue was thinking in choosing you, that is of course, if you're telling the truth...but I won't have any of it. As I've said before, I'll say again, I have no interest in obtaining a new Handler and as such, I have no interest in creating a new bond. You hold no appeal over me nor am I interested in fighting alongside you. I only ever fought with one human and he is no longer in this world, thus I have no obligations to lend you my strength" Raiza growled, warning clear in his dark tone of voice as he glared daggers at the white Inugami in front of him.

 

"Now, I'm going to tell you one more time. Get. Out. You're presence is bothersome and useless. I will not be going anywhere" his snapped lastly, the tension in his body growing as the moments passed. The situation made him uncomfortable and the mention of Kinoue having chosen another to take over as his Handler, didn't sit well with Raiza. He couldn't understand why Kinoue would do something like that and even if it were to be explained to him, Raiza probably wouldn't accept it anyways. He refused to yield to another, no matter what..even if he was another Inugami such as himself.

[Cazuki]

"Do not touch me."

Hotaru dropped his hand back down to his side as Raiza clearly did not feel like being touched right now. Hotaru's ears drooped as did his shoulders, pouting slightly. He wasn't so much sad about the other's biting comments as much that he couldn't seem to comfort the other through physical means.

"I do no know what Kinoue was thinking in choosing you, that is of course, if you're telling the truth...but I won't have any of it. As I've said before, I'll say again, I have no interest in obtaining a new Handler and as such, I have no interest in creating a new bond. You hold no appeal over me nor am I interested in fighting alongside you. I only ever fought with one human and he is no longer in this world, thus I have no obligations to lend you my strength." Raiza growled, ruby eyes ablaze with anger, though it wasn't like they scared Hotaru. Hotaru had learned early in his life that anger was more of a reaction to fear and sadness than a reaction in of itself and Hotaru knew that Raiza had plenty reason to be sad and scared. After all, that was what Kinoue had predicted. "Now, I'm going to tell you one more time. Get. Out. You're presence is bothersome and useless. I will not be going anywhere."

 

Again, Hotaru kept smiling, only moving to sit down in front of Raiza.

"You speak awful formally don't'cha?" He grinned, sighing. "Okay, I can see the new 'handler' thing is a bit of a sensitive issue for you. Well more than 'a bit' but regardless, let's talk about something else." Hotaru stared into Raiza's ruby eyes, meeting their flame with his calm earth. He'd been thinking for a while how to talk to Raiza and while he'd thought of many things, only one idea really caught as a possible way to talk to the Inugami.

"You don't have to fight with me. In fact, it's the other way around, I want to fight with you. You loved Kinoue very much, didn't you? So don't you want to get even?" Hotaru's eyes sparked. He hunched his shoulders, bristling his tail and ears, baring his fangs. He still grinned, but this time it seemed more eerie, like a predator. "Kinoue was a friend o'mine. Met him when I was first training for the police force. You want to get even? Well, way I see it, this turns out to be a mutually beneficial agreement. You come with me as my 'partner' and you can go after those who killed Kinoue. Then, if you still want to end your existence... well, we'll see. You believe in justice and Kinoue, right?"

 

He settled as quickly as he'd riled himself up, smoothing down his fur and letting himself relax. "Sorry, got a bit riled there." He stood, holding his hand down for Raiza to reach for if he wished. "What do you think? If you don't like it, I can just carry you out of here like a princess, but I don't think you'd like that, so care to save me the trouble?" He winked, grinning lopsidedly.

[GodofMischief]

Listening to Hotaru, Raiza's temper slowly shimmered down a hint and the grief that had been clouding his mind for several weeks, cleared just a bit as well. No one who came to see him ever spoke seriously about getting revenge for Kinoue. They offered him sympathy and their wants to have him back beside them. They had mentioned about getting even with those who took Kinoue from them, but he had never felt any legit strength behind their words. To him, they had just sounded like words meant to try and rouse his attention, something that they had failed to do....However, the way Hotaru was speaking, the way he had had a physical reaction to what he himself had said, had interested the Inugami much more than ever before. The eerie smile brought an interesting little chill down Raiza's back and he couldn't help but take his words seriously.

 

Watching the other Inugami for a few moments of silence after the man had finished talking, Raiza finally allowed his ears to flicker up a bit and his fur to settle down once more. "Try and touch me again, Hotaru, and I guarantee that I will rip your limb clean off your body" he growled lightly even as he adjusted himself slightly to make the effort to place his feet in a position that would carry his weight. Since he had arrived here, Raiza hadn't moved much nor had he eaten anything other than was strictly needed to keep him barely alive. A choice not of his own, but of the Director and his PA. They had refused to allow Raiza to waste away to nothing while they tried to find ways to keep him alive....Now that he had a reason to move, he supposed he could thank their efforts.

 

Gritting his teeth a bit as movement caused his wounds to protest and his joints to ache, Raiza narrowed his eyes and refused to let his discomfort keep him down. The night Kinoue had been killed had been a difficult one. They had been ambushed and Raiza had been unable to make it to his Handler's side in time to save him as he had been occupied trying to fend off 4 rogue Inugami that had found a place within the Sakame Organization. Though his wounds had since been cleaned, bandaged and tended to as best could be, they still hurt. Especially when the man refused to allow anyone to touch him after being brought to the kennel.

 

Resting a hand against the wall to help him a bit further, Raiza pushed his body up with sheer will alone, nails digging into the cement wall as a minor sign of the pulse of angry pain his wounds shot through him in retaliation. Standing with his weight supported against the wall for a few heartbeats, Raiza brushed white strands of what had once been clean and well taken care hair, away from his ruby eyes to look down at the other Inugami.

 

"The only reason I am agreeing to your words and leaving with you is because I owe my Handler the honor of killing those who killed him. Say out of my way and we won't have any problems, Hotaru" Raiza grumbled, annoyance and a hint of his previous pride taking their home once again in those assessing crimson eyes.

[Cazuki]

"Try and touch me again, Hotaru, and I guarantee that I will rip your limb clean off your body."

Hotaru chuckled at Raiza's defiance, letting his hand once again drop to his side as he rose to his full height.

"Try it. I won't make it easy for you."

 

However, he was decidedly less happy when Raiza tried to lift himself up, revealing the old bandages that were now only wrapped loosely around the numerous bullet-wounds and scratches along his body.

Inugami, definitely. Probably the Sakame.

Raiza didn't look in the best of physical health either. Besides his dirty, matted hair and fur, his body was dangerously thin, making the Inugami look almost fragile to the touch. Hotaru stepped back, letting Raiza pull himself up by using the stone wall as a support, digging his nails in and physically clawing himself up, like he was crawling out of the deepest pits of hell. It was a sight to behold and Hotaru was reminded of the determination and pride that Kinoue had told him about in the past.

 

As Raiza stood to his full height, Hotaru noticed he was slightly taller than him, though not enough that Hotaru had to look up to any significant extent.

"The only reason I am agreeing to your words and leaving with you is because I owe my Handler the honor of killing those who killed him. Say out of my way and we won't have any problems, Hotaru." Raiza looked down his nose at Hotaru, his ruby eyes coloured with life again. Hotaru laughed, loud and hard. Only someone like Raiza could say something like that when he was literally too weak to stand without support.

"Geez, Rai, you're a stubborn one." Hotaru reached into his pocket, taking out the small micro-transceiver Akihiko had given him and pressing the small red button on it. The LED light activated and Hotaru spoke into it. "We're ready now, open the door." He glanced over at Raiza, smiling. He slide over to his side, quickly curling his left arm underneath Raiza's underarms, acting as a support. He acted like he didn't notice, continuing to talk. "Could I also request a med-kit?"

No sound came through the transceiver, but the door in front of the two of them hissed open, swinging inwards slightly. Hotaru looked over at Raiza, grinning, his tail wagging. "Can't have you falling down before we even get to the good part, right?"

[GodofMischief]

Huffing softly when he was called stubborn by Hotaru, Raiza rolled his eyes and tuned his gaze forward once more. The effort to stand had taken more out of him than he would have liked. By the telltale shaking of his limbs and how his knees felt like they would fold again at any given moment, he didn't know how he would manage to carry himself out the door to the kennel. However, he wasn't going to ask for help either. There had only been one person he had ever willingly accepted help from and that person was no longer with him. Kinoue would probably glare at him and lecture him about how his stubbornness would probably get him killed, but Raiza wasn't one to just allow others near him. His past was a murky one and he didn't trust easily. No matter how much he knew Kinoue would have wanted him to trust and learn to depend on Hotaru.

 

Tensing when an arm found its way beneath his armpits, Raiza's straight gaze instantly shot towards Hotaru as an indignant growl spilled out past his lips in a low rumble. "I don't need your help, nor do I require a med-kit. So unless you plan on gaining your own set of physical injuries, something I'd be more than happy to contribute in, you're wasting your time" he grumbled, still slightly unnerved by the surge of emotions that had been awoken in him once more by the simple thought of getting revenge for Kinoue. Though he wouldn't be accepting this other Inugami anytime soon, Raiza had to admit that Kinoue had known how to choose someone for him, even if it bother Raiza immensely.

 

"I assure you that I won't be falling down anytime soon...Be that as it is, I can walk on my own" Raiza murmured quite annoyed at the grinning and tail wagging. If this Inugami presumed that he would fall just because his body wanted nothing more than to return to the steady ground below, then he was sadly mistaken. Raiza didn't give up just because of the restraints of his physical body. If he mind was strong, as it was at the moment, he would push himself as far as he could. At this current situation, he would make it to the door, even if he had to claw his was along the wall to do so.

 

However, no sooner had those thoughts filled his mind that a screech of "RAI-CHAAANNN" filled the empty space where the door had swung open. Raiza didn't even get a moment to prepare when a smaller body all but slammed into him, ripping him out of Hotaru's arms and sending him stumbling a few feet back before the momentum landed him on his back with a startled and slightly pained yelp. Gazing up at the gray ceiling for several heartbeats while he tried to get his bearings back and breath through the throb of his body, Raiza slowly lowered his ruby gaze to the body that lay on top of him, thin yet strong arms wrapped around his waist in a desperate hug.

 

"Rai-chan.....please tell me you said yes....please, please, Rai-chan....You can't leave us too, you just can't"a young Inugami pleaded from on top of the snow colored Inugami. Grunting softly at the tightening pressure of the hug, Raiza managed to lift a shaky hand and rest it on a bed of golden curls and floppy brown ears. "Inari....I'm not going to leave anyone. Kinoue would not have wanted me to....However, if you don't release my waist, I might end up suffocating" Raiza murmured gently, affection touching his voice at the young Inugami that he had always considered almost a younger sibling when Inari had made her way past his walls.

 

"Inari-chan, seriously.....Let Rai-kun go, You're probably just aggravating his wounds. Hotaru just managed to save his life, we don't need him bleeding out now" Kaname, Inari's Handler spoke up as he walked into the room with an exasperated sigh. Turning to look at Hotaru, Kaname smiled politely before holding a hand out for the other to shake while saying in a calmer tone "It's nice to meet you, Hotaru-san. We haven't had the pleasure of seeing eachother before, but the Director and his PA have told me much about you. My name is Kaname, and that little twerp is my Inugami, Inari.....We just wanted to see if the rumors were true and now that we see that they are, I want to thank you. You've done what none of us have been able to do so far".

[Cazuki]

"I don't need your help, nor do I require a med-kit. So unless you plan on gaining your own set of physical injuries, something I'd be more than happy to contribute in, you're wasting your time. I assure you that I won't be falling down anytime soon...Be that as it is, I can walk on my own." Hotaru had been expecting the growling and complaining, simply shrugging off the aggressive comments.

"Yes, yes, I know. But this gets you there faster. And I'll get told off if I let you out of here with your wounds clearly visible."

 

Hotaru was quite willing to help Raiza out of the kennel, even if it did gain him some new scratches, but he was stopped when a flying bundle of fur barreled into Raiza, ripping him from Hotaru's arm and forcing him to fall backwards.

"RAI-CHAAANNN!!"

'Rai-chan'?

Hotaru looked down at the two Inugami, a small, brown haired girl holding Raiza down, hugging him tightly around his mid-section and seemingly refusing to let go. "Rai-chan.....please tell me you said yes....please, please, Rai-chan....You can't leave us too, you just can't." The girl wailed.

Hotaru would have knelt down to help Raiza, but Raiza seemed to have it under control, calming the girl who was apparently called Inari. The touch of affection and the softening of his facial features made Hotaru smiled warmly at him. As it turned out, even big bad loner Raiza had a soft spot for cute kids.

 

His attention was directed away from the cute, if painful scene, but a tall woman walking into the room.

"Inari-chan, seriously.....Let Rai-kun go, You're probably just aggravating his wounds. Hotaru just managed to save his life, we don't need him bleeding out now." The woman was obviously a handler, judging by the fact she was both human and ordered Inari around. The handler continued, advancing to Hotaru ad holding out her hand to shake his. He acquiesced, gently taking her hand and firmly shaking it, tail wagging and brilliant smile bright on his face. "It's nice to meet you, Hotaru-san. We haven't had the pleasure of seeing each other before, but the Director and his PA have told me much about you. My name is Kaname, and that little twerp is my Inugami, Inari.....We just wanted to see if the rumors were true and now that we see that they are, I want to thank you. You've done what none of us have been able to do so far."

 

Kaname. Better remember that name. Hotaru blushed slightly, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand as he stepped back.

"Aw, that's awful flattering, but I didn't really do anything. Raiza was the one who got up, not me. Anyway, name's Hotaru, you can drop the formality, after all, I'm just an Inugami like any other. It's lovely to meet you Kaname."

He looked back over to Inari and grinned at her, crouching down again so he was more at a level with her.

"Hi Inari-chan, how are you? Name's Hotaru, but you can call me Ina if you want. Your friend used to call me that."

[GodofMischief]

Wheezing slightly when Inari tightened her grip on him for a moment more, Raiza offered the young Inugami a gentle, small smile when she peaked up at him from where she has buried her face in his chest. "You promise? " she asked hesitantly. Raiza knew that his decision to rot away if they didn't let him die had hurt the young Inugami more than he could imagine. It had always been the four of them, plus two others that would probably be here soon enough. They had formed a tight group, almost like a family. Having lost Kinoue had shook them all to the core yet when Raiza seemed to fade into a shell of who he had been, they had all feared they would lose another family member and the only ties they had left to what Kinoue had stood for. Raiza wasn't surprised by Inari's reaction when news of someone possibly being able to save him, had reached her.

 

"I promise, little sister" Raiza murmured softly, only for her to hear as she beamed at him, bushy little tail wagging in what seemed like a mile a minute while true happiness returned her her cerulean eyes.

 

"You're not like any other Inugami, Hotaru. I doubt any other Inugami would have been able to bring Raiza back to us, even if this is only the beginning. You're really an answer to our prayers. It's truly wonderful to meet you as well" Kaname replied softly, smiling at him with genuine gratitude before dropping her hand to her side after the shake.

 

Watching Hotaru crouch down to be at better level with Inari, Kaname couldn't help but smile at his words. For her part, Inari glanced over at Hotaru yet refused to let go of Raiza. Tilting her head to one side, the young Inugami blinked at Hotaru before speaking "Ina? Kinoue used to call you that?" Inari asked a bit confused. It took only a moment for a smile to blossom on her face though as she quickly added "If Kinoue-nii-san did it and you say it's ok, then I'll do it too. And I'm okay, Ina! I'm just really happy that Raiza-nii isn't going anywhere. I was really worried after what happened to Kinoue-nii-san. I've never seen Rai the way he was.....but you saved him! You made him want to fight again! Thank you so much, Ina!". Dipping her head in gratitude at the other Inugami, Inari giggled as Raiza huffed and rolled his eyes at her words but made no effort to push her off. His wounds hurt and some might have reopened by the slight metallic scent in the air, but he was in no rush to move and despite not admitting it, he had missed Inari and Kaname a fair deal since being here..

[Cazuki]

"Ina? Kinoue used to call you that?"

Hotaru nodded, giving a small affirming hum.

"Yep, sure did!" He noted the confusion in her tone and expression, but decided to leave it. The story behind his nickname was long and confusing and not something he thought he should tell someone he just met. After all, it wasn't important to the current moment at hand. "If Kinoue-nii-san did it and you say it's ok, then I'll do it too. And I'm okay, Ina! I'm just really happy that Raiza-nii isn't going anywhere. I was really worried after what happened to Kinoue-nii-san. I've never seen Rai the way he was.....but you saved him! You made him want to fight again! Thank you so much, Ina!"

Hotaru smiled, tail wagging. He was glad Inari had taken to the name well, it carried good memories for him.

From behind him, Kaname spoke, her sentiment harmonising with Inari's. "You're not like any other Inugami, Hotaru. I doubt any other Inugami would have been able to bring Raiza back to us, even if this is only the beginning. You're really an answer to our prayers. It's truly wonderful to meet you as well."

 

Hotaru didn't really have a way to answer their words, other than chuckling with a slight blush.

"Thank you for the welcome. Couldn't 'ave asked for a better one." Suddenly, the scent of blood hit his nose, causing his face to scrunch for moment before he relaxed and turned to Raiza, who was still lying on the ground, his face a lot softer than it had been a few moments before.

Guess he really likes these people.

He looked back at Inari, who was still snuggled into Raiza. "Hey Inari-chan, you look like you've got a good head on your shoulders, could you give me a hand? Your stubborn big brother here," he nodded to Raiza, smiling tauntingly "has some wounds that need tending to, but he doesn't want me to carry him like a princess. Could you help me get him up?" Despite not wanting to break the heart-warming scene, Hotaru knew he had to get Raiza's wounds attended to and if Raiza wouldn't let him help, he inferred he would be more likely to let his friends help. Today was going to be a long day of many changes for both Raiza and Hotaru, so maybe it would be better for the former if he had some familiar faces to accompany him for a while. First, they had to go to a med-bay, or at least get a med-kit to redress Raiza's wounds and then they would more than likely be called to the Director's office for a run-down of the new arrangements for their partnership. Yep, it was definitely going to be a long day.

[GodofMischief]

Flickering her floppy ears when Hotaru spoke about Raiza's wounds, Inari frowned a bit and turned her gaze down to the snow furred Inugami who was all but glaring daggers at Hotaru. Inari had caught scent of the distinct smell of blood in the air but she had figured that Raiza would have said something if he had been in pain. Apparently, she should have known better.

 

"Rai? Why haven't you let Ina help you? You know you have to have your wounds looked at. You've always lectured me about that" Inari pouted though concern was clear in her gaze as she waited for an answer. "I didn't need anyone touching me, much less an Inugami sent by the Higher Ups....even if he claims Kinoue choose him....I'm fine on my own" Raiza growled. Something that quickly turned into a small yelp when Inari reached out and gave his ear a sharp tug.

 

"You're not invincible, Rai-nii. You're lucky Kinoue isn't here to see this. And you can couldn't you blessings that Kotetsu and Natsume aren't home yet to give you an earful. Sheesh, you're so stubborn Rai-nii" Inari mumbled with a heavy sigh before climbing off the older Inugami's chest and grabbing both his hands to try and pull him up. An action Raiza didn't protest against despite preferring to be left on the ground.

 

"Easy, Inari. He's hurt, don't tug on him too much" Kaname put in gently as Inari slowed her efforts and instead of tugging, helped provide support for the other Inugami to get back to his feet. A task that was rather slow in happening and caused both females to frown at the stiffness the other moved with and the growing scent of blood in the air. Potent enough for even a human to detect it.

 

"Rai-nii...." Inari trailed unhappily and with concern, quickly catching Raiza when he stumbled. "I'm fine" Raiza reassured her though it was quite obvious that he wasn't. If not by the steady growing sluggish motions, then by the small gathering of blood where he had been laying know the ground.

 

"Ina....let's hurry ok? Rai-nii really needs to get looked at" Inari murmured softly as she supported his weight gently.

[Cazuki]

Hotaru ignored the daggers being directed his way, glaring back with equal force and his usual smile.

"I didn't need anyone touching me, much less an Inugami sent by the Higher Ups....even if he claims Kinoue choose him....I'm fine on my own."

"Aw, that hurts Raiza." He chuckled. "C'mon you stubborn old dog."

Hotaru tried not to laugh as Inari seemed to take charge over the older Inugami, helping him up and supporting some of his weight. While she was talking he caught the two unknown names she mentioned.

 

'Kotetsu and Natsume'? More friends I guess?

 

As Raiza finally stumbled to his feet, the smell of blood became even more pungent, a small patch drying on the stone floor.

"I'm fine." Hotaru growled for a moment, closing in on Raiza and placing his left arm tightly, though no too much, around his underarms again. He glared at Raiza, his eyes flashing and his expression darkening for an almost imperceptible moment, scowling with teeth bared.

"No, you're not. Now stop complaining and let me help, Rai."

As soon as the anger had flared, it departed, leaving Hotaru with just a sad smile.

"Ina....let's hurry ok? Rai-nii really needs to get looked at."

Hotaru turned to Inari, nodding his head as he took more of Raiza's weight and started to move towards the door of the kennel. "Yeah. Let's go. You two can direct me to the med-bay, right?" He cast a look to Kaname and Inari in turn, obviously asking the question to both of them.

 

((I'm sorry it's a bit short. I don't want to take control of your NPC's without your permission.))

[GodofMischief]

At the "old dog" comment, Raiza felt irritation flare in him and he had to restrain himself from snarling at the other Inugami. By looks alone, Raiza doubted that he was more than a few short years older than Hotaru. Yes, he acted much more mature than others his age, but it was simply due to the life experiences that had shaped him. He wasn't for acting like a puppy who was still wet behind the ears..he knew how to lead and he wouldn't let his age stop him from doing so. However, the jab at his age had gotten under his skin quite a bit. Kinoue, himself, had done it often and despite Raiza's glares and growls, his previous Handler had found it hilarious. Apparently this Inugami would be not very different. It was a thought that both comforted him and annoyed him nonetheless.

 

"Hotaru....I swear I'll kill you if you call me old again" Raiza snapped a warning. He's glare only intensified at Inari's amused giggle and the smile Kaname was trying to hide behind the hand she had raised to cover her mouth. This Inugami had no idea who he was poking at and weak or not, Raiza wasn't above putting the boy in his place.

 

Feeling nervousness tickle his senses when Hotaru's posture changed and he walked up to him when Inari managed to pull Raiza to his feet, the snow furred Inugami's ears lowered defensively and his ruby eyes narrowed slowly. He wasn't ready for a fight, if that was what the other Inugami wanted, but he wouldn't back down either. No, he had his pride and what was left of his honor, to stand up for.

 

However when instead of attacking, like Raiza thought he would do, Hotaru wrapped an arm around him again, ruby eyes blinked a few times in confusion. "Why is it that you're so determined to help me. We haven't ever met before and the only ties we have to eachother is through Kinoue, so why are you so insistent. I don't understand" Raiza murmured softly once the severe look on the other had changed into a sad smile. He truly couldn't understand why this man was doing all this....even if Kinoue had truly chosen him. It just made no sense to him.

 

Seeing Inari and Kaname nod quickly from the corner of his eye, Raiza knew he wasn't getting out of getting his wounds checked when the two gestured to be followed and slipped out of the kennel to lead the winding way towards the medical bay.

 

Releasing a tired and weary sigh, the Inugami leaned a bit more of his weight on Hotaru as he took a step forward, followed by another to follow his friends. His pride and mind rebelled at the thought of accepting help from a stranger yet he knew that without Hotaru's help, he wouldn't even be able to make it half way towards their destination. "Don't think I'll make a habit of this, pup. When my strenght returns, I will not need you to help me in the least" Raiza released a rather indignant growl under his breath as he kept his gaze forward.

 

 

[[it's fine, don't worry about it^^. I don't mind if you control them a bit^^]]

[Cazuki]

"Hotaru....I swear I'll kill you if you call me old again." Raiza snarled, glaring with an odd mix of anger, pride and another emotion Hotaru couldn't quite place. Hotaru simply shook his head, chuckling quietly to himself. It seemed that despite Raiza's intelligence he couldn't seem to figure out that the comment wasn't poking fun at his age. It was poking fun at the fact he acted like an old man, from his speech patterns to his mannerisms to his mule-like stubbornness. Hotaru remembered a comment from a conversation he'd had with Kinoue in the past an snickered to himself. He decided to drop the friendly insult for now though, deciding antagonising the admittedly much more well-trained Inugami was not the best idea on his first day working with him.

 

"Why is it that you're so determined to help me. We haven't ever met before and the only ties we have to each other is through Kinoue, so why are you so insistent. I don't understand." Hotaru let the question stir around in his mind for a while. Meanwhile, he let Raiza lean more of his weight on him, helping him towards the door while letting the Inugami take his own pace. He didn't want to hurt Raiza more than he already was. It was nice to think that Raiza was leaning metaphorically on Hotaru just a bit more, though he had to ruin it a few moments later with a grumbled "Don't think I'll make a habit of this, pup. When my strength returns, I will not need you to help me in the least."

 

"I thought we were past the age comments, Raiza?" Hotaru chuckled. "Hypocrite. Anyway, we'll see how things go when you get better alright?" He paused, continuing to walk with Raiza. The answer from his earlier question stewed in his mind. Honestly, he had no reason to help Raiza. In truth, he only had 2 reasons. The first was his sense of fairness and justice and the second was... "Hey Rai." Hotaru mumbled under his breath, keeping as quiet as possible. "You know why Kinoue called me Ina? It's short for 'Inazuma'... 'lightning', since my name can mean 'lightning bug'. Just like your name can mean 'thunder'." He smiled sadly at Raiza, ears down and with a complicated, expression in his eyes. "He said we were born to met each other. So, yeah, that's why."

It wasn't the whole truth, or even a smidge of it. But it was functional and it was all Raiza had to know.

 

In front of them Inari and Kaname got to the med-bay, Kaname poking her head inside to call for one of the nurses they had on hand to deals with injuries that didn't require immediate hospitalization. By the time Hotaru and Raiza would get there, a nurse was already standing by the door in full uniform. He had a kindly smile and opened the door wide, gesturing for Raiza and Hotaru to come inside without a word.

"Thanks." Hotaru turned to Kaname and Inari "You wanna stay with us?"

[GodofMischief]

Scoffing at being called a hypocrite, Raiza kept his gaze firmly straight ahead as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other. He was tired and his eyes were drooping against his will, but he supposed it couldn't be helped. He had been working against his body and its needs ever since Kinoue's death, so it was only logical that now that he was forcing it to move, his body would protest and his mind would give in to the murkiness he had been ignoring for nights on end. However, Raiza knew there would be time to rest later when he was provided a place to live once more. For now, he had to keep his bearings about himself the best he could and worry about all else at a more convenient time. At least that was what he was trying to convince himself of.

 

Flickering his ears when Hotaru lowered his voice, Raiza turned his gaze a bit to look at him from the corner of his eyes. He had an inkling of suspicion that Hotaru wanted to keep what he was about to say between just the two of them so Raiza didn't make a big deal of Hotaru using a shortened version of his name, something he seemed to favor doing. Listening to Hotaru speak, Raiza felt a frown settle deeper into his features as he tried to make sense of what was being told to him. Kinoue had said that they were born to meet?....Why? Was it just because of the strange uniqueness of their names, or was it more? Raiza honestly had no idea but he doubted that there wasn't more to the story.

 

"I can't begin to truly understand what Kinoue meant by any of that....my Handler liked to speak in riddles at times. You seem to know more than what you're telling me....however, I won't press the topic. If Kinoue had meant for me to know, he would have told me when he met you. Nevertheless, he more than likely didn't mean much to it" Raiza murmured just as softly. He didn't truly believe his own words, but there was nothing else he could say on the topic. It was new water for him and with the state he was in, trying to unravel what Kinoue might have meant by saying that they were "born to meet eachother", would be a failure of massive proportions.

 

When Raiza saw the nurse waiting for them with the door open in the med bay, he paused with an unhappy scowl tugging his lips down. He knew he had said he would allow himself to be checked out, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with others touching him. Especially now that Kinoue wasn't there to calm him when Raiza's nerves started to get prickled. Tearing his gaze away from the nurse and the door when Kaname walked back towards them, Raiza met her gaze quietly as she smiled and shook her head.

 

"Nah, the more people there is in there, the less space the nurses will have to move. You go on in with Rai-kun, Inari and I will be waiting right out here" she replied calmly, stopping in front of Raiza after shooting Hotaru a friendly smile. Reaching up, Kaname gently cupped Raiza's cheeks and leaned forward to press a kiss on his forehead the moment she pushed herself up to her tiptoes. "Take a deep breath, Rai-kun. Everything will be fine, like I said, Inari and I will be just out here in case anything happens. Just keep your cool" she murmured softly, knowing all to well of Raiza's past and the shadows in it.

 

Locking eyes with Kaname's loving, calm hazel eyed gaze, Raiza exhaled softly and gave the human a small nod. "I'll do my best" he murmured before flickering his gaze at Inari who looked worried yet shot him a thumbs up when his eyes reached hers. Smiling lightly at the young Inugami, Raiza took a step towards the doors of the med bay and the nurse while mumbling "Let's get this over with".

[Cazuki]

Hotaru nodded when Raiza said he wouldn't push the topic any deeper for now. It wasn't like he was entirely adverse to telling Raiza what had happened in the past, but he decided that complicated things such as that could wait until they had made a good link of their own, rather than relying on their mutual friend to connect them together. Hotaru tried his best to ignore it, but he could see that Raiza was much more tired than he was letting on to the others, if his drooping eyes told him anything. He'd ignore it for now, but once the check-up was finished and the meeting with the Director was done, Hotaru was determined to make sure the older Inugami got some well-deserved rest and some good food. After all, Kinoue had told him to look out for Raiza should he not be able to and anyway he could already feel a faint connection to him. He wanted to be Raiza's friend.

 

Hotaru stayed still as Kaname gave Raiza a pep-talk, kissing him lightly on the forehead much in the way a mother would, though the illusion was made somewhat comical by the fact she had to stand on tiptoes to reach that high. Hotaru smiled warmly back at Kaname.

"Thanks for the help." Hotaru watched Raiza thank Kaname and then look over at Inari, who gave him a big thumbs-up to encourage him. Hotaru was yet again struck by the fact that Raiza, despite all appearances, had a strong, supportive family around him. It almost made Hotaru sad again, grasping an inkling of the pain that Raiza must have felt at losing his father-figure and closest friend. He could sympathize with that, at least.

 

"Let's get this over with." Raiza grumbled by his side. Hotaru nodded, helping Raiza forward and he raised his right arm to wave at Kaname and Inari behind him.

"See you guys on the other side!"

As soon as they were past the threshold, the nurse closed the door of the med-bay behind them.

 

The room was full to bursting with all sort of medical equipment and objects. It was a small-ish room, though not nearly as small as the kennel. Two beds were placed at each wall of the room, making four in total that crisscrossed in the room in an interlocking pattern with a clear aisle down the center line. Between each bed stood a heart monitor, a rod most likely for IV drips and a small, collapsable metal table which currently had nothing on it. Cuboards and drawers filled three corners of the room, the smell of drugs and disinfectant pungent in the air around them. To Hotaru's right was a little desk and chrome filing cabinet, most likely containing the medical examination and records of all the men, women and Inugami who worked at the station. The male nurse looped around Raiza, nodding to the closest bed.

"If you could sit down there please and we'll start the examination." His voice was soft and friendly and he looked at Raiza with a combination of firmness and sympathy. Obviously, these two had met before. As Hotaru helped Raiza move to whether he wanted to go, the nurse looked over at him and smiled. "You must be this new genius Inugami I've been hearing so much about. Hotaru-san, right?" Hotaru shot a smile at the nurse, nodding.

"That's me, though I ain't much of a 'genius'. Just kept my head down in the academy. Also, you can drop the honorific, sensei." The nurse blushed at the respectful term. Shuffling over to one of the cupboards to recover a kit for dressing wounds.

"You honor me. I'm just a nurse here. It's still nice to meet you Hotaru. My name is Jinko."

[GodofMischief]

Walking into the room, Raiza glanced around slowly at the somewhat familiar settings even while his fur bristled lightly. Kinoue had always made it a habit of dragging Raiza to the med-bay even when the man claimed to be fine after a long, tiring mission. Kinoue had never taken any of Raiza's "nonsense", as he had always called it, and if trying to drag the Inugami didn't work, Kinoue had had a habit of bodily lifting Raiza and carrying him over. Something that had a small hint of fondness squirm its way into Raiza's mind as he thought about it. He missed Kinoue and even now that he had agreed to fight for him, Raiza still longed to by his Handler's side and be allowed to die. Life without Kinoue didn't seem to have much meaning for him...however he knew that he couldn't go back on his word. Kinoue wouldn't have it, from wherever he was, the man would want him to move on and live his life to the fullest.

 

Twitching his ears at the exchange of words between Jinko, a nurse Kinoue had dragged him to see time and time again, and Hotaru, Raiza couldn't help but frown slightly. He didn't like the small speckle of....annoyance maybe?, at how Jinko had blushed and walked away. Yet he refused to comment on it any further. Instead, he calmly pulled himself away from Hotaru, raising his head a bit to show a brief flash of resilient pride inside him, and walked over to the bed Jinko had requested of him to go.....Perhaps to say that he walked could have been a stretch, however, Raiza ignored his limp and the way his feet refused to leave the floor to far in order to create a proper step. The technicalities on how he made it to the bed were of no important, all that mattered was that he made it.

 

Sinking down gratefully on the soft surface, the Inugami released a heavy sigh and rested his hands on his lap after going through the motions of unbuttoning his shirt. "You may assess my wounds as best you like, Jinko...however, my only request is that you stay away from the one on my neck. Should that one require being cleaned, I prefer it be done by Kaname and Inari" Raiza stated quietly, eyeing the nurse with his ever present caution and barely there calm.

 

Raiza had always been a bit of a stubborn one about letting anyone anywhere near his neck. The night of the attack, the reason he had been unable to make it to Kinoue's side in time, was because his neck had been targeted. It was the weakest part of any Inugami and should an enemy Inugami latch on firmly with his teeth at the base of the neck, where it met the shoulder, then his opponent's mind would instantly seize to fight. Instincts would urge them to submit to their opponent and the fight would be won in a heartbeat. Though Raiza's instincts had slammed him that night, he had refused to let them keep him from getting to Kinoue, even if it had been to late by then.

 

Taking his eyes off the nurse after several heartbeats, Raiza submitted himself to his fate for the next few moments and closed his eyes to allow a brief moment of rest.

[Cazuki]

Hotaru sensed the push, albeit weakly, from Raiza and let him go, deciding it would cause more harm than good if he forcibly held Raiza. He grinned at Raiza's glare, much more used to the habitual aggression the other Inugami seemed to possess than he had been at the start. He let Raiza shamble over to the closest bed like a dead man in shackles, walking over to the desk and grabbing the small chair. As he walked, he kept a close eye on Raiza in his periphery. He looked down at his shirt to find there was now a small smattering of blood-stains on it and he sighed, since it was a brand new shirt and all.

 

Meanwhile, Jinko unfolded the small metal table by the bed, placing the small kit onto it and preparing the necessary tools (varying sizes and materials of bandages, disinfectant, cotton swabs etc.). Raiza's voice registered at the corners of his hearing as he prepared.

"You may assess my wounds as best you like, Jinko...however, my only request is that you stay away from the one on my neck. Should that one require being cleaned, I prefer it be done by Kaname and Inari."

Jinko hummed in agreement, turning to Raiza with an understanding smile.

"Of course, Raiza-kun. I know how sensitive that particular area is to your kind. Once I'm done cleaning the worst of your wounds and redressed them, I'll give a small kit to your new..." Jinko paused, carefully considering his words "friend and he can give it to Inari-chan and Kaname-kun. Anyway, let's get started, shall we?"

 

Jinko then started to calmly and carefully approach, setting about the process of getting rid of the old, sticky bandages, cleaning the wounds and redressing them. He moved carefully, but with the purposeful skill of the medical profession, carefully drawing away the old blood-encrusted bandages before applying disinfectant.

By then, Hotaru had come back with his chair, placing it on the the ground to Raiza's left and at an angle so he was able to watch Jinko's work. He didn't wince at the wounds. After all, he'd seen them before and wasn't particularly squeamish. He sat on the chair backwards, swinging one leg around it so his chest laid on the back of the chair like a sort of guard. He leant on it, crossing his arms under his chin and closing his eyes so he could think. After a couple of moments his ears twitched as of remembering something and he shifted, unfurling his left arm and placing it on the bed next to Raiza, palm facing upwards to the ceiling. He wouldn't presume anything by trying to grab Raiza's hand to comfort him, but he kept his arm there, close to his hand yet still. He kept his eyes closed, now only leaning on his right arm and thinking what he should make for dinner tongith. Soup maybe?

 

Jinko continued his ministrations, concentrating on his work as he continued to clean the rest of the wounds and slowly bandage them back up.

"I'll be done soon Raiza-kun, just a few more moments." A few minutes later, Jinko finished, pushing back his wheely chair as he packed up the remaining supplies, creating a small kit to be taken away. "There we go, all done. Wasn't so bad, now was it?"

[GodofMischief]

Relaxing a bit more when Jinko agreed to leave his neck wound alone, Raiza rested his tail beside his thigh on the bed and focused on simply allowing the doctor to do what they had come here for. A subtle sound of movement caught his attention though, and as he blinked his eyes open again the Inugami cast them to the side to gaze in silent thoughtfulness at Hotaru. The man was still a bit of an enigma to him, yet Raiza couldn't fault him in much, aside from wanting to take over as his Handler after Kinoue. If he were to be honest, Raiza could say that the Inugami had the right sort of character and patience to be a Handler, however, never for Raiza himself. No matter if Kinoue had brought this idea into life, Raiza wouldn't give in to it so easily. Not when he was yet to understand the reasons behind it.

 

Flickering his eyes down at Hotaru's hand, the Inugami's ears twisted back a bit in mild annoyance and discomfort. He didn't want the other Inugami to think he needed his comfort....yet he couldn't deny that he was slightly afraid as well. He had never liked medical rooms and he had never failed to make his opinion known even when Kinoue had been the one to bring him over. Nevertheless, Raiza knew that his pride would never allow him to place his hand in Hotaru's....so he did what was the next best thing that he could brush away as nothing in the future.

 

Shifting his tail, Raiza lifted it up and swung it over to where Hotaru's hand seemed to wait. With an internal curse at how pathetic he was for this, Raiza placed his tail in Hotaru's hand even as he turned his head slightly away, refusing to allow the slight embarrassed pink that touched his features, to be noticed by a man who probably wouldn't let him live it down.

 

Closing his eyes again when Jinko began to take off the dirty crusted bandages in favor for putting new ones on after cleaning the wounds, Raiza kept his breathing as steady as possible though he couldn't stop the shudder that rocked his thinner - than - normal frame. Having bandages being taken off that had been stuck on his wounds due to dry blood was painful, not only that, but his wounds themselves throbbed rather aggressively. More so the ones he had reopened with his reunion with Inari and Kaname. However, the sooner this was over, the sooner he could leave this room...so Raiza remained silent and still, allowing Jinko to work without a distraction.

 

No sooner had the medic finished and spoken moments later, that a rough, throaty, angry voice snapped from outside the closed door. "Where the bloody hell is he?" the voice demanded and though Raiza could here Inari trying to calm the person down, all the Inugami could think as the door slammed open was "....Fuck".

 

Glowing golden eyes soon locked onto him from the towering shape of a raven haired Inugami, who rather large ears were pressed forward in anger and whose midnight colored sleek tail shook with pent up emotions. It took but a second for the muscular Inugami to cover the ground between them in large strides with a scowl firmly planted on his tan face. "Tetsu-" Raiza began in a pacifing manner, only to be cut off sharply when then man bodily lifted him from the bed and crushed him to his chest in a massive hug. If Raiza had thought Inari's greeting had been a bit painful, it was a love tap compared to this as the smaller Inugami squirmed a bit in the other's arms.

 

Salvation came in the form of another figure rushing into the room and gracing the large Inugami with a flying kick to the side, causing him to drop Raiza a bit startled and go skidding away a few feet. Finally able to catch his breath, Raiza squeaked in protest when the second tall figure scooped down a bit to pick him up and cradle him in his arms. "Mah, Kotetsu.....I told you we had to be gentle with him and there you go crushing him as if he were in perfect shape....Sheesh" the second man spoke, an odd sort of twang decorating his voice as he glared at his Inugami through almost slits for eyes.

 

"Did you really have to kick me that hard?! Shit! You could have just told me to put him down!" the raven colored Inugami grumbled, his tone never changing from the harsh sensation it seemed to hold. "And what the hell happened to your neck, Rai?!" the Inugami demanded a second later, golden eyes once again landing on the pale Inugami in his Handler's arms.

 

"If I had told you to put him down, you would have ignored me, ya big furrball" the male holding Raiza huffed though he too lowered his gaze to look at Raiza's neck curiously and the old bandages around it.

 

Parting his lips to respond, thankful to have his weight off his feet for a few moments even though his ears twitched in minor annoyance, not a word managed to leave his lips as Inari barged into the room as well with an unhappy snarl. Something surprising to see on an Inugami of her stature and almost childish nature. "Kotetsu! Natsume! Seriously, you two couldn't wait?! We told you that Raiza-nii was fine and getting checked out. Jinko-sensei could have done without your interruption!" she snapped, stomping her foot on the ground and balling her hand into fists to empathize her displeasure while Kaname stood in the doorway and shook her head with obvious exasperation and disbelief.

 

"Yeah yeah, we heard you the first time..

we just felt like seeing him for ourselves....our bad" the black furred Inugami, Kotetsu, replied with a absentminded wave of the hand and flick of the ear. Slowly, his eyes turned and closed in on Hotaru for the first time since he had arrived in the room. With his scowl deepening, Kotetsu crossed his arms and stared at Hotaru while murmuring out a rough "Who the fuck are you?".

[Cazuki]

Or maybe take-out? Guess it'd depend on what his guest wanted. Hotaru still continued to think about what to have for dinner, though his thoughts were immediately disrupted by the tickling sensation of fur in his left hand. He didn't open his eyes, but instead used his other instincts to infer what happened. The fur in his hand was matted slightly with dirt and dust clumps, but it was still soft in it's own way and firm. It didn't take much to infer that the fur was tail fur. Once Hotaru had reached that conclusion, he had to duck his head slightly below his right arm, using it and the chair to cover his grin and stifle his giggles.

Man, no wonder Kinoue liked you so much. You're the ultimate tsundere. The term was crude, but entirely fitting for the moment. Meanwhile, Hotaru kept his hand still, simply allowing Raiza's tail to hang loosely in it. Peace continued for a short while before it was rudely interrupted.

 

"Where the bloody hell is he?" A booming voice echoed from behind the door, followed by a few small squeaks which were probably Inari and a heavy bang of the hospital door slamming on the adjacent wall. Hotaru finally open his eyes, drawing them to the newcomer. Honestly, the new Inugami looked less like a dog-breed as they did a wolf. He didn't have much time to observe him before he advanced forward, ripping Raiza from the bed and crushing him in a bear-hug. Jinko started shouting at the bigger Inugami.

"What are you doing with my patient!? You're being way too rough Kotetsu-kun!"

Kotetsu... so another friend of Raiza's. That should mean-

Hotaru's thought was interrupted a human, smaller than Kotetsu but still big, ran in, drop-kicking the Inugami and forcing him to let Raiza go. Jinko continued shouting, running over to the side of the room where Kotetsu had been kicked to, making sure all the medical equipment was still okay after having a huge barrel thrown at them. The male human spoke, presumably Natsume.

"Mah, Kotetsu.....I told you we had to be gentle with him and there you go crushing him as if he were in perfect shape....Sheesh." The twang was odd. A foreigner maybe? It would explain his size.

As the two started arguing, Hotaru sighed, getting up from his chair and placing it delicately back near the desk so it was out of the way.

 

When he turned back Inari was in the room, snarling at the two bigger men. "Kotetsu! Natsume! Seriously, you two couldn't wait?! We told you that Raiza-nii was fine and getting checked out. Jinko-sensei could have done without your interruption!"

Jinko piped up in agreement, still organizing the medical supplies.

"Yeah yeah, we heard you the first time.. we just felt like seeing him for ourselves....our bad." Kotetsu answered, not seeming to take the smaller Inugami seriously (though honestly why should he?)

The taller Inugami finally seemed to recognize Hotaru's existence for once, spinning to him and fixing him with a cold glare, crossed arms and deep frown. "Who the fuck are you?" Ah, Hotaru could feel that this man would be harder to placate than most.

 

So let's start with a distraction.

He stood opposite Kotetsu, feet spread shoulder width apart. The height disparity was discomforting, but not something Hotaru hadn't faced before. Hotaru grinned.

"Hey, which do you think is better? Home-made soup or take-away? I've been thinking about for a while now and I still can't choose." He let the topic hang in the air, looking resolutely into Kotestsu's golden eyes. "Name's Hotaru. I'm a new face here, so it's nice to meet you Kotetsu-san," He nodded to Natsume "and Natsume-san as well. Umm... I'd love to chat, but I think me and Raiza have a meeting to get to."

[GodofMischief]

Staring blankly at Hotaru when the other Inugami asked what food would be good, Kotetsu swung his gaze over at Inari and asked rather bluntly "Is this guy some kind of idiot?". It was clear he wasn't for entertaining the question nor did he find amusement in anything going on. Inari for her part sputtered at the insult Kotetsu had delivered without a thought.

 

Blinking at Kotetsu and his unique set of rude manners, Raiza couldn't fight the small smile that twitched the corners of his lips up a bit. He had missed this greatly, having Kotetsu and Natsume overseas when Kinoue had been killed, had not done any wonders to the wounded Inugami. Now that they were back now, things seemed to fall back to the normal routine. Even if one key player was missing and a new player seemed to have taken his place.

 

Growling ominously at the slighter Inugami when Hotaru mentioned a meeting that would involve Raiza more than likely leaving his sight, black ears flattened in obvious disagreement as he bared his fangs at the light furred canine. "Alright, you listen here and you listen here good. I don't give a damn who you are. You could be the second coming of Christ for all I care, all I'm going to make clear is that Raiza isn't leaving our sight" Kotetsu snarled, his fur bristling in clear anger while he took a step to position himself in front of Natsume and the Inugami the human still held.

 

Tilting his head to one side, Natsume watched the exchange with a curious little frown on his face. "Maaah, Tetsu, calm down. I'm sure we can use our inside voices and not kill one another while we're at it. Hotaru-kun probably has a good motive for going to this meeting with Rai-chan" he intervened in a calming tone, something that seemed to work as Kotetsu's fur settled down once more even if his fierce glare remained locked on Hotaru. Challenging him silently to even try and move towards the injured Inugami.

 

"Tetsu-nii, Hotaru is Raiza-nii's new partner too. So it should be ok that he take him to a meeting. Nothing is going to happen" Inari put in, tone a soft whine as she too tried to placate the biggest Inugami in the room. "She's right, Kotetsu. Everything is going to be fine. Besides, injured or not, Raiza is smart enough and agile enough to defend himself if anything did occur" Kaname spoke quietly as she took a step into the room, a bit tense at the stiff air around Kotetsu.

 

"Hey, I don't really care if you guys think nothing is going to happen! And the reason is very simple, Raiza isn't going anywhere......and what the hell do you mean new partner, Inari! Raiza doesn't need a new partner, especially not one that is fresh out of the Academy. I'll be damned if I step back and let this happen!" Kotetsu snarled at all of them, not once did his eyes leave Hotaru though. It was crystal clear that he didn't approve of either the man or the situation he was in with Raiza. And by the small, threatening step he took forward, he was probably going to make his point known in a physical sense too.

 

"OI!" a voice that had been silent for the last few moments, finally spoke up, causing the black furred Inugami to freeze. "That's enough, Tetsu! Get your head out of your ass and stop trying to pick fights with the kid! I'm to damn tired to deal with it right now and I'll kill you both if you do more damage to Jinko's room! So get your ass over here and stop snarling like a rabid dog!" Raiza snapped, loud and clear. For once, he actually sounded like a man his age and not someone way behind his physical years. Ruby eyes flashed in tired temper as Kotetsu flickered his startled gaze over to him and with a mumbled grumble of unhappiness, slowly stepped away from Hotaru to go back to his Handler and Raiza's side.

 

"Thank you....Now, Tsume, put me down....I can stand on my own" Raiza spoke in a softer tone now that the danger of a fight had passed. Truthfully, he really didn't want to stand on his own, he was tired and all he wanted was to sleep. However, things had to be taken care of before that could happen.

 

Reluctantly, Natsume gently lowered Raiza to his feet with a frown, keeping a hand on the Inugami when the long haired man swayed a bit before regaining his balance. Pausing to grace his family a small smile, Raiza murmured out a quiet "Thanks....I'll see you all in a little while. Behave while I tend to matters needed".

 

Turning his back on them, just as reluctantly as Natsume had put him down, Raiza walked over to Hotaru's side saying "As for food, you may make or order whatever you prefer...it is of no matter. However, for now let's get going to the meeting, shall we?"

[Cazuki]

"Is this guy some kind of idiot?" Well, honestly, Hotaru had expected that response. He'd hoped that the flippant comment would have thrown Kotetsu sufficiently off-target to misdirect any aggression. Sadly, it seemed his attempt was in vain, as the burly Inugami stepped forward, standing between Hotaru and Raiza, teeth bared and fur raised on end, ready for a fight. "Alright, you listen here and you listen here good. I don't give a damn who you are. You could be the second coming of Christ for all I care, all I'm going to make clear is that Raiza isn't leaving our sight."

Hotaru stayed silent, warily watching Kotetsu as he blustered and everyone else tried to convince him to stand-down. He'd met people like this before and they left him with a bad taste in his mouth. He noted the threatening step and shifted, almost imperceptibly, into a battle stance, his hands down and crossed in front of his chest and feet turned inwards. He looked up into Kotetsu's eyes, not challenging or afraid, just staring, almost vacant.

 

Already his body was focusing, going through the old routes and paths. Entrances, exits, weapons, weak-points, blind-spots, civilians. His ears flattened, while his eyes remained vacant. Stay calm, that's what Kinoue taught you. He was ready to fight if need be and Kotetsu's bigger size and experience didn't scare him.

 

"OI!" Hotaru jerked out of position, the loud noise jolting his high-strung system. He stepped back, but luckily, so did Kotetsu. "That's enough, Tetsu! Get your head out of your ass and stop trying to pick fights with the kid! I'm to damn tired to deal with it right now and I'll kill you both if you do more damage to Jinko's room! So get your ass over here and stop snarling like a rabid dog!" Hotaru was mildly insulted by the 'kid' comment, but ignored it. He probably was younger than Raiza, though he liked to think he was above his years in maturity. His ears flicked back, though this time in subtle apology. Hotaru looked over at Raiza, who, despite swaying as he stood again, looking like at any moment he would faint from exhaustion, had a fiery blaze in his eyes. Internally, Hotaru felt a surge of respect for Raiza and realized, probably for the first real time, that despite his wounds, both mental and physical, Raiza was a highly trained, highly powerful and high ranking Inugami.

 

He watched as Raiza smiled at his friends, though possibly it would be more accurate to term them his family and felt a slight tinge of jealousy at how close they all seemed to be. He supposed Kinoue hadn't been the only thing that had linked them all together.

"As for food, you may make or order whatever you prefer...it is of no matter. However, for now let's get going to the meeting, shall we?"

Hotaru nodded for a moment, still stuck in thought, before his mind snapped back to reality. He grinned at Raiza, wider than he probably ever had before now, tail wagging quickly from side-to-side.

"Sure!" he exclaimed, walking slowly towards the hospital door, straight past Kotetsu. He nodded politely at Natsume and smiled at Inari and Kaname. "We'll be back soon." He walked the rest of the way to the door, waiting patiently for Raiza.

 

Once they walked out into the hallway, the door closed, Hotaru turned to Raiza, still smiling.

"No wonder Kinoue liked you so much. You were awesome, Rai!" Hotaru paused, thinking where they needed to go "Director said he wanted to see you if you came out today. Um... it's about your living arrangements." Hotaru started to walk down the corridor, keeping his pace the same as Raiza's and keeping close in case the other looked like he would fall again.

 

Meanwhile, back in the nurse's office, Jinko sighed, having made sure the rest of his supplies were okay.

"If everyone is done destroying my office, could I kindly ask for you all to leave. This room is small as is, without four other people in here!"

[GodofMischief]

Blinking a bit confused when his words resulted in getting a wide grin shot at him, Raiza pondered if perhaps he should stay with his family instead of going with a younger Inugami whose emotions seemed to change with the wind. However, no matter the slight second thoughts he was having, Raiza knew he had to get this meeting done and over with to move further into his plan to avenge Kinoue. His Handler deserved that much and Raiza refused to let him down a second time. Yet before he could go about tearing the Sakame organization to pieces, he had to get his body back to physical shape, he had to train, and he supposed he had to gain a bit of weight once more....least he truly wanted to get blown away by a strong breeze.

 

Following Hotaru to the room door, Raiza spared a moment to gently brush his fingers against the back of Kotetsu's hand when the taller Inugami growled deeply the moment Hotaru swept past him. Raiza knew that Kotetsu didn't allow anyone near what he considered family. He knew that hearing about Kinoue's death and Raiza's mental health because of it while being unable to do anything to reach the pale furred Inugami, had scared, frustrated and angered him. Raiza knew that Kotetsu would need to physically and mentally reassure himself that Raiza was alright before he willingly allowed the younger canine out of his sight for more than a few moments. But at the moment, that would all have to wait. Once things were cleared up at the meeting, Raiza would give Kotetsu and his family as much time as they needed, everything else could go to hell. For Raiza, family came first.....More so now than ever before.

 

"I don't understand how I was so amazing. I was merely calming down a family member before a brawl broke loose. A fight would have benefited no one" Raiza murmured softly, feeling annoyance as the light tingle of pink that made its way to his cheeks at the compliment. Honestly, the tension in the room had scared him a hint and the last thing he had wanted was Kotetsu and Hotaru to go at one another. Raiza had simply done what he thought was best and what he knew Kinoue would have done if he had been present as well. It was Raiza's job to keep the peace now, and he wouldn't let anything stop him.

 

Tuning his mind on taking step for step, Raiza flickered his ears at Hotaru's words sharply. Lifting his gaze to where he had been focusing on the floor as a hand trailed against the wall beside him, the ruby eyed Inugami narrowed those hues with irritation. "I don't see why my living arrangements should be the topic. I can take care of myself, if I must....I don't need anyone looking after me" he grumbled, and though there was still prideful fire in his words, it was tainted with the weariness creeping into his bones now. When Kinoue had lived, Raiza had shared a condominium with his Handler, as it was routine for every Inugami and their Handler's to do. Raiza understood things would be different now, but he refused to let the Director force him to live with someone else now....If that was what the plan had been.

 

Smiling apologetically at Jinko, Kaname quickly moved forward to grab both one furry black ear from Kotetsu and one human ear from Natsume before starting to drag them out of the room, completely ignoring their whines and protests. "I'm really sorry about the mess, Jinko. You have my word, it won't happen again and I'll make these two idiots pay for it! If you need new supplies or anything of the sort, call me and I'll order you what you need.....Inari, let's get going! " she called over her shoulder, tone still full of apologies as Inari giggled and hurried after her, but not before giving Jinko a small hug and saying a soft apology of her own.