A Walk Through The Woods {Kairi And Vargas ONLY}

[Sakurai Kairi]

    Sunlight shone through the trees as Kairi made her way through the woods.  It had been an unusually warm day, so the brunette had decided to take advantage of it by taking a walk.  Despite the warmth from the sun, she still wore her grey jacket, which she had her hands in the pockets of.  Looking down, she saw that her cat was walking beside her; Sky never left his owner alone.  Kairi let out an exasperated sigh.  "You never let me have time alone, do you?"  The grey-and-silver tabby looked up and mewed loudly in response.  Kairi smiled, "Well, there's a better view up here."  She jerked her head up, signaling for the cat to climb onto her shoulder, and slowed her pace to allow Sky to jump.  Understanding what his owner meant, the cat bunched his muscles and leaped gracefully onto her shoulder.  "Good job," she praised,  "you're getting better at this."  Kairi reached up and stroked the cat's soft fur, which seemed to glow under the sun's warm rays.  Gazing up at the trees overhead, Kairi could make out the different kinds of birds and animals running and flying among the branches and leaves.  "It's so beautiful out here, like the Jabberwocky doesn't even exist."  At the creature's name, Sky's fur fluffed out slightly.  Laughing, Kairi reached up to pet her cat again.  "It's okay, Sky!  That mean old Jabberwocky's probably asleep in some old stump somewhere!"

    Walking further into the Park, the path underfoot slowly started disappearing as it gave way to grass and saplings.  I guess the workers don't like going this far in, she thought, hesitating slightly.  After another minute or so, the path in front of her had completely vanished.  Looking back, Kairi was surprised to see that the path she'd taken wasn't there.  How are we supposed to get home. . ?  She started to walk back, hoping to find the elusive path, when something caught her eye:  A tarp, covered with fallen branches and leaves, resting over a deep dip under the roots of an oak tree.  Walking toward the structure, Kairi suddenly became aware of the mass of white fur glaring at her from underneath.  That can't be the Jabberwocky, could it? She thought, stopping abruptly.  The Jabberwocky has scales. . .  Inching closer, the brunette knelt down to stare back at the eyes.  "Hello, who are you?"  She asked nonchalantly.  Sky's fur bristled, and he leaped down from Kairi's shoulder to hide behind her.  "Sky, don't be such a chicken."  Taking a breath, she reached out and slowly lifted the tarp, watching as the white animal retreated farther into it's den.  "A wolf pup?"  She said aloud, peering down at it.  "What are you doing here all by yourself?  Where's your family?"  Kairi had never seen wolves in the park before.  How long had it been living here?  "I'm guessing you didn't built this" -She gestured to the tarp- "so someone must be caring for you.  My name's Kairi, by the way."  She admitted that introducing herself to an animal was rather odd, but since she could shapeshift it was better to say it now than later and complicate things.  She sat down beside the shelter.  "Do you know when your friend is coming back?"

[Kirito]

Today, for the most part, was a drag for Vargas. After making a fool of himself in front of everyone in Ms. Needle's by forgetting his paintings and
drawings for the third time in a row, he intended to bring his drawings for SURE tomorrow... but for now, he was ready to go home. "I wonder how
Frosty is doing back in the den..." he muttered to himself as he walked yet again down the old path into Tugley Woods that led to his secret home
under the old oak tree. He adjusted the hood of his jacket, slight breeze blowing it to the side. As the shadows of the deeper forest enveloped him,
he graciously enjoyed the relief from the sun, as it seemed uncomfortably warmer than usual today. He continued to walk further into the forest,
and took a small detour to hunt a few squirrels for dinner. When he had caught enough to supply him for the night, he pulled a length of twine from
the side pocket of his pack and strung the squirrels over his shoulder so that his hands would be free incase something happened.

He retreated further into the forest, squirrels hanging 'round his chest, headed eagerly toward his den, when, he sensed that something was...
different on this walk home. Vargas' wolf-like ear twitched, and He suddenly felt unsure of his or Frosty's safety when he put let out a high pitched whistle, signalling his furry friend 
that it was safe to come out, and got no response. He got closer to his home and whistled again, and this time Frosty appeared, flying straight
toward Vargas with the speed of a bullet, relief and fear riddled the poor pup's face as he jumped into his "father's" arms, and he whimpered
slightly,licking Vargas' face as the boy finally noticed a figure sitting on the outside of their den, and his face darkened with misled purpose. "No
one... no one would dare hurt my friend..." Vargas' face twisted into a look of anger and despairity as he reached up and snapped a branch from an
overhanging tree, scraped a circle into it and shifting the branch into a sharp pointed stake. He drew his hood over his face his wolf tail swishing apprehencively, crimson eyes seeming
to burn holes into his intruder, waiting for the stranger to try and make a move against him.

[Sakurai Kairi]

After sitting around for five or ten minutes, Kairi heard a sharp whistle ring through the trees. She lifted her gaze from her cat, who was curled up in her lap, to look around the forest for any sign of a person. Seeing no one, she turned to the wolf pup. "Is that your friend?" She asked, not expecting a response. Another minute passed, and the whistle sounded again, only closer. This time, a boy came into view. Kairi noticed something odd about the boy, but couldn't place it until he came closer; he had silver wolf-like ears and a tail. Although having a tail and animal ears wasn't normal, the brunette wasn't afraid. The Cheshires had cat ears and tails and had been in Wonderland for a very long time. As the boy drew nearer, Kairi realized that he went to her high school. But a closer look revealed that he was angry with her. Fearing for her safety, Kairi stood up. He must be protective over that wolf pup. She watched as the boy transformed a branch he'd broken, pulling his hood over his head as he did so. He'd attack a girl? Sky bristled and stepped in front of his owner, hissing and unsheathing his claws. This isn't good, she thought, pulling her hands up in front of her, one wrong move and I'm dead.

"U-um, I didn't hurt him." She stammered, taking a step back. "I saw he was alone, s-so I wanted to keep him company until his friend came back." Kairi knew that if she tried to run, the boy would most likely catch her, so she stayed and tried her best to calm him with words. "I've seen you around the school; we have 2nd period together. But you never seem that talkative, and my brother's in that class, so I guess we never get the chance to talk." That's right, just wait it out. He won't attack unless you strike first. . . I hope. A sharp breeze blew through the trees as she spoke, whipping Kairi's hair into her face. "Oh, dang it." She muttered as she pulled her hair back. "Sorry 'bout that, long hair can really be a problem sometimes." The brunette gave a little laugh and felt comfortable enough to slide her hands back into her jacket pockets. "Oh, and don't mind Sky," she said, "he's all hiss and no claws." At her words, the grey-and-silver tabby flattened his fur and turned back to his owner, jumping onto her shoulder once again. Kairi kept her eyes on the boys red ones, trying to deduce if he really would strike or not.

[Kirito]

Vargas stood his ground, warily watching the intruder, tensing when they stood, but when he was able to see the suspect's face, he was taken by
surprise at the fact that it was a girl. Not that he had any problem attacking one, were they to put him or Frosty in danger... When she spoke, he
was further taken aback, realizing she HAD been in his second period... starting to blush, he suddenly remembered the fact that he would
inadvertently stare off in her direction more often than not, he actually had a small spark of interest in her, and began to relax his stance a bit.

A smirk crossed Vargas' face as the wind whipped the girls hair into her face... "what was her name again...? Kairi, I think?" he began to mutter to
himself. Busy in his thoughts, he proceeded to put Frosty down and untwine a squirrel for the wolf to eat. "There, there, boy, calm down..." Vargas
softly stroked his still nervous wolf, in an attempt to calm the pup down as he steeled himself up to say something to his new companion. He
pulled off his hood, and softened his gaze on the stranger, and gave a small smile, in an attempt to look somewhat friendly... Finally he braced
himself up, yet only able to mutter a few words... "H...hi... my n-name is..." Suddenly feeling kind of embarassed about the way he was acting, Vargas took a step back, next to his pup.

[Sakurai Kairi]

Kairi watched as the boy's tough act melted away, leaving a shy, embarrassed child in it's place. Relaxed her tensed shoulders, she stepped closer. "Vargas, right? I've heard your name when the teacher takes role." She laughed as a blush came over his face, knowing full well of his shyness around girls. I'm just glad he didn't run away. Feeling an awkward silence come between them, Kairi absently kicked a pebble across the forest floor. It hit another bigger rock with a thud and lay still. For lack of finding something better to do, the brunette tried to pick up the fallen conversation. "So, what's his name?" She asked, gesturing to the wolf pup. "I was surprised to find him hidden here; you don't see wolves in this part of the country, especially with such a bright coat." Wolves were among Kairi's favorite animals, and had always dreamed of owning one as a pet when she was little. Now that she was older, and more sensible, she knew that they were much happier out in the wild than in captivity. But that never stopped her from wanting one. Looking up, Kairi focused her attention on Vargas' wolf-like ears, which were silver, unlike his black hair. Maybe I should scare him a little by shapeshifting, she thought with a small snicker. It's a bad idea, but it'd sure be funny!

But Kairi knew better, and decided against her trick. If I'm going to show him my power, it'll be in a more civilized and practical way. Suddenly, her cat leaped down from her shoulder and padded over to Vargas. He stretched up and started pawing at something around his waste. Following her cat with her eyes, Kairi saw dead squirrels tied with twine around Vargas' waste. Those must be for his wolf. "Sky, that's rude! Stop that!" She called, feeling embarrassed. Sky, feeling no remorse, flattened his ears with annoyance and padded back over to his owner, stretching up her leg instead. Kneeling down, Kairi picked her cat up and placed him in her hood. "I know you're hungry, but I'll feed you when we get home." Sky yowled in protest. The brunette stood up, sighing with exasperation. "Sorry about that, Vargas. Sky doesn't have much concern for others except himself."  She flicked the cat's nose, and the grey-and-silver tabby sniffed and curled up in his owner's hood.  Of all the times to embarrass me, it had to be now!  Kairi thought, letting her gaze fall back down to the forest floor.  She slid her hands back into her pockets and waited for the boy to speak.

[Kirito]

Shyly, Vargas answered the girls question. "H... his name is Frosty..." At the sound of his name, Frosty looks up from his squirrel and at his father expectantly. Not sure of what to do next, Vargas tries to hide his blushing by covering his face with his hood and looking at the ground. He runs his hands over the half-sewn alchemic circles in his sleeves, remembering that he needs to finish them. "I'll get on those too, tomorrow, maybe... along with my...!!" An idea of conversation started working its way into Vargas' mind, and he began to ask nervously, somewhat afraid and excited about the new girls response to his offer. "Um..."

"Um... would you... like to see some... pictures I drew..? They're in my den if you wanna see..." Almost immediately, regret knocked the wind out of his system, for he had remembered a crucial detail about his drawings that would probably scare his friend away... Vargas' binder, full of drawings, contained not some, but a multitude of drawings of this girl whom he had never really met. With dread building up in his chest, Vargas creeps into his den, Frosty padding in close behind him, and he grabs a binder, alchemy circles on both sides, and sticks his head out of the shelter, peering out at the girl. With a new fear in his mind and his heart, he clutched his binder nervously as he awaited his new friends response to his offer.

[Sakurai Kairi]

Feeling a prick of interest, Kairi stepped closer to Vargas, her eyes glued to the binder. She had heard from other students that Vargas practiced alchemy, but never truly believed them. Alchemy wasn't common in Wonderland. Rumors of the idea of alchemy and students trying to master it had drifted around the halls of Red Rose High, but all seemed to fall short and nothing was ever accomplished. I wouldn't be surprised if people asked him to make things for them. she thought, sitting on a root close to where the boy stood. At this distance, Kairi could make out what seemed to be unfinished alchemy circles sewn into his sleeves, and more complicated ones on his binder. I thought he didn't need a circle? At least, that's what I've heard. . . She shifted her focus back to the boy, who stood there clutching his binder nervously. Knowing how nerve-wracking being an artist could be, the brunette started to think about her own drawings safely kept in a notebook at home. Even though I can only draw animals, I would never show my work to anybody besides Ryou. I'm surprised Vargas is so open with his skill. I wonder what he draws?

Kairi was about to beckon for Vargas to come and sit beside her when a thought entered her mind. Why is his school binder here? Shouldn't he keep things like that at home and away from an animal that could so easily chew it up? To satisfy her curiosity, Kairi shifted her gaze from Vargas to look behind him and into the shelter. Inside were clothes, books, and other human necessities. He doesn't live here, does he? She became worried for her new friend, not wanting him to live out in the woods like a wild animal. The thought consumed her, and she needed to know more. "Vargas, it isn't just Frosty who lives here, is it?" She asked, returning her gaze to his eyes. "How long have you been living out here? Aren't your parents worried?" Knowing that any sensible parent wouldn't let their son live out in the woods, Kairi felt that she might have struck a sensitive chord by mentioning them. What was going on here?

[Kirito]

At the question about his parents, Vargas' face darkened, in the realization that he had no memories of his parents. "I... I don't... have any parents." In an attempt to push his feelings of slight remorse back down into his chest, he tore his gaze from Kairi's and stared at his binder. Tracing the delicate lines embedded into the skin of the binder, he reassured himself that there was no reason to feel any kind of sadness. after all, he can't miss something that he never knew... realizing that Kairi may have dodged his question about his drawings, he let out a small sigh of relief as he set the binder down at his feet. Vargas had no problem living in the forest, in fact, he felt a slight thrill at the fact that he could survive on his own. Of course, he didn't intend to prove anything to anyone, he felt almost as if the forest called him, and also he did it to keep Frosty safe from that corrupt operation, those illegal tests on an innocent child...

Returning to Kairi's worried stare, he left the binder at the entrance of his shelter, and sat down on a root, sitting opposite the young brunette. "I do live here... and I do support myself, and my pup, but there's no need to worry..." He beckoned his pup to his side and stroked Frosty's snow white fur. After a moment of silence, He touched the circles on his sleeves, Wondering if he should showing Kairi a little alchemy, to take her mind off of her troubled thoughts, he decided against it, thinking she would find no interest in his works. "Why worry about me..? Do you live in the woods too?" Vargas asked, curious that maybe she too, knew the struggles, and rewards, of living in the woods, enveloped by nature day and night, rain or shine. A sharp breeze blew Vargas' hood to the side, and he looked up at a gap that opened up in the treetops, and observed the birds that flew overhead, surprised at how windy it was today, it never got this breezy...

[Sakurai Kairi]

A wave of sadness came over Kairi, and tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. No parents? She felt sympathy for the boy, who took his gaze away from hers. Of course, she was curious as to what had happened. But losing parents was always a terrible thing to ask about, so she stayed quiet. Who was she to ask? Since her father had walked out on his family nearly 14 years ago, the brunette knew how it felt, but wouldn't admit it. Kairi harbored feelings of hatred toward her father. Having someone close to you just up and leave was a hard thing to accept, especially a parent leaving a child, and she knew that she would never forgive him. But this wasn't about her. Focusing her attention back on Vargas, she noticed that he had set the binder down and was sitting across from her on another root. Another gust of wind blew through her hair, causing the trees to sway and creak. Kairi spoke to break the awkward and bitter silence, "it's windy today, isn't it?" She forced a smile to hide her sadness. She knew she had to be happy for Vargas' sake. After all, he was all alone out here, wasn't he?

"Me? Live in the woods?" The wolf-like boy's question caused her to laugh. "I wouldn't last a day out here, especially with so little vegetation or fruit-bearing trees," she explained, glancing around the woods. "I could never bring myself to kill a harmless animal, or even a harmful one at that!" Hunting was one of the things Kairi absolutely detested, especially when it was just for sport. She never understood the "fun" in killing innocent creatures. . . As the brunette thought, yet another gust of wind tore through the underbrush, even stronger than before. "Holy crap, it's so much windier than I thought it would be!" She exclaimed, struggling to keep her hair in place. The sound of pages flipping filled the air. Kairi glanced behind Vargas to see that the wind had blew open his binder, and still continued to flip through the pages. Once the wind died down, and the pages finally settled, the brunette looked down on the page it had rested on. A shocked blush appeared on her face seconds after. There, neatly draw in pencil, was a drawing of her sitting at her 2nd period desk and smiling with her head resting on her hand. Another awkward silence split the air. It took Kairi another minute to find her voice. "D-Did you draw this?"

[Kirito]

As Vargas stared up at the clouds, lost in thought, he heard Kairi's question, but reacted somewhat slowly. "What are you..." realizing she meant his drawings, his head snapped around to see his binder, wide open, to one of the exact pages he was trying to KEEP secret. Within a second he was on his feet and at his binder, and Vargas, face glowing with embarassment, picked it up and snapped it shut. Staring at the circle that decorated the face of his binder, he tried, vainly, to try and read of the girl behind him, hoping that she had not meant that statement in a bad way. Vargas' heart raced, and he began to take deep breaths to calm himself down as he steadily placed his hand on the circle, considering whether to shift his works into something else, to keep his secrets safe.

After a long silence, Vargas removed his hand from the circle, and lifted his gaze, shamefully, to the brunette's blushing face. "Um... w-well..." He could only utter those mere words for the fact that he couldn't find his voice. Vargas mentally scolded himself, for being so careless with his secret. He knew that it was windy!! He knew that something would go wrong, it always does, ESPECIALLY in encounters like these. "...yeah." Without regret, Vargas knew that he had nothing to hide behind anymore. "I... drew that." Hearing a slight snap, far off, deep into the forest, Vargas' ear twitched at the sound. He was more worried about the shocked brunette, wondering whether she would leave after her discovery, but Vargas became wary of the steady, far off sound that seemed to come closer...

[Sakurai Kairi]

The shock from her discovery slowly melted away as Kairi stared a the embarrassed boy. She didn't know what to say or do. At first, she felt scared that someone had been watching her, but soon realized that whatever reason he had for doing so couldn't have been all that bad. If it had been someone like Cheshire, the brunette would have run immediately. The only thing left to do was tell Vargas she wasn't upset. Slowly, Kairi stood, slightly thrown by the weight of her cat, and faced Vargas with a soft smile. "I had no idea you were so talented," she began, searching for the right words to say. "Although, I would have liked it better if you were the one to show me instead of the wind." She let out a small laugh and continued. "Could you show me some more? I'd love to see what else you've drawn." After she had spoken, Sky leaped up abruptly and landed in front of her, seeming spooked. Kairi knelt down to pick her cat up once again, but he yowled in protest and refused. "Sky, what's the matter? Did a falling branch scare you?" Sky's fur stood on end as he stared behind his owner, as if he was waiting for something. Kairi became scared. Standing up, the brunette gave Vargas a worried look. "We need to get out of here; Sky wouldn't act like this if it were just a bird or squirrel!"

Seconds past before Kairi was finally able to pick up what her cat was hearing: Large, heavy branches crashing to the ground as something shattered them from their trunks. Complete fear froze the brunette in place as she listened for what could be approaching. It couldn't be the Jabberwocky, she thought, he's nocturnal! Crouching down again, Kairi scooped up her cat and tucked him safely in her arms. "Hurry, get all of your things and come with me!" She searched her mind for some place nearby, but came up empty. Remembering how she'd lost the path, Kairi suddenly felt sick; they had no place to run but away. If we just run in the direction of where the path should be, we should find it, or at least make it back to Wonderland. But no matter what idea formed in her mind, Kairi couldn't shake the dreadful pit in her stomach. What if we can't outrun him? Then what? The brunette knew full well of the Jabberwocky's power; there had been plenty of stories about travelers who had barely escaped the beast with their lives. If grown men nearly died, did they have any hope?

[Kirito]

As Vargas watched Kairi's shock fade, the relief he felt was short lived, as he observed the brunette's cat fearfully react to the now close ripping of branhes from the trees... Frosty began to growl at the noise, in defense of his father, who quickly scooped the pup up in his arms. "There's no we way can outrun the beast, especially in this weather..." Vargas looked up at a clear sky, yet far off in the distance, dark clouds loomed ever closer... Vargas stands, staring at Frosty as if asking him for ideas, thinking of a plan... "I know the way back, its just... she'd never keep up." As if in agreement, Frosty let out a small whine. In that same moment, an idea popped into Vargas' mind.

"Okay... I have an idea." Vargas said calmly as he ripped a large overhanging branch from the tree. With ease, knowing that the thrashing beast in the darkness of the woods had awoken, sensing the boy and the girl's presence, Vargas lifted the tarp that covered his shelter and beckoned the brunette inside. "Might wanna hurry, and you just may have to spend the night, if that storm comes any closer and that Beast is out and about..." Not worried about whether she wanted to stay or not, Vargas ushered his pup inside and somewhat impatiently awaited the girls response.

[Sakurai Kairi]

Feeling a prick of annoyance, Kairi stared as Vargas crawled into his shelter. Any person would have willingly crawled in with him, but she felt as if he were hiding with his tail between his legs. A look of disgust crossed her face for barely a second before she spoke. "Whatever's coming is headed straight for us and your shelter will be destroyed if we stay!" Kairi shouted, taking a quick glance in the direction of the crashing. It's getting closer! Without warning, dark clouds loomed and crowded the sky, blocking the sunlight as they did so. The wind increased, and Kairi could pick up the faint, clean scent of rain. He'll die if he stays here! Her mind went blank as she quickly crouched down and grabbed Vargas by the hood. Forcefully pulling him out from under the tarp, Kairi released her grip, only to grasp his hand and start running. She could hear the wolf's angry cries, but didn't care. All that mattered was to keep him safe. "This may not be a good time to tell you," she began, "but I have the power to shapeshift into whatever I want. I'll be fine so long as I can count on you to make it out!" Continuing to run as fast as her human legs could carry her and her pet, Kairi could feel the Jabberwocky's pace quicken from a trot into a full-on run as he gave chase. This is bad!

The forest whizzed by in a blur of green and brown as the rain started, soaking the two in mere minutes. Sky yowled in protest as the aggressive droplets soaked through his fur, but never unlatched his claws from his owner's jacket. They were still running. Finally, as her human body could take no more strain, Kairi was surrounded in a white light, and emerged as a lithe she-wolf. She had released her hold on Sky, and the two ran together, making sure to keep a steady pace with Vargas. If the Jabberwocky catches up, I have no doubt that Frost will attack him, she thought, glancing over at the white wolf pup. With new power surging through her legs, Kairi was relieved to hear that the sounds coming from the Jabberwocky were growing fainter, as if the beast were tiring. I'm not taking any chances! But as they continued to run, the wolf could see no sign of the familiar town of Wonderland. Maybe Frost knows something? Turning her head, she barked at the pup. "Frost! Do you know the way out?"

[Kirito]

Vargas readied himself with the branch. "phew..." He could NOT screw this up, for him or- "H-Hey..!!" next thing Vargas knew, he was outside, being dragged by his hood through the woods by Kairi, and he dropped his stick. "Grrr.... fine... you made me drop my stick..." Vargas, after a moment of consideration, reluctantly took off alongside Kairi, every instinct inside of him screaming at him to stay, and defend his territory. Now that he was in the open, Vargas felt exposed, and somehwat afraid, not knowing where the attack could come from... He flinched as a fat drop of rain burst on his nose and he tripped and landed face first in the mud.

Quickly recovering, Vargas was back on his feet in no time, and pumped his legs as fast as they could go to catch up with the others. Soon after he heard the Beast's trampling fade, and eventually all he could hear was the pouring of the rain. Continuing to follow Kairi and Frosty, he realized that this was not a part of the woods that the pair was used to, and he knew with a sense of dread that they had been travelling in the wrong direction the entier time. "Hey... Hey, stop!! We're going the wrong way..." Vargas looked back into the dark forest, unsure of what awaited them if they were to return... Looking ahead, he realized the others were out of sight again, and he continued to follow once more, leaving a solid trail of mud in his wake.

[Sakurai Kairi]

At Vargas' voice, Kairi skidded to a halt. Peering around cautiously, she scanned the trees for any sign of familiarity. A little ways off in the distance, a blue plastic ribbon was tied around the trunk of a pine tree, signaling the border between the forest and the children's playground at the edge. Taking a moment to listen, she heard nothing but the pounding rain on the branches and leaves of the trees. "Frost, come this way," she barked, knowing that Vargas would only go if his precious pet went. As Kairi padded up to the tree, she shifted back to her human form and a wave of fatigue met her along with it. Stumbling slightly, the brunette took a deep breath and continued. Sky followed close behind. She peered out from behind the large pine and could see the bright colors of the merry-go-round and swing set. "We made it," she huffed, leaning heavily on the trunk. A twinge of shame pricked her as she remembered what she had done. Turning to Vargas, she spoke, "Sorry for dragging you out here. I know the Jabberwocky as well as any local should, but I was scared that he'd crush you by accident." Kairi looked away from the wolf-like boy and to the playground again. But before she could focus on the distant grounds, the brunette noticed that Vargas was covered in a layer of mud, which hardly washed away, even in the current downpour.

Feeling somewhat responsible, Kairi looked at him again. "You should come to my house and get cleaned up. My mom will be out with some of her friends for a while, but my brother might be home." She was unsure if the boy would take up her offer, but at least she could try. Knowing that Vargas' "home" wasn't safe until morning, she continued. "It's best to stay out of the forest until morning. I know the Jabberywocky's still out there, and I don't want you getting hurt!" She knew full well that Vargas was capable of taking care of himself. After all, he lived in these woods. But seeing his drawing of her had changed her thinking of the lonely boy of 2nd period. He now had personality, face, and background. She didn't want to lose the eyes watching her without her knowing. "There's a spare room down the hall from mine," -she was spouting anything she could think of by now- "and I'm sure my mother wouldn't mind you for just one night. . ." Kairi could feel the fear and adrenaline of running from the Jabberwocky still in effect as she rambled on, her words nearly uncontrolled. What was she saying? She'd only met this boy less than an hour ago! Finally shutting her mouth, Kairi took another deep breath before she spoke again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have grabbed you. I should have just ran without you. You can go back to your shelter and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Signaling for her cat to follow her, Kairi began making her way down to the playground, waved at Vargas without looking back.