Home Sweet Home {Kairi, Ryou, Vargas ONLY}

[Sakurai Kairi]

{This is a continuation of A Walk Through the Woods}

Large puddles were left in the entryway to Kairi's house as she tried to dry herself. She had been caught up in a terrible storm while walking through Tulgey Woods Park, and ended up meeting someone she'd see in class. After he tagged along to come to her house, she had lead him through the streets of Wonderland, the rain pouring relentlessly. Now that she was back in her own home, Kairi felt annoyance prick her skin as her rain-soaked clothes clung to it. Peeling off her jacket, she hung it on a nearby hook, along with her shirt and socks, leaving her in nothing but pants and a black undershirt. Sky shook and licked himself repeatedly, but the water refused to leave his pelt. He let out a wail in frustration. Kairi laughed, and picked up her soaking cat. "You poor thing," she cooed mockingly, "let's get you a towel, shall we?" Walking down the hall, she motioned for Vargas to follow her into the living room. Once she was there, the sound of 8-bit music blared from the floor above. Ryou must be playing one of his video games. Knowing that her brother would freak out if a stranger was in their house, the brunette told Vargas that she would return shortly, and mounted the steps to the second floor of the house.

As she drew closer and closer to the top step, the music continued to grow until she could feel it beating in her chest. Rounding the corner, she walked down yet another hallway and stopped at the second door on her left. Kairi entered, knowing that her brother wouldn't have been able to hear even if she had knocked. Reaching over to the wall, the brunette flicked the light switch twice, signaling that she was there. "Ryou! I've brought a guest over, and he'll be staying in the guest room. Could you set an extra place at the table for dinner?" Confident that Ryou had heard her, Kairi walked to the room across his and entered. It was her room. Quickly changing into new clothes, and grabbing a towel for Sky, she made her way back down to the living room where she last saw Vargas. "Hey, the bathroom is across from the living room, next to the kitchen, and the guest room is upstairs and the third door on the right," she explained, drying her cat as she spoke. Sky purred and curled up close to his owner, relishing the softness of the towel. Kairi was relieved that they'd gotten out of the rain, and away from the dreaded Jabberwocky, but she could sense a feeling of discomfort coming from Vargas. Surely he's lived in a house before? Or has he really been living in the woods this entire time?

[Kirito]

Observing the home, Vargas stood, awestruck, at the surprising spaciousness of the living area. Still dripping from the pouring rain outside, he set his things down and immediately went for what looked like a kitchen... "Hmm... where could there... be... food..? What's with this big metal crate here? is this like a decoration or something?" Vargas inquisitively grasped the sides and the front, attempting to see what might've been inside... the box, oddly, was cold to the touch. Vargas continued to pull open drawers and cabinets, finding only bottles of powder and leaves, and eating utensils and platters.

Vargas, not forgetting about his pup, let out, as he had many times before, a high whistle, signalling his pup to approach. When the pup excitedly sprinted to his masters feet, the boy kneeled down and ruffled up the pup's fur. "I dunno... how they can live in these things without food, Frosty!" Vargas laughed aloud, as his pup let out a yip of agreement, and he stood up, pulled his jacket off and shook himself off, as did his wolf. With water now spattered all over the floor, Vargas put his jacket back on and walked back into the living room with Kairi. "So... I know, you told me about the place... but maybe you could just show me around a bit, make sure I don't get lost? I've never been in a place like this, its a bit breath-taking..." Vargas wasn't so much worried about losing his way around the house as much as he just wanted a little more of Kairi's company, before she would probably make him leave, at least, thats what he thought to himself.

[Sakurai Ryou]

8-bit music filled the room as Ryou guided his character around the television screen. He'd been home alone for at least an hour or so since his mother had left, and was starting to get bored of what he was playing. Just when he was about to save and quit, the lights began to flicker, signaling that his sister was home. He turned around to greet her, but saw that she was already moving to her room. She's soaking wet! He thought, saving and turning off the device. Ryou hadn't even heard what his sister had said. Standing up, Ryou quickly made his way to the door just in time to catch Kairi hopping down the stairs. Feeling slightly frustrated, Ryou followed his sister, grimacing at the pools of water that trailed around the house. Where in Wonderland could she have gotten so wet? Thinking his sister headed for the kitchen, he turned left and was met with even more water-soaked floor. This is ridiculous! It seemed more like a pool than a kitchen. There was even water on the ceiling! She better clean all of this up. . . Ryou hated cleaning up after his sister, but was lucky that she normally did so herself. Suddenly, voices erupted from the living room, and the brunette spun around, bewildered. It was indeed his sister's voice, but there was another person. . . Feeling nervous, he stepped from the kitchen, into the hall, and then to the living room.

His eyes were greeted with the site of a boy, also soaking wet, talking to his sister. He could feel his body tense as he silently watched the lithe figure, and noticed he had what seemed to be wolf ears and tail. Beside him stood a wolf pup, yes drenched, that wagged his tail at Ryou's approach. Who the Hell is he?! Anger and confusion swelled as Ryou opened his mouth to speak. "Kairi, who's this guy?! Realizing he had shouted, the brunette blushed and covered his mouth with both hands. "S-Sorry, I was just surprised is all. . ." He mumbled, staring at his feet in embarrassment. "I didn't know you were out with anyone. . ." Desperate to change the subject, Ryou lifted his head to look at his sister. "But he's all wet! I don't want a huge mess in the house when mom comes home!" This is the worst first impression ever. . . Jamming his hands into his jacket pockets, Ryou looked at the floor again, watching as a pool of water formed around the boy and his pet with disgust. You'd think he'd have the courtesy to ring his clothes out in the sink or something. . .

[Kirito]

At the tone of aggression entered the brunettes voice, Frosty began to growl furiously. "Down, boy... I'm sure he's harmless. And as for you... Its just water. Get over it..."Vargas, at the sight of the boy's disgust, shook himself off again, splattering water in a shower of droplets to show that he was not one to take orders from others about his age easily, and definitely not one to be  pushed around. Although he was quiet, and a few inches shorter than both brunettes, the wolf-boy could handle himself in a fight, both with opponents larger than himself, and with leaving more than just an average black eye... He paid no mind to the sudden appearance of the brunette, the blaring of the television upstairs explained enough. Giving up on the food, Vargas pulled a small package out of his backpack, a small container, filled with an assortment of wild berries, tummy growling from lack of dinner. "Uggghhhh I'm sooo hungry!!" With a look of dismay, Vargas collapsed on the sofa in the living room, dampening the cusions, his container of berries in hand.

Quickly popping each berry into his mouth, Vargas almost immediately devoured the contents of the container, although remarkably, not getting himself covered in the wet sappy juice of the berries. "I guess that'll do... until tomorrow, I guess..."He looked, melancholy into his container, wishing that he wouldnt have to go hungry tonight. Figuring he had nothing better to do, Vargas pulled out a small, blank backed book, the only writing on it consisting of seven letters: DRAWING. It has never been mentioned, and it has, as far as Vargas knew, never been known that he replicates his drawings, or basically draws them twice... so that if anything were to happen to his precious works, he would always have an exact copy elsewhere. Not sure at first about what to draw, he stared into Kairi's direction for a few moments before coming to a desicion. Without another word, Vargas got to work, the idea of his new piece already planned out down to the line. 

[Sakurai Kairi]

Kairi quickly pulled her hands up in front of her face as Vargas shook more droplets of water around the room, annoyance beginning to prick her as well. "Hey, stop that! The carpet will be ruined!" She could feel a defensive anger swell up at Vargas's words to Ryou; no one treated her brother like that! "Leave him alone!" A look of dismay crossed her face as she watched her guest take up the couch, knowing that they would be drenched by the time she removed him. She gave her brother an apologetic look and stood over the back of the couch, fixing Vargas with a worried look. "Could you ring out your clothes before you sit down?" She asked, trying to sound polite. "We just washed those yesterday, and getting them wet isn't a good idea. . ." Kairi then remembered that he'd told her he'd lived in the woods for a long time, and couldn't remember his parents. Has he never lived in a house? She wondered, shifting her gaze away from the boy. Hearing him complain about food, she focused back on Vargas. "We have plenty of food in the kitchen, and Ryou's making dinner tonight. There'll be plenty of food if you just wait a while."

As she spoke, Kairi turned back to look at her brother, who stared down at his feet in embarrassment. Oh, Ryou. . . Walking over to her twin, the brunette patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry about Vargas; he's just not used to this kind of living. I promise I'll make him clean it all up and apologize, okay?" Ruffling his hair, Kairi then walked back to the couch. Ignoring the book that the wolf-like boy had pulled out, she slightly tugged at his ear. "Hey, you need to apologize to Ryou. What you said was very rude and I won't let you eat dinner until you say you're sorry." She thought that threatening Vargas by depriving him of food was a good idea. After all, that's what he'd been complaining about, wasn't it? Tugging harder, she continued. "And you'll be cleaning up the mess you've made; both the kitchen and the living room. You know the rule, you make the mess, you clean it up." She hated how parental her voice sounded, but the brunette was unsure of how to get her point across, so she stuck with it. If he's mad, then oh well. He shouldn't have pooled water everywhere in the first place. Patiently, Kairi waited for a response.

[Kirito]

"Ow...Ow!! Stop!! those are sensitive to touch, you know!!" Vargas irritably got up from the couch and layed his book on the couch, proceeding to pull out a small wallet-sized book out of his back pocket, flipping through the pages, beginning to end. "No... no... no, not that one either..." Vargas thought for a few moments more how to gather all the water into one spot, when suddenly he was hit with an idea. The wolf-boy pulled a large bowl from the cabinet and placed it under the sink, turning the water on. "Its gonna get reeaalll wet in here... so I suggest you back up a bit," Vargas chided as he ushered the brunettes back a few steps. He returned to his bowl, now filled with water, and he stood in between the kitchen and the living area, and turned the full bowl upside down, emptying its contents onto the floor.

Now pleased that his two puddles had become one pool of water, Vargas stared triumphantly at his work and went to his things, and pulled a small piece of chalk and brown paper, and began to draw an intricate circle onto it. When the circle was finished, he laid it onto the puddle, and placed his hand on it, the circle glowing and the water pulling closer together gradually compressing and solidifying into a solid chunk of ice, that sat in the hallway between the kitchen and living room.. "I'll just carry... this... out..." Vargas strained with the weight of the ice, and stumbled out the front foor to drop it, and the ice shattered, the small, seemingly chunks of the frozen mess flying across the street and down the sidewalk a ways. Vargas walked back into the house nonchalantly, and returned to his book without looking up.

[Sakurai Kairi]

Feeling a sense of satisfaction at Vargas' cries, Kairi released her hold on his ear and stood back. With her hands placed authoritatively on her hips, she watched as the boy pulled out yet another small book and walked into the kitchen. The the Hell is he planning? Turning to watch him, a look of pure fear warped her face as more water crashed down onto the hardwood floors. Letting out a loud "you idiot!", she started to run over. Suddenly, the floor started to glow in a circular pattern she'd never seen before. Whats is this? The brunette stood by as Vargas carried the now frozen water up and out into the street, flinching a large crash erupted shortly after. A huge wave of relief washed over her as Kairi saw that the floor was spotless. I'm surprised the wood didn't soften or break, she thought, kneeling down to touch the hard surface. She quickly stood back up and faced her brother. "I'm really sorry. You don't have to make dinner if you don't want." Letting out a heavy sigh, she watched as Vargas reappeared and took his place back on the couch.

"You still need to dry out those clothes!" Steeping up to the couch once again, Kairi heaved the wolf boy up by the arms and pulled slightly on his jacket. "Give me that so I can put it in the dryer," she demanded, still pulling childishly at the sleeves. She could feel the wetness on her fingers as she tugged, but paid no mind. It seemed that being assertive worked well to get what she wanted from Vargas. "Thank you for cleaning up the water on the floor, but the kitchen walls and ceiling are still dripping," she added after more thought. "I can't make dinner with a wet kitchen." She knew she couldn't cook very well, but dishes like spaghetti and soups were among the few things she could make on her own. I think we still have some chicken and vegetables, she thought, I'll just chop those up and add some broth. That'll be nice for three of us since mom won't be home until late.

[Kirito]

"No..!! Not my jack-" Vargas felt the tempurature in the room drop, heavy chills running down his spine as the jacket was pulled off of him, revealing large scars and numbered tattoos that traveled up his arms and disappeared into his shirt. One tattoo in particular braced his wrist, reading 'TS-136217', shone more clearly than others, caused Vargas to stumble backwards onto the couch, remembering his tortured childhood. Without hesitation, Frosty lunged at the brunette, knocking her over, muzzle mere inches from her face, a furious growl escaping the pup's throat. After what had been a few seconds of the chaos, Vargas lept to his feet, a crazed yet fearful look in his eyes, and he slammed his hands down onto the table, the four legged centerpiece turning into a large spear. "D-Don't touch me!!" Vargas leapt behind the couch, maintaining a defensive stance, ready to impale anything that came within range of his new weapon.

"Frost, come!!" Vargas called, realizing that the pup was in harms way, and the pup looked up and rushed to the sound of his fathers voice. "We... we can't let them take us back..." The scarred boy whimpered, tears and anger building in his eyes, eyes that had seen far too much, eyes that held dark secrets of what secretly went on in the world. Vargas wiped away his tears and glared at both brunettes, his stance faltering only slightly, a faint recognition of Kairi protruding into his mind. He stood his ground, now focused on the other brunette, the stranger, rearing his arm, brisk training with spears that would lead to swift death of his new assailant...

[Sakurai Kairi]

Everything seemed to blur together as Kairi was knocked off of her feet, the wind leaving her lungs as she hit the cold floor. Panic and fear swept through her body as Frost's bared fangs came closer to her face, growling angrily. She knew that trying to escape would be useless. What on earth had she done? She hadn't meant to pull off the jacket herself; she only wanted to wash it. Her breathes came in shallow gasps as she fought for air. Suddenly, the weight was removed as Vargas called for his companion. Quickly pulling herself into a sitting position, Kairi saw that the table was gone, and the wolf-like boy was holding what seemed to be a spear. Alchemy. . . She could see the wild panic and anger in the boys eyes, and couldn't understand why he'd gotten this way. All she knew was that he was armed and dangerous. Suddenly, his gaze shifted from her to somewhere behind the couch. Kairi, in her current position, couldn't see what he was looking at. She watched as Vargas pulled his arm back, ready to attack. As a realization hit the brunette, she scrambled to her feet and leaped clumsily over the couch. She spread her arms to form a shield between the two. Vargas was aiming to kill her brother.

"Stay away from Ryou, you bastard!" Kairi screeched, anger replacing her fear. "Touch him, and you die!" There was no way she was going to let anything, or anyone, hurt her brother. They were twins, never separated, never leaving each others side. Kairi wasn't about to lose the one thing she cared about most. The brunette was still breathing heavily, and her side hurt where the wolf pup had struck her, but she didn't care. All that mattered was protecting her brother, even if it meant hurting her new friend. There's no way I'll be able to talk through this, she thought, her eyes fixed on Vargas', if push comes to shove, I'll fight. Taking a moment to observe Vargas, the brunette realized that he was behaving more like a cornered animal than a killer. One phrase surfaced in her mind. She'd heard him utter it as she'd struggled to sit up. "We can't let them take us back. . ." That them back? Where would we take them? the orphanage? Kairi wondered, her anger slowly fading. But there isn't a orphanage in Wonderland. Where would we take them? Slowly, the brunette's breathing returned to normal, and she lowered her arms slightly. Who was Vargas, really?

[Kirito]

Caught off guard by Kairi's attempt to lunge at him, the spear left Vargas' hand, the sharp end searing across the brunette's shoulder as the weapons new path buried it deeply, a few inches deep into the wall, and only mere inches, from Ryou's face. Sudden recognition of Kairi finally registered in the boy's mind, and his face dropped to an eerily calm, almost observant look as Vargas took in what had happened. Kairi's cut shoulder,the other one with the spear just a slight distance from his face, and the pup behind him, barking furiously as Vargas watched the chaos. "I..." His voice dropped off as he grabbed hold of Kairi's wrist, struggling to hold down the overwhelming weakness that began to build inside him.

Vargas' grip loosened on the brunette's arm, his vision darkening, he beginning to sway... "Don't... let them..." The boy collapsed, his sight quickly disappearing, the entire world gone black, Vargas' head lolling, trying to keep consiousness. His head turned only slightly, to see Frosty licking Vargas' face, whimpering, desperately trying to keep his father awake. The wolf boy slumped the rest of the way to the ground, the world gone black around him, all sense of awakeness gone.

[Sakurai Ryou]

A paralyzing chill ran up Ryou's spine as Vargas aimed toward him. His mind screamed for him to run. but his body wouldn't move. Killed in his own home? By a stranger Kairi brought in? Just as he was about to open his mouth to scream, a flash of blue leaped over the couch and stood between the two boys. Kairi! As his sister screamed curses at the wolf-like boy, Ryou watched as Vargas finally released his spear. A terrified scream left his lips as the sharp object pierced the wall behind him, mere inches from his head. Red liquid spilled from a gash in his sisters shoulder. Finally, his legs failed to support him any longer, and he fell to his knees. Not knowing what else to do, he cried. Tears streamed down his face as he starred at his wounded sister, who was gripping her bleeding shoulder. There was nothing he could do. He felt helpless, useless, worthless. Then, Vargas collapsed, muttering depressing words as he did so. Minutes passed, and Ryou began controlling his uneven breathes, pulling himself to his feet and leaning heavily on the wall. He absently fiddled with the spear still deeply embedded in the plaster. Mom's gonna be really mad. . . Taking a deep breath, the brunette knelt down beside his sister.

"C'mon, we need to get you bandaged up." He hadn't meant to let Kairi see the grown-up side of him, but Ryou felt it best to be mature about the situation than to feign ignorance. Glancing over to Vargas, he watched for a moment as the wolf pup, Frosty, whimpered and tried to wake his friend. Ryou remembered how the pup has attacked Kairi and scowled at it. Gently, Ryou pulled his sister up to her feet by her waist. He knew how much pain she was in, and tried his best not to make it worse. "How deep is it?" He asked, trying to pry Kairi's hand from her shoulder to take a closer look. "I can't help you if I can't see how bad it is." Ryou felt his stomach churn at the sight of all of the blood, but tried to suppress it. Kairi needs me; I can't be worrying about my own problems. Suddenly, a loud yowl erupted from the hall as Sky stood in the doorway. His fur stood on end and he was glaring at Frosty. Sky may be a cat, but he sure can fight when we wants. I almost feel bad for that wolf. The brunette decided against stopping Sky, as he thought that Vargas couldn't get away with what he did without consequences. Sky took one step, then lunged at Frosty, claws poised to kill.

[Kirito]

Utter darkness filled Vargas' mind... A faint yelp caused his sub conscious to reel, and another after began to register in the wolf-boy's mind that Frosty was in trouble. Vargas' eyes snapped open, and his body spasmed excruciatingly painfully as he heaved himself toward the wolf in its defense. The boy clenched his fist around the cat's scruff, dragged it off of the bleeding pup and tossed it across the room, heeding only Frosty, ignoring the screech that the cat gave in anger, and Vargas cradled his pup, gently stroking its blood streaked fur, and with that, stood, wrapped his pup in the damp jacket that lay on the head of the couch, and before he strode out of and slammed the front door, Vargas stopped. "I'm... sorry."  Feeling regret for all that had happened, Vargas wasn't sure whether he would ever be accepted with others, just for his past. A grim expression crossed his face as he dwelled upon this thought, walking down the damp street.

He wasnt sure what to call it. A drizzle? A drippling? It was more like a mist that hung in the air, a heavy yet light fog that could be felt, the moisture soaking into Vargas' skin as he walked. Vargas continued to walk along, the bowl in his hands taking on odd shapes and grotesque forms as he tried to shape it, and it finally settled into twin blades, a more or less yin-yang type of shape, connected with a thin wire mesh, a weapon that had previously been drawn in his notebooks, but never worked on. nonetheless, Vargas had been well trained to survive, as proven with the spear, but also with hand-to-hand, Jai-Judo being a favorite in combat. He kept an eye on his pup, wrapped in the jacket that now hung around the boy's neck, a personified crane with his bundle to deliver home, back home, in the woods... where the comforting darkness resides, and the soothing sounds of the wilderness could put Vargas to sleep. The pair finally reached their home, a hole under a tree, protected by only a tarp, from whatever may cross their paths again...