Home Sweet Home

Felix started down the slope. When he was next to Kymin he knelt down next to him. "Kymin? Kymin look at me, I'm sorry. I'm going to help you, okay?" He looked around, there was nobody around. He had to get him back to the village, but what if he didn't make it. He could have used the Gate Keepers Exchange but it wouldn't do any good because he'd pass out before they got to the village. Felix began to pick. "Please don't die," he whispered. Felix couldn't bear the thought of him being the reason behind Kymin's death for the third time. Felix didn't want to be responsible. He pulled off his jacket and then folded it and place it next to Kymin, laying him down. He removed Kymin's hands and applied pressure. "Please Kymin, please I'm begging you, don't die." Felix wasn't sure what to do anymore. You promised me he was protected. Felix waited anxiously for a reply as he gazed down at the male. Felix could feel that his body temperature had dropped. I said he was protected from Kyla, not you. Felix's shoulders slumped. Please, help me save him. Tell me how to save him. If he dies...if he dies I don't...just save him, please. I'll do anything you ask. Again their was a silence and Felix's heart sunk. He looked down to Kymin. "Just stay with me, everything going to be okay." This was all his fault. He'd sent Kymin away and then the guy had come back and Felix had lost it and hurt him. He shook his head. "Why? Why did you come back? I wanted to protect you," he mumbled. "I just didn't know I was protecting you from me."

When Kymin heard Felix's voice, he was almost positive he was hallucinating. He slowly lifted his head to look, but the moment he saw the silver hair and blue eyes, he dropped it again, breaking into a fresh set of tears. He didn't care if this was a hallucination or not. As soon as Felix tried to lay him down, he protested. He wanted to wrap his arms around the other male and just hold him. Instead what he got was a searing pain in his chest that made him collapse onto his side onto the jacket, flinching and clenching his jaw to keep from making noises or screaming. His breaths at this point were coming out as shaky gasps, though the tears hadn't stopped. "I-I'm sorry," he said hoarsely, giving a small sob. "Wh-what ever I did...I-I'm so sorry..." At this point, the shaking was becoming shivering instead, and Kymin was sure he'd probably passed out already and this was all just a dream trying to help him come to terms with the fact that Felix hated him. "I-I didn't...want t-to leave without letting you know," he answered, giving another small sob. He was talking about the rose, but the fact that he'd come back to return Vishnu had escaped his mind. As cold as he felt himself becoming, Kymin wouldn't let himself pass out. He didn't want to die yet. He had to take care of Batsu, so he couldn't hurt Felix. So maybe he could go back to Felix and make things right. He couldn't die yet.

Felix continued to press down on the wound. "Stop talking," Felix told Kymin as he looked at all the blood. "I know you love me," he said with a nod. "And I love you, I'll always love you." Felix wiped his face as he felt tears forming in his eyes. "And it's not your fault," he assured Kymin. "You didn't do anything wrong. It was me. It was always me." He leaned down and kissed Kymin lightly. "Just hang in there." Answer me! You bastard, tell me how to save him! Felix's fear was coming off as anger. Raised to respect all spirits, that respect was slowly fading when he was aware that this thing could save Kymin. Why should I care for a human that's not part of my contract? He will be back, no? Felix's eyes widened at the water spirits words. He couldn't threaten the thing, all he could do was plead. Please. For someone who's name means lucky you are rather unlucky. Felix didn't understand, why was this thing chastising him? He didn't want to lose Kymin like this, but he had no skills in the medical field and they'd never make it to the village in time. Felix slowly removed his hands from Kymin and pulled him from the ground and held him close. "I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." Felix closed his eyes. "I never meant to hurt you, but I promise I will save you." Felix picked Kymin up and started back for the lake. "If you wont help me then I'll do it myself. I am not going to let him die. It's not his time." Felix draped his jacket over Kymin to keep him warm. "You don't get to die today." The shinobi moved as lightly as he could he possibly manage as he raced through the forest. He was going to save Kymin one way or the other.

Kymin couldn't help but continue trying to talk, even after Felix told him not to. "I-I'm sorry," he repeated in a mumble. The tears wouldn't stop flowing, but he was only aware of them because of the small trails of heat they left on his face. "I j..st w-wanted t-to make sure...he couldn't hurt you," he cried, completely unaware that Felix had moved him except for the sharp pain that made his next words sputter out into a cough. "I..h..have to make sure...Vishnu..n..Izzy too..." he trailed off, his eyes flickering lightly. It was so hard to stay awake, and everything was so cold. "'M...s..rry..." he mumbled, his eyes only half open and his vision blurred with tears.

"I know," Felix whispered. "I know you wanted to protect us to. It's okay. J-just stop talking." He wanted to wipe the tears away from Kymin's face, he had to keep moving, no time for distractions. When Felix spotted the lake he slowed down and laid Kymin down on the edge. Felix removed his own shirt and then pulled off Kymin, doing his best to be swift but gentle. Picking the shinobi back up, Felix started into the water until he was chest deep. Felix let out a shaky breath. "You're going to be okay, Kymin." Felix was reassuring himself more than Kymin. Would you really risk your life to protect someone who's constantly reborn? Felix nodded. I would watch this world burn before I lose him like this. The water spirit chuckled as though he was amused. You humans amuse me. I will save your precious loved one. Felix waited until the water glowed brightly before he placed his hand on Kymin's chest and let the water heal him over. "I love you," whispered as the swaying water pushed them farther into the lack. Felix's mark glowed as it spread across his entire back. Pulling Kymin close to him he held onto the other male. "Please be okay," he whispered. Felix was doing his best to keep them both afloat. He wouldn't drown, but he was sure Kymin would. He looked at the water, it still had a tint of red. He searched Kymin's body until he saw the wound on his arm. Did he do that? He ran his hand over the wound until it too healed. Felix felt a familiar tug, but he resisted going under the water. Instead he swam to the edge with Kymin in tow. He laid the shinobi down on his jacket. "I. Love. You. Forever." Felix then backed away into the water. "Don't you ever forget that."

Kymin's body gave a light jolt at the feel of the cold water, but after that he stopped moving except for his breathing, his eyes sliding closed even before the water started healing him over. Once he was healed over, his labored breathing started becoming normal again, though it took another few moments for the tears to stop completely, even in his sleep.

It was another limbo. At least that's what it seemed like. It looked like the place he retreated to every time he died, nothing but white surroundings. 'Only twenty-two this life, huh...' he thought sadly. He felt like he was getting dimmer. That's what most Onihana's called it, anyways. When a soul finds its host too depressed to carry on, the soul begins dimming and eventually fading. He remembered dreaming that Felix had been taking him somewhere. But since he was in this place, it must have meant it was just that: a dream. Felix hated him, and he had no idea why. Kymin looked around. It was strange though. Something felt...off, about this time.

Felix stayed in the water, his arms wrapped around himself. He was kind of cold, but it didn't matter, Kymin was safe. He blinked tiredly and starred across the lake at Kymin. He smiled lightly and then went under the water. The water was refreshing and was enough to wake him up. He just hoped Kymin wouldn't panic when he found him not there. His jacket was there and so was his shirt, so he'd be good.

Masamune's voice echoed throughout the white space that was Kymin's dream. "You picked a lucky one," he said. "It's thanks to him that you're even here. It's a good thing that his bond to water is as strong as his father's. Tell me, human, do you remember your father?"

Masamune knew he could count on Kymin to put two and two together. Felix had also chosen a good one. Looked like love ran in the Kuriyama family. "Take care of Felix, Suoh can't possibly have died for nothing." A low chuckle echoed through the space after Kymin caught on. He wasn't going to confirm his suspicions. "Wake up, Kymin. Wake up and save the lost souls. Save all the lost souls."

Felix had come to the water's edge and was laying partly in the water and partly on the land, but most of his body was in the water. His eyes were closed and his breathing was steady, showing that he was sleep. He'd come to the side Kymin was on, so when and if the guy woke up he wouldn't panic.

Kymin blinked when the thing told him to take care of Felix. Just what was this thing to them? A...friend? No, sort of a friend. He would have smiled at the thought, if his mind weren't already reeling with another. Master Yukari...was Batsu. Is Batsu. He blinked again when he heard the voice telling him to wake up, and as if on cue, the white space started dimming and fading.

The black haired ninja gave a small groan and turned onto his side, his eyes slowly blinking open. He was wet. It took a few moments for his eyes to register the light filtering in, but once they did, they saw silver hair. Kymin smiled softly upon realizing that Felix was asleep. And by his side. He'd just been dreaming, so that meant that this had to be real...right? Taking a slow breath, Kymin pushed himself into sitting, glad to find that he no longer felt pain. When he looked at his chest, he blinked in surprise. There was no wound at all. But they were by a lake. And Felix couldn't heal. Except for that one jutsu. Crawling over to Felix's side, he gently put his hand on the other man's chest. No wound. Then how..? You know what, he didn't even care. Moving a bit closer to Felix, Kymin laid down on his side. The silver haired man reminded him a lot of a mermaid, with his body half in the water like that. He kissed his love's head lightly and laid there, waiting for the other male to wake up. He didn't care how long he had to wait. "I love you," he whispered. How was everything so suddenly alright? The mere calmness and rightness of this moment almost brought the green eyed male to tears. Was...everything back to normal?

Felix didn't know Kymin was awake until Kymin kissed him. He himself woke up when Kymin spoke. Felix opened his eyes and looked in Kymin's direction. "Glad to see you're okay," Felix said. He sat up and moved back into the water. It wasn't as cold as earlier. "How are you doing," he asked. His blue eyes were hopeful. The water spirit had promised him that he'd save Kymin and the silver haired shinobi refused to accept Kymin in another other condition but okay. What he didn't know was that the water spirit had done more than save Kymin. Felix crossed his arms. I almost lost him. Never again would he get angry enough to strike out against someone he cared for.

Kymin blinked when he saw Felix shift. He hadn't meant to wake him up. He gave a light smile when Felix said he was glad to see he was okay. He sat up, blinking once when the silver haired male moved back into the water. Honestly, he understood how Felix worked since last time, so he would give the other male some space. This was different than last time though, very different. "I'm fine," he smiled lightly. His first instinct had been to make a joke and say 'well, I'm alive', but now was certainly not the right time. All that he thought was a dream was coming back to him. He'd been hysterical, thinking that Felix had hated him. He hadn't stopped apologizing because he'd thought it was his fault, even though he didn't know why. "Are...you okay?" he asked softly.

Felix smiled relieved to know that Kymin was indeed fine. The silver haired shinobi wasn't moving away because he needed space. He would have been glad to hold Kymin in his arms, but he found it easier to recover when he was completely submerged in water. That and, "I'm a bit cold," he answered honestly. "But that doesn't matter because all that matters is that you're okay and unharmed." Felix smiled and looked up at the sky. He wanted to apologize, but he wasn't sure if he should do so right now. It would break that moment of peace and he didn't want to do that. He looked back to the green eyed shinobi. "I love you," he told Kymin.

Kymin tilted his head and smiled wistfully when Felix said he was cold. "I'd imagine...you were sleeping in the water." He wanted to chuckle at that, but he couldn't. He was too happy to be amused. It made little sense, but it was how he felt. Now he just had to find a way to tell Felix what he'd found out. He couldn't stop thinking about it. His Master had turned into that thing? Clearly the soul did not remember him. Or...maybe it was too far gone to remember him, but not too far gone to be saved. His gaze, which had become unfocused, looked back to Felix when the other male spoke. He was beyond relieved to hear those three simple words. "I love you too angel," he replied with a smile. There was a pause before he realized "Um...where's Vishnu?" Kymin looked around and put his hands to his lips, giving a sharp whistle. He started getting worried when there was no noises to indicate the puppy was coming, but just a moment before Kymin was about to push himself up, the little half wolf came romping over, tail wagging, as he jumped on Kymin, happily licking the black haired human. Another wave of relief washed over him as he held the puppy close, his eyes filling with tears once more. This time they didn't spill over, but his voice cracked ever so slightly when he spoke. "Hey buddy...good to see you too.."

Felix could barely manage a chuckle. Instead he started to sway in the water to warm up a bit. When Kymin asked him about Vishnu he paused momentarily. "I don't know. He followed us out of the village...but...." Felix looked around and then began to sway again when Kymin whistled for the puppy. When Vishnu came running out he smiled. Looked like they were one big happy family again. Why'd it take a near death experience to bring them back together. Felix shook his head. "Kymin, you and Vishnu should go back home. I won't be able to leave for a while," he said. "If you don't have the key," he paused and searched his pants pocket, "then use mine." He tossed it to Kymin's feet since he was holding Vishnu.

Kymin scooted back so that he could sit against a tree while he was holding the small energetic creature. He looked back to the water when Felix said they should go home. He only shook his head. "I'll wait for you," he said with a small smile. He ignored the key that was thrown at his feet and leaned his head back on the tree, closing his eyes as Vishnu finally settled into his lap. He didn't know why Felix had to stay in the water, but he wasn't going to protest. He'd noticed one little detail though. That contract marker on Felix had spread. The black haired ninja was beginning to figure out just what kind of contract it was. Or rather, what Felix had to do to hold it up. 'It's a good thing that his bond to water is as strong as his father's.' That's what the thing had said. Maybe that thing was part of the contract? Who knew. He wanted to talk to Felix about what he'd discovered, but...He yawned. Even with that little bit of sleep he'd gotten, he felt exhausted.

Felix frowned lightly as Kymin said he'd wait. "You should really go home, I don't know how long I'll be here and you look tired. Go home and get some sleep. I'll be home eventually, I promise." He swam back to the edge and looked around. He didn't want Kymin sleeping out here. It was still morning and he'd be better off going home. Not to mention he'd lost a lot of blood and Felix didn't recall him eating this morning, unless he'd done so before leaving or after leaving, which he highly doubted. Felix blinked. "At least take Vishnu home, he hasn't eaten." Lie. He'd fed the pooch while he was cleaning, but he'd try anyway.

"I can take a nap here while I wait for you," he said sleepily. He wasn't about to go anywhere. It wasn't that he didn't trust Felix not to come home. He just wanted to be around him. "Lies. I put food out for him before I left. He was eating when I walked out the door," he muttered, his eyes still closed. Kymin held back a yawn and turned his head to the side, letting it continue to rest on the tree trunk. "Swim around little fishy, I'll be here when you're done, whether you like it or not," he mumbled, just loud enough for Felix to hear. Okay, so maybe he was a little loopy right now. Just a little. He hadn't stood up yet, because if he had, he was sure he'd fall over from dizziness. Which was half of the reason he wasn't leaving.

Felix's brow twitched when Kymin called him a little fishy. He let out a sigh and decided not to argue, since not only was Kymin not moving, he'd also caught him in a lie. "Fine." Felix swam farther out into the water and then went below the surface. Blue eyes blinked as he looked around. It was lonely in the water. Very lonely and he was kind of glad Kymin had decided to say. Felix took a few moment to swim around and then he made his way back to the surface. Going back to the edge he laid down in the same position as before and cross his arms in front of him. He was going to sleep too, it'd help the time go by faster.

After that, Kymin fell asleep rather quickly, his breathing evening out and his hand resting on Vishnu's back, as if to assure the puppy wasn't going to disappear anywhere. The black haired ninja only slept for twenty minutes before he floated back into consciousness. When he did, he gave a quiet yawn and gently lifted Vishnu to place him on the ground. The little dog didn't even stir, except for his ear twitching once. He was still tired, but if Felix was going to be here for a while, it would be easier to just wake up. He didn't want to sleep the day away, no matter how tired he felt. He didn't realize until that moment that he was shirtless. It hardly mattered though, because he was going into the water to wake up. It was a fairly cool day out, but the water felt icy to the touch as he walked in far enough away from Felix as to not wake the other male up. He dipped underwater, but didn't expect the small jolt it sent through him. Coming back up, Kymin took to floating on his back after finding a patch of water that the sun lit up. It was a bit warmer there.

Felix was still sleeping when Kymin woke up. He didn't even notice the guy moving into the lake. He was in the middle of an odd dream where he was sitting alone somewhere in a meadow. It was familiar, but at the same time it wasn't. As darkness washed over the meadow and took him to his home village before the crisis he smiled in his sleep. Everything was peaceful here. After relishing the dream for a while longer he woke up slowly. Pushing himself into a sitting position he blinked when he saw Kymin wasn't there but Vishnu was. Felix's heart sunk to the lowest depths as he back away into the water. He shouldn't have gone to sleep, because now Kymin was g- Felix blinked when he picked up small vibrations in the water. He turned and narrowed his eyes when he saw who was making the vibrations. Felix shook his head and swam over to Kymin. "What are you doing," he asked.

Kymin blinked his eyes open when he heard moving water, turning his head to look at Felix with a smile. "Mornin'. Or...is it afternoon now?" he chuckled lightly. Despite having been wide awake now, he was still feeling kinda light-headed. "I'm floatin' in the water," he said, giving a small goofy grin. "What're you doin?" He knew he was just being silly, but he couldn't quite help it. He wanted to stop floating in the water and start swimming around, but he figured he'd probably drown. It was a wonder he could even keep himself afloat right now. His muscles felt a bit sore, like he'd gotten into a fight after weeks and weeks of inactivity. Of course that hadn't been the case, because Kymin had stayed active every day the past couple weeks, but that's how he felt

Felix couldn't share Kymin's amusement. "I'm taking you back to shore," he said with a small shake of his head. "This water is cold to me, so you must be freezing." He held his hand out to Kymin. "Come on. You're going to get sick if you don't." Felix didn't want to have to argue about this. Felix went to have to drag Kymin out either. That would only cause conflict and he didn't want things to go back to being sour between them.