• had been....different ever since Lavi had fallen mysteriously ill. It was the type of sickness that crippled  weaker men to bed, but a slow illness that seemed to cause an extra strain. He tried to fool her, put up a front to help put her mind at ease, but she quickly saw through his lies.
     Sunlight peeked through a bedroom window, shards of yellow golden light cutting through the small bedroom. A groan of quiet irritation slowly roused the woman from sleep. Her hands stretched upwards as her back arched, stretching almost cat like, light brown skin reflecting warmly against the pale arm of her lover. She shook black,shaggy,shoulder length hair away from her face, high cheeks bones and light brown eyes revealing themselves from their previous halo of hair. A soft yawn escaping while she moved quietly away from the bed and towards the window. Aware of her lovers sudden sensitivity to sunlight, she snapped the curtains closed and took a moment to examine her long time sleeping male.
    Pale skin,even more so then usual, meet her eyes as she swept them over the strong curve of his jaw,down his chest,lifting slowly with sleep, and back up to the thick, spiky wave of red hair.
        A frown found its way across her pretty face and two fury ears slumped slightly at the perch on top of her head.
    They twitched in irritation and worry. He..they had been different ever since that one night. The whole town. People began to change, seemingly turning into night like creatures from fairy tales, or nightmares. A light fog had swallowed the town into an eerie gray color that night. The silver of the full moon only seemed to add to the tense atmosphere of those who were still out that night. Her lover, Lavi , and she had been walking through the thinning crowds as the exited they dimly lit theater, hand in hand. His flirtatious,boyish grin made her snicker as he pouted over his failed attempt to "whoo" her.
    "Geez, you'd think a beautiful woman would appreciate attention from a handsome man these days!" he claimed with a charming tilt in his voice.
    Raena simply rolled her dark brown eyes,amusement and irritation swirling around in her expression. "Well when I meet one, I'll switch you out for him."
    He feigned a hurt expression, red eyebrows furrowing in confusion and emerald eyes twinkling. "Are you sure there's room for three of us in that tiny bed we have now Rea?" The 22 year old woman simply snorted elegantly and began walking purposely way from the man she supposedly loved. A whiny sort of call that sounded awfully a lot like"Reeaaaaaaaaa?!"sounded behind her and she chuckled as she heard Lavi scramble to catch up with her long strides. She didn't slow down, but she did how ever let out an undignified sound at feeling arms wrap around her waist and hoist her off the ground and back against a warm chest. "Why ya run away from me Raeny?" Lavi mumbled against the side of her neck, inhaling  her slightly soft lavender smell. 
    She pretend to be annoyed but looked up at him with coy,yet mischievous smirk. "Why do you insist on calling me all these names?" she murmured as she trailed a hand slowly up his chest,bringing his ear closer in the process."I'm starting to get mixed signals.."A shiver ran down the young man's spine,not caring that people in the street could call them out for inappropriate PDA at any moment. 
    "God I almost forget how much I love you sometimes. Marry me?" he sighed out in a dreamy tone. Raena,however,just laughed."Give me a real proposal, and I might say yes."
    He opened his mouth to say something when a strange kind of commotion caused him to pause. He pushed away his shaggy red hair and glanced around him. People seemed to have forgotten their current route and stopped to stare upwards,at the moon. He glanced at his girlfriend and noticed, she too seemed to have gotten sucked into the moons trance. Purple light seemed to emit from the round globe,that being a wonder in itself. A strange sort of feeling lodged inside his stomach, he felt.....cold. He unconsciously brought Raena closer causing her to lightly fall out of her trance. "Lets..go home,Mkay?" she spoke softly against the curve of his neck. Lavi nodded mutely and began leading them home through the crowd of people who also seemed sluggishly walking home. To say the least, what happened later that night scared him.
      They had made their way home early that night and had decided to go to sleep early. Lavi seemed bothered. His mind was swimming with so many thoughts,but nothing at the same time,and to say the least it was distracting. His body felt chilled despite the thick blanket and warm body next to his. His hand absentley  played with the silky black tresses of his lovers hair. He pulled her closer to his body and gasped when he felt how hot she was."Damn girl,your hot". A disapproving sound from her affirmed him that she was awake. "Stop being a pervert..." came the mumbled reply against his chest,but it sounded pained. Lavi slid his hands down to her hips and pulled her back slightly,searching her face worriedly. 
    "What's wrong?" Lavi asked in a serious voice, so unlike his usual cheery personality. His hand came up to brush hair out of her eyes,and he felt his own widened from the heat he felt when he slid his hand against her cheek.
    She felt....hot. No scorching. She could feel sweat sliding down her back,her forehead,and stomach,the fact that the redhead was holding her so close not improving her problem. Hurriedly backing away,she slide her feet until they touched the hardwood floor and heaved herself up. She didn't want to tell Lavi what was wrong,a wave of disgust washing over her at the thought of being weak,but something  was seriously wrong with her. The sounds where what were driving her crazy. Every thing seemed too loud,she thought as she took a shaky step over towards the dresser, intent on changing clothes. The sound of Lavi sitting up on the bed bothered her because it shouldn't of been that loud, the creak the window made almost caused her to want to attack it..or sit by it. Not to mention the horrible ache she felt in her head,throbbing almost in synch with her too loud heart beat.
     And that's when it happened.
     Lavi heard a muffled sound of confusion leave the dark skinned woman that caused him to inch closer to the end of the bed. She held one dainty hand curled up into the roots of her hair and the other hovering above her mouth. The hand pulled away,and to Lavi's horror, came back slicked with dark,glittering blood.
    "My God, Rae-" His was statement cut off,however when the usually strong woman groaned and sank to her knees hard with a resounding clank. Lavi swore he never moved so fast in his entire life,catching the woman before she slumped even further,going completely limp against the slightly older man. He turned the woman around and shifted her so she leaned against his chest,her smaller frame shaking against him. 
    "Rae?Raena what happened?" He attempted to keep his voice calm and steady but cursed when he felt it waver at the end. With shaky hands he pulled the first item of clothing he could find towards him, one of his white tank tops, and pressed it against the darkening patch on her head. A low whine escaped the woman against him before fast,short breathing caught his attention. Hooking his hands under her knees and steading a hand on her back, Lavi stood,cradling the still shaking female in his arms. "Jus-..Just hold on k Raeny? I'll get you help and..and you'll be ignoring me in no time." He attempted a failed excuse for an amused grin that became nothing more than a grimace,if anything.
    Before he knew it,he was lightly jogging down the street,ignoring the weird stares he got from holding a bleeding woman and from only being in his boxers. Slowing down slightly he glanced down into Raena's face and barely prevented himself from going into full panic mode. More of the red substance seemed to have leaked down,leaving red tracks running down her face. Her eyes,before scrunched in pain,now rolled upward in flutters before stubbornly trying to remain open. He could see the hospital in view now and busied himself in keeping Raena awake, afraid that her warm but guarded eyes would never open again."Come on Rae-Rae, keep those pretty eyes open just for me,eh?" He wanted to hopefully get the woman annoyed with another one of his pet names to stay awake,but even that seemed futile. She did,however open her mouth and attempted to speak. "L-Lavi..?Stop b-being a..a per...." A  sighing sound softly left her lips and her dark brown eyes finally rolled skyward,affirming her passing out and leaving her limp against his body.
    "s**t!" if possible he ran even faster,almost cheering in relief when he finally busted through the heavy doors of the ********, anyone,help!" he all but screamed in the hospitals lobby. A nurse gasped in horror when she saw the pair."Oh god not another!Drew!" To Lavi's relief a stretcher came out almost as soon as those words were ushered. Nervously putting Raena down,he brushed his lips against her feverish forehead, and strolled with the stretcher down the hallway before a hand pressed against his chest. A small timid looking woman looked up into his face with an oddly stern expression."I'm sorry sir,but you can't go in there." 
    An uncharacteristic scowl spread across his handsome face as he once again tried to follow the escaping stretcher down the hallway."Sorry ma'am ,if I do say myself, but there's no way in hell I'm leaving her alone not knowing what's wrong with her!" He moved  but was once again stopped by the less timid woman.
    "Sir,we may not know what's wrong with her but we do know what's happening. Look around,this hospital has been flooded with people coming in with similar injuries, and this may sound disbelieving but..." She paused to swallow."...they seem to be changing into these different things!" 
    Lavi simply blinked at the woman in front of him and considered maybe getting this woman a doctor of her own before he actually took a look around. People of all shapes in sizes seemed to hover around the walls of the hospital, disfigured shadows poking almost unnaturally from some of the figures body. To his horror and surprise, he learned that they were limbs. Animal limbs. Paws,tails,noses,and claws seemed to plague the people in the hospital , the only thing pulling him out of his stupor was a female scream,that strangely came from the hallway his lover was just rolled down. Forgetting the woman,and the patients lining the walls,he slipped past her, sprinting down the hallway. He skitted to a stop in front of a room and felt his heart clench at what he saw. His beautiful girlfriend was clawing at her hair,back arched off the stretcher, eyes slammed shut in pain,blood slipping down her fingers. Before anyone could stop him though,the redhead gathered the woman in his lap,and tried to soothe her agony,pressing small kisses in her bloody hair and the side of her face,whispering quiet"iloveyou's" over and over again until her body relaxed again,signalling her unconscious state. Eyes wet with emotion,Lavi pressed her closer to him and took in a shuttering breath. It felt as if he couldn't breathe,like his heart had plummeted into a bucket of ice and was being held down by an invisible force. He had never seen his girlfriend in this much pain before,and he felt helpless,un able to take away her pain. He felt his own body trembling and tried to take long,deep breathes to control his breathing. His mind couldn't even imagine what type of pain Raena had just went through to make her,his rock and the strongest person he ever knew, break down and actually show that much emotion. He felt tears p***k at the back of his eyes but forced them down when the doctor began to apparently talk to him,softly albeit. 
     It was irrelevant however,he just repeated basically what the nurse had said before only adding the medicine he would administer to prevent the pain,but seemed to pause and stare at Raena for a minute,making Lavi pull the darker woman closer to him and let loose what resembled a growl. The doctor blushed beside himself and stuttered out a reply."I-I'm sorry! It ju-just that the..her..!" he pointed and made a sort of pointing juster with his hand. Lavi reluctantly  looked down and just stared.
    Two large black rectangular ears now sat on her head,not directly on top but near the sides. His back stiffened and he turned incredulously to the black tail that now wrapped lazily around his arm. A sort of crazed stressed laugh escaped his lips as he stroked clumpy black hair with his fingers.  
    "What's happening here doc?What's wrong with all these people,....with her?"
    The doctor then seemed to shift uncomfortably,seemingly debating with himself. "Well...it may seem to have something to do with the moon."
    "The moon?"Lavi echoed back dumbly.
    "A sort of purple light seemed to have emitted from it earlier this night.Everyone here has one thing in common,they were all outside when the moon changed colors."
    Lavi pondered over the new information,shifting Raena into a laying position and slowly moving from the bed. "That's well and all....but what about me?I was outside with her when it happened too."He blew out a breath and felt his face grow hot when he realized just how much clothing he had on,or rather didn't have on. A hand rubbed at the back of his scarlet locks and he pretended to look around to stop the conversation from growing awkward.
    The other man made a clicking sound in the back of his throat." Well how do you feel? Not all the people who changed have appearances that didn't change on the outside yet,just discomfort."
    He took a second to think,emerald eyes narrowing in thought. He didn't feel different much,just cold. Lavi could even go as far as saying he felt better tonight then he had this morning,energy seeming to course through his veins. "Don't think about it now"the older man started off."Just comfort your wife, and get some rest."
    Despite the situation,Lavi couldn't keep a lopsided grin from spreading across his face."Wife huh?If she heard you say that then she'd have to marry me now! I mean look at her! You know what,never mind,don't look at her.She's mine." He finished with a fake stage whisper. 
    The doctor chuckled and turned to leave when he heard the other man speak,albeit quieter."So, sh-she's gonna be alright,right?" A soft grim smile spread across the middle aged man's lips,studying this young man who cared so much for his girlfriend."Just fine kid".
    The door closed behind the man of medicine,causing Lavi to take a shuddering breath before turning to brown skinned woman. He slipped a plastic chair next to her hospital bed and continued on to the bathroom,intent on cleaning the blood away from her lovely face. He gave a little cheer when he found wash clothes and soaked one in water,but pausing at his reflection. He looked....pale. Well paler than usually. His red hair seemed to stick out even more prominently than before,but he shrugged it off, continuing on to the little plastic chair and taking a seat. Bringing the moist clothe gently over his lovers face, he began the small task of patting the red streaks off her cheeks and forehead.

                                                           ***************
    He never really knew what she saw in him, why she loved him. He remembers the day he first saw her. She had been inside a small cafe, nimble fingers tapping almost furiously at a small black laptop, slim eyebrows furrowed determinedly. Lavi,himself, sat behind the cafe counter,ringing up a customers purchases. Two green eyes flicked towards the young woman who couldn't be more than 20years old. A crisp white collared blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt momentarily distracted his eyes, eyeing round hips and a thin waist line, before flashing up to shaggy black hair that fell just below her ears. A familiar idea crossed his mind,reaching behind him,he quickly grabbed a sea green notepad and began to scrawl and doodle on the small piece of paper before folding it. A goofy type of grin crossed his face,before he expertly tossed the paper at the woman's table. He wasn't surprised when said woman caught the note with one hand,eyes still trained on her laptop,before placing the note in her lap. This was, after all, his 12th time chucking mini notes at the woman this week.
      The raven woman sighed before tearing her eyes away from her job assignment down to the paper in her hand. As much as she tried to hold back a chuckle,one still appeared as she glanced at what the paper was folded as today. A bunny. She had almost feared(hoped) that the handsome redhead would run out of animals to fold his notes into.After all, this was his 12th note he had tossed at her this week, for this was her regular place to eat during her break, being clostes to her job building. She had just began her new job three weeks ago and had began coming to the small cafe the week prior.
     Swiftly opening the note,she rolled her eyes. Messy letters curled down the side of the green paper.
    "Don't we look cute together?"
    An equally messy doodle littered around the edges, it seemed to be a smirking cactus stick man holding a busty woman's hand while standing on a planet, both holding little hearts in their eyes. 
     Pretending to talk on the company phone while staring at the female from the corner of his eye,Lavi practically dropped the phone when something "plunked" against the side of his red hair. "Hanging up" the phone, he leaned over and picked up the accusing item. In his hand sat his little green bunny,albeit a little wrinkled. Opening the letter, his eyes widened at what he saw. Neat cursive handwriting seemed to flow down the side of the paper,accented with a small heart over the 'i'.
     "Cute. Twelve notes in a row and no free coffee?"
         A very accurate drawing of a steaming coffee cup in a females hand momentarily distracted Lavi, eyeing the liveliness of her quick drawing. A lopsided grin appeared on his face. She had just basically asked him out on a date! Right....? He jumped of his bar stool and hurried into the kitchen,throwing on a cafe apron over his form fitting black shirt and stylish blue jeans. Quickly whipping up two plain coffees,he carefully placed them on a serving tray before sauntering down the podium,between the plethora of tables,and finally towards her. He swiped on a charming smile,hiding his nervousness,and took a step towards her when a couple stood up from the table and blocked his way. He paused,letting them pass, but froze when he saw the now, empty table. Sighing and running one hand down his hair in frustration,he thought. This just didn't make sense! He usually didn't have such rotten luck with people,especially woman! Maybe it was his new hair cut? His bangs were usually shorter ,but red hair now hung into his eyes. That had to be it right.....?
          Groaning one more time in self inflicted frustration, he turned on his feet but let out a surprised shout when he turned into someone. Two bodies stumbled to the floor,followed by the sound of shattering glass, spilt coffee,and an irritated hiss. Lavi quickly rolled off the person he fell on and glanced down. Crisp white blouse now soaked in hot coffee, an angry looking scrap floating diagonally across her forearm, and finally a stunningly calm expression shown across her face, the woman in the pencil skirt lay sprawled across the floor,only being held up by her elbows.
     "Oh Gosh...s**t! I'm mean...! Uh, I am Sooooo sorry miss!"Face burning a shade of red that could rival his hair, Lavi quickly sprang up to his feet and bounced on the balls of his feet, triffeling nervously over the fallen woman.  Said woman sighed, calm expression still displayed, and swiped a hand across her coffee soaked bangs. Lavi cringed. From her sudden calm demeanor Lavi knew an explosion was on its way. Already mentally preparing for an ear full, he was shocked at what he heard next.
    "Hmm, this really isn't what I ment by buying me a coffee. Ya know?"
    A beat went by.
    "What the hell is wrong with you!" the redhead said frantically,it wasn't really a question after all. He had just knocked this woman on the ground and spilt hot coffee on her and her she was, making a joke?
    The woman on the floor just rolled her eyes, an almost coy smile curling at the corners of her lips. 
    "Nothing besides this burning coffee. Mind giving me a hand coffee boy?"
     Feeling heat rise up to his ear tips,Lavi smoothly bent down and helped her off the tiled floor. Rubbing the back of his neck, Lavi began to apologize again.
    "Hey, I'm realllllllll sorry about knocking you over miss. I uh...didn't really see you behind me."
    She waved him off, smoothing the damp wrinkles of her shirt down. Lavi glanced down at her shirt too, and before he even realized what he was doing, his left hand came up and smoothed down a crease she had passed over.
    Right over her left breast.
    A blush spread over the bridge of her nose, a small frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. Like a snake going in for the kill, her delicate hand zoomed up and struck him across the face. Cocking her head to the side, she gave him a once over before turning on her heel and heading towards the exit.
    A plotch of red began to grow around the area of his cheek. What the hell just happened? The chimes of the cafe door closing snapped him out of his thoughts. A disapproving stare directed at him from an elderly couple caused him to rush out of the small coffee shop. 
    "Miss?Missss? Please waaiit!" his long legs easily caught up with the dark skinned woman, who at this point was pointedly ignoring him. Lavi let out a breath when he finally caught up with her, but he once again made another mistake.
        Placing a hand on the back of her shoulder he began speaking.
    "Hey look, I'm reallllly sorry miss! I just...uh...your shirt was just...GYHAA!" 
    Moving as quick as she did when she slapped him, her lithe body twisted, gripped the hand on her shoulder, and promptly flipped him over her shoulder. The redhead let out a grunt when his back hit the concrete of the sidewalk, emerald eyes slightly unfocused as he was dazed. A weight pressed against his chest and he looked up to see the shaggy haired woman straddling him, light brown eyes narrowed in aggravation and amusement. Bewildered stares of by-standers seemed to fade into the background as hazel meet emerald, a challenge of sorts seemed to thunder bolt across the small space between them.
    Hours seemed to go by before finally jade eyes widened slightly, a dreamy sort of look seemed to spread across his face.  
         "My god. Marry me,please?"  a bemused look crossed the woman's features as she leaned back,but did not remove herself from her new chair.
    She began talking in a teasing tone. "You don't even know my name coffee boy."
    The young man shrugged as best as he could in his situation,flashing a blinding grin towards the obviously crafty woman.
     "Believe in love at first sight?" She smiled almost coyly in response.
     His grin grew wider as the woman leaned closer, tilting his head slightly to shift closer to the ravennett's lips. He could feel her soft breaths flow over his own, electricity shot down his spine while he closed his glowing green eyes, anticipating those soft lips on his. 
     Instead of soft lips however, he was greeted by a sudden chill across his body and a shift of weight. Lavi's green eyes shoot open and was greeted by the back of the woman, casually walking down the street.
     "I'll tell you if I ever find it, redhead." She tossed playfully over her shoulder, moving further into the crowd.
     Narrowing his eyes, Lavi swiftly pulled himself of the concrete and stalked his way into the crowd, ignoring the cries of anger thrown his way by people shoved out of his way. Finally catching up with the agile female, he wrapped an arm around the woman's thin waist and spun her around, pressing her to his chest. A surprised look flashed across her face and he smirked on the inside.
     "I think you just met him" he growled lowly, burying his face on the side of her neck. He didn't really know what he was doing, but it just felt so 'right' holding her close to him. He heard her breath catch when he nipped lightly at her neck.
     She slid her hands to his biceps, pushing weakly against them."I..You don't even know my name, 'coffee boy'" she replied hesitantly, putting a forceful emphasise on 'coffee boy'.
     He pressed a soft kiss against the pulse on her neck, making  small affirming noise in the back of his throat. Her fingers curled slightly against his arms.
     "Then tell me, my name's Lavi..." The words where spaced out, kisses placed between his words. The woman paused, seemingly debating with herself, before she melted against the redhead. 
    "Raena. Its Raena.." her words faltered slightly, but she caught herself and restated her name more firmly the second time around. He chuckled lowly against her neck, before gasping when he felt soft fingers trail upward and around his neck. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, Raena brushed her lips down his jaw,down to his neck, and took a small n** against it. His arms tightened around her waist and he with held a groan, absently pondering how he fell for a woman so quickly, only laying eyes on her a short two weeks ago, but the warm ache in his chest whispered something different to his soul. 
    "I'd kiss you if I didn't think I was being too forward." The dark skinned woman words ghosted coolly across Lavi's neck and he felt his signature grin stretch across his face. Bringing a warm hand under her chin, he gently tilted her face up,and pressed his warm lips firmly over hers. Raena tensed slightly at first, back stiffening, before she made a little sound in the back of her throat and melted against him.
     Lavi groaned when she added more pressure into the kiss, sliding his hands to her hips and trying to bring her closer. He had had many kiss in his lifetime, many great kiss and relationships but none of them had felt this...genuine. He felt as if he was suppose to be holding her like this, everyday for the rest of his li-. 
     A wack at the back of his head cracked him out of his thinking and the kiss. Another hit made him loosen his arms from around Raena and see just who had hit him. A short man with a bolding,grey head stood behind him, dark rings lining around his eyes.
     "Aww, why'd you hit me you stupid panda!" Lavi yelled, bring his hand up and pressing it to the spot the old man had hit. He heard Raena chuckle behind him and he attempted to flash a grin at her but the old man quickly grabbed him by his jacket sleeve, dragging back to the coffee shop.
     "Gramps, I...wait!"
    " I've had enough of you slacking off boy, you can flirt with whoever you want after closing hours." the man said stoically. Lavi opened his mouth to protest but stopped when a crumpled piece of paper flew towards him. Stumbling to catch the small paper, he smiled at what he saw inside, a name and phone number neatly written. He looked up.
     "Call me some time....Lavi." the dark skinned woman slowly drew out her words, giving a small smile and a wave before she turned around and  began strolling down the street again.
    Despite all that happened today, Lavi couldn't help but believe this would go down as one of the best days of his life. 

                                                                ************
    Depositing the dirty clothe on the floor, he slipped his hand over her smaller one and lay his head down against the side of the mattress,staring  at Raena's features, a soft look pillowing in his expression.. His eyes slipped closed and he gave on last sigh before his breathing evened out, signaling Lavi finally asleep.
          Something didn't smell right, or at least to her it didn't. Long,black lashes brushed across tanned cheeks,and a sigh escaped from pink lips. Raena shifted and groaned. Her head felt as if it had been dunked under water for too long, a deafening type of pounding forming behind her eyes. Light brown eyes creeped open and narrowed. Sun light filtered into the small hospital room, the white walls seeming to sparkle a blinding pearl in the sunlight. A small table rested next to the bed she laid in, a jade green vase full of sunflowers perched on top. Tree branches danced outside the window to her left, seemingly inviting her to go outside with them and leave the small, spacious room. 
        A warmth tightened around her hand. Looking down she felt a tired smile spread across her face. Lavi slept soundly at the side of her bed,light snores wafting from him. Lifting up a hand, she ran her fingers through his shinning scarlet hair. Shifting her body slightly, she gingerly slipped out of the bed and padded her way towards what she assumed was a bathroom. She paused when she opened up the bathroom door, a frown slipping on her face. 
    When did she get here? And why?
    She remembered waking up in the middle of the night, pain flowing from her head, but what after that? Figuring she'd worry about it later,when Lavi woke up, she continued on her way. She flicked her wrist, plunging the washroom with light. Raena stretched and gave a sigh, her muscles felt stiff, she felt as if she hadn't moved in a lifetime. Quickly shedding her clothes, the ones she fell asleep in much to her displeasure, she closed the shower curtain and turned on the hot water. ********
      Feeling significantly cleaner, Raena, unhappily, slipped back on her original clothes, finding no other spare available. Steam curled around the bathroom,a relaxing feeling settling in. A sharp look suddenly flashed across her face, determination seeping into her eyes. Steeling her nerves, she hesitantly swiped her hand across the foggy mirror and stared. Two black ears perched neatly on top of her head, one flicking back at the sound of water still dripping from the shower head. A black tail could be seen at the bottom corner of the mirror. Giving her self a firm nod, Raena calmly stepped out the bathroom and was meet with a face full of a white shirt and two arms snaking around her hips.
     Lavi sighed and buried his face in her black hair, relief spreading through him at the sight of his lover up and walking. "S'nice tuf see ou too." came the muffled reply and Lavi couldn't help but let out a chuckle at how much her voice reminded him of a grumpy four year old. 
     Pulling back slightly, he pressed a light kiss on her forehead and chuckled. "Sorry." A lopsided grin slide on his face. He felt so relieved that she was ok. That night had been the most horrifying thing in his life, knowing the love of his life was injured, but not being able to do a thing for her. It hurt, knowing that he couldn't do any thing for her when she needed him, but he promised himself that he would always protect Raena, no matter what.
     He leaned forward to give his dark skinned lover a kiss, when he paused. Raena stared at him, a quizzical expression on her face. The ears.'s**t', he thought. Lavi kept his expression carefully neutral. Surely she had noticed.....? He studied her carefully, she didn't seem like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, that 'had' to be a good sign right? Hazel brown eyes shined up at him, a questioning look flooded her expression, before comprehension dawned on her.
     Plastering a charming smile, the red head ran a hand through his hair and forced out a chuckle.
     "How about we,uh, go to the bathroom for a minute?" he began
      "I don't really th-" 
       "Come on, I'll go with you!" He gently grabbed her smooth hand and began tugging her towards the bathroom. Raena gave a 'huff' of irritation.
      "Lavi, I don't need t-"
      "No I insist!" the cheerful redhead chirped.
    Pulling her hand away and giving a grunt of annoyance , Raena slipped away and placed her hands on her hips, giving Lavi a fierce look.
      " I know about the ears." Silence rang out around the small room, confusion filling the space around them. Lavi didn't quit know what to say, and stuttered. "You know....?"
     She nodded seriously, a thoughtful look on her face.
      "And your...ok with them?"
      "Yup"
       "The ears, I mean." 
        "Yes"
      A small, tired smile formed on her lips. She slowly moved forward, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a soft kiss. Lavi moaned in the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer. Her hand played with the scarlet hair at the nape of his neck, causing a shiver to run down his spine. Running his fingers lightly down her sides, he pulled away and gave her a lopsided grin.
     "Raeny, your absolutely 'sure' your not bothered by the ears?"
     Bringing up a hand hesitantly, she slowly touched her new pair of ears. They felt warm and soft under her hands. One of them moved by themselves, picking up a sound from outside the window. Panic clawed its way up her chest, this wasn't normal, this didn't just happen out of no where. She pulled out of Lavi's arms and attempted to pull off a laugh at his concerned eyes.
     "Are you ok-" the emerald eyed man asked, stepping closer when the raven backed away from him.
     She felt her newly acquired tail flick against the side on the table and gasped. Her breathing came more harshly, her chest heaving slightly. Raena tried to regain control over her breathing, black dots swimming in her vision from lack of oxygen.
     "Yeah, I'm fine." she rushed out.A vise grip seemed to constrict round her lungs,forcing air out rapidly, but limiting the amount she inhaled the much needed substance. She needed to get herself under control. So what if she had ears?...and a tail? SO WHAT? Taking a deep breath, Raena turned back towards Lavi and gave a wary, if not weak, smile. 
    "Don't worry, I'll be fine. But....what about you?" She moved closer to the redhead, slipping a cool palm on his face.
    "Do you feel alright?" A sigh slipped past his lips, he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him. 
    "Me? I'm the complete picture of perfect health! Though.. .a little tired." he replied truthfully. In truth, he was exhausted. Even though it was a little after noon, his body felt stiff and sluggish, as if he hadn't sleep at all in the last couple of hours. Never mind that the sun light drifting from the cracked blinds made his skin tingle in an unpleasant way, causing him to feel even from worn out. A hand crawled up his chest and latched on to the front of his shirt, forcing him to awkwardly lean down. Two hazel eyes pierced into his own.
    " We're going to bed."
    The hand stayed buried in the fabric of his shirt and continued to drag the tired man to the small hospital bed. "No, really. Just woke up, I don't need to-"
    A well timed shove to his chest sent him flopping down onto the crisp whit sheets of the bed, the smell of new linen clinging to the air around the bed.
    The woman huffed and grumbled under her breath. "Shut up and snuggle with me."
    Climbing on the small bed, Raena made herself comfortable and laid her head on Lavi's chest. Lavi brought his hands up and put them around her, drawing her closer. 
    "Mm, you know I love it when you take charge. Gets me all hot n bothered."
    "There's a lot of things that get you hot and bothered."
    "You know me so well."
    Raena let out a soft chuckle and absently drew patterns across Lavi's chest. It felt nice to be close to him, she could practically feel the stress from the few hours fade away, bringing only a warm, relaxing feeling.
    "I'm sad though..."
    "Why?"
    A pout formed on her lips. "Why am I the only one with ears?I was kinda hoping to see you with bunny ears...."
     ******************