Night's Omen

There was very little in the world that frightened Kenji Matsumori.  Thunderstorms were one of those things.  Losing his partner (and only real friend), Erik Lucio, was another. 

Not that he'd admit to any of this, naturally.

No, rather than acting the concerned and relieved friend, Kenji was ribbing Erik with that dry, deadpan humor of his.  Part of this was to keep Erik awake and coherent during the flight back, and then the drive back to the guildhouse.  Mostly, it was to cover for the fact that Kenji had just about fainted from shock when he heard about Erik's sudden disappearance in China. 

The rescue mission had gone well.  No more lives were lost than really necessary, and no Crimson lives were lost at all.  It was a roaring success-- no pun intended.  All except one, teeny-tiny, little detail:

Erik was infected. 

If he survived, he would be turning into a tiger on a semi-regular basis.  Kenji was surprisingly okay with this.  Tigers were very powerful and important animals in Asian mythology and spiritual beliefs.  As a raven himself, Kenji couldn't really fault him for becoming a shifter, either.  So the tiger thing was totally kosher.  The "nearly getting himself killed" thing, not so kosher.

"We may be seeing you in the pool more often," Kenji remarked.  "Tigers are the only big cats that really enjoy swimming."  He'd been tossing out "helpful" little tidbits of trivia like this the entire trip back.  "Perhaps you will be inclined to bathe more often, as well."

Sitting in the car listening to Kenji rib him about his unfortunate illness, it occurred to Erik for the umpteenth time since they'd left China that he would rather be sleeping.  He was exhausted, starving and still had a raging fever, though he'd been assured that the fever and other sickly symptoms would fade as the infection finished its business.  He'd also been informed that it was much too late for an attempt at an antidote, and that trying it now would only draw out the infection taking root.  He didn't want to draw this out at all, so he was stuck with just letting it run its course.

He was apparently stuck with Ken in 'helpful mode', as well.

Every time he thought he was going to manage falling asleep in his seat, which had been on many, MANY occasions already, Ken would start talking again, drawing him away from the blessed sleep.  He could only assume that Ken was worried about him, but it didn't exactly sound that way.  He just hoped his partner would let him sleep when they got to the guildhouse, when there was a doctor not all that far away.  It didn't even occur to him that Ken might have been doing it to cover up his prior fear of Erik being dead.  It also didn't occur to him that he might not survive.  He'd been fairly sure, even when he wasn't coherent, that the point hadn't ever been to kill him, and he remembered being fed, although vaguely.  Dying wasn't in his plans for the day, anyway.

"I bathe often enough," he returned, narrowing his eyes at his partner.  Of course, he hadn't exactly been squeaky clean when the rescue mission showed up, but that was almost to be expected.  Under normal conditions, he showered all the time. 

"You'll probably catch me in the pool as often as I see you perched over someone's fireplace squawking gloomy poetry," he added, rolling his eyes and settling back into his seat.  The topic of being a tiger was still sore, though Ken seemed set on drumming the idea into his head until it stuck without pissing him off.  He was afraid to wonder if it was working.  At least he wasn't treating the subject like the plague, though.  That'd have been worse, he thought.

It was a good sign that Erik was coherent enough to return fire.  Kenji would have been even more worried about him if he'd stayed silent, or managed to sleep despite the smaller man's attempts to keep him talking.  He knew Erik was a tough cookie, and that he'd ride out this infection just fine, but having the evidence for himself was still a comfort.

Being the prick he could sometimes be, Kenji continued with his encyclopedic recitations as if Erik hadn't spoken at all.  "Tigers can reach lengths of thirteen feet, and weigh nearly six hundred pounds," he provided helpfully.  "In captivity, they eat between ten to twenty-five pounds of meat and bone per day.  In the wild, however, they are known to gorge themselves on up to one hundred pounds of food, then fast for several days after."

Kenji considered this last factoid for a moment before adding in a perfectly serious tone:

"You will need a very large litterbox."

Ken may have thought that his tiger trivia was helpful, but all Erik seemed to think of it was that it was pushing the fact that he wasn't human anymore.  Of course, he knew he wasn't, but that didn't mean he wanted all these reminders.  He didn't want to know anything about the animal form that had changed his whole life. 

Actually, all he wanted right then was some sleep. 

He wasn't even worried about food, which was actually surprising.  Normally, he'd have been starving after such a long plane ride, but he wasn't.  He wasn't going to say anything, especially after Ken's factoids about tiger eating habits, since that would only encourage his partner to continue.  He'd been delirious during most of his initial 'stay' in that chinese cell, not to mention on edge because he HATED confined spaces, and he vaguely remembered that he'd been fed.  He just wasn't going to focus on what.

"Shut up," he retorted instead.  Not very witty, but it was all he had right then.

"Sorry, Lucio.  I cannot shut up.  You might fall asleep, and until we get you into Doc Mitchell's care, I cannot allow that to happen," Kenji informed him solemnly, though he didn't really sound sorry at all.  "Besides, this information will be useful to you when you start shifting.  Are you hungry right now?  I have some food with me." 

He dug around in a duffle bag on the seat beside him, producing a bag of Doritos.  One of Erik's favorite snacks.  Waving it under Erik's nose, he said, "You should try to eat something.  The infection is running its course, but it will leave your body weakened for a time."  Granted, Doritos weren't super healthy, but calories were calories at this point.  Anyway, they'd feed him a proper meal back at the guild house.

Ken seemed to be missing the point.  Erik wanted him to shut up so that he COULD sleep.  He figured that if he'd survived as long as he already had like this, sleeping when he felt like it, it wouldn't hurt now.  If he died, then he died.  Oh well.  At least he wouldn't need to hear anything else about tigers from Ken.

Speaking of which, how the hell did Ken know all that about them?

He would have asked, since it was a worthwhile question, except that Ken was dangling a bag of Doritos in front of him all of a sudden.  Taco flavored, his favorite.  He had to wonder why Ken was carrying those around with him, but didn't bother to ask.  Ken was saying something about eating, and that was the last thing he wanted to do, even if he could always make room for Doritos. 

"I'm not hungry," he said simply, pushing the bag away.  He could have been nicer and said 'no, thanks' or something, but Ken wasn't exactly being all that nice, either.  He could have let Erik sleep instead of trying to stuff him full of snack food.  "They didn't starve me, you know."

Of course, a LOT of time had passed between his last 'meal' in that cell and him sitting in Ken's car.  There'd been awhile since he ate before Ken showed up with the rescue team, then a visit with a supernatural-based doctor, time waiting for a plane, the actual plane ride (which took FOREVER) and now the car ride.  He just wasn't hungry, though. 

Kenji stared at Erik.  Then, dropping the bag of Doritos into Erik's lap, he pointed with his now-empty hand right at Erik's nose.  His eyes were very wide, the dark circles from lack of sleep accenting them like khol.  "I was correct," he rasped, nearly whispering.  "You must be fasting right now."

Returning to his normal expression and position on the car seat, he pulled another package from his duffle bag; this one was full of gummy peach rings.  He tore them open with his teeth, then plucked each ring carefully from the plastic bag using only his thumb and forefinger, chewing each one slowly to savor the sugary goodness. 

"You may keep the Doritos for later," he offered generously, as an afterthought.

There were times when Kenji actually managed to either startle or creep Erik out.  Those moments weren't terribly common, but they existed.  When Ken dropped the bag of chips and pointed, his voice all raspy and his eyes looking creepy, Erik was both a little startled and creeped out.  Then, he realized what Ken said, and the creepy factor was gone in favor of indignation.

Well, at least Ken still had him awake.

He pushed the bag back in the direction of the duffel bag it had been unearthed from, and managed to look insulted.  "I am not fasting.  I'm just not hungry.  I'm allowed to not be hungry after being kidnapped, infected with shapeshifter blood that feels like some crazy jungle virus, and kept in a damp stone pit for however the hell long that was while my brain boiled and those crazies babbled about spirits."

Cranky?  Why, yes, what made you guess? 

Erik didn't get sick often, so it wasn't like he took it all that well.  If it wasn't as bad as it currently was, he usually just toughed it out and went on with life.  Right then, he wanted to keel over for a few days, and Ken was going to accuse him of some crazy thing he'd seen on Animal Planet, or something. 

"Dude, no more TV for you.  Animal Planet is making you weirder than usual."

Kenji quirked one of his tiny, barely-there smiles that meant he was really amused by Erik's reaction.  The fasting thing had probably been a joke, but it was hard to tell with Kenji sometimes.  Sometimes he was creepy on purpose.

"Discovery Channel, but let's not split hairs," he corrected mildly.  "You may want something to eat later, after the Doc checks you over and you've had some rest.  Depending on what form you wake up in, I'll have your steak cooked accordingly."

Erik would have tried to think of some snappy comment to respond to Ken's remark about the steak, but it brought up a good point regarding shifting.  He wasn't just going to wake up like that, was he?  God, that'd be disorienting, and freaky, for the first one.  No way that'd happen.  Would it?  He couldn't remember any stories of a shifter's first time (wow, that sounded wrong), so he didn't know if they'd just randomly change shapes.

Speaking of sounding wrong, this had better not affect his sex life.

"I'm going to start getting birdseed for you if you don't shut up," he finally shot back, though the pause was enough to either prove that he wasn't up to par, or that he was thinking way too much on this issue.  It was actually both, but a normal person wouldn't have realized that.  Unfortunately for Erik, Ken would.  Ken noticed way too much.

"You don't pay much attention, Lucio," Kenji chided, sounding disappointed in his partner.  "Ravens are not seed-eaters.  We are carrion birds.  However, I do not recommend going out to find me some nice juicy roadkill, as sweet as the gesture might be."

Erik's long pause before his fairly weak retort, however, clued Kenji in to his partner's state of mind.  This tiger thing was seriously bothering him.  Kenji couldn't fathom why; after all, being a shifter was fantastic.  Once you got control over your shifting abilities, anyway.  Ah, perhaps that was the problem.

"Do not worry so much.  It will not take long for you to master your changing forms.  You may even enjoy being a tiger."  It was about as comforting as Kenji got.  He sort of spoiled it a second later by adding, "However, it is ironic that you have a dragon tattoo on the inside of your left arm.  The dragon and tiger in Eastern mythology were always opposing forces."

"You better hope I'm feeling forgiving when I feel well enough to drive again, or you might end up as roadkill yourself," he retorted, sinking into his seat somewhat.  He felt like shit on a stick, if he was going to at least be honest with himself, and the banter really wasn't enough to distract for long.  Naturally, the tiger thing was bothering him.  Ken may have been a bird from birth, but Erik was pretty comfortable as a human.  It was even worse that it hadn't even been an accident.  This had been a deliberate move on the part of the crazies.  It wasn't like he'd killed the tiger and they'd bled on each other.  He'd been bled out and purposely given shifter blood.  That made it a whole new level of fucked up. 

"Guess I'm just all kinds of balanced, then," he muttered, letting his eyes flutter shut.  Maybe if he kept responding right up until he actually passed out, Ken would be focused enough on driving that he wouldn't notice.  It was a long shot, given how observant Ken was, but it was worth the try.

Not that they had long to drive yet.  The airport was an obnoxious distance from the guildhouse, but it couldn't have been much more than an hour.  Time was just dragging for him.

"Your empty threats amuse me," Kenji told him frankly.  He knew Erik would never try to run him down, no matter how much he annoyed his partner.  Especially since it was Kenji that had saved his ass in China (with some help, but who cared about minor details?). 

Out of the corner of his eye, the raven could see that his friend was nodding off, despite his best efforts to discourage this.  They only had a few more minutes to go before reaching the guild house, and the road was empty of other cars for as far as the eye could see (and for a raven-shifter, that was pretty far indeed).  Without warning, he swerved his Kia sharply left, then right, before straightening out again. 

"Do try to stay awake a little longer," he insisted, his polite words undercut by the sharpness in his voice.  "If you sleep now, it will be next to impossible to wake you again, and I do not wish to carry you into the infirmary-- much less so if you happen to become a thirteen-foot-long, six hundred pound tiger during your nap.  We are nearly there."

He had ACTUALLY started to doze!! That meant sleep!!  How exciting!

Right up until Ken started jerking the steering wheel around, which had Erik sitting bolt upright and clutching at the 'oh shit handle' above his door with one hand and the dashboard with the other.  They were alive, nobody was careening towards them, and driving straight and sure.

"I'm gonna kill you, you asshat," he snarled, wondering if it was possible for Ken to SHOCK him into shifting prematurely.  That'd serve the fucker right.  Of course, he didn't much want to shift at all, so that still left him doing something he didn't want to.  The thought that he might suddenly wake up as a huge cat kind of scared him, though not enough to keep him from sleeping.

His adrenaline pumping was, though.  He settled back into his seat, but didn't start to doze again immediately.  He'd have to slow his heart rate again after that.

Well, at least it got Erik awake.  "You will pardon me if I do not suspend my disbelief," Kenji told him dryly.  Erik's death threats were usually more creative, but Kenji forgave him, since he was sick and all.  It was a lucky thing they were almost at the guild house.  Kenji was starting to think that nothing short of a real crash would wake his partner if he dozed off again.

"Look; there's the guild house."  Never had Kenji seen such a beautiful sight.  He pulled up right at the curb and opened the door for Erik.  What a gentleman.

It was true that he was usually more creative, but there wasn't much he could do about it right then.  He'd make up for it when he was feeling better, maybe even by making Ken believe he'd follow through with one or more of them.  That'd be nice.

He'd take it into consideration when the time came. 

In the meantime, the sooner he got inside, the sooner he could sleep.  "Think Mitchell would mind if I slept through everything?" he asked, mostly kidding.  He didn't think it'd work, since Mitchell would probably be worse than Kenji, though he doubted the doctor would be opening any doors for him.  How sweet of Ken.  Erik might puke yet.

"I can open the door myself, you know.  I'm sick, not helpless," he told the other man, though it was lacking in the venom it really could have had.  He didn't mind THAT much.  The comment was mostly for appearances.  He was no damsel in distress, so Ken didn't need to be a gentleman.  Ew.

Surprisingly, Kenji gave Erik's question serious thought.  "I suppose he might.  I can tell him most of what happened, if you fill him in on the bits I don't know yet.  Then, while he is running tests, I don't see why you couldn't rest for awhile."

The bitching about Ken's "chivalry" only elicited an unimpressed stare from the raven.  "You were barely coordinated enough to turn your head when I found you.  I thought I would be polite and save you the embarrassment of failing to open your own car door.  Since you claim to not be helpless, however, I shall not insist on carrying you," he said, sounding so lofty and dignified that it was pretty obvious he was teasing.

The LAST thing Erik was expecting was 'serious thought' out of Kenji on anything he said.  Ken didn't seem to take much of ANYTHING Erik said seriously.  It was just a lot of banter and messing with each other, or killing things.  "Yeah, whatever works," he agreed, surprisingly easily.  He MUST be tired.

Of course, he wasn't too tired to take offense when Ken kept talking.  There were just some things he HAD to defend himself on, and having Ken find him a wreck like that had been something he'd hoped would never happen.  He'd have almost preferred strangers, if it would keep things from feeling awkward with Ken.  He wasn't sure, at this point, if it was going to be awkward or downright annoying, but it wasn't like he could do anything about it.  Other than punch Ken in the face occasionally.  That'd be satisfying.

"You caught me during a 'rest period'.  I was more active before you got there," he managed, pulling himself out of the car.  Maybe it was best that Ken had opened the door for him, but he wasn't going to admit it.  He was going to bitch about Ken treating him like he was helpless right up until Ken stopped helping him, and then he'd struggle to do things himself.  He was just stubborn.

It did worry him a little that Erik was rolling with a lot more of Ken's jiving than usual, but given the other Hunter's condition, it was understandable.  Also, maaaaybe Erik felt a teeny bit humbled by his experience, and was grateful to Kenji for saving his ass. 

Yeah, right.  Like Erik would ever admit to something like THAT.  He was probably just too exhausted to argue.

"Uh huh," Kenji agreed dismissively.  "Resting.  Of course you were.  Silly of me to think otherwise."  True to his word, he did not offer to carry Erik into the infirmary, but he did walk attentively at the other man's side, ready to catch him if he stumbled.  His partner was really not in peak condition at the moment.  He was casual about it, though, hooking his thumbs in his jeans pockets and shuffling along in his battered sneakers.  Though he normally avoided footwear, he hadn't had a chance to remove the shoes since they'd returned from China. 

"I got your call," Doctor Mitchell said by way of greeting as he met them at the infirmary door.  "Let's get you strapped down, Lucio.  I don't want you going furry on me while I'm in the middle of taking blood tests.  Matsumori, stick around, I'll need to confirm some things with you."

Humbled.  Right.  It wasn't like Erik was a raging egomaniac, but being humbled into going along with Ken's whims just wasn't going to happen.  Nope. 

Exhausted, now THAT made sense.  It also made sense that Ken stayed by his side while they walked, and he understood that, so he didn't complain about it.  Ken could be as casual about it as he wanted, but Erik still noticed.  He WAS a little grateful for Ken's help, though.  Again, he'd never admit it, but it was the truth, and in the event that he NEEDED the help, it'd be good to have.  Even if it would hurt his pride, he'd rather have Ken keep him from impacting the pavement if it came down to it.

He was hoping it wouldn't.

Fortunately, despite his obviously bad condition, he didn't fall over, and made it as far as the door and Doctor Mitchell without incident.  That was good, since the incident was on its way. 

STRAPPED DOWN?!

Erik was somewhat claustrophobic, and that wasn't usually a problem, especially at the guildhouse.  He was never bad enough that he didn't like being indoors, just that he didn't prefer really small rooms.  Or being detained.  The fact that the last time he'd been tied down he'd been bled out, then infected with shifter blood, really wasn't helping.

Was the panic evident on his face, in every muscle in his body?

He didn't know, but he was just short of seeing if his already abused body was up for getting away.  He was still logical enough that he didn't try to bolt, but he was NOT going along with this.  "Negative.  That's not happening," he said firmly, or at least, as firmly as he could. 

"I get WHY, but no."  He shook his head, shooting a glance at Ken.  Would his partner stick up for him on this one, or help the doctor?  That was need-to-know information, since Ken was close enough to be unfortunate if he helped Mitchell.  Erik took a step sideways, away from the other hunter.

Kenji nearly winced at the doctor's brusque tone, especially when he mentioned strapping Erik to the table.  Ooh, bad move.  Having been Erik's partner for nigh on three years now, Kenji knew exactly how much the other man HATED to be confined.  Particularly after having such a harrowing experience as he'd just had. 

Noting that Erik was edging away from him, Kenji reached out cautiously and touched his shoulder, but did not make any sudden motions or attempt to grab hold of him.  It was a simple, calming gesture--- all the more unusual for the fact that Kenji had initiated any sort of physical contact.  He generally kept his hands and other body parts to himself, unless he was fighting off vampires or sparring with Erik. 

"The restraints will not be necessary, Doctor," Kenji assured him. 

Mitchell did not look convinced.  "You know the procedure, Matsumori.  I can't have a potential shifter on my table unrestrained.  It's a safety hazard--- mostly for me!"

"If Lucio begins to shift, I shall restrain him myself."  His dark, unblinking eyes bored into the doctor, leaving no room for argument.  "I would not allow him to infect you, and he cannot hurt me."

Wavering, the doctor finally capitulated under that unsettling stare.  "Fine.  He's YOUR responsibility, then," Mitchell warned.  "All right, Lucio, lie down.  Try to relax.  I'll make it quick."

Kenji took up position at the head of the examination table, pulling up a chair as he did so.  He didn't sit in it so much as he perched, feet under him, hands resting lightly to either side of the thin pillow. 

Really, Erik did NOT think he had the ENERGY for anything like shifting.  Didn't that require energy?  That must require energy, and if he didn't use all of what energy he had on taking off, he still wouldn't have much available to him.  It was good that he didn't HAVE to physically object, since he might have failed pretty badly at it. 

Ken actually came to the rescue.  For the second time that...day?  Had it been only a day, or more?  He couldn't remember, but the point was there. 

He still wasn't so sure that he wanted to be on that exam table, but after making a scene about the restraints, he couldn't really refuse again, so he took a deep breath and did as he was told.  Bad idea.  The instant he was actually laying down, not to mention 'trying to relax', he wanted to fall asleep.  That put him in a funny situation, since he wasn't really comfortable, but just so dead tired that sleeping was almost the only option available.  He flicked his eyes up to where Ken was practically hovering over him, just trying to keep them open.

"Don't let me do anything stupid."  The LAST thing he wanted was for something to happen that might get him tied down again, and if Ken was right about the potential for shifting in his sleep, then he didn't want to fall asleep.  He was TRYING to stay awake.

Kenji leaned forward enough so that Erik could see his face--- hovering about a foot above his own and upside-down.  At Erik's request, he nodded slightly.  "Easier said than done, Lucio-kun, but I shall try my best," he promised solemnly.  Then, his mouth quirked in a blink-and-you-miss-it smile, and he brought his fingertips up to rest at Erik's temples.

"You may rest now.  I will make sure nothing happens.  When the doctor is finished, we will have to put you in one of the observation rooms for the night, but it will not be a very small space."  His tone was low, slightly monotonous, and about as soothing as Kenji could manage even as he explained what was going to happen to Erik.  Apparently, everything had pretty much been arranged before their arrival at the guild house.  Kenji wanted to make sure his partner got the care he needed, so that he would recover quickly.  "There will be an intercom in the room, should you need anything, and I will be nearby at all times." 

As he spoke, his fingertips moved in small, gentle circles at Erik's temples.  It was an ancient relaxation technique--- one that Kenji rarely used, due to his reluctance to touch people, but Erik looked like he needed it just then.

He snorted at Ken's reply, simply because it was required if he wasn't going to give some snappy remark.  He was just too mentally, and physically, exhausted for banter.  Snorting didn't take much, and so it was allowed.  So was twitching when Ken put his fingers on his temples.

What the--

Oh, great.  Naturally, Ken would decide to HELP him relax and fall asleep now that Erik was trying NOT to.  Earlier, it was the exact opposite.  Unfortunately, Ken's tactics were working.  He caught most of what the man was saying, but there were definitely a few words he missed in there.  It wasn't like it mattered.  He intended to sleep for awhile, and then he'd probably be stuck sitting out the rest of his fever in observation.  He hated just the theory of those places, even if they were useful.  He didn't want to sit alone in a box, even if it was a big one. 

Hopefully, he'd sleep through most of it.  It looked like he was going to sleep through the rest of the blood taking and examination, so why not?  "Since when are you all touchy feely?" he asked, though it was really just for the sake of speaking.  It sounded like he was drifting off, and possibly like he wouldn't be aware of Ken's answer.  He could have said 'since the sky turned green', and Erik quite probably wouldn't have registered that.

"I make certain exceptions for you," Kenji told Erik wryly, not pausing in his gentle ministrations until he was certain the other man was asleep.  Then, he spoke to the doctor, but kept his voice low so as not to disturb his partner.  "Even if he shifts in his sleep, I think he will be too exhausted to be much trouble.  Go ahead and do your work.  I will watch him."

Mitchell looked mildly impressed, despite himself.  "You two definitely have that 'trust' thing working for you.  It's good to see that, in Hunting partners."  Without further delay, he checked Erik's vitals and took a sample of blood for further tests.  Most of Erik's injuries had already been treated in China by the field medic Kenji had brought with him, so there was nothing else to do with the infected man except put him in observation until his first change.  Erik wouldn't like it, but Kenji would try to make him as comfortable as possible during that time.

"All right.  I'm finished with him, for now.  I'll want a follow-up appointment after his first shift.  He's all yours."  The Doc peeled off his latex gloves and tossed them in the bin. 

"Thank you."  Polite as ever, Kenji bowed to the doctor and helped move Erik carefully onto a rolling stretcher.  This was wheeled into the observation room, which contained a television set high on the wall, a small private bathroom, and a simple bed, but not much else.   Cameras were set at various points in the room, and there was a large bullet-and-shifter-proof observation window taking up most of one wall.  This would be Erik's home for however long it took him to shift.  It could be hours, days, or even weeks.  It all depended on Erik.

Though he was not the most physically powerful shifter himself, Kenji had little trouble rolling Erik from the stretcher onto the bed.  Pulling the blankets up to his partner's chest, Kenji turned to leave with the stretcher. 

Erik may have been so tired he was practically comatose, but 'practically' allowed him to wake ever so slightly when he was jostled around and moved like he'd been.  Not that he really cared at that point.  Sleep was all that mattered. 

Of course, he had no idea that he'd be out of commission for as long as it ended up being.  He seemed to fall right back into the feverish sleep, with short spurts of 'awake time' for food or just because he felt like it.  He dealt with two days of that before he started to improve to a point where he was actually moving around, watching TV and getting extremely bored.  He hadn't shifted yet, though.

His fault, or no?

He didn't know.  He actually didn't know HOW to shift, and hadn't yet been willing to listen to anyone on the subject.  Besides, it made him feel funny to turn into a damn TIGER in front of a bunch of cameras and people who were just WAITING for it.  It really made him feel like he was in a zoo or something, and it was making him cranky, not to mention seriously uncomfortable. 

He was just about at his limit for TV, too. 

A polite knock at the door preceeded Kenji's entry.  He was holding a couple of well-worn paperback books, a portable chess set, and a can of soda.  Tossing the can to Erik, he set the books and chess set on the bed before hopping up himself and settling cross-legged next to his temporarily imprisoned partner. 

"You have not shifted yet," Kenji observed.  He hadn't brought in a soda for himself, but he didn't need one.  There was a cherry Tootsie Pop in his mouth, which he didn't bother to remove as he spoke; he just shifted it over to his cheek.  This was fairly common for the raven, who rarely went anywhere without something sugary on hand. 

"It is boring to watch you like this.  Are you making any effort at all?"

"No, I haven't," he snapped, tired of hearing it.  Mitchell showed up fairly often to prod him about it.  Personally, he didn't see the rush.  If he could hold off on it, then why force it?  This whole situation was retarded. 

He caught that can of soda, though. 

"You think you're bored?  I might strangle Mitchell the next time he stops by, just for the key," he continued, giving the can of soda a moment to settle before cracking it open.  He didn't comment on the question about whether he was making any effort, since he really wasn't.  He wanted out, but he couldn't quite make himself do it.  "I don't see what the big deal is.  You guys sound like a bunch of adults do when they're badgering a kid to get a loose tooth out.  I don't see the damn rush, or why I have to be locked up."

Seriously, even if they were worried about a control issue, it wasn't like ONE shift would be enough to put him in control, would it? 

It wasn't like Kenji didn't care that Erik was bored.  After all, he'd brought the books, hadn't he?  Erik just needed to get his priorities straight and shift already. 

"We are not just doing this to be sadistic," Kenji reminded him.  "You were infected in a highly irregular ritual.  We do not know for sure if that has affected your physiology in any other unexpected ways.  Just to be safe, we need to observe your first change.  It is easier to do that with you in here, than running around out there--- where, I might add, you could potentially cause some real damage in your tiger form."

He looked as though he wanted to continue, but another knock came at the door.

Lore and Vin entered the chamber, making it kind of crowded all of a sudden.  "Hi, Erik!" the perky teenager greeted, grinning a mile wide.

"Looks like a lot of people I know are turning furry lately," Vin said, rolling his eyes heavenward and shaking his head with an over dramatic sigh.  "Now you, Lucio." 

He set a Tupperware container on the small bedside table.  "Lore made you some home-cooked dinner.  I figure it's gotta be better than whatever the Doc is feeding you."

"Shu---"  He'd been about to tell Ken to shut up, as was usual lately with his sour mood, but he stopped and just STARED at the other man.  He hadn't thought about THAT point.  "Wait, you mean, the way I was infected might fuck things up?"

Oh, hell, now he REALLY didn't want to shift!

He didn't get much time to even process that information before he turned a sort of pole-axed expression at Vin and Lore as they walked through the door.  He recovered himself fairly quickly, but now he was worried.  He didn't like ANY of this.  "Hey, Lore, Vin," he greeted, getting up from where he'd been sitting on the bed.  Despite being on lockdown in what could have passed for a cross between a hospital room and a bomb shelter, he was dressed, had been sure to work out some when he was finally feeling up to it, and was trying to function like something other than an invalid.  He felt more like a prisoner, but hey, at least he didn't have the jumpsuit.

"You know, Kiev, not everyone has your luck and a crazy effing Spaniard on their side," he pointed out, even curbing his language in front of Lore.  It was habit, since he'd known her a few years and she wasn't 18 that entire time, and he figured it'd make Vin happy to think of her as younger.  "I don't know HOW you've both managed to stay human all this time, but neither of you have played ball with the Chinese Crazies."

Wasn't that the truth?  Erik never wanted to play around with them again, so he couldn't imagine anyone else who'd want to. 

Wait, food?  Speaking of food, he was STARVED.  He didn't really care for much of what Mitchell was having sent to him, which meant that he wasn't eating all that much, and as Ken had put it in the car on the way back from the airport, his fasting was done.  "Lore, you're a lifesaver," he told her, already cracking open the tupperware to see what was inside.  He had a fork chilling out somewhere, so he settled himself right back down on the bed to dig in.

"So, how's school?" 

The mention of school elicited a long-suffering eyeroll.  "School is school.  I'm doing fine."

At Erik's comment concerning Vin and Dom not getting infected, Vin shrugged.  "Just that good, I guess," he said modestly.  Of course, he know how Dom had managed not to get infected all these years, but as for himself...  Well, come to think of it, Vin'd had a few close calls, too.  Did that mean he was immune, too?  He'd have to look into that later.

As he considered this, his cell phone rang.  "Oh, hold on a sec."  Flipping it open, he made a few single-word exchanges with the caller, ending it with an "I'll be right there."  Vin sighed.  "Connor wants me in his office.  Lore, wait in the car when you're done pestering these two.  I won't be long."  With that, he waved and hustled out of the observation room.

"Okay, Vin.  I'll head out there in a second," she assured her brother.  The instant he was out of sight, she smirked at Erik and managed to wiggle herself in between the two Hunters on the bed.  Erik, of course, was still noshing on the food Lore had made.  "I'm glad you like it.  It's just an improvised pasta bake thing." 

Glancing over at Kenji, she noticed the sucker sticking out of his mouth.  A sniff told her the flavor.  "Ooh, cherry!  My fave," she cooed, yoinking the candy right from the raven's surprised mouth and popping it into her own.  After a couple of entirely too suggestive licks, she stuck it back in Kenji's mouth before he'd even had a chance to protest.  "Thanks, Ken," she purred, giving him a wink.

Kenji stared wide-eyed at Lore, unmoving.  He didn't seem to know how to react to the sudden theft and equally mystifying return of his Tootsie Pop.  Slowly, he removed the sucker from his mouth and turned his stare upon it for a few moments, before returning his gaze to Lore.  "Please do not do that again," he mumbled.  It was the first thing he'd said since Vin and Lore had come into the room.  Around people other than Erik, Kenji tended to get very quiet and withdrawn.  Since he didn't know how else to deal with Lore, he proceeded to ignore her, turning to face Erik instead.

As for Erik's previous question, Kenji couldn't be entirely sure about the ritual thing.  It might have made a difference, but it might not have.  He just didn't know.  Which was exactly why they had to keep him under observation, just in case.  "I am hoping that your first shift will be able to tell us whether or not your unusual circumstances for contracting lycanthropy-- or, in your case, 'tigranthropy'-- had any extraordinary effect.  However, the chances are low that it did anything special.  This is merely a precaution, in case it does affect your shifting, so that we can do something about it right away rather than let it cause trouble."

Well, Erik certainly got the prize for the most boring question possible.  Given everything that had happened, that could be talked about, he'd chosen to ask about school.  Nice job, Erik.  We're all proud of you for the attempt at normalcy.  Moving on, then?

Vin's departure wasn't really THAT surprising, all things considered.  Batten tried to tailor hits and offers to the hunters involved, so it wasn't too strange to get a call from him.  Vin was probably getting a job, one that Erik might even have been able to take.  Bastard.  Instead, he was stuck in the glass room inhaling pasta bake.  Even if the pasta bake was good, it was still less than exciting.  "It's awesome, and I'm starving, so you've got great timing," he told her, not about to hear her put it down.  Had he mentioned that he'd missed real food?  Even before he'd been captured and locked up, he'd had to eat local food, so he hadn't had anything good in awhile.  He really didn't want to think about what they'd been feeding him while he was delirious and stuck in that hole, since he didn't remember it being anything....'kosher'.  Lore was a good distraction, however, especially when paired with Ken, who seemed to withdraw from social activities whenever there was someone else around.  He needed to fix that, for real.

"Come on, Lore, don't tease him too bad.  You might give him an aneurysm while he tries to figure out what to do about it," he told her, smirking some and raising an eyebrow at Ken.  Whereas Erik wouldn't mind at ALL if a cute young girl, even one he'd known was a much younger girl, wanted to swipe a lollipop from him for a few licks, Ken did.  Ken was a strange guy, to say the least.  Of course, Ken was also obnoxious about his subject changes, since he immediately took them right back to topics that Erik didn't want to talk about.  It figured.  He should see if a nudge would get Lore to steal Ken's lollipop again.

"Well, I'm glad to hear the chances are low, I guess," he returned, the humor from a moment before evaporating.  He really, really hated this.  The fact that it had to get worse through him shifting before it would get better, meaning he'd get to leave, wasn't any better.

Lore flashed Erik a megawatt smile.  She'd always liked Erik, ever since he'd joined the guild when she was nearly fifteen.  Teasing Ken had been a favorite pasttime of hers ever since she'd met his ex-mercenary partner, since having Erik around got her over her initial fear of the raven shifter.  Yeah, when Kenji joined the guild, she was only eleven, and he creeped the hell out of her back then.  Now that she was old enough to realize that he really wasn't so bad (though still creepy), and had Erik to back her up, she enjoyed picking on the shy raven every chance she got.

The sudden change in topic wiped her mirth away pretty quickly, though.  Brows drawing together in concern, she frowned at Erik.  "So that's why you're in here?  Man, tough break.  Why haven't you shifted yet?  Didn't you get back like, days ago?"

"Lucio-kun has been remarkably uncooperative," Kenji interjected, his monotone sounding suspiciously sulky.  He never, EVER knew how to deal with Lore's teasing.  He'd preferred it when she was all shy and slightly terrified of him.  That, he could understand, and knew how to react accordingly:  ignoring her usually did the trick.  Stealing his candy and doing unspeakable things to it before putting it back in his mouth was rather harder to ignore.

"The sooner you shift, the sooner we can let you out."  This sort of reasoning didn't seem to be working yet, but Kenji was nothing if not stubborn.

Erik didn't really WANT to be uncooperative, but it happened to coincide with his preferences, so it worked.  Besides, it was impressive, as far as he was concerned, to be able to do ANYTHING that Ken thought was 'remarkable'.  On some level, he was proud of himself.  Unfortunately, he was just about as stubborn as Ken was, and neither of them had yet figured out how to trump the other on that one.  Occasionally, Erik managed it just by pushing through Ken's defenses on whatever issue it was, but that wasn't going to work here.  He was stuck, so either he was eventually going to have to suck it up and deal, or he was going to sit there.  Ken had the advantage.

"Yes, I got back four days ago.  I spent the first two in a delirious haze with a lot of sleeping, yesterday still sucked, and today I'm actually feeling alright," he grumbled, having rather preferred having the subject on teasing Ken.  He didn't want to discuss this. 

Really, how did he explain to two shifters that he didn't WANT to shift?  Ken had been born a raven, and Lore had adapted pretty well to being a wolf, but it wasn't like everyone wanted to be a shifter.  Sure, a tiger was a really cool form to have, especially when the alternatives included birds and snakes, but he still preferred being human.  He just...didn't have that option anymore.

"I still don't see what the damn deal is.  I feel like I'm sitting on display in a fucking zoo or something with everyone hovering around waiting for it," he snarled, mostly at Ken.  NOT a happy camper.  He'd have much preferred house arrest so that he could try it out the first time in private.  He didn't WANT an audience.

"Ooh, someone's cranky," Lore observed.  "And no wonder, since you're stuck in here all the time.  Come on, you might as well just get it over with.  It doesn't hurt.  It's actually pretty easy after you do it a few times.  See?"

To demonstrate, she hopped down from the bed and moved to the center of the room, where she shifted down to her wolf form.  She wasn't a big wolf, but she was about the size of an average German Shepard, with cream and gold and red in her fur.  More "pretty" than intimidating, as far as werewolves went.  She sat down and wagged her tail a little, hanging her tongue out in a canine grin. 


"A teenage girl can do it," Kenji pointed out, not without a hint of mockery in his voice, "so why is it such an issue for you?" 

Tilting his head thoughtfully, he remarked, "I think I like you better in this form, Loreanna.  You are quieter, and less likely to steal my candy."

In response, Lore growled and got to her feet.  She wouldn't really attack Ken, and her body language said that she wasn't really angry, but she couldn't exactly make a snappy retort with that muzzle of hers.  Playfully, she stalked towards the bed, snapping her jaws as if she planned to take a chomp out of Ken's exposed feet.

Great.  They were both idiots, trying to get him to turn into a great big predatory cat, because he was going to end up eating one of them for being so annoying.  Well, not really, but it was a good threat.  They both knew he'd never purposely hurt them, which was obviously why they felt the need to bust his ass all the time.  Too bad he was usually pretty nice, or he'd fix that the Verde way.

"I hope she bites you, you asshat," he told Ken, though that threat wasn't nearly as good as his own.  "Or I might, whenever I decide to shift."

It was true, Lore looked a lot prettier than any werewolf had a right to, and not really all that intimidating.  He'd have assumed she was a friendly dog, even with the wolfish features, though body language and perhaps his own impression of Lore as a human contributed strongly to that.  She also wasn't all that big, which was another factor.  He'd met wolf shifters, and seen them in their wolf forms, and some of them were BIG and scary.  Or at least, as scary as he thought animals got.

"She will not bite me," Kenji said, sounding confident, though he drew his bare feet away from the edge of the bed.  "I would almost rather you DID bite me.  At least we would know what sort of temperment you have as a tiger, that way."  He was needling Erik again, as usual. 


Almost as if to prove Kenji wrong, Lore nipped at his toes.  Then, with a glint in those gold-blue eyes that could only be described as mischeivous, she leaped up onto the bed and pinned Kenji to the mattress.  Long, fanged jaws drew closer to his unprotected face and throat... and she began licking him sloppily.

Kenji probably could have thrown her off, but having a wolf suddenly sitting on him and licking his face was so unexpected that he didn't do anything except squirm and flail ineffectively.  "Help!  Lucio-kun!  She is tasting me and covering me in wolf germs!"

Doofuses.  Or was the plural of that something else?  Doofi?  Doofusi?  Whatever.  The point was that each of them was a doofus.  He didn't know if either of them thought this would make him want to shift, but it wasn't working. 

"I can bet that I'd have the same temperament I do now, which isn't all that great," he returned, though he wasn't so sure that Ken was even paying attention by then.  With Lore jumping up on the bed (and making it rather crowded, Erik hopped off to give her room to hassle Ken.

"No way am I helping you.  Lick him all you want, Lore, he deserves it," he told her, smirking somewhat.  Watching Ken get covered in 'wolf germs' was almost satisfying.  Almost.  It was a short distraction, at least.

Lore took Erik's suggestion to heart, but soon moved away from Ken's face to attack another vulnerable area:  his tummy.  She stuck her cold, wet nose right up under the hem of his shirt and began slurping at his pale, defenseless belly. 

"Ah, stop!" Kenji pleaded breathlessly.  He wasn't a giggler, but it was pretty easy to tell that he was fighting hard not to laugh.  Kenji Matsumori did not laugh.  He did, however, make stupid jokes.  "This is not how I imagined getting molested by a pretty girl would be."


Lore DID bite him for that:  lightly, right on his side (where the "love handles" would be if Ken weren't so damn skinny), which made him squawk indignantly.  Then, tired of messing with Kenji, she turned and gave Erik a wolfy grin.  Your turn, that look seemed to say, just before she bounded off the bed, straight for the other Hunter.  Her front paws landed squarely against Erik's chest, as she knocked him to the floor.

He HAD to snicker at seeing Ken totally being RULED by a wet wolf nose and tongue, and especially the stupid joke the raven cracked.  As annoying as Ken's sense of humor could sometimes be, he was occasionally REALLY funny.  This was doing an excellent job of distracting him, which he hadn't realized he needed so badly.  He hadn't really thought about it all that time, but he'd been on edge since...well, since he arrived in China.  That was a long time without the opportunity to really relax, so it felt good right then.

Of course, it also meant he wasn't paying enough attention to Lore as she suddenly changed gears and jumped on him.  If he had been, he could have taken the hit and pushed her off with no problem, but it actually startled him, which shouldn't have been a bad thing.

If he hadn't been a shifter who really needed to shift.  The combination of the relaxing and the sudden 'attack' from Lore startling him seemed to be all that was necessary to jolt him into the other form, and there was suddenly a tiger rolling away from the wolf, not a man.

Oops. 

The biggest 'oops' in there was actually that there was no confusion there.  Not in the first few seconds, or after he had the chance to realize what had happened.  That might have been a good thing, except that there also wasn't much in the way of human reasoning where there should have been.  His tail flicked back and forth and his head lowered a little, fixing the wolf with orange-gold eyes.

Had he mentioned that he was hungry before?

Oh.  Shit.

Erik wasn't just a tiger, he was a fucking HUGE tiger.  No cat in the natural world got THAT big!  He was easily fifteen feet long from nose to tail, probably closer to eight hundred pounds than six, and solid muscle.  Lore, not quite one hundred pounds herself and the size of a medium-large dog, didn't stand a chance against this behemoth if he decided to take a chomp out of her.

Slowly backing away, Lore averted her gaze instinctively.  Staring a predator in the eyes was generally a bad idea, as it implied a challenge.  Hopefully, there was enough Erik in there to remember that she was his friend, and not lunch.


With Lore off of him, Kenji snapped to attention immediately as Erik shifted.  The size of the tiger surprised him, but he could understand why Erik was so gigantic; the tiger whose blood had been used to infect him had been treated as a god.  It was no big leap of logic to assume that he'd been a pretty damn big tiger.

The problem was, Erik did not seem to be aware of his humanity for the moment.  That could be bad news for Lore, if he attacked.  There wasn't enough room in here for her to run. 

"Loreanna," he said in a low, even tone.  "Get behind me and shift back to your human form.  You will not be able to fight back as well, but you do not stand a chance against him, anyway.  When I tell you to, get out of the room and lock the door behind you."

He slid off the bed and slowly began to approach the massive tiger.


Lore did as she was told, not about to argue with the smart birdie.  Once she was in human form, she waited tensely for the chance to bolt for the door.  "Oh man, he's gonna eat us," she moaned.  "Look at the size of him!"

The massive tiger watched the wolf's every move, and his growl intensified when she suddenly changed shapes.  Strange trick out of a canine, but not interesting enough to distract him.  He was slow about his approach, considering there were two of them and neither of them smelled like typical humans (or wolves), but he didn't see an immediate exit for the prey to take. 

If they tried to escape, he'd have them in an instant.

Tigers, even big ones, preferred to attack from behind, anyway.  He was hungry, and nowhere near a typical tiger in demeanor, so being face to face with them wouldn't chase him off, but being offered their backs would be a sure sign to attack.  If one of them ran?  Lunch time.

Fortunately for them, it didn't even occur to him that he was larger than a typical tiger, something which might have made him a little daring if he'd been consciously aware of it.  Not that he really needed to be, since he outweighed Lore by nearly seven times her weight, and Ken wasn't much better off.  In his raven form, he'd just be an appetizer.

He was going to have to make it a point to eat regularly from this point on, just in case.

As much as his "flight" instinct was kicking in, Kenji refused to shift.  He would be no good to himself, or Lore, as a bite-sized bird.  Instead, he continued to step closer to the tiger (for he couldn't really think of it as "Erik", considering the state of mind it was in).  His arms were out to the sides slightly, as though he could block the tiger from Lore if it chose to pounce.  Noble, but not very effective.

"Lucio-kun, do you remember what I told you about man-eating tigers?" he asked, keeping his voice clear and even.  "Only a few tigers in the world hunt humans as a semi-regular part of their diet.  Most are old or injured, unable to hunt faster prey.  It is interesting, as the tiger is the only mammal aside from the polar bear that considers human to be regular prey." 

Without changing his tone or looking at Lore, he said, "Lore, now."


Lore made a dash for the door.

The male in front of him was making mouth sounds and moving closer, trying to keep his attention.  It was actually working, even if what was being said didn't do all that much for him.  It was simply the talking and the moving directly in front of him.  Ken would have been better off on a personal level if he stayed still, though that still wouldn't have kept the tiger off of him.

Funny, Erik wasn't thinking of himself as 'Erik' right then, either.

Despite Ken's attempts, Lore was still VERY interesting.  She was afraid, he could smell it incredibly strongly, and the instant she shot for the door, he was after her.  Of course, Ken was in the way, and had to be bowled over first.  Lucky for the raven, the tiger really WAS focused on Lore, and therefore didn't do anything more than shoulder check him before leaping for the door.

Only to smack into it with paws outstretched as she slammed it right in his face. 

That wasn't terribly graceful for a giant jungle cat, but who was really going to tell him that?  He recovered quickly, took a sniff at the offending door, and made it clear just how pissed off by that he was.  By roaring.  Now, the funny thing about a tiger's roar is that it carries the rather impressive ability to make even grown men wet themselves.  It's loud, it's threatening, and it's generally not a good idea to be in the area when one goes off.

Poor Ken.

With Lore gone, the angry, hungry tiger turned its attention on the raven again.

Lore shrieked as she slammed the steel door shut and threw the deadbolt, just in time to feel eight hundred pounds of tiger impact on the other side.  Spotting Doc Mitchell, she gasped, "Get help!"

The Doc hesitated for a second, startled, but even the muffled roar from the observation chamber was loud enough to spur him into action.  "The gas!" he said, running for a control panel.  There were a few buttons marked with things like "lights", "AC", "heat", "sprinklers", and three unmarked buttons in different colors.  Mitchell hit the purple one. 


Kenji had clapped his hands over his ears, but too late to avoid an awful ringing in his head after the tiger had stopped roaring.  He had not, thankfully, wet himself, but he was shaking a little.  Having a full grown male tiger-- espcially one Erik's size-- roar in such a small room was a bad idea. 

"Erik!" he shouted, for he couldn't hear his own voice otherwise.  It was one of the very few times he'd ever used his partner's given name, and the first time he'd used it without adding his usual honorific of "-kun" at the end.  Such name usage was considered almost indecently intimate, back home.  This was an emergency, however.  Decorum had to be sacrificed for efficiency sometimes.

Lunging forward, Ken put himself directly in front of the tiger's face once more, this time reaching out and seizing him by the furry ears.  In a bold and possibly suicidal move, he stared the tiger right in the eyes.  "Take control, Erik!"

The LAST thing the tiger expected out of Ken was to have the little male human jump in his face and grab him by the ears.  Really, was he mad?  He was going to bet his life on the fact that Erik MIGHT stir in there just because he'd yelled his name?

It almost worked.

For an instant there, and it was really only a second, something flickered in the orange-gold tiger eyes.  It was gone just as quickly, however, and that left Ken clutching the ears of a very big tiger.  Ken's only saving grace was that the tiger's claws weren't outstretched when he whapped the raven to the side.  Why?  Most likely because he was playing with his food, really.  One could come up with a dozen motives for anything a tiger did, but here and now, that was the most likely cause.  That, and he wanted the human off his ears. 

Who wouldn't?

Without the aid of his wings, Kenji found himself flying.  It was too short a trip to contemplate the irony of this, however, especially since he made a very abrupt stop against the concrete wall.  He lay there in a bruised heap, dazed, his head throbbing from pain so intense that he felt numb.  This had been, he reflected, a very bad idea.

A faintly purple mist was seeping in through the air ducts.  It swirled and spread, filling the room quickly.  Kenji recognized it, and groaned.  The tranquilizer was strong enough to kill a regular human, but it was the only thing that could knock out a shifter, since their metabolism tended to process lesser drugs too quickly.  Unfortunately, Erik still had the greater body mass, which meant that Ken would be unconscious and helpless for a few moments until Erik succumbed to the gas as well.  Thanks for the failsauce, Doc.

He was fairly certain he had a concussion, which wasn't helping with the whole "staying conscious" thing.  That was bad.  Not just for the fact that he'd be helpless, but if he did have a concussion, the last thing he wanted to do was go to sleep.  "Stop the gas," he tried to shout, but it came out as a broken whisper.  He wasn't sure if the surveillance equipment would even pick up his voice.

With great difficulty, he crawled over to the bed, trying to get under it so that the tiger would have a harder time getting to him.  He didn't make it far, however, before the gas took its effect, and he sank into oblivion.

That gas could have been extreme failsauce for Ken if the tiger hadn't smelled it and wondered what the hell it was.  Proof that even without being consciously in charge, there was some human reasoning there.  Tigers didn't really 'wonder'.  He also watched Ken struggle for a moment, hesitant for some reason that wasn't clear to him, as the raven tried to yell and then crawled across the floor.  He could have attacked, but he didn't.

Why?

Well, it didn't really matter by that point.  Ken didn't make it to wherever he was trying to go, and the tiger started to pad over to him, only to hesitate again.  This time, the hesitation was for a sneeze that might almost have been comical, if not for how bad the situation had been.  It resulted in a rather large intake of the purple gas, on top of what he'd already been breathing, and that was good for Ken.  The tiger was already slowing it his movements, but only managed a few more steps for just laying down.  An instant later, he was totally out.

It was so hard to wake up, but Kenji knew there was something important he had to do.  That urge dragged him out of his unconscious state, like a drowning man struggling to the surface for air.  A low moan escaped him as feeling returned to his body.  He hurt everywhere.


"Good morning, Matsumori," greeted the Doc.  "I apologize for gassing you as well, but I had no choice.  You seem to have sustained no major injuries.  Your elavie healing factor has already taken care of the few you had.  How do you feel?"


"Lucio," Ken rasped, ignoring Mitchell's question.  "How is he?"

"In a similar state as you, I would assume, but not quite so bruised," the Doc informed him dryly.  "If you're feeling up to it, we can go check on him."

It was a struggle, and Ken hated the way his head continued to throb with every movement he made, but he got out of bed under his own power and followed Mitchell back to the observation chamber.  Looking through the window, he could see Erik lying on the bed, back in his human shape.  "Has he woken up yet?"

"No.  We retrieved you from the room, but Lucio was left in there, so he was still exposed to the remaining gas for a time.  He'll wake up within an hour, I would think.  It might be longer, considering he just went through his first shift as well."  Mitchell looked troubled.  "That... didn't go well."

Kenji rested his forehead against the cool glass.  It helped the headache somewhat.  Raising a hand, he pressed that against the glass as well, as if he could reach through it to where his friend lay sleeping.  "No," he agreed quietly.  "It didn't go well at all."

Suddenly, he turned to face the doctor, his gaze intense.  "Let me in to see him."

It took some arguing, but finally Mitchell agreed that Erik would be in no shape to shift for awhile, so Ken was probably safe.  The skinny raven took up his vigil beside Erik's bed, perched on a chair he'd brought in for that purpose.  Mitchell made sure to keep an eye on them, in case there was another "incident".

When Erik woke, Ken would be there, dozing lightly with his head resting on the side of the bed.

When Erik woke, he wished he could just go right back to sleep.  He certainly didn't have the sort of headache that Ken did, having not impacted any cement walls recently, but the gas itself gave him something of a hangover.  Not comfortable.

He tried to go back to sleep, to be honest, but the headache seemed absolutely determined to keep him awake, so he gave up on that venture.  He opened his eyes and regretted it within an instant with the bright overhead lights, but somehow he knew that being awake as for the best here, even if his first waking moments involved a groan and one arm quickly covering his eyes.  Sitting up helped somewhat, and he even opened his eyes again.

Ken was perched in a chair by his bed, and he wasn't at home.

Oh, right. 

It took him a moment to remember why he was in the observation room, though it didn't quite make sense.  It didn't sound right.  Ken hadn't been sitting near his bed anymore, and....hadn't Vin and Lore stopped by?  When had that been?  A short glance around his surroundings showed the empty tupperware container on his nightstand, still smelling of pasta bake and both confirming his memories of Vin and Lore having visited, as well as informing him that he hadn't really been all that long ago.  Otherwise, the smell wouldn't have been as strong, right? 

So.  Why was he sleeping, and why was Ken hovering there staring at him?  He wasn't dumb, so something must have happened, but he didn't immediately remember.  There were some flashes, short almost-vignettes, in his memory, but nothing solid just yet.  Vin had been called to Connor's office, and Lore...she'd been a wolf at some point, licking and tickling Ken, and Erik...he'd let them have the bed for that in favor of watching from a few feet away, but Lore...pounced him anyway.

He knew that, though the rest was fuzzy (no pun intended), and the confusion had to be evident on his face.  He'd had far too many hours and days that slipped away like this since he'd been nabbed in China, though those were due to injury and fever, for him to be pleased with not remembering or willing to let it slide.  It took some prodding at what flashes he DID remember, but he finally got a bit of an impression as to what had happened.  There was no doubt in his mind that it would solidify as he woke up some more and it had some time to settle, but what he managed to eke together already was enough to horrify him, as evidenced by the way he suddenly paled, eyes wide.

"Lore?"  Oh, God, if he'd hurt her...

Kenji, a light sleeper in the first place, woke immediately the instant Erik began to stir.  He sat up in his chair to observe his partner.  It was evident that Erik couldn't quite remember what had happened, until his face turned ashen and he stared at Kenji, speaking just one name.

"She is fine," the raven assured him.  "She was able to leave the room, before we were both gassed.  How much can you remember?"

Shifting in his chair, Kenji stretched the kinks out of his back and neck from sleeping in such an odd position.  Of course, he returned to his usual slouching perch when he was finished.  A chiropractor would have a heart attack just looking at him. 

"Also... how are you feeling?"  It wasn't like Ken to take enough interest in his partner's health to ask outright, but the way he spoke it sounded like purely scientific curiosity. 

Hearing that Lore was fine after all of that made him relax some out of relief, while the rest of Ken's explanation actually helped him to put some pieces together a little better.  He hadn't understood as a tiger why Ken had collapsed, or why he'd suddenly grown so tired, which had been a point of confusion in his memories.  Mention of the gas helped to clear that up some, though there were still things that didn't quite make enough sense to him.

The big one was what the hell had happened.

Really, how he was feeling didn't matter.  Not to him, anyway.  He was far more interested in knowing what had gone wrong, since something must have.  There was no way they'd all been trying to get him to shift if they knew he was going to react like that.  "I don't know, I remember some of it.  I wanted to eat both of you.  That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?"

He hated not knowing what was going on, but there was no getting around it.  Obviously, he had no idea what to expect, but hadn't they all said it'd be different than that?  That had felt...like he was someone else, not just himself in another shape.  He hadn't known who they were, or cared.  He didn't like it.

Kenji nibbled on his thumbnail, a habit he exhibited when he was thinking about something that bothered him.  Erik's lack of memory over the incident made sense, considering his behavior in tiger form.  It was still disturbing, though.  Some shifters lost all control during their first change-- that wasn't unusual.  However, usually a shifter's human memories were strong enough to help them avoid eating friends and family. 

"It was a possibility," Kenji admitted after a long silence.  "I was well aware that you might not be able to control yourself during your first change.  It was unfortunate that young Miss Kiev was present for it-- indeed, she managed to trigger it herself.  I should have been more cautious allowing others in here.  I am deeply sorry for my negligence."  He bowed as low as possible in his perching position without unbalancing himself.

"It is good that nothing unfortunate happened, however, so let us not dwell on what could have been."  Raising his head, he stuck his thumb back in his mouth.  "Instead, we should focus on what must be done in the future.  It seems that until you learn to control your tiger form, you will have to be under constant observation.  I do not think that we will need to keep you in this room, though."

Erik blinked for an instant at Ken's words, completely surprised by the admission.  He'd known that was possible?  Why the hell hadn't he said so?  "If you were aware that this was a possibility, then why did you spend the last few days berating me about not wanting to do it and telling me how easy it was?" he asked, his tone deceptively mild.  His temper was building, which was something that Ken had to recognize by this point in their partnership.  Erik didn't go psycho when he got mad, he got quiet, which was ironic given how loud he could usually be. 

Unfortunately, his new shifter abilities were a little unstable, and losing his temper might not be for the best.  He hadn't exactly been told that, though. 

He got up rather suddenly, not wanting to sit in that damn bed any longer.  He was tired of being confined to that room, and that bed, regardless of what Ken said about not thinking they'd need to keep him in it any longer.  He wasn't staying, and it didn't matter what anyone said.  He could deal with this on his own, in his own home, with nobody around to potentially hurt.  Getting out of this room was first and foremost, since even though it wasn't all that small, it was starting to make him feel claustrophobic.  Too much time spent in it, and too much going on at once.

"Ken, I'm done.  I can't take this place any longer," he informed his partner, getting the few things he had in the room together and making a note to himself to ask Ken if he'd found the bag he'd taken with him to China.  "Get the door open."

Frowning and chewing on his thumb, Kenji attempted to explain his reasoning.  "If your first change was undertaken voluntarily, there was a far lesser chance that you would lose control," he told Erik, his tone as mild and monotonous as usual.  Only his constant nail-biting betrayed his agitation.  "I honestly expected to be the only one in the room when you changed, if anyone.  In that event, I was confident that I could handle you by myself.  Loreanna was an unexpected factor in the equation."

Erik's anger was obvious to Kenji, though not everyone would recognize the man's temper when they saw it.  That in itself was putting the raven on edge.  He didn't want to upset Erik into shifting again, when his tiger form was so volatile.  Still, he couldn't just let his partner go home without some kind of supervision.

"I agree.  We need to get you out of this room," Kenji said reasonably.  "However, I will need to collect a few things before we go to your home.  It will only take a moment."

"Bullshit," he snarled, scanning the room swiftly for anything he may have missed.  What was he referring to?  Well, most of what Ken had said.  He didn't think for an instant that Ken could have handled him as he'd been, and he definitely didn't think that choosing to shift would have made any difference.  Really, he'd been GONE.  Even a small improvement wouldn't have been much.

He was actually too annoyed to even notice Ken's nail-biting, which was really why he didn't make any mention of it at all.  He was usually a little more conscious of his partner's issues, but really, he had enough problems of his own without having to deal with Ken being nervous or worried.  Besides, the instant he noticed, he was going to freak out even worse.  If Ken got worried over the situation, then it was bad. 

"Wait, what?  What 'we'?  You're not coming," he asserted, shaking his head.  "If I'm going to figure this fucking mess out, it's going to be WITHOUT an appetizer running around."

Kenji did not flinch outwardly at Erik's expletive, but he did bite his thumbnail to the quick, drawing blood.  To cover for this, he kept the thumb in his mouth, sucking discreetly on it to soothe the minor injury.  It was a lucky thing he was a master at talking around things in his mouth (candy, thumbs, etc... keep your minds out of the gutter, folks, for shame). 

"Think about it, Lucio.  Do you really think it would be wise for you to go to your home alone?  What do you think would happen if you shifted again, and escaped, and nobody was there to know what had happened until the emergency reports came ringing in?  I told Connor I would handle this, as your partner.  I will be coming with you."  His voice held an appeal to reason, yet also a firmness that meant he would not be discouraged from his duty, no matter what Erik's feelings on the matter were.

Erik's feelings on the matter naturally DID NOT fit in with what Ken was saying, which was a real pity.  These two bashing heads was never a good thing, which was why Erik usually just gave in on whatever subject, just to end it.  Here, he wasn't giving in without a fight. 

Of course, he didn't have to SAY that.

His method of getting around the subject was further helped by the things Ken was saying.  Emergency reports.  He knew what happened when shifters went nuts like that on the public.  They ended up dead, with no passing Go or collecting anything but a couple chunks of metal to the head.  He'd deserve it if he did something like that to innocent people, but that didn't mean it was his preferred way of going, or that he thought any of it was likely.  He wasn't stupid, nor would he be taking serious risks.  That's why he didn't want Ken there.

"Open.  The.  Door."

Surprisingly, Ken did as he was told.  He did not let Erik move more than three paces from him, however.  "This does not change the fact that I will be accompanying you home, Lucio," the raven informed him.  "Even if I have to perch on your roof and watch every exit, every minute of the day and night, I will not let you out of my observation.  I take my responsibilities very seriously, as your partner."

After some hesitation, he added, almost as if he were afraid of sounding presumptuous, "... And as your friend."

"That's great.  It's damn cold outside, good luck with that," he snapped, heading out the door without a backwards glance.  He knew that Ken was following him, but that was neither surprising nor anything of concern.  He couldn't stop Ken from stalking him, but he didn't have to encourage it, either.

Here's to hoping that he wouldn't run into Mitchell or Batten on his way out of the guildhouse.  Or Vin.  Or Lore.  Hell, he didn't want to run into ANYONE he knew, if he could help it.  He didn't want their glances if they'd heard about him being infected just yet, and he definitely didn't want to know that rumors had gotten out about his shift being uncontrolled.  He just wanted OUT.

He still didn't slow in his pace when he got outside, right up until he reached into his pocket out of habit and realized his car keys weren't there.  With all that had happened, he forgot he'd left them with Ken, who was going to pick him up from the airport when he got back into town, if things had gone according to plan.  "Fuck.  My keys," he hissed.  Great.  So much for IGNORING Ken.

Kenji followed Erik out to the parking lot, silent as his own shadow.  However, when Erik reached his car and swore in realization, the raven cleared his throat politely and dangled a set of keys between his fingers, jingling them for attention.

"May I ride with you, Lucio-kun?  It is cold, as you said, and I would rather not fly all the way to your home."

He still intended to perch on the roof, or a nearby tree, if Erik wouldn't let him inside the house.  It wasn't like he slept, anyway.

There was no way, even if he was ignoring Ken himself, that he could miss the jingling of the keys.  He twisted around and snatched them away, then turned again to unlock his door.  He didn't speak until he'd already thrown his things into the car.

"No, you can just fly to your place, since it's cold and much farther to mine," he told Ken, resisting the impulse to remind the raven that he was still mad at him.  He wasn't giving him a ride, because that'd essentially be the same as encouraging him.  He was NOT going to do that.  Nope.  Ken could suffer if he was going to be that stubborn, and Erik was going to enjoy the car ride alone.  Small space, but alone time.

How nice.

He slipped into the car then, leaving Ken to his own devices.  He had little doubt that he'd beat the raven to his house, which gave him time to make sure the man couldn't break in.

Knowing Ken, it was possible, and it WAS going to be a cold night.  That was obvious just from the current temperature.

Ken nodded impassively, and watched Erik drive away without him.  Then, allowing himself a small, inaudible sigh, he shifted down to raven form and flew off after the car. 

Arriving at Erik's house, he confirmed that the car was in the driveway, then peeked in the windows to check on Erik.  Yup, present and accounted for, and still human-shaped.  Satisfied, Kenji found a perch in a nearby oak that allowed him a mostly unobstructed view of the house and surrounding area.  It was even out of the wind.  Fluffing his feathers out for warmth, he settled in for a good, long night of watching.  He could even doze a bit, here and there.  A tiger busting out of a window would surely wake him.

Maybe it was mean of him to refuse Ken that ride, and actually it probably was, but he didn't care right then.  He didn't WANT Ken to follow, nor did he want his partner anywhere near him if he was going to try to figure this whole situation out.  The last thing he needed was to eat the guy accidentally. 

Ken wasn't really cooperating, though.

He knew when he got to his house that the raven would be right behind him, which was why he locked the door right off the bat.  Then, he hit the kitchen, proceeded to raid anything that looked as though it might be borderline still edible, and finally ended the entire situation passed out on the couch.

He'd earned it, as far as he was concerned.

It was dark when he woke up again, making him wonder what the hell he was doing with all this sleep, but the troubles of recent times seemed to have required a good sleep session on his comfy couch.  He followed it up with a shower, the writing of a shopping list, and finally, a return to the couch.  He wasn't sleeping this time, however, and stared at the TV (which was off) for a few moments, just thinking. 

He needed to try that shifting thing out again.  He was tempted to avoid it, knowing Ken was waiting outside for it, but the thought of putting it off until there was another accident wasn't so comforting.  That was actually what prompted him to get up, close all the blinds, and finally return to his living room for a deep breath.  He wasn't looking forward to this, but it wasn't like he could keep putting it off.  He had to really think about what he'd felt like as that tiger, however, since he couldn't remember exactly how he'd done it when Lore pounced him.

He must have done something right, because within a few seconds, there was that same enormous tiger in his living room where he'd been, and Erik just...wasn't home.

It was quiet.  Too quiet, Kenji thought, ironically.  He'd dozed off for a few minutes on the tree branch, and awoken to... what?  There was no sound.  What had caught his attention enough to rouse him from his nap? 

He came to the answer in a moment:  the light from the windows.  It had dimmed, and when Kenji peered down to determine why, his little bird heart sped up in anxiety.  The blinds were closed.  He couldn't see what Erik was doing at all.

Hopping from his perch, he flew down closer to the house and landed on the hedges just under the living room window.  He couldn't see through the blinds, but he could see a silhouette of the couch.  Then, there was another shadow.  A huge, tiger-shaped shadow.  It leaped over the back of the couch, and if Kenji could have cursed in bird form, he would have sworn a blue streak.  Erik had shifted again.

It was time to take action.  Fluttering to the ground, Kenji checked for observers and shifted back to his own human form.  Immediately, he regretted not having the foresight to wear a warmer jacket.  The temperature had dropped below zero after dark, and there was a bitter wind blowing.  In raven form, he had excellent tolerance against the cold, but not so much in his unfeathered human shape.  However, as a human, he had a cell phone.  That was the important thing.

He hit the speed dial on his phone for Connor Batten.  "Erik Lucio has shifted again.  Yes, he is still in his house.  No, he has not done anything, yet.  I will monitor his activity.  It may be prudent to send backup.  Yes, thank you."  No hello, no good-bye. 

It had been fortunate for Kenji that Erik trusted him enough to give him his keys before he'd gone to China.  Perfect opportunity to make copies, after all.  Kenji took a spare house key from his coat pocket and unlocked the kitchen door.  Easing the door shut behind him, he surveyed the area for tiger, but all was clear.  He kicked off his sneakers, and padded barefoot into the rest of the house.

No tiger in the living room anymore, either.  He must have moved into the bedroom or bathroom, Kenji reasoned, making his way quietly towards the other side of the room, where a hallway led to several open doors.  He stepped lightly, making hardly a sound with his bare feet, ears open for any sound that might mean tiger.  Though he was as silent as possible, even his breathing and heartbeat seemed magnified to his hyper-aware ears.

A sharp creak from the floor behind him rang out like a gunshot in the stillness.  Kenji froze, hearing a low rumble.  Painfully slowly, he turned around to face the tiger...

"Leave the door open, and I'll be over as soon as I can," he told the man on the phone, getting a 'yes, thank you' in response and hanging up.  Connor cursed the instant he was off the phone with Kenji and pulled his jacket on in a flash, already armed.  He was on his cell even as he shot out of the building, informing Capri as to his pending lateness, and silently cursing himself for taking the bike into work that day.  It'd been much warmer when there was sunlight.

He also shot off a mental warning to Val, just in case things got bad.  Val deserved to know, he figured.  One of my hunters lost control of a shift.  Tiger.  Should be fun.  Yeah, so it wasn't much in the way of informative, or comforting, but he didn't care.  Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do anything more extreme than racing a Harley through the streets in frigid temperatures.  At least he'd get there fast.

Maybe not fast enough.  It was only BARELY lucky for Ken that he turned around before Erik actually pounced him, or the raven would have been dead.  Period.  Having a tiger that size crushing your spine in its massive jaws wasn't something a person, even a shifter, recovered from.  Tigers preferred attacking from behind, but that didn't mean he wasn't still considering it.  He wasn't nearly as hungry as he'd been the first time he shifted, though.  Must have been that makeshift meal he'd had earlier.  Ken was going to want to keep him well-fed in the future, since it helped.  A little.

That didn't mean he wasn't growling and looking extremely pissed off.  In fact, he WAS pissed off.  He might not have consciously remembered it, but he HAD told Ken not to come in, and there he was.  He didn't know WHY he was pissed, but having Ken there pissed him off.  At least he hadn't pounced yet, though.

Kenji knew that Batten wouldn't be there soon enough, the way the tiger was eyeballing him and gearing up for a pounce.  He did not look like a happy kitty.  The growling was the biggest tip-off.

"I apologize for entering your home without permission, Lucio-kun," Kenji said in a low, steady voice.  "Please do not attack me."

He didn't really think it would help, with the state Erik was in, but he had to try.  Stealthily, he slid his right hand into his coat pocket.  There was one trump card up his sleeve for this sort of situation-- if he was quick enough to use it before Erik swallowed him whole.

Apologies?  That tiger really didn't care about apologies.  It cared about the fact that this place smelled of itself (although somewhat strange, far too human) and not this man.  This bird.  Mmm, bird.

What was that about not attacking?  But he felt like attacking.  Why wouldn't he attack?  Because this bird said not to?  Hey, at least he registered what Ken had said, even if he wasn't thinking about it that way.  Now, if only he'd notice that he'd been called 'Lucio-kun' and what that meant, instead of wanting to eat Ken.

Wait, he could keep wanting to eat Ken if the man was going to stick his hand in his pocket.  Erik may have been a tiger, but he was still a hunter and a predator, and he knew that pockets were bad.  Smart tiger, silly birdie.  He snarled particularly loudly at that movement, and raised one frying pan sized paw to swat at the raven, even if he didn't get close enough to really smack him.  The point was there.

Why hadn't he pounced yet?

Kenji froze in place when the tiger snarled and swatted at him.  Apparently, Erik had remembered that pockets could hold weapons.  Bully for him.  He did not remove his hand from his pocket, but he also didn't pull out the syringe that was hidden within it.

Despite all the growling and glaring, the tiger hadn't yet bitten through Kenji's scrawny neck, so it seemed safe to assume that there was just enough Erik in there to hold back the beast.  It was no guarantee that it would keep Kenji off the menu forever, though, so he had to work fast.

"Lucio-kun... Erik, please calm yourself," he murmured.  "I am your friend.  You really do not wish to harm me.  Are you able to shift back?"

Erik.  That was familiar.  Enough that he didn't even swipe again, though he wasn't going to let something as strangely familiar as human mouth sounds distract him from the hand in that pocket.  That couldn't be good, whatever it was, and if Ken was going to pull that hand out, the tiger was going to bite it off.  Simple.

In the end, it didn't really matter, since a certain guild leader chose that moment to pop the kitchen door open.  Granted, it was as quietly as he could manage, but the door wasn't all that quiet to begin with.  Tiger ears flicked in that direction for an instant of concentration, and then he was off like a rocket, Ken's presence temporarily ignored in favor of the newer, less confusing threat.

Poor, poor Connor.

Naturally, Connor had NO IDEA that his walking into the house might upset things, or that he was a much more appealing choice in prey for that tiger, since he didn't have any platonic emotional attachments to the hunter locked up inside.  He got into the house, shut the kitchen door, and was very slowly starting towards rooms OTHER than the kitchen when his mistake became apparent.

He should have never even shown up.

Not that ignoring Ken's call for back-up had been a possibility in his mind, but having almost 800 pounds of tiger streaking towards him was the LAST thing the guild leader ever wanted to face.  Unfortunately, that wasn't something that was about to work out for him.  Did things EVER really work out for him?

Eh, not usually.  The bond with Val made itself useful rather suddenly, though, and not just in giving him someone to belt a stream of mental expletives at.  That tiger was on him in seconds, and Connor was NOT going to be able to keep his feet with that kind of an attack, meaning he got pushed right back through the kitchen, and the table within it.

Ouch.

Another stream of expletives for Val, and Connor impacted the floor, the tiger continuing past him with its momentum, but it was turning around.  Connor actually didn't think he was getting up, not after that one.  His head was swimming, he knew he had to be bleeding from his skull, and there were definitely other broken bones.  There had to be.  800 pounds of tiger and a rather solid table didn't mix when you had a comparatively frail human body between them.  He was so lucky to have that bond, it wasn't even funny.  This was going to make explaining without telling the truth damn difficult, though.  He had to stay awake, first. 

Concussion....stay awake....god damn tiger coming back....GET UP!

He was trying, but it wasn't looking too good.  At least the tiger hadn't chomped him yet.  "Erik Lucio, stand the FUCK DOWN," he yelled at the animal, hoping to God that his hunter was in there somewhere.  Or that Ken wasn't dead in the rest of the apartment.

It looked like raven was on the menu tonight.  Bracing himself, Kenji calculated the probability of whether he could get his hand out of his pocket in time to stick Erik with the syringe before the tiger bit his arm off.  The numbers were not comforting.  Then, his guild leader arrived.

Kenji just about had a heart attack when Erik turned and totally owned Connor.  The bone-shaking growls, Batten's shouts, and the thud of solid bodies on furniture had the bird frozen in place for a solid five seconds.  Long enough to cause Batten some serious pain, unfortunately.  When he could move again, he sprang into action, syringe in hand.

"Erik!" he shouted, sounding a bit raspy, as he rarely used anything but an "indoor" voice.  With a mighty lunge, he clung to the tiger's neck and wrapped his legs around the muscular feline torso.  He tried to drive the needle home just behind and below the tiger's ear, but fumbled and dropped the syringe entirely. 

Oh.  Fuck.  Now he was riding a tiger, and he was unarmed.

It was true, Connor had just gotten completely and utterly owned.  He wasn't quite dead yet, though.  That took more than even a massive tiger was going to manage THAT easily, even if he wasn't feeling all that confident right then.  He'd pretend he was, but it'd be a lie.  Really, who could be all that confident with 800 pounds of feral cat glaring at him?

Well, maybe Connor.

When Ken jumped the huge cat that had been considering him, dropping something in the effort, Connor acted surprisingly fast for someone who wasn't sure he could see straight.  He had a gun, a Desert Eagle in fact (Val would be pleased), pressed to the animal's forehead.  Right between his eyes.  Thus, the staring contest commenced, since the tiger stopped moving to glare at him, and he wasn't moving, either.

"Stand.  Down," he repeated, not flinching in his staring into those eyes.  They were kind of scary, to be honest, and he could understand that whole story he'd heard from Ken about Chinese religious zealots worshiping the animal whose blood they'd used to infect Erik.  Being the religious soul that he was, Connor could imagine what Colonel Patterson had felt dealing with those lions in Tsavo all those years ago.  He believed that the lions had been shifters, but there was no proof, and he was now wondering if there hadn't been more to it. 

"Erik, please," he tried, one more time.  If the hunter didn't get an ounce of control and shifter back, or at least back off, Connor was going to have to kill him.  He didn't want to, but he wasn't going to risk Ken's life any further, or his own, to avoid it. 

Tigers are not made for riding, even if they're oversized and scary like Erik was.  Of course, he didn't do all that much about Ken jumping on his back, since it didn't really DO anything to him and Connor suddenly had a gun pressed against his head.  Not good, and even the dominant tiger portion of his brain knew that.  The hunter knew far more about it, though.  Perhaps that was why he didn't attack, since he seemed to understand what was going on a little better.  The 'mouth sounds' didn't seem to be such gibberish anymore, and Connor was talking very slowly. 

It was a slow process, which made the staring contest between the two seem unbearably long, but there were only two ways for this to end.  Either the tiger would snap and attack, or Erik would pull through.  Both seemed equally possible, right up until something just seemed to click.  It was almost like Erik suddenly realized where he was, and who he was.  He didn't know how to undo it, or at least, he didn't think he did.  How had he done this to begin with?

That took some thought, which wasn't terribly easy with a tiger pushing at his consciousness, but he pushed it away just long enough to do something drastic.  Like shift.  With Ken on his back and a desert eagle staring at him.  Great.

"Um.  Sorry."

Yeeeeah, dumb way of responding, but how else do you react to that other than making some dumb remark and staring wide eyed at your boss, who was pointing a gun at your forehead?

Kenji suddenly found himself in the rather embarrassing position of being wrapped around a human-shaped Erik from behind.  With as much grace and dignity as he could muster, he disentangled himself from his partner and stood off to the side in his usual slouch.  "This time we did not have to render you unconscious to make you shift back, Lucio-kun," he pointed out, sounding (for Kenji) downright cheerful.  "I would call that progress."

He glanced at Connor and took note of his appearance.  "How bad are your injuries, Batten-san?"  Though the raven spoke English fluently and with hardly any accent, he still retained the habit of using Japanese honorifics after a person's name most of the time.  Just another of his many quirks.  Most of the other Hunters were used to that by now.  "Ah, and I think the gun is no longer necessary.  Thank you for coming so quickly."

Of course the gun wasn't needed any longer, but Connor still didn't put it away immediately.  He just laid it against the floor appreciatively and tried to take note of his injuries, not even paying any further attention to either of the men until Ken addressed him.  Progress?  More like, Erik hadn't wanted to die, but Connor wasn't about to point that out.

"I'm fine.  Give me a minute and I'll be out of your hair," he replied firmly, fully meaning it as he pulled himself first to a kneeling position, then finally to his feet.  He was shaky and dizzy, in a lot of pain, but not about to complain.  "Matsumori, stop by my office tomorrow.  Lucio, no more stunts like this without supervision.  Got it?"

Of course Batten would be telling him not to pull anymore 'stunts'.  Once Ken was off of him and he had a chance to think, he was actually pretty pissed off.  He'd wait until Batten got out, though.  "Yes, sir," he forced out.  He wasn't going to argue with the guild leader, that much was for sure.

Ken, though?  Oh, yeah.

He stuck by that, too.  It wasn't until Connor had nodded, looking a little pale and worse for wear, and had stumbled for the door that he worried about Ken.  Surprisingly, he wasn't too worried about Batten.  The man would survive nuclear holocaust, so he wasn't worried about him making it back home in one piece. 

"Ken.  I seem to remember mentioning that I didn't want your ass in my house tonight."

Kenji was almost certain Connor would be more mangled after being attacked by a giant tiger, but apparently he was still in good enough condition to leave the house under his own power.  The raven shrugged; Batten wasn't guild leader for nothing.  He pushed his concerns to the back of his mind, however, when Erik began to speak.

"I could hardly stand by and do nothing," Kenji murmured, though he did sound a little contrite.  After all, he'd nearly become tiger food.  Again.  "I feared you might escape through a window."

This whole situation was absolutely infuriating.  Did NOBODY have ANY faith in his abilities to figure this situation out without a babysitter?  Obviously, not.  Ken was just as bad as everyone else, which didn't happen THAT often. 

"How do ANY of you expect me to figure out what I'm doing with this mess when nobody will leave me alone for a few hours to try to do something about it?" he demanded, pulling himself off the floor and kicking aside a chunk of what used to be his kitchen table so that he could get a cup of coffee.

Wait until he realized that caffeine didn't do anything to shifters.

"Did I look like I was going for a window?"

Of course, he couldn't be sure because his control was just THAT bad that he didn't remember if he'd gone for a window, but he was pretty sure that he'd have a busted up window if that had happened.  From the sounds of things, nobody was very successful at stopping his tiger form from doing much of anything.  He would have been proud of that if he could have claimed that HE could stop it from doing what he didn't want it doing.  That was his whole problem with the situation. 

"That is the point, Lucio-kun.  We cannot just let you 'figure things out' for yourself, at the risk of you losing control of your tiger form and hurting somebody."  No longer so contrite, Kenji had that firm, stubborn tone in his voice. 

Meeting the challenge in Erik's eyes, the raven crossed his arms and straightened himself nearly to his full height.  Now there was a hint of accusation in his words:  "I don't know, Lucio-kun.  Were you going for a window?  Because I could not see whether you were or not, as you had dimmed the lights and drawn the blinds.  I could not tell whether you were even in tiger or human form, or if you had fallen unconscious, or if you had already escaped somehow without my noticing.  I didn't know what was going on, so I did what any responsible partner would do:  I called for backup, and I went inside to check on you."

His entire body was stiff with anger, and his words were crisp, though still quietly spoken.  This was about as close to riled as Kenji normally got, and it took a LOT to even get him to this point.

Usually, Erik and Kenji didn't fight or argue.  When they did, it was bad because neither wanted to admit that they were wrong, and this was definitely one of those times.  Erik had never appreciated too much interference in his life, which was certainly understandable (he thought), but all he'd gotten since he'd arrived in China had been interference.  He was sick and tired of it.

"This is one of those points where you remember that you claim to TRUST ME, and stop trying to babysit me!" he snapped right back, setting a coffee mug down a bit harder than he needed to, which somewhat distracted him.  It didn't break, but he had the feeling that was a lucky thing.

At least it calmed him down somewhat, though.  The last thing either of them needed was for him to get too pissed and shift accidentally.  "Listen, Ken.  It freaks me the hell out to be constantly watched like this.  It's driving me up a wall.  Everyone's treating me like I'm going to go nuclear and explode at any second, and it's making me even more paranoid than I'm already feeling," he finally explained, honestly frustrated. 

Kenji pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, breathing deeply and slowly for a moment.  It wasn't often he let himself get so upset, though he'd had more temper problems than most avians since he was a child.  Still, even he recognized that it would be no good to get into a heated argument with Erik when he was this easily triggered.

Returning to his stoic, calm state with no sign of his earlier agitation, he leveled Erik with a very serious, gray gaze.  "I trust you," he said with quiet emphasis on the 'you', "but I don't necessarily trust what you've become."  It pained him to say it, but it was the truth.  "Your tiger form is dangerous.  You don't have control.  Until you have that, I must continue to keep an eye on you.  I know it's inconvenient, but it's necessary."

There it was.  Ken trusted him, but he didn't.  All that they'd been telling him about him and the cat being the same person, not two separate things, and now Ken was going to try to separate them for his own purposes.  Great. 

"It wouldn't be dangerous if I had time to work it out," he retorted, getting slightly more angry again.  "I'm not about to intentionally shift if someone's nearby, considering how bad it's been every other time.  The LAST thing I want to do is purposely end up hurting someone!"

Why wouldn't Ken accept this and work with him on it?  Hell, if he felt the need to secure Erik's house and keep him from escaping, that was one thing, but Erik wasn't about to get any level of control if he felt uncomfortable with where he was and what was going on every time he shifted.  More than likely, the cat would just pick up on that and exaggerate it to a dangerous point.  Not good. 

As much as Kenji hated to admit it, Erik had a point.  "You're right.  This isn't very productive," he grudgingly agreed.  "Watching you constantly is only making you paranoid, and that's not good for the tiger part of you.  To be honest, I'm more worried about the times you don't mean to shift, than the times you do it on purpose in your own home.  Although," and now he looked pointedly at the busted kitchen table, "your house is not exactly tiger-proof.  We might want to do something about that if you're going to practice in here, alone."

The raven found a chair and perched on it in his usual fashion, feet tucked beneath him and knees to chest.  He nibbled on his thumb, a habit that seemed to be a carry-over from preening behaviors in his avian form.  "I can't promise to stop monitoring you, Lucio-kun," he said finally, "but I can try to be less... invasive about it."  At least he was willing to compromise.

Of course Erik had a point.  He was a pretty intelligent individual, especially when he tried.  Ken just never gave him any credit for it, and that was mostly because Ken was insanely smart, himself.  Erik just didn't think like that, but that didn't mean he was the village idiot. 

FINALLY.  Progress! 

"If I can get control when I shift voluntarily, wouldn't that mean the likelihood of shifting accidentally would go down?" he asked, trying to go for logic.  Logically, he'd assume that control was control.  It should help no matter what.  As for monitoring..."You'd better be less invasive about it, or I'll have to invade your space with something sharp."

There.  His threats were getting better than just 'I'll kill you'.  Sure signs that he was slowly recovering from everything.  He still had a lot of issues, but those wouldn't be going away anytime soon. 

Kenji knew Erik was no idiot, not that he'd ever say such a thing out loud, but it didn't keep the raven from treating him like one sometimes.  One of the drawbacks to being sort of a genius, or at least that's how he'd justify it.

"Theoretically," Ken replied, drawing the word out slowly.  "Though if something were to go wrong while you were 'practicing', I'd still need to be on hand to make sure you didn't escape and cause any trouble."

He ignored Erik's threat with his usual selective hearing.  Which was actually a compliment, in a way, since it meant he wasn't making fun of Erik's threats, as he had been for the past few days.  "Perhaps if there was a remote way to monitor you...  A device you could wear, that would notify me if you change, so I can be sure to stay on the alert," he mused.

Somehow, Erik was doubting that Ken could really stop him if he wanted to escape.  Maybe when he had better control, that was something they should try.  See if bird-brain's intelligence could handle him.  In the meantime, it needed to work, even if he didn't like it.

"I think you're getting a little complicated here," he warned, but he also knew better.  He didn't want Ken trying to fashion some sort of invisible fence or whatever to alert him if Erik shifted or tried to leave his house.  Just the idea of that was undignified, and somewhat worrisome.  He didn't know how much he trusted whatever Ken might cook up in that regard.

He could just imagine himself walking out of the house and suddenly getting electro-shock therapy while Ken rushed over.  No way.  Not happening.

Blinking apologetically at Erik, the raven dipped his head in a sort of shrug-nod.  "My apologies.  I do tend to over-think things, don't I?  Anyway, I was only trying to devise a way to be less intrusive, but it seems that electronic methods would be just as bad as if I were hovering over your shoulder."

He sighed, just a huff of breath through his nose.  "In any case, I'd rather not spend anymore nights outside in a tree."  There was a slight tilt to his head, though, and a sideways look that meant he was more amused than anything.

Once more, Erik snorted his retort rather than bother with one, though his mood had certainly improved.  Discussing the situation instead of being given ultimatums or orders truly helped, and though he wasn't happy with it, he was less likely to snap and throw the raven out.

It WAS cold out, after all.

"Fine.  You can have the couch," he conceded, though he wasn't sure how this was supposed to work in the long run.  How long would it take for Kenji to be satisfied with his situation.  "For now, anyway.  We'll see how long this lasts.  You're still going to have to get out of dodge when I try shifting, though.  I'm not trying it out with someone else present again."

THAT was something he wasn't budging on.  He wanted to try it without outside interference, to see if he might be able to get a grip on it without having to worry about someone getting in his way, provoking the cat before he could get a handle, or running.  That was the worst.  His memories of the first shift had slowly come to him, and he remembered Lore running.  Not good, ever. 

"Thank you, Lucio-kun," Kenji murmured gratefully.  Though he didn't sleep much, a couch was far more preferable to a cold tree branch.  "I will only stay tonight."

Leaving the kitchen chair, the raven made himself comfortable on the couch, which was already conveniently outfitted with a throw blanket and a pillow.  Obviously, Erik liked napping out here. 

He was glad that his partner didn't seem inclined to throw him out into the cold anymore.  Progress.  There had to be a way they could work this out to both their satisfaction.  Erik needed to be monitored, but even Kenji could admit that he didn't need to be watched twenty-four-seven. 

"How would you feel about a few security cameras placed near main exits of your home?" he proposed after a moment.  "That way, someone will only come over if a tiger bursts through a window, or something similar."

He nodded at Ken's acceptance of the sleeping arrangements, and the agreement that it would only be for that night.  Good.  They were on the same page. 

It was true that Erik liked napping on the couch, which he'd proven earlier that evening by passing out for quite some time there, but he didn't mind Ken taking up the space.  If he had, he wouldn't have offered.  He could do better than just the throw blanket and pillow, though.  "You know, I can make the couch up with sheets, if you want," he offered with a shrug.  "It's what I do anytime Sarah stops in to crash."

Sarah was his baby sister.  She got the couch, despite being the 'baby' sister.  His bed was his bed, and they were agreed on the fact that she didn't really want it.

"I'd feel like I was being watched, but since that's the point, I guess it doesn't matter.  It's better than a babysitter."

The raven shook his head.  "I appreciate the offer, but I probably won't be sleeping much.  No need to go through the trouble.  This is fine."  Kenji had met Sarah, once or twice, but as he was almost cripplingly shy around women they hadn't spoken much. 

At least Erik didn't seem to be kicking up too much of a fuss about the camera idea.  "Good.  I shall arrange for several to be installed around the house's exterior.  You will still have privacy within your home, but we'll be able to monitor who-- or rather what comes in or out of it.  Really, we won't be paying much attention to what happens unless a tiger shows up on screen, so you needn't worry about us being nosy."  By 'we', Ken of course meant mostly himself and whoever else he could con into helping him watch surveillance monitors.

Why kick up a fuss about the cameras?  Just to fight?  Just to be difficult?  He could, but he knew he was running low on options.  The cameras were better than having Ken, Batten and whoever the hell else they thought could babysit him around all the time.  He really didn't want to be risking those people if something bad happened, and then there was the issue of pride.  He didn't want more people to know that he was having these problems than was necessary.  Already there was Ken, Mitchell, Batten, Lore, Vin and probably Verde in Onyx, who was so loud that Erik didn't see how the whole world didn't know.  That man just didn't know the meaning of shutting up.

He didn't need to help spread the news himself.

"I don't like that 'we'," he remarked, picking up on it.  Who was going to be briefed on this and watching his house?  Slightly creepy. 

Who did Ken have in mind?  At least Ken was uncomfortable enough around women that Erik knew it wouldn't be Sitara, or Nick's wife, Skye.  Hell, he knew it wouldn't be ANY of the hunter ladies, which he was glad for.  Sometimes, Ken's discomfort worked out for him.  "Who are you planning on joining that party?"

Kenji raised a brow, looking faintly amused.  "Though I know I don't act like it, I do have to sleep sometimes, Lucio-kun," he pointed out, speaking slowly.  "I will not be able to stare at a bunch of screens constantly.  I will need at least one other person, perhaps two, to share in that task."

Who, though?  That really was the question, wasn't it?  Not only was Kenji terrible at speaking to or working with most women, he simply didn't have the best people skills, period.  It took a particular kind of person to get past Kenji's barriers enough to be called "acquaintance," and even more to earn the title of "friend."  So far, only Erik held the latter title. 

"I will find someone else who is restricted to desk duty," he decided finally.  "With all the injuries in our line of work, I'm sure I can find someone with a free schedule for a couple of weeks."

Erik really didn't like Ken's decision to just grab people who were injured, considering who tended to get injured most of the time throughout the guilds.  Those weren't the people he really wanted watching him all the time.  Maybe he could deliberately beat on someone extra hard in training, just to get someone he liked on surveillance.

Yeah, and beating the hell out of someone would make them sympathetic to his cause.

Right.

Damn it.

"Great.  Sounds like you've got that hellish little detail figured out.  Perfect.  I'm going to bed."

He needed, no, WANTED to sleep.  He missed his bed, and that was why he hadn't slept in it yet since getting back to his house that day.  He knew that once he laid down in it, he wasn't getting up for his eight hours' worth.

"Perhaps we should both attempt to sleep," Kenji agreed, pulling the blanket over his knees, but still sitting.

Once again, the raven wouldn't be doing much sleeping, but he knew Erik liked to get a regular amount of shut-eye when he had the opportunity.  Besides, he wanted some time alone to think.  Letting Erik go to bed (which he obviously was ready to do, since this would be the first night he was allowed to sleep in his OWN bed since coming back to the States) was the easiest way to grant himself a little quiet time.

Erik waved his hand pretty dismissively at Ken's agreement, and that could have been a 'whatever' or a 'goodnight' for all the effort he put into it.  Maybe it was both.  He didn't care.

It was bedtime, and he was wiped.  He'd never wanted his own bed now that it was within reach more than he thought he did now.  Maybe, if he couldn't think of a time.  He was definitely going for eight, maybe nine hours.  True sleep.

Eighteen hours later...

Kenji had given Erik a generous ten hours before checking in on him.  Very cautiously, he had cracked the door open-- and froze when he heard what sounded like growling on the other side.  A few seconds later, he realized it was far too rhythmic for that.

Erik was snoring. 

A quick glance was all the raven needed for confirmation, and he eased the door shut.  Well.  Time for breakfast, then.  Sleep wasn't something Kenji indulged in much, but he did believe in fueling one's body properly, and on a frequent basis.  He never had to worry about getting fat, though.  With all the energy he burned being awake all the time, and his regular martial arts practice in between long bouts of sitting at a computer, he could eat any way he liked and not gain an ounce.  Therefore, he did what any good friend would when staying over at his partner's house.  He raided the fridge.

By the time Erik woke, Kenji had already eaten three small, fairly high-sugar "meals", mainly consisting of breakfast cereal and whatever candy the raven could find.  He had even devoured a mostly stale bag of marshmallows.  He was starting to dig through the cupboards for another snack when he heard the telltale rustle of bedclothes in the other room.  "Good... evening, Lucio-kun," he greeted, for it was already getting dark again outside.

Evening?  What?

How was it that the first thing he heard when he got up was Ken going through his stuff, namely in his kitchen, and that it was evening.  How'd that work?  He'd gone to bed a close to a decent hour, it couldn't be any later than 11am.  MAYBE 1pm, if he was pushing it.  Evening?  What?!

"What are you talking about?" he yawned, hitting the kitchen without even bothering with windows or anything.  He just immediately assumed that Ken was being weird again, or he'd misunderstood.  He HAD only just woken up.

He needed food.

"Did you eat all my damn fruit loops?"

Was he serious?  Well, he had slept pretty hard...  "Evening.  As in, not morning or afternoon anymore, and getting close to 'night'.  As in, that's sunset out there, not sunrise.  You slept for eighteen hours, Lucio-kun."

Kenji shook the cereal box experimentally, and the pathetic rattle was all the answer he needed.  He gave his partner a properly contrite look.  "I will buy you some more," he mumbled.  "There are still plenty of Wheaties, though."

WHAT?!  Eighteen hours?!

"You can't be serious," he murmured, looking out the windows suddenly, far more awake with that revelation.  It looked like Ken was serious.  Eighteen hours.  How ridiculous was that?  He'd never slept later than one o'clock, except in the worst of conditions.  He'd been doing way too much sleeping the past few days.  This was getting insane.

"Holy Hell!  How could I have slept that long?  All I've been doing lately is sleep!"  Well, sleep and try to eat people, but he wasn't going to say that. 

Oh, and as for the fruit loops..."And you bet your ass you're buying more.  The Wheaties are Sarah's!"  He'd eat them, though.  He felt like he could eat a horse.  "You willing to go out for food?  I'm starved."

At least his appetite was back.

"Tigers often fast and sleep for most of the day, only waking to hunt and gorge themselves on meat," the raven reminded him.  "I'm not surprised to see that your own sleeping and eating patterns have been affected, particularly with how strong your animal side seems to be."

And, oh good, at least Erik wasn't suggesting he eat Kenji in retaliation.  A food run he could do.  "Certainly.  What would you like, aside from more Fruit Loops?"

Wait, what was that about a food run?  Why bother with going out when he had a perfectly annoying little Raven sitting right in his kitchen, full of Fruit Loops?

It was much more convenient.

"Nevermind, I could go for some raven instead," he growled out, not wanting to hear more 'tiger facts'.  He'd heard plenty already, and he definitely didn't want to hear about it when it was actually happening.  It was one thing if Ken was just trying to distract him with facts that weren't really going to apply to him.  Hearing that when it was true was a whole new ball game.

Realizing that he'd stepped over the line, Kenji paled slightly at the threat (which was hard for an already pasty guy like him to do) and beat a hasty retreat.

When he returned, he had two bags full of groceries, not the least of which were two brand new boxes of Fruit Loops.  There was also meat.  Lots of meat.  "I wasn't sure what you preferred," the raven told him, "so I got a little of everything."

He emptied the bags onto the kitchen table, revealing his purchases:  a few pounds of ground beef, a T-bone steak, a whole rotisserie deli chicken, a honey-glazed ham with the bone in the middle, a pack of bacon, and a package of turkey parts.  It was like something out of a Tom & Jerry cartoon.  "Most of this you can freeze for later, but you may want to consider eating the chicken and the ham first, as they are already cooked."

Well-fed Erik meant not-eaten raven.  Kenji was no bird-brain.

Erik wasn't really serious, in all honesty, but Ken seemed to think so.  Erik never saw him move so fast in their entire partnership, and then he was stuck in an empty house.  Great.  He was getting dressed and washed up, at least.

Then, he raided the fridge, though there wasn't much TO raid.  He hadn't left much in there, knowing he was going away for that hunt in China, and anything that was left had been raided by Ken.  Great.

By the time Ken got back, he was starting to raid the cupboards with zero success.  At least he was dressed and feeling more awake, though.  It was good, too, since he stared at the raven like he was insane when he saw what had been bought.

"You're...insane.  Really, you are," he asserted, blinking at the groceries.  That was a little...overkill, wasn't it?

Hell, he had food for awhile.

Of course, Kenji figured Erik was probably joking about eating him, but given recent events he was taking no chances.  Thus, the overkill grocery run.

"I brought you some more milk, too," he pointed out, digging a half-gallon carton from one of the other bags and sticking it in the fridge.  "I used some of it when I ate all your Fruit Loops." 

Sorting through the meat pile, the raven selected that which could be frozen, that which could go in the fridge for now, and that which should be eaten immediately.  The deli chicken remained on the table, smelling delicious and fattening.  One would think that a bird-shifter would be squeamish about eating poultry, but ravens were carrion birds.  Eating the meat of a prey bird such as a chicken was no problem.  Then again, Kenji just didn't eat much meat, period.  Most of his diet consisted of sugar and caffeine.  Deli chicken WAS hard to resist, though.

"Insane?  Doubtful.  I am only attempting to anticipate your needs, Lucio-kun."  Kenji popped open the plastic and cardboard container of chicken.  Ooh, mashed potatoes and gravy, too.  "And I anticipated that you might want dinner."