Home? (Open.)

[msman]

Mitsufs apartment was like any other. Worn rug, peeling paint, tiny bathroom. But there was a difference. You didnft see them. The walls had red fabric tacked to them, wall scrolls of different sayings hanging over any portion that the fabric couldnft fit over. There was a bamboo plant on the corner table, with candles around it. Every corner had candles, flickering and bringing light to the soft space. The bed was just a mattress, the frame had been dismantled and stored in the closet. There wasnft room for it. the white sheets were clean, the black comforter draped on top was unwrinkled. It was small, but the set-up made it feel big.

And there was a stuffed tiger on the one shelf. Not far from the window; it smiled down at him with big eyes, a little charm that read on it. Dream. It had been Kitty's. Mit would lay awake at night, looking at it. Missing what he almost had. Right now, though, it was looking at an empty bed. The owner was in the small bathroom, barely big enough for his tall hunky frame. He was washing his face, eyes puffed and red from an old letter he found in his box of stuff. He wanted to be home right now, with a toddler on his knee and his girlfriend as his wife at his side. But he couldnft, they didnft exist. The small purple room had rugs underfoot, a curtain on the standing shower that was light blue with gold dragons on it.

Thing he had acquired thorough his years in America. Made it feel a little like home. The front door was open, the bathroom door was open. Mit didn't care.

[kay]

Kay rummaged through her pockets until she found what she was looking for. She felt the tips of two needles and the arm elastic rope. Kay would have two hits, two perfect hits. Now all she needed was the perfect place to score and everything would be fine. She found herself wandering still yet close to where she had purchased her hits. The area was shit, a place cops were scared to go. A bit like her own area but to score cost too much, here it was a bit cheaper.

"Hmm,"

[/b] she muttered to herself as she spotted what appeared to be an apartment building. Glancing up she could see the second floor door open wide open, as if inviting her in. The place was either being robbed or already been robbed but it was still inviting. She found herself skipping up the steps ready to score the moment the door was closed and locked. Without really checking around to see if anyone was in here she slammed the door shut and twisted one of the locks.

It was then that Kay realised that the place was furbished. And that was when she saw it, the cutest thing ever. It was a stuffed animal of a tiger. Kay couldn't help but be drawn to it as she took it from its shelf and gave it a big hug. She would definately be taking this with her when she left. [/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

Mitsu heard a door close, realizing it was his as the lock was thrown. Someone was in his room. Mitsu stood still, listening as the person moved around, humming to themselves and looking about his room. Who would want to come in here? It was a strange idea, someone being in his room. He was so used to being alone that the sound of another person almost frightened him. Closing his eyes he smelled the air, not catching anything of interest… no, take that back.

He smelled drugs. Hard ones, and old. Like it was some time ago but still there. Was this person going to get high in his room?! Turning he opened the door completely just in time to see her touch his tiger. The one with the pendant, the one that Kitty had owned…

“PUT THAT DOWN! He roared, rushing out of the room and grabbing her shoulder. “Not yours! Who the hell are you and drop the tiger.” No one touched Dream without his say-so.

[kay]

This looked like one of those prizes you could win at the circus. The sort that you had to be top dog and clever to win. Kay had never won one herself but she had an old boyfriend of hers win her one. Her old boyfriend had won her a beautiful yellow leopard. She didn't have it, it had broken ages ago. But this one seemed in decent condition. She was about to stroke it when she realized that the person who was living here, if you could call this living, was in the same room as she.

She found herself staring at the man, he was pretty handsome. "Hey,"

[/b] she shrieked as the man grabbed her shoulders. That only had the opposite effect as she grabbed on tighter to the tiger. "Let go of me!"[/b] she demanded, her voice fierce. Of course she was breaking an entering but the thought that she was never crossed her mind. [/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

A low growl emitted from the back of Mitsuaki’s throat, a warning as she clutched the tiger tighter. At times he forgot that he was human, often slipping into a cat’s mind while still with opposable thumbs and grinding teeth. Baring said teeth, he tightened his grip on her shoulder, hoping that she wouldn’t damage the only thing of his girlfriend he had left.

“I said; drop. The. Tiger. Or would you like me to rip your arm off?” It was just like school. He was always protecting Kitty, even though she was a tiger and he had been human. Something about how people treated her just set him off. They knew she was different, just not how. So they hurt her with it. Mit was always there to protect her, stand up for her, help her. Even now, when she was dead and gone, he was protecting everything about her.

[kay]

"Okay, okay, okay. Take your damned precious Tiger."

[/b] Kay stated as she dropped the thing and took back possession of her arm. She rubbed her arm where it stung from being grabbed. She knew that she would probably have a bruise their in the morning. Kay was always getting bruised because she was quite weak in a physical way that was and was not always her fault. The drugs weakened her body immensely and made her more susceptible to everything else.

She took a step back away from the guy. He was bloody fucking crazy! "What's so special about that damned stuffed animal?"[/b] she demanded to know even though she was really in no position to say anything. She had one, entered his apartment without his permission; two, she had touched his things; and four, he had bruised her just by grabbing her, it wasn't as if she could hold her own. [/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

The tiger was on the ground! No! Letting go of Kay Mitsu grabbed it up, holding it closer and making sure it was okay. Dusting a bit of lint from the floor off if it he put it back on the shelf, making sure the charm was turned the right way and the eyes were clean. His pride and joy. He’d go back into the burning building just to save this thing. It meant the world to him. Ignoring the girl behind him for the most part he watched the stuffed animal for a little, memories coming back to him. He was young, and already he had had enough to fill his now immortal life. He’d live a long time, always in guilt.

“None of your business.” He muttered, his thick accent slurring the words as he did so. “You are in my house, who are you!” And Angry Man was back. She had entered his home. True, he had left the door open… but the fact still remained. Door open or not you don’t just enter someone’s house like that! This was his apartment, and he was going to keep it like that.

“I suggest you don’t lie, I’m rather good at telling when people are lying.” Not completely a bluff, but enough of one to gain the title. He could smell changes in people, but not enough to tell if they were lying or truth-saying.

[kay]

Kay watched the way the man went mental over the Tiger. Was he suffering from a severe case of OCD? She watched, eyes taking in the fullest of detail, as if she could remember anything later, as the man made sure that no dust was on the stuffed animal. The Tiger was probably put in the exact same position on the shelf as when she had picked him up. The owner of the Tiger even flipped and straightened up the Tiger's necklace jewelry. Kay couldn't help but roll her eyes, laughter was in the works.

She couldn't make out what he had said but it sounded like 'business'. Had he been trying to say it was none of hers? That got Kay laughing with his stupid but sexy accent. "What house? I don't see any house here. All I see is some shit - holed dump. Speaking of which, I came in through the opened door."

[/b] She continued to laugh. He wanted to know who she was? "Well as you may have already figured out. I'm not the tooth fairy."[/b]She was laughing again.

Kay wouldn't be able to score here, not while this idiot was in his home. What was keeping her from leaving? Really nothing. She gave the man the finger and turned around to head towards the front door. [/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

What house? He rounded on her, narrow eyes shrinking to slits as he did so. Crossing in a flash he grabbed her arm (he had a thing for grabbing people) and twisted her around, towering over her. Really, he was only four inches taller. But it was enough when he was angry. His long hair fell about his face, putting him into shadow from the low light of the candles. It might be a shit-hole apartment, but it was his home. The only one he had. He growled again, letting a bit more of his cat show through as two stripes showed under his eyes. The shadows hid it, but if she dared to insult him and his things after she entered his home without permission.

“No, you’re no tooth-fair. You smell funny.” A child’s insult, but he meant truth, not jest. “Why do you smell funny thief? Huh? And the door’s locked now, good luck trying to get out before answering me. I can be very fast. Why you smell funny? What you come in here for?”

[kay]

Kay's feet moved quietly on the floor and she could barely hear her own footprints and then before she could get another footstep further she felt her arm grabbed and then twirled around. "Jesus christ!"

[/b] she said as she faced the man again. "I gave you back your fucking Tiger!"[/b] What the hell did this man want? "You're bruising me!"[/b] she added in angrily. Kay was fucking pissed, she would already have a bruise from where she was grabbed earlier but now her whole arm would be bruised.

Her eyes peaked open as she heard the man growl. He sounded like a cat. He sounded like Caleb, her ex boyfriend. Her ex boyfriend was a were leopard, she hadn't seen hide or tail of him since high school. That was years ago since she was twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven. Hell, Kay didn't know how old she was. Fuck, she couldn't even name the date and year. "I already said I'm no tooth fairy."[/b] But of course she was in no position to say anything.

"Fuck, my arm"[/b] she screamed. Kay was easily bruisable from all the drugs, even before then. "I came in here to get high. Now I'm fucking leaving"[/b] she said. She ignored the part about her smelling, she probably did. Though in her own defense she had taken a shower a few days ago. "And I took a shower a few days ago,"[/b] she was clean, pretty much...sorta.
[/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

Drugs! That explained the smell. She was going to use drugs, here, in his room. Hey… in his room? What the hell? That’s what alleys were for! But it explained what she was here for and why. And it annoyed the hell out of him. The nerve!

“You light up, in here?! That rude, you know. Leaving eh? Where you get high then if not here? How I know you not take something else?” He didn’t have much to take, but there was always the possibility that there was something of importance. But he did let up on her arm, seeing already the bruises he had left. Sighing slightly he rolled his eyes and pointed at his bathroom.

“Run arm under the cold water.” It would help with the bruises. Not right away, but it would help in the long run. Stupid accent, he felt like some old guy that could barly talk.

[kay]

"Light up?"

[/b] she repeated. This guy thought she was going to be smoking some pot, some illegal substances? That got a nice hardy laugh out of Kay. "--so old school. I don't light shit up."[/b] She reached into her pocket and brought out one of her two needles. She was only into needles, she had long ago moved past the easy shit. Now she was hardcore and once she advanced passed needles there was only a few ways to go before she overdosed and died. Of course she never gave that any thought. She pushed the needle back in her pocket, it was worth its weight in gold.

"Needles for the win,"[/b] she snickered as she walked over to the sink and turned on the water. She was hesitant because she had been expecting some color anything besides the normal water color. But this water was clean and seemingly pure. She put her arm under the faucet, the cold felt good. Why hadn't she done this before? "So, what's up with that Tiger?"[/b] she asked. "Why so mental over it?"[/b][/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

Needles! She was going to stab herself to get drugs into her! Reminded him of hospitals, doctors, death… no, not right now. He was going to think of other things, in the now not the then. But he always thought of the then… shaking his head as she cleaned her arms he decided to think of a way to get those away from her. As the water ran he checked the locks, pulled the key from his pocket, and threw the dead-bolt. Only a key could unlock it. He’d have her for a good long time to think how to get rid of them. Only fair. She coveted them, he did his tiger. Well, it was fair in his mind anyway.

“It’s mine. The tiger is…” There was an American word for it. He knew it, it was there. Playing on the edge of his mind like a fox spirit, just on the edge of your vision and playing nasty tricks on you. The jester, the joker. The word, what was it? “Wish. The tiger is a wish.” Not quite, but it’d do for now. She didn’t have to know anyway.

[kay]

The water felt good under her arm, when she turned to look at the man, or young teenage boy he was no where in sight. She rolled her eyes, he was probably going to get a gun or some weapon. Little did he know that he didn't have to throw her out of his shack, she'd walk right out, just after another second or two under this cold water. Because she had little hemoglobin, or too much, whatever the doctors had said years ago she would bruise too easily. She turned off the faucet and helped herself to a bounty wipe to dry her arm off. Though she held the bounty under the cold water and then left it on her arm.

Kay stopped when she saw the man again. She raised her eyebrows curiously, "a wish? The tiger is a wish?"

[/b] Kay burst out laughing though she knew she shouldn't, though there wasn't an ounce of moral fiber in her. The man's English was horrible. But even more so, Kay was laughing at her own inability to expect the man to speak proper English and use all the proper English words. "Whatever. Keep your wish, I'm leaving. Thanks for the water."[/b] She moved passed the man and towards the front door, opened it to find it locked. She moved her hand on the dead bolt but that wouldn't open. "A little help?"[/b]

[/blockquote][/font]

[msman]

“It was American movie that said ‘A dream is a wish the heart makes’ wasn’t it? He says dream, so he is wish.” Mit could remember how the tiger even came to be. Twelve years old, that’s how old they were. The festival of lights and Kitty’s bright green eyes begging him to get the tiger for her. Cost him 530 yen with his poor aim, but he hit the milk bottles and won the stuffed animal. She went everywhere with it, even in High School. It had been at the hospital with them when she died, when Mitsuaki’s life was ruined. He had gone back to the hospital to get it.

“Nope. You break into my room. What did you take, and why did you think you could just take a hit here?” He worked hard on thinking that sentence through. Come off it, he knew English; studied it in school he should have proper application of it now. He’d been here long enough to use it. He hated going to Chinatown and listening to the old men butcher English, talk to him in Chinese that was broken also because they had been away so long. He wasn’t going to be like that.