soul_logs | [OPEN]

Naoto stepped inside and closed the door behind her. It was necessary if she was going to let Iza out in the room; if the nurse had a problem, she could take it up with a superior. Seeing Kanji like this was... strange. He still had his piercings, but none of his usual attire and his hair was falling in his face rather than staying slick back. It was odd on him, but not bad; actually, nice in a way.

She approached his bedside, placing the carrier by his side. "Seems as though I arrived at an inconvenient time for you." Iza was already pawing at her little door, mewling noisily.

"Huh? N-no, you didn't!" He shook his head. He was practically dying of boredom in here, and it didn't help that hospitals still gave him the creeps.

"They just got my stuff in the wash, so I went n' got cleaned up. I don't like how thin this shit is," he groused, moving the open the carrier, silently glad his hands weren't shaking anymore. He hoped Iza wouldn't be too rowdy today, being in a strange place like this.

"What about you? You holdin' up okay? Knockin' Witch heads together sounds tiring."

"Ah..."

Yes, that's right. They did that with her own clothing and she had barred having guests until she had a jacket at least. "Yes, the gown is thin... but you do clean up well."

Iza wasn't so excited about being in the new environment as much as attacking her owner's hand with tiny claws. Perhaps punishment for disappearing all of the sudden.

"Yes. I have some mild fatigue, but I just need to rest later."

Careful to mind the IV line from the back of his hand to the holder at bedside, he rubbed the back of his head and looked away. Did... did she really think so, or was it just something people say? He merely bowed his head briefly, a silent gesture of thanks.

His attention was snapped back when the kitten decided to take out what passed for frustration on his hand, latching on. Game on: He'd wrestle the little furball for a bit. She probably had a lot of energy to burn without someone to wield the laser pointer or put the catnip in the scratching posts to tucker her out for the last couple of days.

"I-I got a chair on the other side here, yours if y'want it." She should probably get off her feet a bit.

"How'd it go out there after I hit the mirror?" He felt like such a lump for not participating in the fight as much as he wanted.

Naoto watched Kanji's reaction, but then looked down at Iza. She certain had gotten a bit more fussy being stuck inside the carrier. Didn't appear as though she would calm down very soon, but Kanji seemed to know what to do.

"Ah... thank you..." Naoto moved over to the chair and took a seat. On another day, she would remain standing, but she needed to sit down.

"... Fairly well. The others were handling the Witches and their devices. Everyone who has been effected by them will be back to normal in time."

"...So I don't need to beat some sense into Kuzunoha-san. Good," he replied. Though, there was still the topic of Neji who used some kind of freaky ninja power to paralyze him. Now there was a guy he needed to find and beat down as soon as he got better.

"Had enough?" He looked down at the kitten now, having her pinned beneath a hand in their little wrestling match. Kanji slowly released her but his hand hovered, ready for another round if she was still feeling feisty.

"I know I went over this before, but..." His shoulders hitched a bit.

"Thanks for bustin' me outta there. And sorry... for disappearing like that." Kanji felt a knot twist in his stomach. The last thing he wanted was to worry her, especially not after everything they'd been through lately.

"... We should visit him later." She noticed his hat vaguely when she had been coming to visit. To hear he had been changed was certainly bad news. The black blood already drove them mad, but that... manipulation device. This probably wasn't going to be the last.

Iza's tail was still flicking back and forth, but she was rolling around on her back, watching Kanji. When the hand didn't move any further, she initiated round two.

"Perhaps it was my fault. We left you defenseless and I have drained a good deal of your energy prior to your kidnapping." It was why she wanted to avoid using her strength. "At least we were able to save you before they warped your personality or fed you to the Kishin eggs."

"Yeah, we should." He nodded. Kanji didn't want to believe what Raidou said was true. It made him wonder what sort of crap he'd have said if he was chosen to sit in that weird chair instead of being thrown in the feeding cave.

Iza jumped in for round two and he went for belly-scratches and a little roughhousing. She was a ferocious little one, that she is, and Kanji wouldn't have this cat any other way.

"It ain't your fault, Naoto-kun!" He sat up, supported himself on his free hand.

"I was the one who chose to push the resonance. I don't regret that, even now. I wanted those bird-brained assholes n' everything else outta Death City just as bad as you did. We did pretty good regardless, didn't we? Even found Arisato-san."

After Raidou, she should visit with her boss later and make sure he was doing alright as well. Why he had decided to go after Raidou was anyone's guess right now. Perhaps it was just a boss's duty to watch over an employee or maybe he had been indebted to Raidou.

Iza tumbled along with the play, tiny claws and teeth nibbling on Kanji's fingers.

"And then after finding Arisato-san, you didn't have a partner anymore..." She sighed. "It would've been best if we had stuck together until you found someone else to work with." Still, Minato had been shaken and had been very jittery. Getting him to stay long enough to speak with Kanji had taken some effort.

She shook her head, "I suppose it's pointless to discuss it though. It's over now."

All right, it was time to settle down before Iza started biting and clawing too hard. His roughhousing eased up bit by bit, until finally he 'threw in the towel', making his hand flop over in defeat.

Naoto had a point, however. Perhaps he should have stuck around until they found someone he could resonate reliably with, but in his rush to find Tifa, he got hasty.

"Yeah. ...I-I'm gonna try talkin' to Tifa today. The next time shit like this happens, I don't wanna be caught with my--" ...he pulled the blanket further over him. His pants were in the wash, too.

Iza pounced on the hand, but began to calm, pawing at it lightly when it didn't move. Eventually, she sat down, still staring at it.

"... with your what?" Naoto looked down when Kanji pulled the blankets up and understood. Ah, right; that saying ended with pants down, did it not? Still, she doesn't understand why that embarrassed him; it was simply a figure of speech. Or was it just because speaking figuratively while the actual article of clothing was missing around company seemed embarrassing?

"You'll inform me if your discussion with Tifa is successful?"

"Yeah. I'll do that." Outside he appeared determined, but he was actually incredibly apprehensive. Everyone he'd asked had told him it was as simple as asking and getting a yes or no...

...So why the hell did it make him nervous?

He picked up the kitten instead, cradling the fuzzball in an arm while scratching between the ears.

"The front desk give you shit for bringin' her?"

It wasn't abnormal to be nervous... which is probably why Naoto doesn't say anything more immediately. Now probably wasn't the time to bring her question forward.

Iza looked quite content, closing her eyes a bit and leaning into the scratches while her paws kneaded at his arm.

"Yes, but I managed to convince them. I signed an agreement to keep Iza in this room only."

"Tch... Bet if she were a dog they wouldn't bat an eyelash." He had nothing against dogs, of course ~~but Iza was his baby~~. He picked up the carrier and set it on the floor, all while carefully keeping a hold on the little cat.

He leaned back then, easing a quiet sigh before he turned his eyes to the IV bag. He'd been instructed to take the remote he was given and press the Call button whenever it emptied if he wanted to get out so bad as to make no less than four escape attempts.

"Got people with busted arms n' legs in this clinic. Me? 'Moderate' dehydration n' chills. Shouldn't even be here..."

"The wolf is employed here actually," Naoto stated. "She will probably return after her own mission is complete."

When Kanji laid back, she took the opportunity to look closer at him. Dehydration and chills... yes, well, she could understand how that could be bad.

"They'll probably keep you for at least a day. If those are left untreated, your organs could begin to shut down."

The wolf? Did Naoto mean...?

"Amaterasu, right? Busy girl." He could see how much of a boon she could be. He couldn't help but feel at ease around the wolf, and only half of it involved the fuzziness. The patients needed it.

"...Wait, 'shut down'? They can just stop!?" Well, this was news to him. Why did the nurses have to hide things like this from him?

Kanji suppressed another shiver. Man, they need to hurry up and give him his clothes back. He felt kinda feverish.

"I didn't know if the water the Witches were givin' out had that Black Blood shit in it or not!"

"Amaterasu?" They hadn't given her the name of the wolf, but that was certainly a peculiar one. Naming a wolf after the sun goddess... or was this another strange case from another world?

"In more severe cases which is why it's important to remain hydrated." She shouldn't have been surprised, but didn't he understand how fluids were vitally important?

But then she sighs and nods, understanding. "Of course... it probably was too, but you were in the feeding cave. Pure souls are more preferred for Kishin eggs and black blood corrupts the soul."

He wondered that, himself. There was something otherworldly about the white wolf's understanding.

"Damn... that's gotta be why they freaked out a little bit," he remarked aloud. At the very least, he knew a little more of his own limits, and would try to avoid a repeat of a decision like this.

"I guess that makes sense. 's that why I don't hear about kishin eggs eating other kishin egg souls? ...Or can they do that?"

Perhaps a question to bring forward to her yourself.

Naoto nodded before speaking. "There is a survival saying that goes '3 minutes, 3 days, and 3 weeks'. Three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. Of course, the saying can be contested in some circumstances. For example, were you not in a cavern and in the desert, it would be less than three days without water due to the harsh climate."

She thought for a moment. "... If you think about it, Kishin eggs are comprised of a collection of innocent souls. Perhaps in a desperate situation, they would consume a fallen Kishin egg's soul before it can be collected."

3 minutes, 3 days, 3 weeks. Simple to remember, and the fact that he spent the last nearly three days in a cool, dark cavern was probably why he wasn't in critical condition right now.

He made a face at the thought of kishin egg cannibalism.

"You got a point. ...I wouldn't put it past 'em."

Kanji felt something wet on his arm then and looked down. Iza was drooling. He totally forgot she did that when reduced to a purring mess.

"...I gotta get you a buddy."

That was exactly it.

"If you're to face multiple Kishin eggs, make sure to eliminate them all quickly or have your Weapon collect the soul before the next one can attack."

Naoto blinked and stared, somewhat surprised. She had never seen a kitten drool.

"Is she alright?"

"Good to know. Back in Florence, Tifa was grabbin' 'em right after we took 'em down, so I never really thought about somethin' like that." After Florence, all he'd encountered were single kishin eggs. The fact remained that he would ensure collection was quick should he come across an encounter with multiple in the future.

"Huh? ...Oh yeah, she does that. When she gets really relaxed, I get spit on a little bit," he said with a little chuckle.

"Was thinkin' about pickin' up another. If I head out on Missions or gotta work a while at Death By Pastry, I don't want her gettin' bored."

He looked up, was a little pink. "Maybe a little tuxedo cat..."

She nodded. It was very good that Tifa had done just that.

"Oh, I see. I can't say I've studied enough about cats to know they drool like this." Naoto peered down at Iza, watching as she just continued drooling. Again, she nodded, understanding. Iza did seem very bored when she came to pick her up.

"... Tuxedo cat?" Is he talking about an actual cat or a doll now?

Don't encourage him, Naoto. He would find a cat in a tuxedo completely adorable.

"Yeah! S'when they're not totally black... like they got white paws, patches on their face..." He idly scratched next to that nose stud, averting his gaze. He wasn't like Souji in terms of cats, but Kanji made a rather suitable understudy.

But then he realized he was talking about cats and fell silent.

He tried to keep his teeth from chattering when another shiver passed over him. As much as he hated the effects of the Black Blood, he probably should have listened to all the other prisoners holed up with him practically shouting at him to drink anyway.

Naoto attempted to think of the kind of cat he was describing and was able to visualize it. "... Oh. I've seen that sort of cat before."

His chattering doesn't miss her eye and she frowned. Hospital sheets tend to be thin, but they were supposed to supply patients with a second, thicker sheet if they needed it. The fact that Kanji had the chills...

Ah, it was still folded. She picked it up and unfolded it once. "Here. Wrap this around your shoulders. I'll go see if I can find you something warm to drink."

Oh good

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