Cross actually gave a light smile as the creature glided into his hand. Unfortunately, whilst his left arm was broken, he could not pet the creature. Instead he made due with petting the small creature's side with his thumb a bit before raising his hand to his shoulder to see if the dragon was comfortable enough with him to perch on his shoulder. If the creature did trust him enough to do so, Cross would pet it lightly, before returning his gaze in front of him as he walked. "Alright," he said in response to Kaoru's statement. His house actually wasn't far away, but he would not take her there. He took no one to his home. Well, he'd never trusted anyone enough to do so anyways.

Kaoru watched him with Kami. He seemed to be okay with the dragon and Kami seemed to be just as comfortable because the creature climbed up on his shoulder. "His name is Kami," she said quietly. She had never knew Kami to be so comfortable with newcomers. He'd nearly mauled Kinaga and he was her father! Yeah, that had been one funny moment.

Cross looked at the creature again and rubbed the top of it's head gently. "Kami, huh..." Just to amuse the woman following him, he added "Nice to meet you Kami" with a light smirk on his face. They were closing in on a more forested area, and a cool breeze shot by, telling them that they were near the lake. The temperature in this area also seemed to be cooler, since they were nearing the end of the Magma's land. This was always how Cross was able to tell where his home was. The change in temperature and the cool breeze. He turned to look at her. "You have a choice. My home is not too far from here, and it has more supplies than I'm sure you are carrying with you. We can continue on there, or we can stop here," he said, giving her the ultimatum. Something about this dragon of hers had instilled in him a small bit of trust for this girl before him.

Kaoru smiled as he greeted Kami who dipped his head in response. She loved his company. He was always there to cheer her up when the time called for it. "It might be better if I had supplies," she answered. "If you're alright with me going to your place that is." Yeah, she was basically asking permission. Just so he wouldn't feel as though he was being forced. Not like that would ever happen. She could tell that now.

Cross nodded when she said that it would be better if she had supplies. "I wouldn't have given the choice had I not been alright with it," he said, not looking back at her as they walked. It wasn't too long until a small house came into sight. From looking at it, one could tell that it didn't have many rooms, and that it was one floored, and the outer walls were a cerulean blue color.

The house was on a bit of a hill, and if you looked around, you would notice that it had a view of the lake in front, and forest behind it. It was mostly in the open, with a few trees surrounding it, but nothing in particular that actually hid it from sight. Except that Cross normally kept a jutsu on it that hid it from sight to anyone he did not wish to see it. The only ones who could see it were those who've seen it before, Cross, and those that Cross allowed to see it. Which was why Cross never had the door locked.

As they approached the house, a white cat seemed to step out of nowhere as it came from behind a tree, it's large black eyes staring up at Cross, sitting in front of them as they walked. It mewed happily as Cross bent down to pet it once, before turning its gaze curiously onto Kami. The cat seemed relatively normal except for it's jet black eyes. It stood at the ready when it saw another person though, wary of Kaoru for some reason. When Cross made a slight clicking noise with his tongue twice, the cat stood down and followed him into the house. "Come in," he invited, only closing the door behind her after she'd entered completely.

The inside was just as quaint as the outside was. The first room was the living room and there wasn't much to it, it looked much like any other. He looked to the cat when it started stalking around Kaoru, sniffing her a bit. "That's Alice," he said, and as if on cue, the cat looked up at Cross at the mention of it's name.

Kaoru looked at her surroundings, noting everything in case this wasn't as calm as it seemed. Yeah, Cross had made her a bit paranoid. She blinked when she saw the house. "It's so open," she commented. It stuck out so clearly. She turned and looked at the cat. He owned a cat? Mister Bad Ass owned a cat? There went his masculine. Kaoru smiled at the cat once she was inside of the house. "Hi Alice." She didn't want to pet the white cat, she might scratch. "Supplies?" She asked. She didn't want to seem like a burden to him, so she'd be in and out in no time.

(Okay, I have to admit, I laughed at that post.)

Cross said nothing about the comment on how it was so open. That was only because he'd allowed her to see it. He might not have allowed her to see it again after she left. She'd live her life believing this was all a dream. Was it cruel? Perhaps. The window that was on the side of his door was open, so that a cool breeze came through the house every now and then. "This way," he said, walking towards what seemed to be a spare room. But that spare room had things of all types. From pictures, to rare-looking items, to a couple cat toys that were lying around on the floor (no thanks to Alice). But in one corner of the room, there was a box specifically holding medical supplies. He picked it up with his right arm without much problem, despite the fact that there was no handle, and it seemed to be a bit heavy. "Where would it be easier for you to work?" he asked her.

Not in here was the first thing that came to mind when he asked her whee she would like to work. "Living room would be fine," she said. She stepped forward and took the box from him since he was momentarily disabled. She looked to Kami who was looking as though he was ready to take flight. That little guy had a knack for exploring and she was sure he'd do just that once she started helping Cross.

Cross nodded as she said the living room, blinking when she took the box from him. He would've been perfectly fine carrying himself, but he decided not to argue. He wasn't the arguing type. The cat sat on the back of the couch as they came back, it's large black eyes on them. It mewed lightly when Cross sat down, before jumping off the couch and sitting on the floor. It's eyes were on Kaoru as the lady went towards Cross, the white cat suddenly turning into a little girl sitting with her legs crossed indian style on the floor. "Who's this?" she asked, her voice sweet and cute. It was obvious to tell that her hair and eyes reflected in her animal form. Cross looked at Alice. "Her name is Kaoru," he explained.

Suddenly ignoring her own question, Alice looked over Cross. "Ooohh, they gotcha good this time! So what was it? Was it a giant moth or something? How big was it? Was it fast?" she asked, spouting off questions as she jumped to her feet excitedly, spinning around once when she asked if it was a giant moth, her arms spread out like wings.

Cross gave a light sigh. "Not now Alice, we have company," he said bluntly. And though the small girl looked disappointed, she seemed to accept it rather easily, then turned to look at Kaoru. "Hi there, I'm Alice, where are you from?" she asked happily, a big smile on her face.

Kaoru had set the box on the floor and opened it. When the cat suddenly turned into a girl Kaoru couldn't stop herself from gasping. "Who..." She trailed off. Kami had moved off of Cross's shoulder and flown over to her, spreading his wings in defense as the girl approached Kaoru. Good thing too, because if this girl had been a threat Kaoru would have been dead. "Ca-calm down Kami. I'm Kaoru, I'm from the Crested." She said a bit stunned.

Cross only shook his head in amusement as Alice shocked Kaoru by transforming, looking at the dragon as it practically hissed at Alice. Alice on the other hand, seemed unphased by this. "Hello birdy," she said with a smile. Cross gave a light smirk. "It's a dragon Alice. Like the ones I've told you about, only smaller, and with fur," he told her gently. Alice looked confused for a moment, but then turned back to the dragon. "Hello Mr. Dragon!" she said instead. She then looked to Kaoru with a smile. "We don't get visitors a lot," she told her with a smile. "Cross doesn't like people," she whispered slyly, as if she'd get in trouble for telling such a fact. She then giggled and moved back from Kaoru, spinning around once. "Where's the Crested, miss?" Alice asked, and Cross just sat there watching the child like this was an everyday occurrence.

Kaoru smiled seeing as though she wasn't a threat. "This is Kami," she said. "And I happened to notice," she whispered looking briefly at Cross before pulling out some alcohol swabs. "The Crested is, um," she thought for a moment. "Past the lake," she answered. "If you cross the Snow Valley, you'll be right on our border," she said with a nod. "You should come visit sometime, especially during a full moon." Kaoru wasn't sure if she should be throwing up offers like that, but this girl was alot more talkative than boring ole Cross.

(Gee thanks.)

Alice smiled at the dragon, whose name was Kami. "Hello Kami! May I pet you?" she asked, her head tilted a bit. She extended her hand towards the dragon, but carefully, so the creature knew she meant no harm. She looked at Kaoru as she said that it was right past the Snow Valley. "I don't like the Snow Valley very much. It's too cold," she said with a smile. "But I'll come visit, promise," she said with a smile. The thing was, that was a promise that she was allowed to make. Cross let her wander wherever her little heart desired, so long as she didn't walk in her human form by herself. Cross didn't trust the world, and he would not put little Alice in danger by allowing her to do such things. When she was with her friends, that was a different matter entirely.

Since there was room between Cross and the end of the couch opposite where Kaoru was, Alice scooted onto the couch next to Cross with a smile. "And I'll try to take Cross with me," she stated happily, seeming to be nice and cozy at his side. He simply raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "Oh you will, will you?" he asked, his tone blank. But something about that had made Alice start giggling at him, as if he'd secretly said something funny. The thing was, Alice had been around Cross long enough to know when he was joking, and when he was teasing her, like he was now. Just for the hell of it, Cross tickled the small girl's side so that she started squirming and soon after gave up and jumped off the couch. "Meanie, no tickling while we have company!" she pouted, which actually coaxed a chuckle out of Cross.

This was an whole new side of Cross. It actually made Kaoru wary. She pulled out several bandages and some needles. All taken care of in basic training. She felt so special right now. She'd probably take up a few extra lessons in medical training. She smiled as the two seemed to forget she was there and go about their lives. "Ready when you are," she said quietly as if she were afraid to break the peace.

Cross hadn't been paying much attention to Kaoru as she got the supplies out, which was rather unusual for him. Being around Alice usually put his guard down, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was one of her crazy powers. When Kaoru said that she was ready, Cross gave a nod. "I'm ready." He then looked to Alice. "Why don't you go play?" he suggested. Alice smiled brightly. "Okay!" She then looked at Kami. "Wanna come play with me?" she asked, then turned into a small sparrow-like bird and flew around Kaoru a couple times to get his attention before flying out the open window. If Cross ever did such things, he would've rolled his eyes at the child. The thing was, he never came home so injured that she would see him in pain. He didn't like doing that to her, she was just a child after all. Well, technically she'd always be a child, but that was besides the point. And since Kaoru was going to be working on his rather serious wounds, Cross wanted to make sure she was gone in case he showed any signs of pain. Cross only shook his head after the small girl in bird form flew out the window. "She rather enjoys the company of others," he stated, knowing it was an obvious fact. But again, he hated awkward silences.

Kami feeling the need to explore and play chased after the sparrow. Kaoru smiled as he went and looked to Cross as he spoke. Of course, you don't seem like people person so I doubt she has much company. "I'll start with you stomach and back then get to you arm," she said. "Take off your shirt, and I hope you don't mind alcohol." She gave a small shrug and waited.

(We'll leave those two outside to play on their own terms. Unless you want to RP them, that's fine too.)

Cross had noticed that she hadn't said anything at his comment. A first. Usually that was how it went. They met Cross, attempted to befriend him. And then they met Alice, who was so good at befriending everyone around her that the people who'd tried to befriend Cross simply...gave up. Another reason that Cross flew alone. Another way in which destiny betrayed him. It didn't matter to him one way or the other though, he was fine without people. He looked at her, nodding when she said that she was going to start with his stomach and back, then get to his arm. As if this was a frequent occurrence, Cross slipped out of his shirt using only his right arm, sliding it off his left without moving it too much. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her as she said she hoped he didn't mind alcohol. "I've..." he started, then sighed. "No, I don't mind it." He'd almost stated something that he'd probably have ended up regretting. Which was 'I've been injured this badly and you think I'd care about alcohol?' Of course, he'd been smart enough to not speak that aloud.

(I'm good. And nice siggy)

Kaoru glanced up at him as he started to say something but stopped. Shaking her head she knew started to clean each of his wounds with an alcohol swab. It was one of the things she'd learned in training. Always clean the wounds so they wouldn't get infected, as well as make sure nothing is lodged in there. Checking as she'd cleaned she put the alcohol away and gotten the needle to close the larger wounds. She'd figured that working in silence would allow her to concentrate better and he probably didn't want to talk anyway. It didn't really bother her, she just had learned that he wasn't really the social type and pushing it wasn't going to get her anywhere, no matter how stubborn she could be. Carefully she started to close his larger wounds with the needle. It wasn't perfect, but it would get the job done.

(Why thank you. Compliments for that go to Kinaga.)

Cross didn't like this silence, though he didn't care to fill it, considering Kaoru was doing something that required concentration. After a while though something started feeling off. He did his best to hold back coughs that started coming up, so that Kaoru didn't mess up. His body, and his instincts, were telling him that something was about to go terribly astray. Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore. "Kaoru, stop," he said, finally letting out the coughs that he'd been holding back. He'd made sure to warn her a few seconds ahead since she'd been handling the senbon so that it didn't accidentally shift and make the wound bigger. "S-something's wrong," he said, putting his hand over his mouth as he coughed. He suddenly started feeling a numb sensation coming over his entire body, only to be replaced seconds later with a burning that seemed to intensify by the minute. Even though he was managing to breathe still, it somehow seemed that his lungs weren't receiving the oxygen they were taking in.

Working peacefully in the silence she was surprised when he suddenly told her to stop. Quickly snipping the string so it wasn't just sitting their with the needle dangling on the end she backed away. The coughs made her a bit worried. She didn't need to be told that something was wrong, that was clear. What if she had been the cause of it? Kaoru swallowed. "What's wrong?" She asked. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to help him anymore. Her skills only extended to closing wounds with needles. Everything else was not in her knowledge.

With each passing second, Cross's breaths became heavier and faster. It wasn't like his airways were closing up though, they were perfectly fine. It was just...the acid that had been absorbed into his bloodstream earlier had turned into a type of poison, that had, for some reason, just started affecting him. Perhaps it was that it was now spread throughout his body. What the poison seemed to be doing was snatching away the oxygen from the cells in his body, making him unable to breathe. "D-don't know..." he replied breathlessly, coughing still. After a few moments, he found that he'd actually coughed up blood onto his hand as he covered his mouth. This was bad. No, this was beyond bad. This was...there was no word for how bad this was actually.

Now was the time to panic. Kaoru stood up and tried thinking of what she needed to do. There was nothing she could do. Kaoru searched her brain for answers. Cross didn't know what was going on but he was coughing. It was internal. He was coughing up blood. That could be from anywhere. Coughing meant lungs right? Yeah, lungs. But how was she suppose to help him?! The blue haired girl looked around the room. Training told her to give up, there was no hope if there was no real medic. Training told her to put him down. She didn't have the right to make that call though. Next best thing was to tell the truth. Training said don't sugarcoat it. "Cross, I don't think there's anything else I can do for you, I'm not a medic, I'm a ninja." Blunt. Rule number 25, erase all emotion.

Cross was progressing to the point where the burning he was feeling was actually creating a sweat. Go figure that this woman wasn't an actual medic. His wings shivered as a chill went down his spine and he managed to wave his hand at her comment. "A-Alice." A cough. "G-get A-Alice," he said, and for the first time since she'd seen him, in obvious pain. This was more than he could handle. Normally his chakra took care of poisons easily, but now it didn't seem the case. That was the last time he took on any poisonous or acidic creature of the Unknown.

Kaoru didn't hesitate when he said Alice. She left quickly out the door and looked for the girl with black eyes. "Alice, come quick, Cross needs help," she said. Her desperation was clear. Kami thinking something was wrong with Kaoru came from around the house and landed on her shoulder. "I'm fine," she whispered to him. "Alice, hurry." Kaoru went back inside. "She's on her way." She prayed that that was the truth. If not she did not know what else to do.

Cross sat on the couch, waiting for a few moments that seemed like years. He'd never allowed Alice to see him in pain, even when she'd taken care of things like this before for him. His wings behind him as he leaned back on the couch, he barely noticed when Kaoru came back. His whole body seemed tense with the effort of keeping it from shaking, and his face looked rather pale. He couldn't even muster up the self-restraint to nod when Kaoru said that Alice was on her way.

Alice was flying around with Kami, hiding from the dragon in order to surprise it when it flew by her, but then she heard that nice blue haired lady calling, saying that Cross needed help. Flying behind the woman as she ran, turning back into her human form as soon as she hit the doorway. "Cross! What's wrong?" she asked, sounding a bit worried when she saw the condition Cross was in.

"P..poison, a-a strong one..." he managed to say, trying to regain his strength and make himself look like he was in less pain, just for the sake of the child standing in front of him.