Kitten stared at the spot where Foxy had been and she didn’t know how long she hung there against the wall, not moving as her eyes lost that light that Foxy had found and nurtured. Her eyes roamed the room, faintly wanting to wake up from the nightmare, but knowing she wouldn’t. She was vaguely aware of Teresa untying her and trying to help her out of the house, but she only sunk to the ground where she had been tied moments earlier, too numb to cry.

She didn’t know how she got home, but she vaguely remembered seeing Caitlin and feeling herself being picked up and carried. She closed her eyes and sunk into blessed numb darkness, grateful that she didn’t have to feel anything anymore.

~ >^.^< ~ =^.^= ~

Kyle leaned against the door-jam and stared distantly at Kitten. The doctors didn’t understand why she was unconscious. The blow to her nose and chin weren’t severe enough to have caused it, and while her nose was broken, it would never cause her to drift in a world all her own for this long.

He knew why, he’d seen it in her eyes as he’d picked her up 3 days ago. He still shivered at the memory, even while he wanted to kill the person responsible. She was numb to the core, fighting off the memories and realization of whatever had happened in that basement.

Caitlin was pissed off at her, he should be too, but she’d been too upset to see what he’d seen. Even if his best friend was lying in the hospital bed next door, several broken bones in casts, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry with the cat lying in the bed in front of him.

They’d both seen how she was, the light that was always in her eyes, the optimism she always seemed to carry, and her fighting spirit. He smiled at the memory of a few occasions where she’d surprised them.

He was almost scared. She’d given up. She didn’t want to be here and so she stayed where nothing could hurt her. As he watched, she moved a bit- restlessly. She’d been moving like that for the past five minutes, as if caught in a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from.

He stepped forward and sat down next to her bed, shaking her shoulder gently and calling her name. “Kitten, wake up.”

She cried as she realized it was all a dream, Foxy hadn’t really been taken from her. She felt someone shaking her awake. He was wiping her tears and trying to sooth her with soft sounds.

“He was gone, I saw him leave me. I’m so glad it wasn’t real.” She finally opened her eyes and saw Kyle. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong with Kain?” His muzzle opened and then closed, the truth in his eyes as he gestured with them for her to look where she was.

As she looked around herself start to shake and she distantly realized she was sobbing as the pain of the nightmare slipped through her defenses.

“Please tell me Kain’s fine, that he’s home and he doesn’t know.” She looked at him with such pleading eyes, silently asking him to take some of the pain away, but he couldn’t lie to her.

“Kain knows, Kitten.” He answered softly. “He’s been waiting for you to wake up, he wants to see you.”

She cried softly, the numbness that was her recent companion slowly taking hold.

Kyle watched helplessly, wanting the hurt back, at least she was feeling something. He helped her out of bed as the tears stopped, lending her his arm for balance as they slowly walked out of the room and into the room next door.

She cried out and turned to leave as they got into the doorway of Kain’s room and she finally saw what had happened to him. Caitlin was sitting in a seat next to him and she looked at her with anger bordering on rage in her eyes.

“No…” she cried out pitifully “Don’t make me do it, please.” He wanted to let her go, but he had to do his best friend this one last duty.

Kain had been sleeping, but at her words his eyes opened and he saw her standing in the doorway, turned away from him. At first his eyes lit up as he realized she was all right, and then he glanced at Kyle. The look on his face was painful to look at, anyone could tell he didn’t want to be here, and as he forced Kitten to face him, he found out why.

Kitten had wanted to run away, but she was already gone, and he felt his heart seized in a painful vice. “Kitten.” He called out, barely keeping the desperation from his voice. He couldn’t stand the cat standing in front of him; he wanted to see his Kitten and hold her.

Kitten slowly raised her eyes, feeling the three faces looking at her, each with different looks in their eyes, but she felt nothing at all. She looked at Kain, and her powerful tiger was in a set of casts. She’d caused it- no one had to tell her so- it was obvious from the look in Caitlin’s eyes.

She looked into the hurting blue eyes and couldn’t bring herself to run over and hold him- to make his hurt go away. She distantly realized that she’d ruined the lives of both people she cared about the most, and she sagged visably beneath the weight of it. She softly spoke. “Please let me leave, I’m done doing damage to good people.”

Kain was the one to answer. “Kyle.” He spoke softly, his voice strained. “Let her leave.”

Kyle opened his mouth, obviously intending on arguing but instead he let Kitten’s arm go and stood where he was as she walked out of the room and took Kain’s broken heart with her.