She attempted a smile, failed miserably, and led the way out of the building. She couldn't stand anymore silence. "Yasuo and Takana got him canine again, yesterday. Without activating his chakra. He's happier." She walked too fast, slowed down for the crutches, and flicked one nail against the other. "Says my form is too small. Go figure. Think he'd like a human form more like yours." She closed her mouth on any more words. Babbling.

But Ryouma wasn't speaking, and someone had to. "Waki figures they'll manage the next surgery tomorrow, and then he just needs time to recover. His chakra levels are up, though, so that's--"

Not babbling.

"--good." She shut up again.

At least the hospital was noisy. A cacophony of smells and calls, intercoms and people running to and fro, babies crying a floor down. She lost herself in it, and didn't know how anyone could stand not to hear it all. People must go insane, in the quiet of their muffled worlds.

In the hall, Taro was arguing with an orderly. "You can't feed him Jell-O and oatmeal because he's canine. Look." He stepped out of the doorway and waved a hand within.

The orderly looked a little confused. "But the chart says--"

"Because he was human, but now--oh, blessed Wolf, Tsume can you explain this?" The last was with great relief as he spied her in the hall.

"Go to the butcher and get some breakfast for him," she told her nephew dryly. Then, to the orderly, "Just take it away."

With another doubtful look into the room, the man did so. Taro marched off, shaking his head and muttering about inbred morons.

Tsume took several large steps, pulling ahead of Ryouma to look around the doorway. "Kuromaru?"

He blinked at her, pupils dilated and tongue lolling out of his panting jaw. He was laying in a nest of blankets, looking pleased with life in general despite half his head being wrapped in bandages.

"Ryouma's here."

His single ear came up, his one eye brightening. With drugged imprecision, he pushed himself to a sitting position. His tail made loops rather than wagging. Tsume made a mental note to lower his pain meds, and stepped inside.

"Pup?" Kuromaru whined, lips drawing back in a smile. He looked, for a moment, like he'd leap off the cot. Tsume put a hand on his scruff to stop him.

"Just wait, he's coming," she murmured.