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she sighed. It was worth a shot, but yuki didn't approve of it. But it didn't matter since neko had said he would take mitsu to a doctor. And with that, he was gone.
Poke didn't feel to comfortable with them going off, but then in the longrun it would be better for mitsu to see a doctor and get well, then to be forced to travel a great distance.
She occupied herself with helping out blade with his shopping. Upon request, she carried some of the items he bought since it seemed his shoulder was still sore.
"if theres any rivers around, I'd be able to catch everyone some fish" she pointed to her finned ears. "These aren't just for show you know" However she then realised she wasn't sure if there was any rivers in the northeast direction...

"Thanks." Yuki offered to Blade, taking a bit of his load when he'd suggested he needed help with it. This guy wasn't joking about buying supplies, he was very thorough. Yuki caught the heavy hint that Blade continue to travel with them, and he wasn't too sure about the idea. Mentally, he weighed his options. Allow this stranger to travel with them, and hope that he's not a threat. Or travel alone with three young women and just hope that nothing dangerous crosses their path before Neko and Mitsu catch up with them again. As much as he would hate to admit it, right now he needed the extra muscle. One man could only do so much, after all. "I won't stop you from sticking around." He finally said, "But I'm going to be watching you."

Once the supplies had been gathered, and a rushed meal had been consumed, the group set out of the city. Northwest, as Yuki had specified to Neko, in order to make it at least slightly easier to be found. Hopefully, only by their friends. Travel was going at a steady pace, pleasant for several hours. The sky had been clear, the winds had been calm. Unfortunately, by evening that had changed. Thick, dark clouds had rolled in with a strong, cold wind. Thunder looming in the distance left no doubt that a storm was brewing.

Then, the heavens let loose. A downpour that lasted at least an hour, and by the time it had slacked off Yuki had sworn to God that if it never rained again it would be too soon. Hitsu, of course, didn't have much complaint... Aside from the fact that it was cold now.

It was already dusk before Yuki suggested that they find a place to stay for the night, inwardly hoping for a cave in order to sleep somewhere at least a little less moist. It was understandable that he was surprised when he saw the shadows of buildings up ahead. The clouds had not cleared away completely, but through the larger gaps in between one could see the sky. Stars shone brightly through the darkness, dwarfed against a harvest moon. Fog clung to the earth from the remaining moisture from the rain. It was quite eerie, to put it lightly. Yuki urged them toward the village, however, with the hopes that they could seek shelter there.

[Let's all pretend that I don't suck horribly when it comes to time skips, kay? 8D;]

Funny how fate works.

As the ground became more and more familiar, smells more and more strong... And feelings worse, Riyo's face could only pale more the closer they got.

Closer they got to what? Well...

She could see them. The small, man-made huts, eerily undisturbed by the passing of time. It was the little village of little cares. Or at least, at a time it had been. In places, you could catch a glympse of bone fragments. The skulls confirmed what they used to be. Humanoid. Like a battle scene from long ago, it screamed at onlookers to watch themselves, or the same might happen to them. An unclean, musty smell filled the air. No grass grew... No animals dare set foot on the once bloodstained ground. Everything. It was just as she imagined.

She passed everyone and walked into the middle of the once quaint little village, staring at the ground with nothing but blankness in her eyes. She then shot up to look at the moon. That blood red moon. She could see it's grin. As if saying 'Ah, there you are.'

Obviously, no one besides the small group was there. The haunting silence made that quite apparent. But for now, even her traveling companions' presence was forgotten.

Then, without warning, she ran. Her feet carrying her to a destination unknown. This couldn't be... It was a nightmare. That was all. There was one way to disprove this whole thing.

One hut stood out among the others. It looked as if nature hadn't touched it with all the years that passed since its occupancy. But that wasn't what stood out. The feeling one had at it's closeness. It sent shivers down the spine like a cold hand on your shoulder.

"Mother?!" Riyo called out and ran into the hut, pushing the cloth door out of the way without a moment's hesitation.

"Mother?!" Another shout could be heard from inside. "Mother, why are you laying there? Why don't you move? What's wrong Mother?"

Her screams became more frantic with each word that passed through her mouth. "What did it do to you? Oh, Mother!"

Then, silence.

How brief but sweet it was. A gift, if you will, in apology of the things to come.

Inside the little hut, Riyo stood over a severely decomposed corpse. The maggots had come and gone, and very little remained. Telling the gender would be a task had it not been for the ragged shirt. In it's hand, a now dull knife.

Riyo's eyes were wide as freshly dug graves... And yet, they held no expression as if she'd been turned into a puppet. Fists clenched, backbone straight as a pencil.

It was time to let go.

The stench in the air was unpleasant, and Yuki grimaced as they took their first steps into the village. "What's that smell?"

"It stinks." Hitsu complained, placing a hand over her nose.

Yuki had taken to looking around as he walked, and it didn't take long for him to discover the source of the smell that lingered in the air. The moment he caught glimpse of a long dead villager, his eyes grew wide and he gave a startled cry. "What the hell happened here?" He questioned, already expecting no answer. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he was certain that the chill that he felt couldn't only be blamed on the cold.

Hitsu, on the other hand, had screamed. Then, moved closer to her brother as though whatever had killed these people was still lingering here and she needed protection from it. "I don't want to stay here, Yuki..." She whimpered, and the more death that she saw the closer she sounded to tears.

"It's alright, Hitsu..." He tried to calm her, despite how disturbed he was as well. "They've been dead for a long time... Whatever did this is gone."

Then, Riyo had walked ahead of them. "Be careful, Riyo." Yuki had warned, only to slightly regret it when he heard his sister whine behind him. When Riyo ran off ahead, Yuki was concerned. "Riyo!? Riyo!" He had taken only a step, intending to follow after her, before Blade had run off in persuit. Yuki sighed, and stared in the direction in which they had gone.

They easily overheard Riyo's desperate cries toward her mother, and a sadness hit Yuki like a punch in the chest. He knew what it was to find a mother who had departed from life in his absence, but he would never want to imagine it happening in such a horrible and violent way. "Th-this... Must have been where she lived..."

"Oh no..." It had barely been a squeak. Like Yuki, Hitsu could only assume that this was the first time that she had seen the gruesome remains of this village. She hardly stayed a step behind Yuki as they moved steadily forward, and ultimately toward the hut that Riyo and Blade had run into.

[Breaks over I guess XD;;;; ]

The walk had been a long one taking more than a few hours to reach the mid-wife's house. She was obviously a solitary woman who lived in a small cottage off the beaten path. It was mid-day before Neko had managed to get there with Mitsu on his back. She had seemed to be improving as time went on but she was still rather out of it.

Coming up to the front door Neko let go of one of Mitsu's legs that he used to help keep her on his back and knocked on the door a little too forcibly.

"Hello?" He knocked again. "Is there anyone home?"

"Hold on, hold on," He could hear an old woman's voice as she shuffled closer to the door. As she opened it up she stared at the two a little surprised. "I take it you're here for my help?"

Neko gave a firm nod retaking his hold on Mitsu's leg and situating her back on his back. "She's been pretty sick...." Neko wasn't sure how to go on with his other problem. He had asked Mitsu on the way if she could ask the mid-wife herself if it was possible to tell if she was pregnant but he had received no answer.

"Well come in, dears." The elder lady stepped aside allowing Neko entrance and closed the door behind him. The house was rather cozy, the front room was well furnished with a large fire place. There was a rather strong odor of dried herbs in the air and as Neko looked he could see the shelves lined with bottles, jars, and baskets of dried herbs, flowers, and other things to help in herbal remedies. "This way." She lead them past the first room and down a hallway before opening up a wooden door to revealed an office. It contained a desk with papers strewed in every which direction but there was also a bed and a prep table. "Place her on the bed and then go wait in the front room. As soon as I'm done checking her over I'll come get you."

"I can't stay with her?"

"Sorry, young man, put only the patient is allowed in this room with me. Its my policy. Now just go back to the front room, I have some tea by the fire help yourself in the meantime." After Neko deposited Mitsu on the bed the elderly lady, who turned out to be named Mildred, shooed him back to the front room to wait. Once he was gone she came back with a bit of a smile. "Well, dear, what seems to be the problem?"

Hesitant at first Mitsu laid out her current problems since that morning, but before Mildred could even begin to look her over she asked. "So...are there ways to tell if....if I'm pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" The Mid-wife asked which earned her a nod of confirmation from Mitsu. "A tiny little thing like you? Is it with the dopey young fellow up front?" She didn't sound judging in any way, just trying to get her facts straight. Mitsu gave another sheepish nod but Mildred smiled trying to put her mind at ease. "There are ways to tell. How long has it been since the last time you two were together?"

"Its....I..its only been a day." Mitsu stuttered. She was as nervous as Neko to find out any truth to this situation.

"I take it this was a little unplanned?" Mitsu nodded again looking nervous. "Dear, I'm afraid to say but its really too soon to know for sure. More than likely no, reproduction between two different species even if they contain human like characteristics is very difficult, but at the same time not impossible." Mitsu looked a little surprised by what she was saying. "He is of the feline race, am I right? He had that air about him. And you....you are a wolf. Pretty rare to see one in these parts, especially so young and away from your pack." This lady really did know quite a bit but Mitsu was only able to nod again, unable to give much detail about Neko or herself. "There's no need to be nervous, Sweetie. Like I said the possibility is very slim, but to be on the safe side I will tell you what you need to know to prepare just encase."

Down the hall Neko was growing restless sitting on the couch with a cup of untouched tea in his hand. He looked more nervous than before, this was the pinnacle point....had something happened or not? Not able to take waiting any longer Neko got up from his seat and slinked down the hallway being sure to stay light on his feet. Once at the door to the room he had left Mitsu in he pressed himself against the wall and leaned toward the door to listen.

"Now the first trimester is the most important," He heard the old lady explaining to Mitsu through the door. "At this stage babies tend to take care of themselves but you need to take care of yourself to help them along. Eating right is very important, especially from how tiny you are. Good nutrition is a must. Don't strain your body, take breaks when you need to, and I'll be sure to set you up with some herbal tea before you leave. Something to help with morning sickness and calm your nerves."

Neko was frozen in place, the more he heard the whiter his face was becoming. So...so that must mean....Mitsu really was pregnant. Why would she be telling her all this stuff if she wasn't? Neko could feel all the blood vacate his face as he stayed pressed against the wall unable to move. I'm...I'm going to be...a father. If he hadn't managed to catch himself he would have given his location away as he nearly fainted in the hall. Panicked he swiftly moved back to the front room and plopped back down on the couch looking a little more than frazzled. Reaching to the nearby coffee table he picked up his cup of tea, his hands shaking so badly that the liquid was sloshing off both sides at once.

"There we are," The mid-wife had gone about checking Mitsu's temperature and the like to see what was ailing her but she seemed fine, just a little under the weather. "You seem fine enough, its possible you had something to eat that might have caused this, maybe even something to drink. Some of the Inns in the next town over aren't exactly the cleanest of places. But from what I can tell you're healthy just in need of some fluids, food, and some rest."

Mitsu gave another nod gripping the bag of tea that Mildred had handed her. "T...thank you." After going through the whole explanation about babies and their care Mitsu had looked like she was about to pass out. So to try and put her mind at ease Mildred decided to give her a more thorough examination and it turned out that her and Neko hadn't done anything at all. Thankfully, Mildred was kind enough not to ask the circumstances that had brought them here but she gave Mitsu the tea anyway to help with her stomach and her nerves since it seemed they were shot.

"You still need to take care of yourself, but luckily you won't have to worry about children just yet." Mildred smiled at the little girl patting her hand that held on tightly to the bag. "Just be sure that young man takes good care of you and that something like this doesn't happen again. If not, you let me know and I'll take care of him." Mitsu gave a bit of a smile which made the mid-wife feel a little better. Like she was actually getting through. "Come on, let's head back up front. He's probably a nervous wreck."

Mildred lead Mitsu back through the hallway to find Neko sitting in the living room staring off blankly into nothingness. His teacup was empty but most of its contents were on his hands and in his lap. Obviously, he hadn't drank any of it.

"Young man," Mildred huffed. "You're lady is back."

"My.....lady?" Neko was snapped out of his daze to see Mitsu standing beside the couch a bag held tightly in her hands.

"S...she said-"

"I heard," Neko said softly looking to his empty teacup before realizing it was all over him. Placing the cup aside he continued. "I heard through the door. I heard everything." Well, not everything but enough to know what the diagnosis was.

"Hmph," Mildred fumed. "I told you to stay here. Its not polite to listen through doors."

"I had to know," Neko said.

"Then...you must be happy to hear?" Mitsu would have thought Neko would be jumping for joy to learn that they hadn't in fact done anything. At least that was her impression from how he had acted at the Inn. Why did he seem so gloomy?

"Uhh...y...yeah," Neko was treading lightly at this point. Mildred was hovering over him with a look of promised pain in her eyes, but why had Mitsu asked him if he was happy? Why would he be happy to know that he had gotten her pregnant? Or was that her attempt at sarcasm? Either way he tried to nod, looking at Mildred uneasily. "Yes, I'm....happy."

"Well, happy or not you need to take better care of this young girl. Make sure she drinks that tea in the morning, about a tablespoon in a cup of hot water." Neko gave a slow nod standing to his feet and rummaging through his pockets for money for payment. When he pulled out a bag and withdrew a few of many gold coins Mildred shook her head refusing the money. "You have a long journey ahead of you. You'll need that money in the long run." Mitsu had at least opened up enough to let the older lady know that they were traveling a lot, moving from one place to the other never staying for too long. However, Neko didn't take what the Mid-wife had said in the way she had meant it.

Long journey....the journey of parenthood. She probably wants me to keep this money to help pay for things for Mitsu and the baby. Shakily he nodded and deposited the coins back in the bag with a clank. "Thanks."

"Not a problem, dears. Just be safe on your trip back to town," Mildred walked them to the door. "If you need any more help please feel free to come by again. I will be happy to help. And make sure she gets something to drink soon and eats right, she's so thin." Mildred told Neko as they both moved out the door.

"T..thank you," Mitsu smiled again giving a bit of a bow before her and Neko headed off. She seemed to be doing well enough to at least walk on her own now, but her pace was still painfully slow.

(to be continued XD; )

Their walk back to town was a quiet one. Neko still mulling over how to let the rest of the group know and not face Hitsu's and Yuki's wrath to the fullest. It wasn't like he would be able to hide the truth for long. In a couple of months Mitsu would begin to show and the questions would begin. And Hitsu would be even madder at that point to learn that he was trying to hide it from her. Awww...maaan. He mentally whined.

Looking over at Mitsu he watched her walk quietly focused on the road ahead, the bag of tea cradled in her arms. So Mitsu was going to be a mother. She was so young, Neko felt a little bad that he had subjected her to this at such an early age. As much as he wasn't ready to be a father he knew for sure Mitsu was far from ready to be a mother. So...so he was going to have to take responsibility. Take care of her. As he thought this his mind was screaming in agony. Fleeing seemed to be his best course of action, but he struggled through it and stayed where he was.

"Do...you need to rest?" Neko finally asked.

"I'm fine," Mitsu said softly.

"What would you like to eat when we get back into town?" Mitsu only shrugged in response. She sure wasn't making this easy on him. "We'll find a nice place to eat before we start after Yuki, Hitsu and the others. How about that? Get you some food, rest a bit?" He was trying, god was he trying, but for all his effort he only got a nod from Mitsu. He wanted to yell, scream, let out all his frustrations, but at the same time he knew that wouldn't help anything and it surely wouldn't be good on Mitsu. "Just let me know if you need to stop and rest."

"Okay," Mitsu wasn't sure how to take Neko's actions in the last hour. When she had returned from her doctor's visit he had said he had heard everything, so then he knew that she wasn't pregnant and that they hadn't done anything. But he had seemed off, down troughton even. It was the complete opposite than what she had expected. Had he.....wanted a baby? It was confusing. And now he seemed to be trying to warm up to her now, acting concerned about her.

As the evening went and they are returned to town and left again the sound of thunder loomed in the air. Shortly after a down pour started forcing Mitsu and Neko to find shelter in some tightly knit brush and trees. They sat in silence for the longest time watching the rain fall from their small temporary shelter. As the rain drew closer to an end the temperature began to drop leaving the air quite a bit cooler as night began to fall.

“Are you cold?” Neko asked as he looked at Mitsu. She seemed well enough but her clothes were wet.

“No,” That’s all she said. She was used to the cold so a little temperature drop didn’t bother her, but that didn’t stop Neko from starting a fire.

“It’s getting dark so we’ll go ahead and make camp here for the night. I imagine the others have stopped to find shelter as well so it won’t be too hard to find them.” Neko had no idea that the group had attempted to find shelter for the night but it had gone a bit wrong in the process.

[It's more likely than you think!]

Riyo screamed, clearly at Blade and Poke for invading the hut. Or, so Yuki had thought. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard her cry out a warning. He felt his sister press against his back, and he was shortly thankful that he was between she and what would soon seem little less than impending doom. "What's going on!?" He had began, looking to Poke with a concerned glance.

It was then that Riyo had stumbled out of the hut, clutching her chest. "Riyo!?" He shouted, "Riyo, what's wrong!?" That substance from her chest, he swore it was blood. In the darkness, at first he couldn't tell. He stared in horror for several seconds, unsure of what he should do. Blade and Poke hadn't approached her. Were they close to notice something that he did not? He got his answer all too soon, and even before her first step from her spot he knew that she had not been injured. "Sh-she's... Possessed?"

Yuki dragged Hitsu from behind him, and shoved her toward the nearest hut. Only a moment had he watched her, to be sure she had gotten the message and run inside to hide. How thankful he was that his sister didn't insist on being brave in the face of danger, especially now. He contemplated calling out to her, telling her to remain hidden until he came to find her, but he did not. If she was lucky enough to be unseen in her escape, he wasn't going to give away her location if there was any chance she could avoid being found.

This accomplished, finally he approached the trio. Prepared to block Riyo's path, from the look of it, should she insist on moving farther. It was impossible for him to fully mask his fear. As much as Neko pissed him off, he was always there to get him out of a tight spot. This time, Yuki was without him. It didn't bode well on his typical confidence. Despite this, he stood his ground. With Riyo's miniature introduction aside, he took his turn to address her. "What have you done with Riyo!?" He demanded, convinced that this could not be the young woman that they had been traveling with.