Back to ze past

Evelyn scrambled off the ground and followed after him.

Taro hummed softly to himself, a finger tracing a line on the table. "They're growing up quickly." He mused. "Makes you wonder."

Elizabeth smiled softly. "Well, you'll have another one to play with soon enough."

---

Evelyn coughed, doubling over as she tried to breath. She cried out in pain.

"Saiyu...Go hide in the tree's..." Anei murmered, holding the child out to him.

---

Zetsubou was looking dangerously pale by now.

"Hey...Ferret thing?...Can I have some water?" he muttered before falling into a faint.

Jackie yelped. Not again! "Stupid demon!" He snapped. "Do you know who I am?!"

Yuki ran in at the point and caught Zetsubou just in time.

Saiyu opened his mouth to complain about being sent away from the fight, but was interupted by having a small child shoved into his arms.

"Go" Anei stressed, looking back at Kietsu who had set himself up in the middle of the clearing.

Taro's face lit up and he grinned again. "I know!" He winked. "That's something I could te-"
"Ma! Ma! Somethings wrong with Eve!" Rhun called from his room, voice high in panic.

He sat beside his sister, trying to rub her back like their mum did when they were sick, but it wasn't doing anything.

Taro instantly leapt up, shoving his chair back and moving swiftly towards her.

Saiyu nodded and ran off for cover, not a moment before a voice echoed through the clearing.

"Well well what have we here?"

Evelyn felt hot. She was crying as she coughed. It hurt. She wanted to say how much it hurtm but she couldn't. tears flowed from her eyes.
She felt someone lift her and put her to what she thought was her bed before darkness covered her.

elizabeth called for Shade.

"Who are you?" Anei demanded, peering through the tree's to spot two humans staring nonchalont back at her.

"Well that really depends on who you are demon, Little odd to be wandering around with a bear and a human child." He frowned slightly as the other human leaned in and whispered something into his ear, "Immortal at that, special bear then, but still a bear."

"What do you care who I travel with?" Anei frowned,

"Well that's the problem isn't it? Usually I wouldn't, but it seems we've misplaced something awefully important and heard some demons had made off with it."

Shade rushed in and cursed. "Not her!" He pressed the back of his hand to her head and bit the side of his cheek. "Jesus, now what?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Eve sweetie, hand on there." He said distractedly and then paused. "Water. Taro, get some water." He said. The vampire nodded and moved quickly from the room. "Willowbark, that's always good for these things..." He bolted from the room into his study, desperately searching through his herbs.

------

Taro set the water over the fire. He'd heard him say willowbark, and that meant a tea. He left some in the bucket and dropped a cloth into it, taking that back into the room as the rest of the water boiled. "Here." He set it down on the bedside.

Rhun clambered up onto the other side of the bed, leaning over Evelyn with tears brimming in his eyes. "Sissy, sissy! Wake up! Mummy, what happened to Eve?!"

"Rhun, wait outside the room ok?" Elizabeth said, looking to her son quickly.

Rhun protested but Mori appeared in the doorway. "Come on," He said and led Rhun from the room, a sake bottle in his other hand. "Lets get you some food, your sister'll be fine." Rhun looked back but allowed himself to be led into the main room.

Shade walked back in with the herbs he had decided on, setting them down and squeezing out the cloth, placing it on Evelyn's forehead. He pressed it down and then turned to the hot water that Taro had just brought in. He made a tea in a mug and then tossed the other herbs into the steaming water for later. "Elizabeth, do you think you could get her to drink this? It's a painkiller, should help her sleep too."

Elizabeth sat her daughter up slowly. "Come on baby." She cooed, hearing her daughters groans, it killed her. She took the cup and pressed it to Evelns lips. "Just a few sips."

Taro stood against the wall, watching with worry as they tended to the young girl. Was there anything else that could happen in one day? He folded his arms and stood still, just watching. There wasn't anything he could do anyway.

Evelyn drank slowly, falling asleep as soon as Elizabeth lay her back.

((...Is Menny still there? I thought he was....))

Shifting lightly on her feet Anei shook her head.

"We havn't got anything of yours."

"See that's the problem isn't it? I think you do." With this he wandered fully into the clearing and fingered his double Katana lightly. This is in turn caused Kietsu to growl menacingly and edge closer to Anei's side.

"Now Now Teddy, don't get your fur in a ruffle."

Mentaro growled too, acting like a mirror image of Keitsu on the other side.

Shade walked over and held Elizabeth's shoulders. Taro excused himself and stepped into the ain room, sending Rhun off to his room. Mori downed the rest of his drink and looked up at Taro. "I can't be drunk and feed you." Mori stated. "I'm going to bed." He walked off before Taro could even say anything.

--------

Elizabeth reached up and touched Shades hand. Evelyn wasn't getting better and from what the princess could tell, Evelyn was getting worse.
She looked up to her husband. "I can't lose her Shade."

---

"You won't. We won't." Shade said quickly. "How could she be getting so much worse?" He asked himself offhandedly. "It's not acting like any other... anything! Nobody gets sick like this." He swore and ran a hand through his hair. "Well they do, it's just not like anything I know of." He said with a growl, hugging Elizabeth to him. "She'll be fine, we'll figure this out."

----

Elizabeth hugged him back for awhile, feeling slightly safer in his arms. But still... her little girl was.... Pulling back she wipped her eyes. "I'm going to check on Rhun... See is he's ok..."

---

"Yep." Shade squeezed her shoulder and then sat down on the end of Evelyn's bed, head in hands as he thought.

-----

Taro stared listlessly over at the wall, reaching for the unopened bottle of sake still on the table.

----

Rhun lay on his bed, face buried in his pillow. His sister was sick, and all of the adults were ignoring him. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes before dropping his face back down again.

---

Elizabeth walked out of the room and looked to Taro. "Don't you start too. Lord knows one is enough." She scolded before knocking on Rhuns door. She peeked her head in. "Can I come in?"

---

Taro gave a short laugh and opened it. "I'm not like that" He objected as she walked to Rhun's door.

Rhun made a muffled noise of affirmation, not moving from his faceplant position.

-----

Elizabeth walked inside and closed the door quietly behind her. With a small sigh she sat beside her son and rubbed his back. "Whats wrong baby?"

---

"Eve's sick," He mumbled. "Uncle-Mori's angry and nobody's telling me what's going on!" He said, rolling over and glaring unhappily at Elizabeth. "Is Eve okay?"

------

"Come here my angel." Elizabeth said, pulling Rhun into her arms. She started to rock them both. "Eve will be fine. She'll be... Just fine." She kissed his temple. "Just get some sleep? Alright? Do you want Mummy to sleep here too?"

---

Rhun nodded and closed his eyes, curling up against Ellizabeth. "Till I'm 'sleep." He mumbled and closed his eyes.

------

"Of course darling." Elizabeth whispered, kissing Rhuns temple again. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Just till your asleep."

---

It didn't take too long for Rhun to fall asleep; the kid was really worn out. One of his hands firmly held onto Elizabeth's shirt as he slept, snoring lightly.

Elizabeth smiled softly, finding sleep soon after.

---

The next morning, Mori stumbled through the house holding his head. He threw a glance at the vampire, who was slumped overr the table and grunted, opening the door and walking outside. Taro's head rested in his arms, hair hanging over his face and drifting occasionally as he breathed.

Shade had fallen asleep sitting on the end of Evelyn's bed, chin toching his chest. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but it seemed that he couldn't keep awake.

--------

Elizabeth woke slowly, still holding Rhun in her arms. She smiled at her son softly and kissed his forhead in greeting before untangling herself.
She made her way out.

"See, It's out job to hunt demons" The man drawled, "And when doing that our...precious little thing is in danger, so we leave it behind, but about...let's say six years ago, our precious little thing was lost when we were away and we heard a pretty little demon had picked it up."

Face scrunching up in concerntration Anei counted back the years in her head, "Six years ago...but that's when we found-"

"My brother." Sekkou finished for her, "And truly, I'd appreciate it if you just gave him back...that is after you die."

Kuroi interupted Hikaru in her failing attempts to coax Momiji out from the closet
"It seems some form of sickness has stricken the village"
"mm?" Hikaru looked up, her tired eyes surprised
"Its taken the resident Miko and a few of the children and is yet to prove fatal, but it looks like only a matter of time"

Hikaru narrowed her eyes, suspicous
"I doesn't sound good. We need to keep to the Tavern as much as possible, if this turns out to be sinister we need to avoid the wrong sort of attention. Even if not, when things start to get out of hand people always look for someone to blame, visiting demons like ourselves for example."
she frowned

Kuroi nodded, "I'll go talk to Takeo"

"Could you send him to go see if Yuni's around, I'd like to see her."
he nodded and returned to the bar

a few minutes later a small voice from the closet broke the silence
"...told you so..."

Hikaru sighed and rolled her eyes
"That doesn't validate your little recluse in there sweetie, your still coming out if i have to drag you"
....silence from the closet

Anei only had a moments pause before the demon hunter was flying at her, sword raised to hack at her limbs, resounding bangs echoed through the clearing as the mans companion pulled a strange device from his pockets aiming carefully the second let projectiles fly.

Kietsu roared in rage as some of the projectiles grazed his fur as he dove out of the way, Anei on the other hand had her glaive out and was twisting and lunging desperately with her weopon.

(( He would also be firing at Menny...just to let you know))

Mentaro cried out and jumped all over the place. Trying to confuse while saving his own butt.

Taro stirred when Elizabeth walked into the main room but left his head in his arms. It struck him then how well he could smell her blood. God he was thirsty, but Mori had constantly less time for him, so he didn't know when his next feed would be anyway.

He had dealt with his love interest, but even though it was obvious that she had been nothing more than a relationship spurred on from a latecoming rebound, it still hurt. But now this constant disinterest and even avoidance was starting to grate on him. He was well aware that he didn't have even the slightest chance of ever getting closer to Mori, but he valued their friendship.

"How's Evelyn?" He asked, lifting his head and touching a hand to his throat. His eyes bore a faint trace of red, but he was by all means in control. Just really thirsty.