Back to ze past

"I'm feeling alive." Elizabeth smiled and looked at him over her shoulder. she shifted so she was lying on her back. "Which is a surprisingly nice feeling."

---

Kate sighed and after awhile, she left to get some more food from market.

He kissed her cheek. "Good to hear it. I'm never letting anyone come near you or your kids again. I promise."

---

Taro followed her until there was nobody that was watching, then stopping. "Kate." He called, sneer resounding in his voice, arms folded and eyes dark.

Elizabeth smiled. "Thats a nice thought, but I may get a bit lonely."

---

Kate frowned softly. "Taro? Is that you?"

"With exceptions." He amended with a smile.

---

"Correct." Taro moved forwards suddenly and grabbed hold of her arms tightly, pushing her back against the wall and biting into her neck. his eyes flashed and his grip on her arms grew tighter as the fresh blood flowed, indulging in her fear. It had been too long since he last did this.

Kate whimpered in fright and tried to call out for help. "Taro please." she begged. "Don't do this. I have children. Please... They need me."

---

Elizabeth smiled.

Taro licked the blood from his lips and smirked, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Too bad, isn't it? Nothing's fair. Life is not fair." He drove his nails into her arm and gave a low laugh. "Mortality isn't fair. You're all going to die sometime. Why prolong your inevitable suffering? It's the least I could do." He hissed. "At least you have death to look forwards to."

---

"Anything I can do for you? Need a drink?"

"Taro please." Kate begged. "Stop this. I wont tell. I wont tell anyone. Please just... My kids. Please."

----

"Right now-" Elizabeth sighed. "Can you just hold me?"

Trying hard not to listen to the conversation next door, Tosh sighed softly to himself and crawled back to his corner.

Taro just shook his head and then grabbed her, twisting her around to face the wall and then bashed her head against the grimy stones.

---

"I can." Mori said softly and did just that, murmuring that he loved her.

Kate cried out in pain before everything went black.

---

Elizabeth smiled softly and closed her eyes.

Taro considered her for a moment before grinning cruelly and proceeding to tear chunks of flesh from her, so that the bite mark could no longer be seen, so that she was horrendously disfigured, but was so very careful to keep blood from reaching him. Then he dropped her remains to the floor and stepped lightly over them as he walked away, humming softly.

---

Mori let his own close and relaxed, paying close attention to every one of her breaths.

---

He had gone for a walk to clear his head, and he did feel better. Still painfully bitter, still world-weary, but better. He pushed open the door and stepped inside with a small sigh. Why did he feel so tired? Maybe he would just go and lie down for a while.

Elizabeth fell asleep

Mori stayed awake, not willing to sleep. Not able to. He wasn't going to waste being able to just hold her like this.

---

Taro walked slowly up the stairs, hand running along the rail as he did. He ignored Rhun's attempt to talk to him and brushed past the boy, finding his blanket and sitting down on the floor, resting his head in his arms.

Yuki sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Is it just me, or did Taro have more colour in his cheeks?" Lord Chris asked.

"At least he's looking healthy." Rhun shrugged off the irritation and went off in search of his brother. Taro didn't look like he was planning on moving anytime soon, and nobody else really looked sociable. There wasn't anything to do but wait for Kate to get home with the food for their next meal.

Alexander threw his toys into a chest that Kate had given him for his toys.

Rhun sat down. "Hey Alex. What're you doing?" He quizzed the boy. "Want a hand?"

"Yes please." Alexander said. "Kate told me off for leaving my toys around, but I was gonna play with them."

Rhun started to help pack them away. "Well, you know how adults are. She probably just meant to not leave all of them out, only the ones you were thinking of using." Rhun reasoned with a smile. "Doesn't mean you can't play."

"Bet thats what she wants."Alexander pouted.

"She doesn't." Rhun said with a grin, ruffling his brother's hair. "Adults just trip over things a lot. We can go play if you want."

Alexander nodded. "Please."

Rhun grabbed some random toys, not Alex's favourites, and settled back down on the floor. "Done and done. I, Rhun, warlord of the west, wage war against you!" He said, throwing an arm wide. "I claim your territories as my own!"

Taro, who had just wandered past, paused to watch Rhun's alarming launch into 'play' and then shook his head, walking off down the stairs again. He felt too fidgety to just sit.

Alex grabbed his favorite toys. "Alexander the great says no. They are my lands and you cannot take over them!"

"My army is far superior to yours!" Rhun proclaimed, and sent out a 'legion' of troopps. "You stand no chance!"

"I'm sorry." Taro said to Yuki, looking steadily to the rat demon. "I'm not sure what's got into me."