We're On Our Own

Nate and Inu both looked somewhat surprised, but Inu quickly pushed it away, glaring at Darien. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he growled, not lowering his paw. "I suggest you move out of the way before I move you myself," he snarled, baring his teeth as he looked past Darien at Nate. He then decided not to wait for a response and didn't even give Darien a chance to move as he brought his paw down, aiming his claws for Darien's snout. Why give him a choice? Perfect chance to teach him a lesson, he thought bitterly as he raised his hackles, letting out a slight snarl, waiting for Darien to move. If he doesn't want to end up the same way as Nate will... Inu thought with a slight growl.

Nate was looking at Darien in surprise, but said nothing to him or Inu. He can...? he began to think, then heard something in the near vicinity and he glanced over his shoulder for a moment, but it didn't seem to concern him much and he quickly looked forward again. His eyes were focused on DArien for a moment, then they darted to Inu when he clawed at Darien, feeling a slight tug at his chest when Inu had done so and he quickly looked at Darien again. Inu could've easily killed me if he really wanted to and Darien... he started to think, looking at Inu again to see if he was going to make any other movements or attempts to injure either him or DArien.

Matthew stopped and looked out from between several bushes, seeing that Darien was in front of Nate and they were both looking at Inu, who was focused on Darien at that point. A slight smirk spread on his snout and he motioned for the men to stay behind as he started to sneak in silence towards the bushes directly behind Nate. This should be simple, as long as that idiot can keep his mouth shut... he thought, grinning and accidently stepping on a twig near Nate. He stopped moving instantly, barely even daring to breath to keep them from noticing. He had a chance to get a slight glimpse at the three of them, watching Inu just as he turned his glare from Nate to Darien once more. He saw that Nate had looked back, but didn't seem to care at all. After a moment though, he quickly looked at Inu again, recoginizing the deep brown eyes, the black fur, everything. Inu....no...no, it can't be! he told himself firmly, then his eyes darted to the reddish-brown patch of fur on his forehead and he knew it was him. He couldn't believe his eyes, but he forced himself to look away. Come on, Matthew...focus here...get Nate now, talk to Inu later, you're escaping anyways, why not with him? he thought, then focused on waht he was about to do. When he figured it safe enough, he started to sneak forward until he was hidden in the bushes directly behind NAte. Okay...this is delicate...don't get caught... he thought, crouching low to the ground and starting to sneak forward in silence, just barely able to be seen from where the front half of his body was sticking out of the bushes as he gently grabbed the back of Nate's shirt in his teeth and started to walk backwards, dragging Nate with him in silence. HE was watching Darien and Inu silently, then quickly turned his attention to Nate as he started to struggle and opened his mouth to say something. Matthew quickly slapped his paw over Nate's mouth, watching the other two silently.

Saneki watched her silently for a moment, standing still, then she sighed slightly as she started to follow her. She said nothing to Maria and kept her gaze focused on the ground, having to force herself not to look at Maria as she forced the tugging sensation that she got in her chest away as well. I guess what I thought during that fight was wrong. Maybe I was completely off course. But...this still doesn't technically mean she doesn't like me...well, it probably does but...there's gotta be a better way to find out if she does, she thought, but the only idea that came to mind brought that tugging feeling to her chest once more and she quickly decided against it, no matter how much she wanted to.

Serifina said nothing, looking at the somewhat large building for a moment, taking in every feature about it. From the run-down appreance that a lot of things there held, to the small bit of light in the window, all up to the chair outside the door, leaning up against the building. She looked at it for a moment, then turned away and started to walk again in silence, then noticed something in front of it and looked over. She saw what seemed to be simple toys for children in front and quickly turned away, feeling a tug at her chest, one unlike the one she got whenever her gaze was focused on Randu. She didn't know how to describe this one, but it was full of sadness it seemed, of anger as well, but all she knew for sure was it wasn't a good feeling, and seh didn't want it to come back. She kept her gaze focused straight ahead as she quickly started to walk again.

Darien winced, closing his eyes slightly then reopening them, wincing just slightly as he felt Inu's paw cut into his snout, "Damn..." He murmured, "....Make me move Inu." He growled, keeping his stance. He couldn't use his mesmer abilities in any of his animal forms. If he tried in his human form, he would easilly be taken down. Darien didn't want to hurt Inu. He hated violence. He kept his ground, growling slightly as he glanced back towards Nate, seeing he was gone, "What the-......Nate?" He barked out, turning his look from Inu as he moved his head to look towards the bushes where Nate was standing in front of.

Maria slightly slowed herself, hearing growls and barks, "You hear that Saneki?" She asked, glancing back towards her. As she glanced back, that warm feeling returned to her. She tried forcing it away, with not much of an avail as her face grew slightly pink. She forced her look away, "Sounds like......wolves....." She muttered, "I wonder....if those men we were following are part werewolf." She mumbled, trying to take in the scents of the men up ahead. All that came to her though was the scent of Saneki. She felt her chest pull her emotions and her mind swirl with her scent. She groaned lightly, feeling annoyed that she kept thinking about someone she clearly knew, didn't like her.

Randu winced slightly, watching as she sped up her walking. He frowned a bit, forcing himself to move a bit faster. He felt pain in his legs and chest, as he forced himself to catch up to Serifina. He felt lightheaded, wondering why she sped her pace. He glanced towards the house she had looked towards, then back towards Serifina, 'What's with that house? Is there something wrong with it?' He thought, sighing slightly as he felt a pain rise up in his chest as his breathing became labored slightly. He weakly raised his arm, covering his mouth to make sure she didn't hear his breathing. He didn't want her to worry or fret any.

Inu watched him turn around, then notcing as well that Nate was gone. He let out a slight snarl as he quickly went up to the bushes, trying to catch any scents of him. He didn't yet see Matthew, who was sneaking further back into the shadows, one paw still over Nate's mouth to keep him from saying anything at all. "Where could he have gone?" he snarled, annoyance in his voice and eyes as he finally caught Nate's scent mixed with someone else's and he quickly started to follow it. Whoever took him gets killed first... he thought bitterly, then smirked slightly as he saw Nate ahead, being dragged by a wolf and he stopped in his tracks. What the hell? he thought growling slightly and quickly lunged at the wolf, knocking his grip on Nate free, pinning him to the ground and snarling at him. "What exactly do you think you're doing?!" he barked, not yet realizing it was Matthew.

Nate quickly got up, watching the two of them fight for a moment, then quickly moving away, in case Inu decided to turn on him. What was that all about? ...Unless....shit...don't tell me someone's been sent already! he thought, glancing around some, but said nothing as he finally got out of the bushes, tripping over a tree's root and falling onto his back, wincing slightly as he hit his head on a rock. "Ow..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his head slightly as he stood up. He glanced around again, still thinking about the high liklibility(sp?) that someone had been sent already.

Matthew looked up at Inu, wishing he would recoginze him, hoping that Inu hadn't forgotten him, but he quickly shook that thought away. He let a slight smile appear on his muzzle, managing to move his paws enough to make him look submissive. He wagged his tail slightly, trying to look as cute as he could, pushing all emotion out of his eyes and letting them fill with innocence as he looked up at Inu, the smile still on his face. Come on...look cute... he told himself, watching as Inu's growling and snarling continued, but a look of hesitation entered his eyes. "Come on, you wouldn't want to hurt me, would you?" he asked in a sweet, seductive voice. Inu had said nothing and his snarling seemed to be slowing and Matthew had to try hard to keep a smirk from appearing on his muzzle. "Come on, Inu, you wouldn't hurt me? At least, I know you wouldn't before,..." he said softly, trying to finally get Inu to back off some. He watched as shock filled Inu's eyes and his smile widened as Inu backed off and he could finally stand up. Once he'd stood, he said nothing, just watched and waited for Inu to say something. He saw the look of shock on Inu's face increase and he was impatient in waiting for an answer. "Welll...? Come on, Inu," he said, waiting still.

"M-Matthew? Is it really you?" Inu asked quietly, all shock leaving his face, his eyes emotionless as he watched Matthew nod silghtly. As soon as he did, a wide smile spread on Inu's face and he quickly tackled Matthew, surprising him for a momeent, then he noticed Inu's tail wagging. "I thought you were dead!" he said, sounding relieved that Matthew was standing there in front of him, alive and starving, but fairly well. Matthew grinned slightly when Inu backed off slightly and he quickly tackled him, and they wrestled for a few minutes until the play fight caused them to come out of the bushes, each of them tripping over a rock, Inu landing on Nate with a wince and Matthew managing to trip and go falling in Darien's direction.

Saneki hesitated a moment. She'd heard what Maria had said, but she didn't respond to it, pausing in her walking for a moment. She finally decided and nodded slightly to herself, letting out a shaky sigh, then looking at Maria. I have to do this...I have to know... she thought, quickly starting to walk towards Maria. She quickly reached her and walked in front of her, trying to stop her. She wanted to say something, but she didn't as she just leaned forward and kissed Maria, feeling a stronger tug at her chest. She finally pulled back after a minute, but she still said nothing, waiting in silence to see what Maria's reaction was.

Serifina's gaze was still focused on the ground, her mind refusing her to look back at the house, even though its image was now engraved in her mind once mroe. She didn't even look back at Randu as she had been every few seconds prior to looking at the house. Now, she was trying to get the image of it out of her head, trying to get herself to relax as she suddenly felt dizzy. Come on, Serifina...you have to relax, forget about it. Thats all over and its never coming back...I hope... she told herself, just then thinking of Randu as she tried to push the image of the house out of her head. As she thought of Randu, she slowed her pace to allow him to catch up and keep up easier and she felt a slight guilt rising in her, but she said nothing and still wouldn't look at him.

Darien fell over, feeling a wolf fall ontop of him. He winced slightly, glancing back at the wolf who had fallen ontop of him, "Who are you?" He mumbled, standing up and shaking off the wolf. He glanced from Matthew to Inu, seeing their expressions, "Wierd..." He murmered, shuffling himself together and getting himself over towards Nate and Inu. He didn't know who this other wolf was, but he knew that Inu knew who he was clearly. Darien was still able to sense the presence of other men and horses, and was slightly sketchy as he glanced around, pushing Inu off of Nate without warning and poofing back into his human form, helping Nate back up, "You okay Nate?" He asked him, concerned for him at the moment as he kept glancing towards Inu and the other wolf, being cautious now.

Maria had been slightly surprised. She had stopped walking when Saneki had kissed her. She felt the same strong tug, but tried to keep her face from flushing. She blinked slightly, watching as Saneki pulled back. Maria wanted to say something but was confused herself. Finally she opened her mouth and said something after a few seconds, "Di-did you just k-kiss me?" Maria asked stuttering slightly, making sure this was real and not one of her fantasys. It sure had felt real to her. Maria lowered her arms from her chest, waiting for Saneki's response. She knew that she liked Saneki, but, a vampire liking someone back? She was confused indeed as she watched Saneki curiously, keeping a strong blush back, only letting a small one slip past her and onto her cheeks.

Randu finally noticed her slow and sighed slightly in relief, feeling the same pain in his chest. He winced slightly, closing his eyes for a moment, the reopening them as he lowered his hand, then arm from his mouth. He tried taking larger breaths, so she wouldn't hear how haste his breathing was. To his avail, it worked, but with a tight pain in his chest, causing his wounds to slightly begin bleeding, causing more blood on his chest and shirt. Randu felt the warm blood, and groaned silently in slight annoyance and pain. This had made him quite lightheaded as he did so. Randu sighed, knowing this was just going to keep continuing, so he really did nothing about it, except place his hand weakly on were the wound was. He had luckilly regained movements in his arms and hands, but they still felt very numb. Any haste movements would cause him to be in much pain due to the shot nerves, 'I'm a mess.......my idea of leaving is the best I've ever had basically. I don't want her to take care of me, and dwell in places she doesn't want to be. I'm holding her back.....I don't even know why I let my feelings push me for her....Damnit....I shouldn't have ever stopped to talk to her yesterday.....' He thought bitterly and pained. Wishing he could take that back, but knew it was true to himself. He felt that he held Serifina back, and didn't want to burden someone he only simply met.

"Y-yeah. I'm okay," Nate said as he stood, looking at DArien for a minute, then looking between Matthew and Inu, neither of whom had answered, just quickly run up to each other with big grins on their faces, exchanging words at a rapid pace. Nate looked between them for a moment, feeling somewhat wary, considering Inu had been trying to kill him and the new wolf had just been trying to drag him back to guards sent to bring him back to the palace. After a minute, he got somewhat nervous and impatient as he watched the two and sighed slightly. "Do either of you two want to tell us what the hell is going on??" he growled, his annoyance showing clearly in his voice.

Both Matthew and Inu looked at him, then glanced at each other. Inu sighed as they looked at NAte and Darien again, both of them turning back to their human forms. "This is Matthew," Inu began simply, pointing at him. Matthew stood there, grinning like an idiot, earning him a slight smack on the back of the head when Inu noticed. "We were together until a few years back when I was accused and taken in for killing the princess," he paused, glaring at NAte for a moment, clearly remembering what his intents had been before Matthew came into the picture. He then glanced at Matthew, who'd elbowed him and the ribs and he shook his head slightly. "Anyways, I thought he'd been killed that night, trying to keep me from being caught, but I heard him yelp and I had to go back and help," Inu said, looking at Matthew and smiling, his eyes showing how happy he was that he was okay.

"Wait, you thought I was dead? I thought you were dead!" Matthew said, grinning slightly. "No, they never let me die, they just let me starve until I was on the verge of it," he said, glaring as he glanced back into the bushes to where the men were waiting. "Oh, that reminds me. We better get the hell out of here now because I was sent to get princey over there and whoever 'kidnapped' him," he said, rolling his eyes slightly. "This will not end well if those idiots actually manage to figure out whats going on," he said, pointing over his shoulder. Inu sighed slightly, hitting him on the back of the head again. "What? Hey, at least I don't think you're dead and you don't think I'm dead!" he said.

Saneki was silent for a moment, feeling the tug at her chest once more. She finally let out a slightly shaky sigh and nodded. "Yes, yes I did," she said quietly, looking at MAria. And I wait... she thought, desperatly wanting to know if Maria held the same feelings for her, but she said nothing more. Many thoughts raced through her head, some questions begging to be asked, but she kept them to herself. Several questions lingered on her lips, but she left them unspoken, waiting instead for Maria to speak. She doubted now that Maria felt the same way, but she didn't feel a single thread of regret in her entire being for kissing her.

I wonder if he even wants to travel with me or not...he said that he would, I hope he meant it... Serifina thought, glancing back at him once, then quickly ahead again. She didn't know why she wanted so badly to be with Randu, since she'd met him such a short time ago, but she couldn't control her emotions. I feel what I feel... she thought with a slight sigh, staring at the ground again. I wish I could at least understand what I feel and why I feel it, she thought bitterly, kicking another rock, but not letting her eyes travel to follow it that time. If I do, it'll probably just be to another building that gives me these memories...another Hell I've escaped, she thought for a moment, then thought of the houses again, only thinking of the toys in the front and she let out a slight, silent sigh. Why must one Hell turn to a Heaven whenever I leave it? Why is it wherever I go and whatever I do, it always brings pain to either myself or someone around me? she wondered.

Darien scratched the back of his head slightly, confused by it all but nodded nonetheless, "So, let's go then." He shrugged, glancing back towards the area where Matthew had looked back. He didn't want Nate going back with those guards, "C'mon Nate, Inu......Matthew." He said quietly and quickly, "If what you said was true, Matthew, then we should be going while those guards are dumb enough to not come after us yet." Darien said quietly, rubbing the bringe of his nose slightly, feeling a slight sting from where Inu had cut him. He sighed, rubbing the slight blood off then glanced around, "There's a path over there near those trees. Where do they lead Inu?" He questioned, wondering if he knew since he was familiar with this area before.

Maria was slightly hesitant in answering. She sighed, biting her lower lip just slightly, glancing down for a moment. 'I don't want to love another.....to have them taken away from me again.' She thought with a slightly pained expression. She quickly fixed her composure then started walking again, like nothing happened, "Coming Saneki? We need to catch up." She said quickly and calmly. She felt a lunge at her chest, telling her this wasn't the right choice. Maria sighed silently. She just didn't want to have someone else she liked, or nonetheless loved, become close to her, then later on die. She hated herself for even protecting her, giving Saneki the idea. She felt relieved that Saneki liked her that way, but was pained that she might not be with her long for their species. She knew vampires didn't mix well with werewolves.

Randu let his eyes travel with the rock Serifina had kicked, following it to a small building. He watched quietly, seeing how many people were around. Though, it was mostly a family of starved werewolves by looks. He frowned slightly, wanting to do something for them. He knew that feeling all too well, and wished they had better. He watched as a few of the children ran around in their torn up yard, playing to their hearts content, even though they were in such horrible conditions. They hadn't looked or dressed if they were ready for success, or if they were healthy. They just played like there was not a care or burden in the world. Randu sighed slightly, wincing as his breathing stung his chest, 'They seem so...happy.....' He thought with a saddened expression, carefully seeing the oldest one of the children were only about four, 'Those poor children. They probablly don't know of the outter world yet......' He thought with a frown, then let his eyes trail back towards Serifina.

"Huh?" Inu said, looking at the path that Darien was talking about. He thought for a moment, then shook his head slightly. "I have no idea," he said honestly, shrugging slightly and letting out a slight sigh. "Its probably our best chance though," he added, glancing at Matthew, who had been looking at the path for a minute, but was now looking in the direction of the men, watching for any sign of movement from them. Inu watched him for a moment, a soft smile on his face that he quickly shook off. "Matthew, you know where that path leads?" he questioned curiously, waiting for a response, seeing that MAtthew hadn't even seemed to hear him at all. He was too busy watching for any movement, anxious to get away from the area. "Matthew!" Inu said in a slightly sharp tone, finally getting his attention and sighing slightly. "I asked if you know where that path leads," he said, but the sight annoyance that had been in his eyes at first was gone, he couldn't feel that way towards Matthew for long, especially when he'd just found out he wasn't dead, as he'd thought for a few years.

"Huh? Uh..." Matthew began, then thought for a moment as he looked at the path, tilting his head to the side slightly for a moment. Something suddenly seemed to click in his head and he grinned. "Oh yeah! I remember that path!" he said, a little to loudly and Inu shushed him quickly, and they both glanced back at the trees. Matthew gave an innocent smile, then said, "Anyways, that path doesn't lead to the village that this path does, but there's an abandoned village down that path, from what I remember, no one goes there anymore. Its a perfect place to hide, there's a ton of superstistion surrounding it, and those idiots back there would never go near it." There was a wide grin on Matthew's face, and Inu smiled slightly, then looked at the path.

"Sounds like a good idea..." Nate said, but he still felt a little wary as he thought about the men waiting in the bushes to take him back to the castle. He thought about it for a moment, glancing back at the path and looking at it for a minute, then glancing at Darien. "What do you think?" he questioned. He wanted to follow the path, since what Matthew had said was convincing, but he didn't know if he could trust either him or Inu at that moment, especially MAtthew. He'd come there with every intention of bringing him back, why would jsut seeing Inu there stop his goal?

Saneki watched her for a moment, a pained expression entering her eyes as she just stood there for a minute, watching her. Her hopes had been high when Maria had stepped in to protect her, then for a minute after the kiss, but now Maria felt as if nothing had happened. Well, Saneki, you were the one that had to know, you had to do it... she thought, finally forcing herself to start walking again, following Maria in silence, but not looking at her. Her eyes were focused intently on the ground, and she felt her hands clenching into fists involuntarily and she tried to force herself to relax, letting out a slight sigh. Why did I have to do it? I'd rather not know then feel the way I do know, she thought, now finding it near impossible to get Maria off her mind, unable to replace it with any other subject except for the same one that had been trying to force itself to the front of her mind whenever she needed a distraction from what was going on. She hesitated slightly, then started to let the thoughts and memories of the subject flood her mind, trying to let them block out the moment she'd kissed Maria, the moment that had been replaying in her mind over and over. Why not? I'd rather think of those two idiots than of her right now... she thought with a slight sigh.

Saneki felt the sharp nails dig into her side and she tried desperatly to free herself, but she felt the werewolf's claws dig deeper and deeper into her side, causing her to wince slightly. She could feel his breath on her neck and she felt a slight twinge of fear run through her as she suddenly felt him run a claw down her cheek, then bring it across her neck, just barely, but it sent a slight shiver down Saneki's spine, something she'd never felt. She didn't even know she could get the sensation, but it made her want to struggle more, but she forced herself not to, knowing that the injury inflicted on her would worsen each time that she tried to. She managed a slight glance back and she saw the twisted grin on his face and the glint that was in his eyes and she felt the fear as it entered her eyes. She listened as the werewolf let out a gruff chuckle, looking her straight in the eyes. "Aw, is the little vampire afraid? Don't worry, this only give you excruciating pain," he said, the smirk widening. "I don't kill quickly," he whispered in her ear and grinned as she struggled, tightening his grip once more, feeling the blood that ran over the fur on his paw. He started to say something else, then felt a large rock hit him smack on the back of his head and he let out a loud snarl as he quickly spun around, releasing his grip on Saneki accidently as he did so. He realized it and snarled as he turned back around and tried to grab her again, but she managed to get out of his grip and saw someone crouched on a wall nearby, the one who'd apparently thrown the rock, to the danger of their own life.

[i]Why would they...? Saneki began to wonder, but then her eyes darted to the werewolf and she quickly moved out of his immediate grip. She saw the anger and hatred fill his eyes as he looked at the one who'd caused his apparent 'dinner' to escape. Saneki quickly looked at who had helped her, wishing to know thier identity, since, even with the multiple people who were within earshot of what had been happening, no one, not even her own parents would have dared to help her, everyone had just quickly left the area. She couldn't tell the identity of the person, as she saw a mask on their face and they were shrouded in shadow anyway. They glanced at her for a moment, which gave the werewolf his chance and he lunged at them. By the time they looked forward and tried to dodge, it was too late and they were hit and pinned to the ground on the other side of the wall. Saneki wanted to help, but was hesitant, then she heard a yelp from the other side of the wall and quickly climbed up on it, looking over it, thinking that the yelp had emitted from the werewolf that had lunged, but was surprised as she saw that it hadn't. She watched as he pulled the mask off, scratching the person's face as he did so. Saneki saw that it was a female, who was glaring up at the man, who suddenly stopped, surprised.

"Hana?" he said, in an almost whimpering voice. The female growled slightly and took her chance, her shape changing into a wolf. Saneki was shocked as she saw the werewolf that had actually helped her, knowing full well what she was. She quickly ducked back over the wall as she saw the hesitation in the male's face, but saw as he raised his paw. She heard snarling, then several loud yelps and whimpers, then silence. She kept completely silent, barely breathing as she listened to footsteps padding away, almost as if there was a limp to them. She waited for a few minutes, then pulled herself over the wall, hoping to see the body of the male laying there, but saw the oppisite. She saw the body of the female there, mangled and maimed and she looked away at first, then she heard a surprising sound. She heard a few breaths and quickly looked back to see she was still alive, but barely, only a few breaths escaping her, but her eyes were open and she was looking at Saneki.

"Heh...so at least one of us made it out alive," she said in a hoarse, barely audible voice. "I guess thats good enough for me," she said a slight smirk on her face as she added, "I still wish I could have stayed alive longer, but hey, what can you do?" She winced often from the immense pain, but she still seemed to be calm, not afriad at all. "Death is just a part of life. And I got a bonus of helping increase someone's lifespan as I die, I completed my mission here," she said quietly.

"Your mission?" Saneki asked quietly. She wanted to help the girl who had saved her life, but, as she looked over the wounds, she knew there was nothing that she could do to help the girl to live much longer.

"Yeah, to keep you alive. Some are sent to kill, some are sent to keep others alive, such as me. He was going to kill you wrongly, and I mean that in two ways. One: You need to be kept alive, I can't say why, its forbidden of me. Two: He has no reason to do this to you. Its true, your a vampire, but that gives him no right. There are plenty who have wronged him to go after and plenty of prey in the forest, you should be left alone, you've done no wrong," she said, smiling slightly at her. "By the way...Saneki, right? I'm Hana," she said, then took in one final breath, letting out a sihg and moving no more.

Saneki was surprised at what she had said and let it all sink in as she took a few steps back, then quickly turning and running off, back to the place she called home. She ignored the blood that she felt running down as she ran into the house, panting as she stopped in the doorway, looking at the ground for a minute, then looking up as she heard the voice of her mother. "You're still alive? We heard about that werewolf," she said, not sounding concerned at all, even as she saw the blood dripping from Saneki's side. "We also heard that someone actually stepped in to save you, but the few people who saw that didn't know who it was. I frankly think they're the stupidest person I know of. If you can't manage to get yourself out of that problem, you don't deserve to live," she said coldly and Saneki's father just nodded slightly in agreement, not saying anything.

Saneki felt shock fill her as she looked between the two of them. She'd always felt the tension and hatred in the air in the household, and had never been close to her parents, but she never knew they cared that little. She thought about what she'd just been through and she clenched her fists as she looked at the ground, feeling the anger fill her entire being. She couldn't get herself to relax as she looked at them, glaring coldly. "You bastards. Like either of you know what I was through, what just happened, what I saw..." she growled, feeling pain fill her for a moment as she finally lost it. "You don't know what I experienced! You've never given a damn what happens to me!" she shouted, fury in her eyes as she walked towards her, feeling as if she knew what she had to do.

Only a short while later, she found herself on her knees on the ground, panting slightly. Blood covered her and the ground that surrounded her. Some of it belonged to her, but most of the blood did not. Her eyes still held some pain and anger as she looked at the ground, shaking slightly as she stood up, having to hold on to the table to keep from falling at first. She glanced behind her, not seeming at all disturbed by two mangled bodies that were literally torn open and apart. A slight smirk appeared on her face as she looked over what she'd done to her parents, then she turned forward and walked silently out of the house, stumbling slightly and not caring at all about the blood covering her.[/i]

Serifiina glanced back at Randu for a moment, then saw him looking at her as well and she quickly looked ahead once more. I wonder what he's thinking about right now.. she thought for a moment as she looked at the ground in silence. I doubt about me, though. I'm the only one who'd feel this way for someone I've known for such a short time, she thought, letting out a slight sigh. She looked ahead again and let her eyes wander slightly, passing over and taking in each building, person and object she saw. I can't wait to get out of this town, she thought for a moment, but knew that she'd wait for Randu, she didn't want to leave without him, unsure why still.

Darien thought a moment, "I think it's our only chance, darlin'." Darien sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly, glancing towards Nate then back towards the path, "Let's go." He said quietly, starting to walk towards the path, moving a few stray branches that hung from the trees, holding them for the others to come through. He watched how Inu looked so happy around Matthew, seeing how different his personality seemed. He was hesitant about the different Inu, but was glad he wasn't after killing Nate again. And was glad a fight didn't spring out from the three. He sighed reluctantly, hoping his assumptions weren't to die for.

Maria felt a pain in her chest still. She sighed, trailing her eyes towards the ground, lifting her arm slightly, holding onto her other and rubbing her skin just slightly, like she was nervous or guilty for something. She felt that she needed to avert the subject off what had just happened. She knew it was obvious the aura of what happened was lingering around, "I can smell them cl-..." She began then paused, stopping as she glanced towards a few bushes, "......there are a whole bush full of men on horses over there...." Maria said quietly with hatred in her voice. She was obviouslly still angered by what happened a bit earlier with Matthew. She glanced back towards Saneki, feeling another tug. But for this, she felt pain and guilt. She quickly looked away, "Over there....is where our targets are. But-.....that werewolf is with them." She growled out quietly, her hand clenching onto her arm as her fingers dug into her skin slightly with annoyance of Matthew.

Randu felt his heart leap slightly when Serifina looked back. But just as quickly as she had looked back, she looked forward again. He sighed, feeling pain in his chest again as his breathing constricted slightly, 'I must be that horrible off.......Must be. I was literally a freaking punching bag.....' He thought with a silent groan, sighing slightly as he spat up a bit of blood, "Damn... He muttered almost silently, wiping the blood off his bottom lip and chin slightly as he weakly had gotten his hand to his mouth. He looked at the still fresh blood on his hand and felt that this was an internal injury. Randu frowned slightly, not saying anything as he lowered his hand again, "So are.....w-we close by the house a-again?" He asked quietly, finally saying something.

"Alright," Nate said quietly, nodding slightly as he followed Darien, glancing back at Matthew and Inu for a moment and managing to trip over a tree's roots and he stumbled forward slightly. He managed to catch himself, barely, but even that didn't last long. He'd grabbed onto a low hanging branch, not realizing the reason why it was low hanging. As he caught himself and straightened up, about ready to release his grip on the branch when it snapped unexpectedly. Nate cursed under his breath as he sslid somehow, falling on his back, wincing slightly, then feeling the somewhat thick branch as it fell on the back of his head. He winced again, rubbing the back of his head slightly. Shit...what is wrong with me? he wondered. He wasn't usually that clutzy, he usually had fairly good balence. Weird...I don't really care as long as this stops soon, he thought somewhat bitterly as he stood up, stumbling slightly, but soon getting his balence once more.

Inu had stopped when he fell, taking slight step back to avoid Nate falling on him, backing into Matthew as he did so. He felt a slight blush appear on his cheek as he looked back at Matthew, smiling slightly, then looking forward. "You okay?" he asked, just watching, his arms folded across his chest. Nate glanced at him and nodded slightly, not saying anything as he looked forward again, then at the ground as he started walking in silence. Weird, he doesn't really seem like the type to be a total clutz, thats more how Matthew would be... Inu thought, glancing back at him. He looked forward again and pushed the thought out of his mind, not conjcerned by it, his mind focusing on more important things. Meaning, for the most part, MAtthew. He started walking silently, following Nate, then slowing down until Matthew was walking next to him, a slight smile on both of their faces.

Matthew smiled warmly as he looked at Inu, slipping his hand into Inu's silently, just smiling when Inu looked at him, a somewhat surprised look in his eyes. After a few moments, that look disappeared and was replaced with a warm smile as Inu gave Matthew's hand a slight, gentle squeeze, then they both looked forward again. "It should only take us about fifteen minutes to get there, depending on our pace," he said to Darien and Nate, then looked at the ground for a moment, then at Inu. He's okay...he's alive...you won't leave him again, he told himself, letting out a slight sigh, trying to relax himself. His gaze was on the ground again, but as soon as he'd let out the sigh, he could feel Inu's concerned gaze upon him and he felt as Inu removed his hand from Matthew's. Matthew felt the soft, gentle touch when Inu put his hand in his hair, smoothing it back in a relaxing way. A soft smile appeared on Matthew's face as his eyes closed for a moment, letting out a content, calm sigh as he did so. Inu grinned slightly for a moment as Matthew opened his eyes once more, leaning his head on Inu's shoulder as they walked forward. Inu had almost said something, but he shut his mouth and said nothing, just looking straight ahead with a smile on his face.

Saneki faintly heard every word that Maria said and she glanced over at her, feeling a sense of pain in her chest and she looked to where she indicated the men and horses, then at the path where Maria said the group had gone. She thought of Matthew during the fight and her thoughts instantly darted to Maria protecting her from te werewolf and she felt the tug at her chest. Calm down, Saneki...we already found out that those feelings are nothing...nothing if they aren't returned, you need to forget about them... she told herself firmly and she let herself get lost in her memories of killing her parents, trying to do anything to keep her thoughts from straying too close to Maria and let them focus on what Hana had told her. "....One: You need to be kept alive, I can't say why, its forbidden of me......": What did she mean by that? Why did she tell me that? Whats so special about me? she wondered bitterly, cursing at herself several times, then looking at the bushes where the men on horses were hiding.

Serifina heard his question and glanced back. "Yeah, I'd say five minutes, if that," she said quietly, then looked forward again, her head down. I need to relax, she told herself firmly, sighing slightly. When we get back, I need to go and get some more bandaging and some of that antiseptict, she told herself, then started to run through a list of what she needed or wanted to do, then she started to think through some things about Randu's injuries, trying to figure something out, but she finally gave up, knowing she'd never be able to tell for sure at that point. She'd just have to wait and see. I hope he doesn't have any internal damage...I may have to get Aunt Shikaku over to tell...I don't know how to tell that sort of thing, she said, feeling useless once more, still feeling it was her fault that Randu had gotten that badly injured.

Darien followed them all silently, watching Inu and Matthew curiously, seeing how happy they both seemed. He listened to what Matthew had said, taking that in quietly as he looked around, watching the path and greenery around curiously, then laying eyes towards Nate, smiling just lightly, "You're not the type who seems clumsy. Did you trip on the roots when I was pulling them back? I'm sorry for that if so, darling." Darien said quietly, walking besides Nate now. He smiled just slightly, looking at him, then back towards the path, "I wonder how this shelter of their's is......By what they've said about the curses and so forth, we should worry. But-I doubt it all. You?" He questioned, finally finishing speaking as he glanced towards Nate. He seemed very innocent in his wordings as he waited for Nate to say something. Darien slightly rubbed the bridge of his nose, tracing his fingers over a very slight slit on his nose, whose pain ceased, but left a mark.

Maria was growling silently to herself, "We need to somehow avert ourselves away from those pathetic kings men, and somehow get back in touch with those other men...." She bagan, talking quietly as she let go of her arm, leaning down and staying on one knee. She carefully crept her fingers slowly through the bushes leaves' slightly, trailing slight traces of blood on them from when she cut her own nails into her skin. She traced the area quietly, noticing the men with their horses, "There are many......." She said quietly, ".....They could catch sight of us quickly if we go out casually......" She whispered with hatred coiling in her throat. She did her best to keep her tone from reaching higher than a whisper. Maria averted all attention and thought off of Saneki for time being, to concentrate more so on the concern up ahead, and to why and how they'd get past.

"F-five? Al-alright..." Randu said quietly, stuttering slightly as he spoke. His voice was obviouslly still unstable from last night from all his yelps. He was also still shaky from the attack of last night. He silently glanced around, hoping in attempts that they wouldn't just pop out of some random place and come after them again. He felt the doubt for such things, bot nonetheless, he never thought he'd be attacked like that either. In all his days he never thought so. Randu frowned slightly again, knowing that his doubts were now all proven false. He hesitantly let out a slight gasp, wincing as he felt that his dwelling on thoughts caused more pain and stress. Randu roaned lightly, covering his mouth slightly as he closed his eyes painfully, reopening them with a reluctantcy(sp?).

Nate looked at him and shook his head slightly. "No, its not your fault I fell. I-I don't know why I did. I'm not usually clumsy at all," he said quietly. His thoughts started to dwell on it for a moment as he looked at the ground, but he forced himself back to what was going on and looked ahead again, looking at Inu and Matthew for a moment, then at Darien. "And I'm not sure if we should worry or not. I mean, Inu tried to kill me and Matthew was trying to capture me. Why would either of their intentions change? But...look at them...I just don't know if I trust them or not," he said honestly, then looked forward again, saying nothing more. Nate's thoughts were focused on their trust in the two for only a moment longer and they soon started to rush. What the hell is with me? I can't focus on the simpliest thing anymore without getting distracted...and being so clumsy... he thought and he rubbed his forehead slightly, seeming somewhat irritated as he did so. He finally stopped and let out a slight sigh, then started to rub his head again as he began to get a headache from the rushing thoughts.

Matthew let out another slight, content sigh. At least I know its not a dream...this is real, he told himself, closing his eyes for a moment, then opening them as he felt Inu move his hand back to his side. He glanced at him for a moment, then looked ahead as he slipped his hand back into Inu's, a smile on his face as he did so. Yeah...this is real... he told himself, a soft smile on his face as he looked straight ahead, keeping an eye out for the abandoned village, but it definatly wasn't the top priority on his mind, that was reserved for Inu. For staying with Inu, for not losing him again.

Inu gently rubbed the back of Matthew's hand with his thumb, glancing at him with a smile for a moment, then looking ahead of them. Never again...we'll never be apart again... he told himself firmly, sounding sure of it as he squeezed Matthew's hand once, causing him to look at him for a moment, then lean his head on Inu's shoulder as he looked ahead. Inu glanced at Nate and saw that he'd stopped walking for a moment, then watched as he started walking, then tripped once more, falling forward, flat on his face. Inu sighed slightly. What is with him? He's going to slow us down...get us caught... he thought.

Saneki tried to force herself to stop thinking of Maria as she tried to think of a way to get past them. "There...there is a faster way...faster than finding a way around them..." she said quietly, looking at the ground as she even considered it, but she knew it would be faster. The thought of when she'd killed her parents had also caused that familar urge to rise in her and she seemed impatient and almost jumpy at that moment. Damnit...should've known thinking about that night would've caused some kinda of problem... she thought bitterly, her eyes showing what she was feeling and thinking as she focused on the bushes where they were hiding. This would get rid of our problem and... she didn't finissh the thought as she started to try and calm herself down, finding it impossible to get the look out of her eyes.

Serifina had heard him and stopped walking, turning around to look at him as she heard him gasp, then groan. Her eyes showed her concern as she walked over to him, putting a hand gently on his shoulder. "Randu, are you okay?" she asked softly, knowing it was a stupid question, but feeling like she had to ask it. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon, its not much farther," she said, unsure of how she could comfort him as she spoke softly. Please be okay, Randu... she begged in her head as she looked him in the eyes for a slight moment. She rubbed his shoulder for a moment, then hesiantly removed her hand and asked, "You think you'll be okay for a few more minutes?" Her voice was soft and warm, but carried hints of her fears and concerns in it.

Darien sighed sligtly, watching Nate as he fell then blinked, not seeing what he had fallen on from his point of view. He quickly leaned down, placing his hands on Nate's arms, helping him back to his feet, "You alright darling?" Darien quickly had asked Nate, rubbing the slight dirt and stray grass on Nate's face off with his thumb, stroking it off his face just lightly, "I personally wouldn't have liked the fall myself." He said with a slight chuckle to his tone, his hands absentmindedly remaining on his shoulders, only one lowering as it rested back towards his side. He glanced towards the other two men, watching Matthew and Inu for a brief moment then returning his gaze back on Nate.

Maria had let a glance slp past her shoulder, following the tracing of her eyes towards Saneki's, seeing and feeling how she thought as she watched her look upon the bushes. Maria felt a sting pull on her chest. It felt as similar to those as she would have felt when thinking romantically about Saneki, but no, this felt like more guilt and a tinge of fear. Maria had her own complexity hidden, her eyes showing the focus of their targets instead, though, her heart longed to stop Saneki in whatever she was thinking. She was quite sure she had ideas. Maria slightly motioned her bottom lip back, curling it just slightly as her canines pretruded into the skin slightly, causing slight blood to drip into her mouth. She sighed silently, not giving a sound. Keeping it shushed. She followed her gaze back coldly towards the bushes, "As....you were saying Saneki?" Maria whispered quitely, keeping her voice low so as if not to alarm any stray soldiers. Hesitant at first to hear whatever else she may have been thinking. Wondering if she thought right.

Randu stayed quiet, trying to catch his breath the whole time. His breathing was ragged and showed signs of much fatigue. He painfully closed his eyes once, reopening them and locking his gaze with Serifna's for a brief moment, looking away then painfully nodding, "Yeah...I'll b-be o-okay..." He stuttered, not able to find his voice or paced breathing in his words. He winced slightly, taking a few deep, yet short sounding breaths then continued walking forward. He just wanted to get away from the village. As Randu thought more of deserting Serifina, in order to let her be without him, he felt pain rise into his chest, causing his throat to lock for a brief moment's time. He continued wincing slightly, trying his best to ignore his own pain as much as he could, to no avail. He kept letting out slight moans from under his breath as he walked.

Nate smiled slightly, looking into Darien's eyes for a moment and nodding slightly. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," he said quietly, but he felt a throbbing pain in his ankle from either the way he'd fallen or how he'd landed. Shit...don't tell me I hurt my ankle... he thought bitterly, glancing at it as he felt pain shoot up his leg as he moved it and he winced. He tried to keep himself from doing so, not wanting Darien to notice his wincing or the pain in his eyes as he looked at the ground for a moment, pushing the pained expression off his face and finally relaxing slightly. He had felt a slight blush on his face when Darien rubbed the dirt off his face. Nate glanced at his ankle, but quickly forced his gaze away from it, hoping that Darien hadn't noticed as he looked at him again, smiling slightly. The smile was partially forced, but partially sincere as he found himself looking into Darien's eyes once more, but found himself torn away from the moment by a sudden burst of pain shooting up his leg. Damnit... he thought, barely keeping himself from wincing, but he didn't make a sound, and he managed to keep the look of pain out of his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder, wondering for a moment if he soldiers had started to follow them, but said nothing as he looked forward again. "Should we continue?" he asked, a slightly cheery tone to his voice as he put another smile on his face. He started to walk forward, but as he started to, moving the ankle some and stepping down on it, the pain that shoot through his leg was increased and he couldn't help but give a sharp intake of breath.

Matthew heard Nate's sharp intake of breath and glanced back for a moment curiously, watching him for a moment, but Nate had already put a smile on his face and Matthew looked ahead again, confused. What the heck? Did I miss something? he thought bitterly, but, having the short attention span that he did, his thoughts were soon drawn back to Inu as he felt him rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand. He smiled slightly and looked ahead again, then saw the abandoned village in the distance, but said nothing, since it was still a ways off, just barely in view and partly blocked by trees and bushes. Sweet! We're almost there! Then I can talk to Inu about what exactly happened to him after that night.. he thought, glancing at Inu for a slight moment, then looking ahead again.

Inu hadn't noticed his glance, nor heard Nate as he had, too busy lost in his own thoughts, which were, surprisingly, happy for once. Happy to be with Matthew again, that was why he'd always been so bitter. He then somehow managed to argue about himself over what he'd always told himself since becoming a servant, about the world being a cruel and heartless place. He wasn't sure now about his beliefs on that, but he finally settled on the fact that most of it was, except for a small minority, most of the minority made up of people that were in situations as bad as his had been. At least I'm away from there now... he told himself, smiling as he looked at Matthew for a moment.

Saneki hesitated for a moment, glancing at Maria for a moment, then at the ground, still seeming fairly jumpy. "I-it...it would be easier, and faster, to just kill them," she said quickly, then returned her glance to the bushes. She still had that longing, lusting look in them, tapping her fingers slightly on her other arm, seeming impatient as she stared intently at the bushes. "If we leave them alive, they'll just become a nuisance," she said, a different tone to her voice, almost emotionless, except for the slight tinge to it that represented the lust she felt, the eagerness she felt. It was enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine. It was almost too much for Saneki to wait for Maria to say something, she felt the urge in her, the instinct yelling to go for them, but she had to keep herself where she was, no matter how difficult she found it. Come on...come on...just wait... she told herself, but even that small line was forced.

Serifina hesitated a moment, feeling the pain in her eyes as she watched him a moment, then quickly started to follow. She felt scared, not knowing if he was okay, not being able to tell if he was, not being able to do anything to help. She found herself dwelling on those thoughts the entire way back until they finally reached the house about three minutes later. Serifina said nothing, looking straight ahead, forcing herself not to glance at Randu as she walked up to the house, opening the door and walking inside, leaving the door open for him. Her gaze was focused on the ground, knowing she'd feel another tug at her chest if she looked at him. She sat down in one of the chairsm staring up at the ceiling for a minute, letting out a slight sigh,.