The Summer Sun's Rays

[Tsukikage]

"Heets..." Tsuki whispered, "Would it be possible... do you think you and Ryuu can be reconciled? I thought I felt sadness -- maybe disappointment. I dunno, but I don't think he really wants you to die."

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban's eyes flashed open and she stood up. Her gaze held hatred and spite as she answered. "No. He killed my father." She sighed and laid down where she stood, but she didn't close her eyes. She looked at a tiny green bud in the ground. It was growing through the stone, and it looked as if it might hold a flower. She snapped it in half with her teeth and laid her head down on her paws.

What a ridiculous notion. I might not kill him, but there's no way I could ever be quasi-nice to him.

[Tsukikage]

Tsuki was startled at her response. He'd half-expected it, but he hadn't expected it to be so strong. He winced a bit and breathing became difficult, then the symptoms subsided as melancholia set in. But now he was mad.
"Why not?" He demanded. "So what if he killed your father. Where's your father now? Where was your father back in the city? Or those times when we fought Giga? Or... where was he when... when Akio..."
He fell silent as the images flashed in his mind. He shouldn't have been so rash as to mention it... but... Ryuu was still family, wasn't he?
Tears trickled down his face when he finally continued. "My father wasn't the best to me either... but he came back when he heard about you and me, remember? And even though things started out all wrong, he's changed, and he's here now. Your brother -- er, half-brother... could turn out the same way, if you'd only give him a chance. Whether I'm right or wrong about him... he's the only thing left of your father in this whole world... isn't that worth trying for?"

Kage emerged from Tsuki. His neck felt a bit stiff, and there was a scar across the right side of his neck, but otherwise, he was fully recovered. Of course, having overheard the conversation, he felt obligated to point out the fact that, "Win or lose, we're the good guys here, and good guys do the right thing -- as often as we can, anyway. Don't be hasty -- search that heart of yours for what's right. I know you can do it." He winked at Hitoban, which didn't look any different from his blinking, but the intention was there. Then he turned and brought his paw down on Tsuki's head, knocking him to the ground. "But you don't have to try and force her to do something she's not ready for! Sometimes normal people are too hurt to forgive, unlike you."
Kage chuckled as he walked off, "You retard... next time, think before you open your mouth. I'm gonna go find Dawn."

[Rynn]

Rin, Kaze, and Fallen all relaxed as the strange wolf left, Rin looked over at Hitoban as she went on her little rant, she opened her mouth to speak but Kaze spoke first, "Our father was great to Fallen and myself but it always felt wrong to us that he hated Rin and our but not us, he sealed his fate when he killed our mother and Rin killed him..we haven't looked back since." Kaze then pondered his words for a few seconds, "you know what, that really didn't make any since...sorry...guess I shouldn't have spoken." Fallen then looked around, "where did Rin go?" Kaze looked around with a surprised look on his face for Rin had in fact vanished, Kaze then whispered something to Fallen who nodded and Kaze took off out of the clearing. He soon found her where they had been before they had met Hitoban and the others in the clearing, she was in a heap that looked like she had been running when either she tripped or her legs gave out on her. Kaze swiftly padded over to her and nudged her in the side, she gave a quiet groan but didn't move. "Rin, it's back again isn't it?" Rin didn't awnser but she shivered and looked at Kaze, and by the look in her eyes said all he needed to know, and with a sigh he laid next to his sister.

(ooc: whoo muse burst! lol sorry...-calms down-)

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban didn't notice the emotions that Tsuki felt, because she wasn't looking at him. So, naturally, she flinched when his harsh tone reached her ears. They flicked back at the tongue-lashing, but she didn't feel terrible. Until he mentioned her father's absence during her life, especially about Akio. Those words hurt her so much that she snarled at them. She knocked her head into the ground in frustration, whining softly. She listened as he reminded her of what had happened with Mar, and tried to convince her to give Ryuunosuke another chance. He mentioned his resemblance to Ryuu, and she stood. It was all very upsetting, and, despite herself, she felt a tear trickle down her face. She shook it off when she heard Kage, and she turned to look at him. Even though she didn't want to admit it, he was right. She responded to his wink with a small smile and sighed.

They were right. She might have come to the same conclusion on her own if she'd been given the time, but either way it would have been the same. She just really needed to think about it. When she turned back to the brothers, Kage was walking away. She looked at Tsuki and half-smiled. "I need to think for a little while. I'll be back soon." With that, she nuzzled Tsuki and walked off into the trees behind him.

[Tsukikage]

Tsuki whimpered a bit and wagged his tail. "M'kay." He nodded as Heets walked off. He'd give it some time, and shut up, like Kage said. In the mean time... "Oww..." he rubbed his head.

Shimo, having tended to Neo and Mar, turned his attention to Rin, and was almost instantaneously at her side, staring at her blankly again. His face contorted, and he shook his head as he spoke. It looked like he was gnawing on a bone. "What... d-death... do you... ca-rrrr-y...?"

[Rynn]

Rin looked at Shimo with a fevered look in her eyes and she awnsered him in a very raspy voice, "Neither I nor any wolf i've ever met knows the awnser to that my friend..." She then broke down into a coughing fit. Kaze looked at his sister worriedly, how well she had hid this from her friends, for it was obvious that she had been concealing it for a while now if she was already breaking down into coughing fits. When she had recovered from her fit she spoke again, "Don't worry though, it isn't contagious...I'm sorry that I'm such a bother..." Rin's eyes then suddenly went out of focus and her head fell limply to the ground.

[Tsukikage]

Shimo reacted quickly, checking Rin to make sure she was alive and breathing, then he gathered up some leaves from the rose bushes and burned them. He mixed them with water and chewed up moss, and smeared the it in marks on Rin's body, and breathed on them. The markings disappeared quickly, and Shimo stumbled a bit.
Mar and Neo approached, seeing Shimo run hither and yon to get the mixture together.
"Everything okay?" Mar asked.
"I... hope that... helps with any... pain..." Shimo said.
Mar nodded, looking Rin over for a moment. "You want me to carry her back home, Kaze?"

[Rynn]

Kaze looked over at Mar and Neo as they approached, then back to Rin who seemed to be sleeping peacefully, for now anyway. He sighed and looked at Shimo, "Thank you Shimo, your okay though right?" He then turned to Mar, "If you wouldn't mind taking her back Mar, I don't want to be a bother...." He looked down at his sister again, he could still feel the heat radidating off her, even though he was a few inches away from her, he was worried terribly about her, how long would it take her to recover from it this time, if she ever did, only the gods knew.

[Tsukikage]

Mar immediately scooped Rin up, and the posse headed back to the hollow.
"Wow, she's really warm," Mar noted, "This... this isn't the first time this has happened, is it?"
His mind wandered back to his past life...
One of Jira's brothers had come to exact some kind of revenge on Mar for taking his sister away, but the battle never got underway, as he was ill with something entirely unknown to them. Mar kicked the body, and the poor dog whimpered and writhed pathetically...
"Wow, Jira... he's really warm... is he going to make it?" Mar asked.
Jira looked down at her brother's contorted face. He must've been in a lot of pain. "I'm not sure... I just... I just don't know."
Mar shrugged, "Well, it must be fate then... he's not of wolf's blood, like you. He's weak, and obviously not meant for this world. We should go." He stopped once, and turned to the dog. "If you live, do not cross my path again. Your sister is mine now, and if you think some... housepet is gonna change that, then you are sadly mistaken."
Jira cried for the next two days...

He should've handled things differently... maybe Dante could've helped. It was cruel of him...
"Mar?" Neo's voice broke through, "You've stopped, is something wrong?"
He looked at the ground. He had stopped walking...
"Uh... oh, n-nothing..." He said, unconvincingly, "let's move. The sooner we get Rin home, and to a healer, the better." It'll be different this time, Jira. I swear it.

[Rynn]

Kaze sighed as he padded along with the others, "No this isn't the first time this has happened, it has happened several times, and each time it takes her longer to recover.....I'm afraid that one of these days she isn't going to wake up again...and pass on." He shook the thoughts out of his head, his sister would live, she just had too. He looked at Mar as he stopped walking, and listened to him and Neo talk before moving on.

[Tsukikage]

"Alright, then." Mar replied to Kaze, "I won't have you say everything twice, but you'll need to tell the healer everything you know about this. Anyway, we're almost there, so let's get a move on."
Mar picked up the pace, still going slow enough not to drop Rin. Hang in there, little one.


[ooc: To the grotto!]