Won't Stop

Miwa put one foot in front of the other. The sword cradled in her arms; it was covered so no one could see what she was carrying. Yet the one thing that was constant, was the rain. It hadn't stopped raining since the day her mother died. People avoided her like she was a poison. No one seemed to care that she was likely soaked to the bone from having no umbrella. Each step just carried her further and further. Her body felt like a ton of bricks. It was practically commanding her to stop, but she refused. She had to make it to one certain place. A place that she had been told about by someone she could trust. It was the only place she could go. It was the only place she knew anyone. Everyone else would just be a stranger to her. Her stomach grumbled, craving food it usually received, but hadn't in over a day now. She continued onward regardless. She soon reached an area with just a door on a patch of ground. A white sign on the front of it read 'Fox Hole'.
Miwa: I found it.
She lifted her hand to knock but her vision began to become hazy as she did. Instead of her hand, her body slumped against the door. The door opened, as it had not been locked previously. Miwa's body began to slide down into the area. Her body reached the bottom, but she was unconscious. She had fainted during the slide. A beastkin in the room was startled by Miwa's sudden appearance. When Miwa next awoke, an older beastkin was looking down on her. She had her red hair tied in a bun behind her. She was wearing a white lab coat. She was using a stethoscope at the moment.
???: Well hello there.
The woman greeted her warmly though she had no idea who she was. Her vision was still blurry. Miwa wasn't sure how to respond. It was then that Kiyoko moved from behind her mother to next to her to see Kiyoko.
Kiyoko: You startled me, you know that?
Miwa: I did?
Kiyoko: You fell right into the middle of our place without notice! Of course you scared the jeepers of me! I called mom right away!
Akiko: Easy now, Kiyoko, she just awoke and is still not in the best shape.
Miwa: Huh?
Kiyoko: Miwa, this is my mom, she's a doctor, isn't that cool?
Akiko: Kiyoko, Miwa already knows who I am...
Miwa: What's wrong with me?
Akiko: You've served quite a shock to your system, have you eaten or drank anything?
Miwa: No.
Akiko: I see...
Kiyoko: What's wrong with her?
Akiko: What she did was throw her body for a loop, and it reacted the best way it could. She's got a fever and a cold from everything she's done in the last twenty-four hours.
Miwa: ...
Akiko: Your clothes were soaked. Were you out in the rain all this time?
Miwa nods.
Akiko: No wonder. You've put your body through quite the ordeal. We need to get you some water and something light to eat. Something your body won't reject. Kiyoko?
Kiyoko: Yeah?
Akiko: Go fetch a clean rag and soak it in water and bring it to me.
Kiyoko: Alright!
Kiyoko ran off at her mother's request. Akiko stayed with Miwa.
Akiko: You don't seem like the kind of person to pull this kind of stunt, Miwa.
Miwa remained quiet.
Akiko: Please, Miwa, let's talk.
Miwa refuses to speak further and turns her body away from her. Akiko seems disappointed. Miwa takes note that the only thing she has on her body is the blanket. Her clothes were likely somewhere drying out. Akiko wonders what to say to Miwa to get her to open up about the subject, but it seemed like it'd be very difficult to do in her current state.
Akiko: Miwa, did you come here because you knew someone here and didn't want to be alone?
Miwa nods.
Akiko: So then you came here because it was the only 'safe' place you could think of. Am I correct in saying that?
Miwa nods again.
Akiko: I won't push any further then that. We will give you shelter for as long as we can.
Miwa nods once more. With that, Akiko quietly leaves the room. As Kiyoko comes to the door, Akiko stops her.
Akiko: Kiyoko, about Miwa...
Kiyoko: Yeah, mom?
Akiko: See if you can't get her to open up to you.
Kiyoko: I'll try mom.
Akiko: I'm going to make some soup for our guest.
Akiko goes toward their kitchen, while Kiyoko comes in with a wet rag to put on Miwa's forehead. Miwa turns her body so that she lays on her back and Kiyoko places the rag on Miwa's forehead. Kiyoko sits in the chair her mother once occupied.
Kiyoko: Still, its good to see you again, Miwa.
Miwa: Its good to see you too, Kiyoko.
Kiyoko: I mean, you gave me quite a scare! I want to use that next time I want to scare someone.
Miwa can't help but snicker at the comment.
Kiyoko: So why did you come visit, Miwa? Let me guess, you wanted to see my smiling face!
Miwa nods.
Kiyoko: That's what I thought! Though, I want to know the real reason you came to my house.
Miwa doesn't respond.
Kiyoko: Did something happen with your mom and you? Did you two have a fight? Did you run away from home? 
Kiyoko obviously didn't know better. She was asking questions that popped right into her head without even thinking about whether or not it was the right thing to ask her.
Miwa: I can't go back home.
Kiyoko: You can't go back home?
Miwa shakes her head.
Kiyoko: So you did run away! But that's fine! 
Miwa: Fine?
Kiyoko: You can stay here and we can have lots of fun!
Meanwhile, in their kitchen, Akiko quietly made a bowl of soup for their guest. She quietly talked out loud to herself. Mulling over the possibilities.
Akiko: Her body is likely dehydrated, she has no energy or stamina from having not eaten, and she's likely exhausted. And yet, she seems even weaker. Like she's fighting some strange disease.
Akiko was definitely deep in thought trying to figure out what was happening to Miwa.
Akiko: There's too much here to delve into what's happening. I need to form a hypothesis and take each step one at a time. First off, its countering the cold and flu-like symptoms.
As Akiko returned to the room, she took notice that Kiyoko was just calmly sitting on the bed.
Akiko: Kiyoko?
Kiyoko looked over to Akiko?
Kiyoko: Oh? You brought the soup for Miwa, mom? But she can't eat it.
Akiko: Why is that?
Kiyoko: She fell asleep mom.
Akiko seemed a bit relieved to hear that. She quietly set the bowl on the pedestal near the bed and then sat next to Kiyoko on the bed.
Akiko: Good. She needs sleep. Sleep is one of the ways her body can finally heal, or at least I hope it will.
Kiyoko: You don't know mom?
Akiko: Miwa's case is a tough one. She complicated it by putting herself in a situation where she was drenched for longer then she should've been. We're going to have to monitor her closely.
Kiyoko nodded.
Akiko: Now, go pour a little water into the tub.
Kiyoko: A little? Hot, cold, warm?
Akiko: Warm should be fine.
Kiyoko nods and heads off to their nearby bathroom. While she does that, Kiyoko fetches a nearby towel from within the closet of the room, and then sits back down and keeps watch over Miwa.
Miwa: What illness are you fighting here Miwa? I need to know...
Category:Anime Episode
Category:The Strands of Fate