This couldn't be happening. It was a weird dream, or more accurately, a nightmare.

Mika closed his eyes. Counted slowly to ten and opened them again. His belly was slightly round and protruding visibly when just yesterday it'd been flat and firm. He touched it hesitantly, it wasn't too big, maybe 4 or 6 inches out. Was it some weird vampire disease? The virus affecting him in some way? Who would he ask for help? Who would be able to help him?

"Mika? Were you sleeping? I thought you didn't need to—" Mika hastily pulled the bed sheets to hide his front. Hoping they hadn't seen… Yuu stood frozen by the door of the cabin. Shinoa must have unshackled him when he woke up. "You weren't there when I came too," Yuu spoke carefully. Mika shuffled against the headboard, sinking further into the mattress. He'd come to the cabin — a small room-less cabin only he occupied and separate from the village — to rest after the previous night. He hadn't slept, just closed his eyes for a really long time. "I was worried." Yuu stepped inside, leaving the door ajar. "What's wrong, are you hungry?"

Mika shook his head, even if he was hungry. "I'm fine, Yuu-chan, I'm just—"

Something inside his stomach moved. Mike yelped. Surprised. Terrified. He touched his belly and felt something push against his hand.

The fear was heavy and instant. He needed to stop being stupid and hiding this. What if this killed him? What if it made him hurt Yuu? "Yuu-chan…" Mika cried softly, and the fear was clearly there.

Yuu acted quickly. Rushing to Mika's side. Pulling the sheets aside and staring.

Mika couldn't decipher the look in Yuu's' eyes. Disbelief, concern, fear?

"What is that?" Yu asked.

Mika almost wanted to pull the sheets over himself and hide again. He'd actually been feeling strange for the past few days, but had shrugged it all off. He should have told Yuu sooner he hadn't been feeling well.

"I don't know," Mika tried not to move as Yuu reached to touch his belly, but before the dark haired boy's fingers connected, he pulled back. "I'm getting Shinoa and the others, the village doctor should know something. Don't move. I'll be right back!"

Mika stared sadly as Yuu left him alone. His brain wouldn't stop thinking. He shouldn't have told, he should have hid. What was a human doctor going to do for him? He was a vampire now, a new vampire and there was something seriously wrong with him. What if he ran? How long would it take him to return to Sanguinem?

The thing in his belly moved again. Mika felt his hunger increased. It was easy to see the connection. He had been feeling hungrier than usual for the past few days. He could easily stay three days between feeds, but those had been decreasing to two, sometimes one day. Whatever was inside him was making him hungrier. It was using him as food.

The door to the cabin burst open and Yu came in with Shinoa, and Mitsuba behind him. The others must be on scavenging duty, otherwise Mika knew Yuu would have brought them as well.

"How can Mikaela be sick?" Mitsuba exclaimed. "I thought vampires didn't get sick."

"I don't know what it is, but there's something wrong… Mika!" Yuu reached the blond. "The village doctor is on her way, but maybe Shinoa and Mitsuba can help."

Yuu tried to pull the sheets away, but Mika resisted. Why did this happen? Hadn't they had enough? With him becoming a vampire, Yuu turning into a demon, when we're the bad things going to stop happening? Or was it always going to be like this until he died? Was that even possible anymore?

Mika let go of the sheets and Yuu finally pulled them away.

"What the fuck is that?" Mitsuba cut in. Her eyes were round as she stared at Mika's protruded belly.

Mika immediately tried to hide himself again.

"Mikaela-san, what happened," Shinoa was surprisingly calm.

Mika still didn't trust this girl. He didn't trust any of them, but her calmness was somehow reassuring. "I don't know." It was best to be honest. "I haven't been feeling well for the past few days, my stomach… today it was just like this."

"Can I touch it? Shinoa asked." Mika hesitated, but eventually nodded. As a Hiragi maybe this girl knew of other creatures besides the Horsemen. Other monsters besides vampires.

Shinoa's hand pressed firmly against his stomach, Mika expected the thing inside to move, but it remained still and quiet. His belly almost felt normal aside from the fact it was very round. Had Mika imagined it that first time?

Yu sidestepped next to Shinoa as she removed her hand and reached with his left hand, his fingers brushed carefully against Mika's belly, his thumb accidentally pushing under the gap between the buttons and touching skin. The thing moved enough that it could be seen.

Mitsuba screamed. "It's a monster! It has to be. We need to cut it out!" Mitsuba manifested Tenjiryū in a compact size and shoved Shinoa and Yuu aside to get closer to Mika.

For a second Mika thought yes, cut this thing out before— the blade got closer to his stomach and a new fear kicked in. He didn't know why, but suddenly he could see his belly being cut, whatever was inside him would die…

"No!" Mika yelled, covering his belly with both hands protectively. He moved in the blink of an eye to the other side of the room. "Please don't… don't…" Mitsuba, Shinoa, and Yuu stared at him. The blond girl with horror, purple with confusion, and Yuu… Yuu's were helpless. Nobody approached him. The danger faded and Mika's mind cleared. What was he doing? Why had he reacted that way?

"Mika…" Yuu's voice sounded so far away.

The door opened again and an elderly woman stepped inside. "Where's my first vampire patient?"

Mitsuba recalled her demon. Shinoa touched her shoulder. "Mitsuba, please go search for Kimizuki, Yoichi, and Narumi. Tell them we may have an emergency and need them to return with whatever supplies they found." Mitsuba only hesitated a second before running out the door and not looking back.

The doctor slowly made her way to the side of the bed and patted it. "Sit down and let me look at you."

Mika slowly separated himself from the far end of the room and sat down so the doctor could check him. She touched his belly carefully as she made small talk to ease Mika's nervousness.

"How old are you?"

Mika didn't answer right away, and honestly he didn't want to. He didn't want any of it. "Sixteen."

"Are you really sixteen or is that when you became a vampire?"

"…both"

Her touch changed, becoming gentler, not that it wasn't gentle before. "Poor child, you're not even an adult."

Mika felt like he should resent her pity, but it didn't feel like that. He hated to admit it, but her words made him feel better.

The doctor checked his eyes, mouth, palms, and feet. Touched his belly carefully, whatever was inside didn't react to her touch.

"What is it?" Shinoa asked, when the doctor stepped away from Mika.

"This a very different world than before," the doctor muttered and didn't add anything else. Mika felt the mattress sink next to him and he turned his head to see Yuu sitting by his side.

"Is something inside Mikaela-san?" Shinoa added.

"There is," the doctor answered.

Yuu placed his palm atop Mika's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Is it hurting him?" he asked.

"Not really," the doctor mumbled.

The pressure on Mika's hand eased slightly.

"If all goes well it'll be gone in a few months," the doctor added ambiguously.

Yuu glared, "Just say what it is and what can we do about it."

And just before the doctor said it, Mika knew what it was. His eyes widened. That was impossible. Unreal. How in this mess of a world could this happen? Or maybe because this was a mess of a world that this happened.

The doctor carefully placed her palm over Mika's belly. "It's a child."