They were walking through a small, rundown village when they stumbled upon quite the sorry spectacle: three boys, not even in their teens, were beating up an old, mangy cat which couldn't even run away because of its infected injuries. The beast truly was hideous, and the children laughed as they kept on throwing rocks and poking it with sticks. They didn't even notice as the two travelers passed them by, but Sakura saw them.

And what she saw made her blood boil.

How dare they… How dare they…!

"Freak! Monster!"

"It's useless! Can't even run on its own! Ah!"

"It's disgusting! Let's kill it!"

HOW DARE THEY—!

"Sakura." Doma stopped walking, and she only then realized that she had been projecting her emotions to him without any physical contact. "What was that?"

They had turned the corner, and neither the children nor the cat were in sight any more. She cringed a little when realizing that she had probably overreacted.

"… anger. And helplessness." She shook her head, leaning against his back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel all this."

"What made you feel that way?"

"… the way these kids treated the poor beast, I guess. It's just…" She shuddered a bit. "If they saw my legs, they'd probably treat me the same way… But it's just a dumb thought. Don't pay it any mind, alright? Let's just—Doma?"

He carefully put her down. "Give me a moment."

"What—"

He was gone in a flash. A little confused, she decided to simply wait for him—not like she could go anywhere, really. After a minute or so, though, he reappeared before her… and she only then noticed the heavy silence now weighing in the air. As he lifted her onto his back once more, understanding dawned on her, and she heaved out a sigh.

"You ate the children, didn't you?"

He simply licked his fingers, getting rid of whatever blood was left. "I felt up for a snack."