"That is very scary." Gosha nodded. "Luckily for you, I experienced a very similar event. That was how my daughter came to be; half-Komodo dragon and half-wolf."

"It's all my fault." Tears pricked your eyes. "I didn't care if I lived or died, so why would I care if I gave him what he wanted? And now there's this!"

"He wanted you to have his kid? What kind of fucked up—"

"He wanted to eat it!" You put your head on the table. "And I let him try! If he hears..."

"Which he won't." Gouhin nodded.

"He might. It might help me capture him." Yahya countered. "It's her fault anyway."

Gosha held up a hand as the criticism rained down on you. "The connection between fault and responsibility is pretty easy to make. It's how laws, courts, our judicial system and most of our society works: You mess up, you have to make up for it. You eat someone—your fault— you have to compensate society in one way or the other—your responsibility. You cheat on your significant other—your fault— you are expected to somehow make up for it—your responsibility. Good luck with that one of course." The lizard laughed as you looked up at him with hopeless eyes. "It's not always so obvious though. Someone loses their wallet on the street—not your fault— you happen to find it and have to decide what to do with it—your responsibility. You lose your job because the company you work for goes bankrupt —not your fault— you have to decide what to do with your life next —your responsibility. There is no option but to choose and that is what we have here." Gosha nodded. "You are in a pickle, that is definite. You are pregnant—your fault— and you need to choose what to next— your responsibility. However, the circumstances leading up to it are different and difficult. You were taken advantage of by a sociopath— not your fault— and now you have to deal with what he did to you— your responsibility."

"But how do I know what to do?" You asked sadly.

"Do you like children?" Gouhin felt he could handle this question.

"Not really..." You mumbled.

"Would you be able to handle the stigma that comes with being both a single parent and the single parent to a hybrid?"

"Probably not..."

"Then your own decision should be simple." Gouhin nodded again-- having had his own hybrid child, albeit planned, he was sure he had gotten this right.

"Ah, but it is not. Just as we may be that one person another's decision may impact, our decisions will impact at least one person. None of us are immune to the possible consequences of another's reckless choice. However, we ourselves have a choice in how we react and what we take away from someone's wrongdoing or indirect effect." Gosha stood up and looked out of the window. "There is a time in our lives when we seem powerless. When we are children and we are at the mercy of our parents or caretakers. When we rely on them for security and compassion. When we are trusting of their care and love. We are vulnerable and are deserving of a safe and loving environment. Unfortunately, many of us are aware of, or are products of, circumstances where everything is needed but never provided. Many of us bear deep wounds that have yet to heal and scars that tell unbearable stories – and here we are at that very crossroad. Even wounded and scarred, we are here; holding the responsibility of never doing the things that hurt us, to someone else. Does Melon deserve to have a child? Is that for us to decide?"