Author's Note: This is sort of a continuation of First Meeting. Not really. I came up with this story first, then First Meeting, & finally Pull of the Moonlight. So I decided to post them all here as oneshots, because the time between them is skewed & the wolves prefer it to be this way. :

Disclaimer: I don't own Tsume or any of the other Wolf's Rain characters... As much as I'd like to, I'd get bitten. Repeatedly. ;.;

Saia is my OC, not from Blood+... Yes. We've gone through this. You probably just want to read the story now.


Tsume sighed as he lay down to sleep. Why did it have to be so damn cold on the way to Paradise? Even his fur coat wasn't much protection, and the thought of curling up near the others made him gag.

Then Saia trotted into the cave where they were resting, shaking off the snow that had collected upon her back. Her scent washed over him, somehow cinnamon and flowers, as well as the smell of the snow she had just escaped from.

Tsume tried to inhale deeper without giving himself away, yet he couldn't help opening his eyes just a little bit. All he could see was a small black paw right in front of his nose, before Saia curled up near him on the hard stone floor. Tsume leapt up, snarling.

"Back off, will you? I don't need a teddy bear to help me sleep!" He paced away to the opposite side of the cave.

"Aww, c'mon, Tsume!" said Hige. "She was only trying to keep warm."

"Yeah," chimed in Toboe. "You know Saia is the warmest out of all of us. She must have been concerned about you."

Kiba said nothing; Blue merely snuggled closer to Hige.

"I'm fine on my own, damnit," Tsume muttered. "No one needs to be concerned about me…"

"Well, then, Saia can come sleep with us, right?" leered Hige. "All that warm, beautiful fur…!"

Tsume felt a flair of annoyance, and… Jealousy? No, that couldn't be how he really felt. Stupid human emotions. Although, Saia was beautiful, as both a wolf and a human.

As a human, Saia's skin was moonlight-pale, her raven hair a perfect contrast. Her eyes were an unusual gray-green that were only really lifelike when she was running with the pack. Tsume could have sworn they sometimes looked that way when she looked at him, though…

When she was in her natural form, Saia's fur was a multi-colored blanket. Her feet were the only solid color -- black -- and the rest of her fur was a mix of black, white, and an entire array of grays.

Personally, Tsume thought she was the beautiful creature in this or any other world, but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit that to anyone else.

Saia hadn't followed him when he walked away from her; unlike everyone else, who would have. She was different; she stayed where she had lain down. The others were all asleep by now, but he could see she was still awake.

Tsume sighed heavily, hating himself for being so weak. But he couldn't resist; making sure everyone else was really asleep, he got up and walked back over to Saia. Lying down beside her, Tsume wrapped an arm around her and pulled Saia next to his body. Warmth immediately rushed through him as she snuggled closer.

He sighed, thinking about the crap Hige and Toboe were going to give him if they saw him like this. Then, he realized he didn't care, as he pressed his face into Saia's hair and inhaled deeply. This, he thought, is better than any Paradise.