Title: Finale

Chapter: Prologue: Hajime

Author: Sekiseishi

Rating: M

Genre: Romance/Angst

Type: Continuation

Pairing: Tsume x Kiba, Hige + Toboe

Warnings: Yaoi, character death, spoilers for end of series

Paradise wasn't all it was cracked up to be. There was no bright light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. There were no angels or sexy female wolves running around green fields lit by buttery rays of sunlight in the perpetual midday. There were no clear ponds in which to swim, filled to the brim with beautiful koi just begging to be caught and devoured by gleaming fangs. Hell, there wasn't even a higher 'holy being' that dictated whether the deceased was 'bad' or 'good'.

Actually, when they reached 'paradise', there was nothing there. Nothing but blackness and this strange sensation of being suspended in some sort of psuedo-liquid. There wasn't any breath to be heard anywhere and lungs didn't burn from the lack of oxygen. Of course, that also meant that hearts weren't beating, and the sudden absence of his reassuring pulse is what scared him the most. There were no scents, no sounds, no physical sensations to be had anywhere in this parody of 'heaven'. It was a terrifying darkness that permeated everything he'd ever known. His memories began fading and his arms reached for a body that wasn't there. His mind stretched, trying to keep everything he'd learned and experienced from being completely destroyed by the invading ink.

He struggled to retain his sanity for ... days? Months? Years? Eons? It seemed like so long ago that he and the others had come scratching around for the door to the famed Shangri-la and now, finally allowing the ever-encroaching darkness engulf him, he hated it. He hated the journey, he hated the girl that lead them there, he hated the enemies they fought and killed along the way, he hated the people he met, the friends he made, and even the companions he traveled with.

The journey that took so long, that killed so many, that escalated a war between two kinds to it's peak, that, in the end, killed them all was for nothing more than a pipe dream. A quixotic ideal. A chimera that ate at their very souls until there was nothing left. It was a horrible way to go, and yet he resigned himself to his fate, hoping that maybe, just maybe, there was something beyond the slimy ebony that surrounded him. Maybe paradise lay one step further. Maybe his comrades and friends were already there, waiting for him.

There was always the possibility of error, though. He could very well be wrong in his assumption and simply cease to exist afterwards. This thought gave him no motivation to continue his struggling, however, and he was quickly and completely consumed.

ྷྷྷ

There was bright light and muffled sounds. Sharp cries he easily identified as yelps coming from one of his own, and a softer, gentler sound that was meant to calm. Something grabbed him, something much larger than himself, but he couldn't find the energy to struggle. The warmth that had surrounded him for so long was suddenly gone and he cried at the freezing air, unable to help himself. The soft sound continued and the yelps ceased, becoming mere grunts as something shuffled behind himself. He tried to blink, but found himself unable to open his eyes and swung his head back and forth, trying to dislodge whatever was keeping them shut.

There was an unmistakable chuckle from somewhere above him and he grunted, wondering just what was so funny. Trying to ask whoever it was to help him open his eyes, he was mortified when nothing more than a pitiful whimper escaped him. The action made him realize something else very odd. Something he'd never experienced before. His gums were touching each other, which was ridiculous since that would mean he had no ... teeth. He opened his mouth experimentally and found that, yes, he could feel the cool air on his bare gums. Giving a depressed little moan at his predicament, he was pleasantly surprised when the large, warm something decided to put him down.

The soft thing that he landed on, but was unable to see, was greatly appreciated and he scampered towards radiating heat. Well, stumbled and half-crawled on his naked-feeling stomach. It was embarrassing, more so when he realized it was another of his own kind that he reached. His embarrassment turned into perplexity when he noticed yet something else out of place. The other of his own kind was very, very large compared to himself and ... he tumbled to his side as he was pushed over by something ... licking him. As if that weren't enough, there were at least a few others of his kind beside him. Sniffing, he realized he couldn't tell how many there were, which was truly very weird, as everyone had their own distinct scent. The licking stopped and he made his way over to the others, noticing they were ... eating? Crawling over them, he counted three more, with the possibility of others being elsewhere.

Feeling a little hungry himself, he sniffed to see what they were so happily devouring. Something attached to the larger of his kind, he noted. Something that smelled like milk. Moving over, he found a protrusion that felt much like what the others were eating and bit into it with toothless gums, pulling away when he got his first taste of food. It /was/ milk. The milk from a female wolf that he recognized from his time as a puppy. And the others were eating just like they were tiny cubs.

Trying harder to open his eyes, he was dismayed to find that they still wouldn't cooperate. The larger wolf licked him again, rolling him onto his back with her nose and his rolly-poley belly didn't allow him to turn back over easily.

Finally realizing just what was going on, he whimpered. Paradise wasn't anything like they'd said it'd be. All it was turned out to be was a rebirth. /And/, he was a puppy again.

Tsume mentally sighed, wondering if Kiba was in the same situation. Then again, it didn't really matter. He might never see the other again, which, for some reason, depressed him more than being reborn did.

Needless to say, it was a strange predicament he found himself in, but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

A/N: Yeah, I made Tsume a puppy. . ;;; Don't worry, though. I'm not going to have you all suffer through him growing up and all that crap. Next chapter will be a time skip of several years. Not sure how many.

And, I'm searching for a beta reader, if anyone's willing to help me out. All of my stories are thus-far unbetaed, and it makes me sad.

Hope you enjoyed! R&R, please!