Sumary: Kiba and co. are still striving to find the key to open Paradise when they run into a huge pack beating up a black, female wolf. They decide to help her out and after the fight they find out that she is headed in the same direction they are and offer to let her travel with them, convincing her that they could help her if the pack comes back. She agrees and sets off with them. But, Darcia has suddenly taken an interest in the new wolf. What are her ties with Darcia, if she has any, and why does Darcia suddenly want to capture her along with Cheza?
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain or any of the characters, except Kairi.
Darcia's Reason
Sounds of snarling reached the groups ears. It sounded like fighting. "What should we do?" A young brunette boy asked, his head tilted slightly back to the one he was talking to.
"It's their business why they attack one of their own. We should stay out of it." The grey haired man answered, though the question hadn't been directed at him, but to the black haired man standing next to him. "But, they could kill her!" The brunette exclaimed.
"We have to do something!"
"What can we do, runt? If we do anything, we'll be interfering in the affairs of the pack. There's nothing we can do." The grey haired man across from him answered.
"But-"
"Toboe, Tsume is right. We can't interfere with the internal going-ons of that pack. But, I don't think that she's part of that pack. Otherwise, only the leader would be reprimanding her, not the whole pack." The 'leader', Kiba answered.
"Well, then let's help her." The fourth member of the group interjected.
"Toboe, you stay here and protect Cheza." Kiba told him. Toboe then led the flower maiden over away from the battle place. Taking the rest of the pack, Kiba changed into his wolf form and ran over to the attacking pack.
'Why are you attacking her?' Kiba asked. At his voice, the pack in question stopped attacking the female wolf and turned towards him, moving away from her slightly. She had few scratches, cuts, and bruises, but surprisingly she had fared rather well for being attack by an entire pack.
'Why do you concern yourself with the dealing of this pack? It is none of your business. Leave and let us continue with our dealings.' The leader of the opposing pack answered in a low tone.
'She isn't apart of your pack, is she? So why attack her in full force? Even if she was intruding on your territory, that shouldn't command an attack of this magnitude.' Kiba asked.
'She led the humans to us!' The leader shouted back.
'No…I didn't.' The black wolf said as she struggled to get up. 'They followed me..I don't know why. I was tracking them for a while.'
'Liar! We all know that you led them here so they could exterminate them. You're working with them to destroy all wolves!'
'Why would I let humans destroy my own kind? It is not my fault you didn't act when you smelled them coming. A wolf with any sense would have fled or hid or something. I'm guessing that some, if not all, in your pack smelled the humans and tried to tell you, only to have you laugh at them. Am I right? You truly have no sense.'
'Why you little-!' The leader of the pack rushed towards her, quickly closing the gap between them and savagely bit her.
'Shadow, stop this!' A female wolf, around the leader, Shadow's, age shouted at him. 'Please Shadow, I believe her. Just let her go.'
'Fine. But, if I ever see you around here again, I will not hesitate to kill you.'
'Hmph.' She promptly turned and headed, unknowingly towards Toboe and Cheza.
'Hey, wait! Why don't you travel with us?' Hige asked, running up beside her.
'Why would I want to travel with you?'
'Well, where are you headed?'
'I'm tracking down the humans who killed my pack.'
"We're heading for Paradise. Why don't you come with us?" Toboe asked, entering the conversation.
"You honestly believe in that fairy tale?" She asked.
"Cheza wouldn't be here if it didn't exist, would she? " Kiba asked calmly, now back in his human form.
"This one would like it if you joined us." Cheza said.
"Besides, if you come with us we could help you if that pack decides to come after you again." Hige helpfully offered.
"……Alright." The young girl answered after a moment." My name is Kairi."
"Cool! My name is Toboe. That's Tsume, Cheza and you've already met Kiba and Hige." He said, pointing to each in turn.
"If you're done with the introductions, then let's go." Tsume said gruffly.
"Tsume is right. If we stay here much longer they probably will use that as an excuse to attack all of us." Kiba answered and set off.
"Lord Darcia, Cheza has been located." A young girl, said to a man a few feet in front of her. His head was slightly bowed, as though he was deep in concentration. A woman with blond hair reaching past her ankles lay in a bed-like contraption in front of him. "Lord Darcia?"
"Good..good." He answered, softly, as though he wasn't really concentrating on what she was saying.
"Sir? Another wolf has been spotted traveling with the group Cheza is with. It has been reported that she is pure black except for a white stripe traveling from her forehead to her back."
"..What?! Is it Kairi? Has she been found at last?"
"The reports match her description, sir."
"Program the coordinates in my plane immediately!"
"Yes, my lord." The girl turned and headed for the hangar, while Darcia headed to gather some things he would need. A few minutes later, an airship flew off from the Darcia Manor.
"So, Kairi…why are you tracking down humans?" Toboe asked.
"I already told you. They killed my pack."
"That's the only reason? Revenge? How pathetic." Tsume said.
"The humans just came in and killed them? No provocation? That's hard to believe." Hige said, doubtfully.
"What do you mean, Hige?" Toboe asked.
"Well, they usually have a reason for doing something like that. Even if it is a stupid reason."
"Like I know the reason!" Kairi snapped. "I didn't go up to them and say, 'Excuse me, I know you're killing my family, but why are you?' That'd be asking for death."
"We don't have to fight about this. Why don't we just concentrate on getting out of this territory?" Kiba said.
The group continued on in an awkward silence. They continued like this for about an hour before Toboe suddenly looked up. "Hey, look. What's a nobles ship doing all the way out here?"
"How are we supposed to know, runt? We don't know what they think." Tsume replied.
"We may not know why they're all the way out here, but..why are they landing? Any ideas?" Hige asked.
No one answered, but Kiba stepped protectively in front of Cheza as if to guard her from the person or people in the ship.
Darcia stepped out of the ship and looked around. Almost immediately he spotted Kiba and his 'pack'. When he went forwards, towards the pack, he saw Kiba step in front of the flower maiden. As if he could protect her. He grinned at the thought, though it wasn't visible behind his mask.
"So we meet again. You have probably guessed that I have come to take Cheza back. Along with Kairi."
"How do you know her?" Toboe asked suspiciously.
"Our history goes back long ago, doesn't it Kairi?" He asked, but he already knew the answer.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kairi said defensively.
"Of course you do, Kairi. Didn't you tell your new found friends? Didn't you tell them that you sold out your pack to humans? That you led the humans to your home, watched as they were killed by the humans?"
"Kairi…did you really do that?" Toboe asked, shocked. The others didn't say anything. They were too shocked to say anything. They may have just met the girl, but they trusted her and believed her. Then again, Darcia was trying to kidnap Cheza and apparently Kairi, so it could just be a facade he was putting on so they would put up less resistance to him taking Kairi.
"He's lying. I would never sell out my family!"
"No matter. Whatever you wish to tell them, you and Cheza are still coming with me."
"Who said that we'd let you take Cheza and Kairi?" Kiba asked harshly.
"You have no choice in the matter." Darcia said.
Snapping his fingers, Darcia's ship started letting loose laser beams, striking near Kiba and the others, though strangely, they missed Kairi and Cheza. Within seconds, Darcia was by Cheza and Kairi's side and grabbed them, promptly knocking Kairi unconscious. Cheza didn't need to be knocked out, she wouldn't fight back much anyway. Though she did shout out Kiba's name.
"Kiba can't help you now, you're coming with me. I need you to open Paradise for me."
Cheza didn't answer. She would never talk to Darcia.
Darcia walked back to his ship and went to the back of the ship and set Kairi down on the floor and clipped two chains on her back legs, as she had reverted back to her wolf form when she was knocked unconscious. He then set Cheza down on a chair, a small pool of liquid by her feet and clipped another two chains on her legs. Going up to the cockpit, he started the ship back up and took off, leaving four, very injured wolves unconscious and bleeding on the ground below.