Ginga Nagareboshi Natsuki

(Corrected Grammar with an online spell check)

WARNING: This is a super Alternative Universe Fic, I'm SERIOUS!

Author Notes:

This is like the Pilot Episode for a fic I had been thinking about for quite a long time. I don't know if it is a good idea and so I expect my dear readers to let me know if it could became a story.

For those who have not watched Ginga Nagareboshi Gin or it's sequel Ginga Densetsu Weed the idea of this fic may sound a little more crazy than it actually is but if you like the story you may wanna check this two animes. They are both really cool series and the first one is a real classic. Well, at least to understand my thinking you may wanna check the Wikipedia article on both or at least the original one.

Well I'll just end up this babbling and go onto the story...

And so it begins the short introduction to my weird mind work.

I would like to thank the people who thought me how to spell strength, I have had problems with that word like forever (blame my english teachers).

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Chapter Zero: Better than Blood

Blood drips from my wounds

Strength comes out from every pore in my body.

I will note give up.

Never.

Not until my face is white from tiredness.

Not until my eyes cannot see,

my ears cannot hear

or my fangs cannot bite.

I have the shape of an animal

but the true soul of a warrior.

I shall not die this easy

not until I have fought my very last battle.

She took a step forward, her paws aching from having ran so much during the past hours. She gasped for air and felt blood drip between her fangs. She licked it with pleasure. Somehow she really enjoyed the taste of blood and her own was no exception to that rule. It was sweet and at the same time a little bit salty with just the exact viscosity. She could smell the red liquid from kilometers and it always made her drool in anticipation.

Tiredness had taken her hostage and every move her body made ache in ways she could have never imagined. This was a complete new level of pain. But still it wasn't enough to beat her. Her current state would have killed many others. Her almost blue fur was stained with blood which came out from the uncountable wounds over her body, one of her pointy ears- to be precise the left one- looked half eaten. But she was still breathing. She was still moving.

While trying to keep on going she stepped on a root and tripped in a way that would have made her laugh if it was not her the one to have fallen. Her whole body hit the snow staining it with dark red patches. She laughed. She never expected that battle to leave her in such a despicable state. She could have beaten them one by one, but the numbers were harsh on her. Fighting around twenty bastards at the same time was too much. Even for her. The were probably looking for her right now. Following the crimson trail she had left. It was just a matter of time before they found and killed her.

She felt a presence, but it was not of those who had harmed her. This presence gave her some kind of peace she could not clearly understand. A smell sweeter than sugar filled her nostrils. This odor was even better than the one of blood. Without noticing, she was still laughing.

"I am really sorry but I don't happen to find a reason for you to be laughing in such sad circumstances. I think you may be about to die" the accented voice was sweet and tender but had a particular pitch that caused the injured female twitch. "Who might this interesting girl be?" asked the voice, making a weird emphasis in the fourth word. She was not going to answer her, of course, giving information about herself would only bring her even more trouble.

"None of your business" she managed to say, feeling once again the sweet flavor of the crimson liquid coming out from her mouth at every word she said. She licked her snout and snorted.

"I was wondering if you would like some help?" the voice said once again with that sweet tone. She thought for a while if she should accept such a nice offer. She was, after all, at the verge of dying and if she wanted to take revenge she had to regain her strength. There seemed to be no hidden intentions behind the voice's words, they sounded pretty honest.

"Help would be appreciated" the flavor engulfed her once again as blood stained the snow over which she was resting her head. The feeling of it became less pleasurable.

"I would like you name before if you wouldn't mind giving it to me" it was a simple request in exchange of a chance to continue being alive. Such a strange creature had come to her aid. Just a name for your life. She smiled vaguely as she answered.

"Natsuki, I'm Natsuki" the words left her throat naturally, as if the other one should have already known her name. Without being requested to, the voice answered with its own name.

"I'm Shizuru, nice to meet you Natsuki" the voice became a body and when she managed to raise her head enough to catch a glimpse of the one who had offered her help, Natsuki noticed it was a beautiful Irish Setter who was standing in front of her. Her silky brown hair was long enough to hide most of her body and she had red eyes that showed a kind of strength that Natsuki had never seen in her life. The Setter lowered her face and looked directly into her green eyes, she shivered. "Let me carry you"

Natsuki was not fully aware of how but somehow she ended up riding the back of the other dog. She felt sorry for such a beautiful fur to be stained with her blood. How the heck was she able to carry me in such a way? Even if the Setter looked so beautiful and graceful, she was also really strong and she could feel her muscles constricting with every step she took. They were moving really fast actually and it was surprising the brown creature could move so quickly carrying her on her back.

"Is Natsuki all right?" she asked, once again with that accented voice that caused the alluded one to shiver.

"Yes" she answered and suddenly everything began to vanish. Fade to black. Was I really this tired? She thought as she felt how all her strength disappeared. She realized the warmth from that other dog's body under her was comforting. It actually felt really good to be carried that way. No one had ever been so kind to her. Why was that stranger so nice with her? It was strange, but she didn't doubt the Setter's intentions. Natsuki had the feeling her intentions were sincere.

Shizuru seemed like a nice bitch.

..........................

She woke up to the sound of a voice, a very angry voice. It sounded like an elderly male and for the way he spoke he was probably the leader. She couldn't actually understand his words, she was in some kind of cave and the sound reached her almost like a murmur. She opened her eyes slowly and as the image that she perceived became clearer she felt something warm in her. That Shizuru girl had really exceeded her expectations.

Natsuki was in a cave filled with skins of some kind of animal, probably a bear, and she was extremely comfortable. All her wounds were covered by some kind of ointment that had managed to stop the bleeding and completely erase her pain. She missed the smell and taste of blood but she had to admit the odor emanated by the medicine was not bad either, it reminded her of Shizuru.

The screams coming from outside the cave took the voice of the girl she had met a while ago and the black furred creature felt the urge to stand up and find out what was going on outside. More and more screams, they became violent. And then she heard one that was more of a cry and recognized that it was Shizuru. She ran outside and she could finally understand what the voices were discussing.

"SHIZURU DO NOT TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I'M YOUR FATHER AND THE LEADER OF FUKA!" a huge dog was shouting at the young Setter spitting at every word and with a tone of anger that could scare many who could be called brave. He looked a lot like Shizuru, but his fur was not as silky and it as not pure brown but white with a few dark spots. Scars were all over his body.

"Father try to understand, I could not leave her there dying!!" answered the red eyed. Natsuki came to the realization she was the reason the father and daughter were having this intense argument. She looked directly at Shizuru and saw a cut in her chest, just next to her front leg. It was bleeding. Natsuki was very angry at the old man for having hurt the one who saved her life but she thought it was better not to intrude.

"Have you even looked at that bitch? She's a half wolf! We cannot have one of her kind among our pack" he had calmed down a little bit and stepped on the floor with all his strength, thrusting through the snow. He raised his paw and placed it in another place, Natsuki saw the deep footprint the leader had left.

"Father, you must not judge Natsuki just because of that!"

"You talk as if you really knew her... We cannot trust a wolf"

Natsuki felt goosebumps. She had always been told she looked like an average black-blue dog. The wolfs said she was too much of a dog and now the dogs said she was too much of a wolf. Her identity was a mystery even for herself. She had to say something.

"Leader, if I would be allowed to talk I would like to tell you that right now I am going to make a bow" she had just realized not only the two Setters were in the scene, but about fifty more dogs. All of the eyes were fixed in her. They were judging her, for sure. Wondering how was a female so injured and how was she able to even stand up, wondering if she was really half wolf, if she was going to try to kill them. "I swear loyalty to Shizuru who saved my life. I shall do anything she asks, even resign to my own life"

"Natsuki..." whispered the female Irish Setter.

"Well, half wolf, with such a promise how could I refuse. I see there might be some use for a bitch like you" he turned to his daughter and snorted, there was something he found funny and the black furred one found it pretty irritating. "Shizuru, your slave" he said finally and burst into laughter. Natsuki could see that there was a gesture of hatred upon the young one's eyes. She was certainly angry but quickly built up that smile of hers and answered to her father with all the respect that he expected.

"Thank you, father" she said bowing her head. Natsuki felt an unknown pain in her chest watching the red eyed doing such a gesture in front of whom she had perceived as despicable.

"You are dismissed" said the leader and turned around. Shizuru walked towards Natsuki and smiled at her. The half wolf followed her with interrogation in her eyes that was soon noticed by the Setter.

"My father, Gohei, is the leader of the Fuka pack. We are one of the strongest packs in Japan. My father is old and is now sterile so without a son I will be the one that becomes leader when he dies. I underwent an extreme training for the last two years... He's strict but he has managed the pack in an admirable way" Shizuru spoke calmly, like trying to make sure Natsuki understood the situation and would not think of her as a weakling. That thought could not be more distant from what the black furred was thinking. She had her mind set on Shizuru's chest and the fresh wound bleeding there.

"Did he do that to you?" she asked, pointing towards the cut with her nose. Shizuru nodded.

"You may not be able to see through all my fur, but I have plenty of scars due to my father's short temper"

"I won't let him hurt you again" Natsuki said, with a cold glimpse in her green eyes. Shizuru giggled.

"Natsuki is too sweet with me. I see no reason for you show such dedication in what refers to me..." she was interrupted by the half wolf, who replied with a growl.

"You saved my life. I will protect you for as long as I can. I was thought that was the correct thing to do. However, I may have to leave in some time but I swear that as soon as I finish that business I will be with you" she talked in a way that was too gentle for fer, but she felt very calm when next to the red eyed. She had intended to get her revenge and take over the wolfs, but now she had a debt to pay. A life for a life.

"Then I have earned myself a wolf" Natsuki moved her head in rejection of the term.

"Half wolf" she said. Shizuru nodded.

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Author Notes:

So that's it. I already have a list with every character of Mai Hime and the breed that every character will be. However I would appreciate if you could, along with a nice review, give me advice on that matter.

So please, tell me if this story may have future.

Thanks for reading :)