A/N: This is a companion piece to "Hit Me Again," but either one can be read without the other. Includes slash if you squint.

We can has moar meta crack with crossovers, but Bones eated - er, owns Wolf's Rain. References to and quotes from Scrubs, Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, etc. all belong to their respective owners, as well. Tsume the Mexican has appeared in a couple of fics 'round the Pit now... Hmm... Pay no attention to that fourth wall behind the curtain.

"What the hell are you?"

"I'm the Todd!"

-Scrubs, "My Lunch"

"Hey, Blue?" The gray wolf motioned her away for a moment. This paradise would only last but the space of a thought, but while they were here it seemed like all the time in the world. For now, it was.

"I trust you'll keep it short." Hige was safe here, without the collar, without pain. She intended to enjoy it while it lasted.

"Yeah," he grunted. Those golden eyes kept drifting between a pair of small redheads that circled each other curiously, warily. Toboe had always loved humans, and Blue doubted that anything would really hurt them here, but old habits died hard. Old beliefs died harder, especially when there was more than a little truth to them. "Just out of curiosity, do you know why the hell they keep thinking I'm Mexican?" The scarred – even here, even in paradise; it appeared to be so deep a part of his psyche that Blue wondered if he ever forgave himself for anything - gray turned his nose in the direction of the vague forms that twisted and danced at the edge of the horizon like an aurora seen through glass.

"Because Ishvalans with partial Xervian ancestry are so rare," Blue said, inwardly proud that she'd managed to keep a straight face. Well, more or less.

He snorted. "You get 'Latina.' I get Mexican. Go figure."

"Hey, from what I hear, Mexican apple thieves are a very sexy image in some parts." Blue shrugged.

"What do apples have to do with anything?"

Blue didn't answer, but tossed him two ripe red ones from a nearby tree. "You tell me. Go get 'em, tiger." She pulled off another pair and took a bite out of one, licking the juice from her lips and shining the other with her scarf. Hige always said the things could be very addictive…

"Hello. Who are you?" Toboe offered a slow wag of his tail. No matter what happened, his granny had taught him to be polite, and there was no harm in being kind to strangers. Tsume and Pops had taught him that there was no harm in displaying a bit of power, either. You just never knew.

The boy's blue eyes widened, and he clutched a fallen branch to his chest as if to ward Toboe off. "You're a wolf."

It had hurt worse, coming from Leara. By now, Toboe had expected it, even if he would never be able to shrug those fearful expressions off like Hige did, or ignore them like Kiba. Maybe that was why their white alpha was so prone to attack: what saddened Toboe and what Hige laughed off made Kiba angry, and he wouldn't yell or growl like Tsume did to release frustration.

Where was Kiba, anyway? Had he and Cheza made it?

"This is a wolf's paradise. If you're here, it probably means that you're a wolf or you're very special to a wolf," Toboe explained, trying to be gentle. These were simple facts. From Tsume, the same sentences would have probably made the boy feel stupid.

The gray was lounging on the far side of the apple tree, not yet comfortable with his death. Toboe could understand. He wasn't entirely at ease with it, either, even if it meant that they could be together again, something he'd never thought possible.

The boy waved the branch uncertainly before him, his eyes flitting around the meadow as if he were looking for someone as well. He wasn't comfortable with what he saw. All the others around were wolves, save for Granny, and she was asleep with her knitting in her lap. "As prey?" he asked fearfully.

"Probably not. I'm not hungry." Maybe seeing another human face would put the boy at ease. Toboe put up his projection, letting the boy get used to seeing a young man where a brown wolf had once stood.

"Leaves more for me, then." Tsume had claimed human form as well, after some unheard conversation with Blue, tossing one of the apples he carried at the boy, who dropped his stick and rushed to embrace the taller man. "I didn't miss the catfight, did I?"

"Catfight?" Toboe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Tsume," the boy sighed in relief, nuzzling closer. "I thought I was alone among wolves out here. I missed you. I should've held on, but I just saw something that scared me and I couldn't-"

"Gehl, shut up." Tsume put a hand against his mouth, stilling the flow of words. He didn't push the boy away. "Gehl, this is Toboe. Runt, Shorty. I'm not going to apologize, and I'm not making excuses." The dark fingers left Gehl's jaw, which remained open. They reached for Toboe's shoulder. The other arm was around Gehl. "I don't blame you if you're mad, but I'm a sucker for suicidally brave, hopelessly optimistic idiots with big mouths, and I'm not ashamed of it."

Toboe stepped into the embrace, giving Gehl a scrutinizing look. There was a gap between his front teeth. "Give us some time. We may get along very well."

The small human had curled up tighter against Tsume, his head brushing against the fading scar on the chest, willing to risk the wolf he knew when faced with Toboe's considering smile. "The way you say that, I wonder if I shouldn't prefer a catfight," Tsume muttered.

"Be careful with that word," Toboe cautioned him.