Description The Wolf's Rain gang finds itself inside of a darker, more anarchaic society. Rated M mostly for everything. Graphic violence, sex, drugs, (rock and roll,) probably heavy and explicit yaoi in later chapters, if I feel like it. This is my first story...I'm so excited!

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Wolf's Rain and its characters, but I do not. Oh well.

Night's Splendour

Part One

A multi-colored police car drove by the alley slowly, images of gang signs and curse words emblazoned onto the side in cheap spray paint. The reeking smell of alcohol seeped through the cracks in the window, and the haze of smoke inside masks the driver's face. It didn't matter. The driver was not a cop, as he was dead in the back seat of the vehicle. "It's too bad you're staining up your car, old man." The drunken teenager's cackle faded away as it passed the desolate space by.

In the alley, there is a young boy crouched behind a dumpster. He is hiding in the dark from cars such as these, as well as any other type of civilization. What am I doing here? he asks himself. I wish I could just shrivel up and die. There is no place for him to run; no-one to make friends with. He has always been different from the rest of the street-rats, and it would always be that way.

An alley-cat bolted by the boy, startling him. As soon as it disappeared around the corner, a sickening crunch resonated throughout the cold street. A torn and ragged man stepped from the shadows holding the limp animal. In seeing this, the young boy's stomach heaved and he pushed out of the alley, past the homeless wretch who was already tearing into the dead creature. "Survival of the fittest, boy!" croaked the old man. "Survival of the fittest!"

The boy's long, auburn hair flowed behind him as he sprinted away from the scene. He flashed past each streetlight, faster and faster until their dim glows became a steady strobe of illumination. He felt the twinges of the beginning of a side-ache, but then realized that it was his own vomit trying to escape his stomach. Leaning over a trashcan, he emptied the remains of the previous garbage into the barrel. Oh, that bitter taste that came at least twice a week. It's too bad that the lad could never find any normal food, or else he might be able to live without constant pain for a short while. The pain of hunger; the pain of homelessness; the pain of loneliness...these were always burdening the poor kid. Especially the lonesome pain.

Walking away from the trashcan that held the still-steaming remnants of lunch, the boy continued to walk. Head down, tears streaming down his face still, he passed from his territory into the more occupied ghetto. Here, it was known as Central City, where the worst of humankind was brought out in every single person. Dodging past the grip of a freshly-bleeding man, the boy walked briskly past the perverts who would do anything to get their hands on him. A few already had prostitutes rotating on top of their hips. Gaunt, bruised bodies gyrated to the only rhythm that they could ever keep. In contrast, the boy's fair, clear skin and slender frame would provide a real treat to any sicko that got a hold of him. That is why he continued to avert his beautiful hazel eyes from their gaze. After passing the sex ring, he bounded up a fire stairway to the top of the buildings. Looking down, he surveyed the world that he lived in. A knife fight was currently at hand to his left, where he could hear the sound of both clothing and flesh being ripped and slashed. He hated his acute sense of hearing, as well as smell and sight. He hated being able to pick up every single detail that was going on around him. Suddenly, one of the men pulled a gun from his pants. The boy covered his ears tightly as three gunshots exploded. The wall behind the victim was splattered with crimson as he slumped to the ground. Sirens blared when the young boy jumped from rooftop to rooftop, away from the scene of the crime.

At the third roof, the boy's foot caught a gutter and he plummeted towards the ground. Slamming to a halt, he slowly rose. The clear bracelets on his right forearm jangled musically when he stood up. A sharp pain jabbed at his side once he tried to move, but it was only a cracked rib. Nothing to worry about. The boy limped slightly out of Central City, and passed in the shadows in order to protect from potential predators. He continued to walk towards his final destination; a little oasis of light cut through the black roads, and the boy quickened his pace in order to reach the shelter safely. The young boy's brisk walk turned into a light jog, which in turn became a fast run. He made it about seven more steps until he collapsed onto the pavement, clutching his side. The same rib was now broken, but that didn't really matter either. He was almost there, and then he could take all of the time he needed to heal. Grimacing with pain, he continued to walk quickly towards the light.

A flash appeared from the shadows.

As the boy saw the man sprint towards him, he launched straight up into the air. He wasn't quick enough.

The man grabbed one ankle and swung the boy like a baseball bat, sending him straight into a collision course for the nearby wall. The boy's breath was totally knocked out of him as he smashed into the wall and slid to the ground. He was temporarily blinded in agony, and grabbed at his side once more. This time, his fingers came away slippery with his own blood. The broken rib had pierced through his side, and was now sticking from him like a needle put in a pincushion backwards. He crawled backward away from the stench of the man, and recovered his sight in time to see that the monster was already on top of him. The boy grunted as the man grabbed at his crotch and licked his face. Tears streamed down the boy's face for the second time that day. "Leave me ALONE! Get the hell off of me!"

The man suddenly stopped. He stopped groping, tasting, and…moving. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his grip loosened. He fell away from the terrified boy to the ground, and behind him stood a young teenager.

"That's funny, I got him with his own knife." The teen's eyebrows raised when he saw the boy. "Oi, are you alright?" The boy whimpered and scooted backwards on the ground. "Hey, I'm not going to do anything to you. Are you okay? Did he…you know…" The boy sniveled. "No," he replied. "You…got here before…" "Hey, it's okay. I don't normally help people, but you looked different." The two boys' eyes locked, and both realized that they shared a special trait. "So where were you running to, anyways?" The teenager helped him off the ground. "That's a pretty nasty wound you got there." The younger boy looked at his gash, and said, "It doesn't really bother me." The teenager smiled. "Liar."

The two boys walked side by side towards the oasis, with the younger one leaning on the teenager for support. "So this is where you were headed. Huh. Looks decent, I guess." "Decent?" retorted the younger boy. "Decent? This is the safest place that I know in this god-forsaken hellhole!" The teenager stutter-stepped, surprised. "Well, if it means that much to you then I could probably check it out. But if this is the safest place you know, you haven't gone very far, have you?" he chuckled. The younger boy grumbled to himself while the teenager laughed. The two approached the gates of the lighted haven.

"Name?" queried the woman behind the tinted glass. It was probably bullet-proof. The teenager replied first. "Well, I'm Hige. And this is…" "Toboe," murmured the younger boy. "My name is Toboe."

A/N: Be kind! I'll take any and all constructive criticism.