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A/N: I was introduced to this movie by a friend in 2009, and somehow it recently surfaced in my mind as something I wanted to revisit. So I made rewatching it my reward for a week of goals. I achieved my goals, got sushi and watched Arashi no Yoru ni for the second time… and it clung to my heart.

This second time, I couldn't shake it off. I watched the entire 3D kids' series, dumbness and all, and the story was still settled happily in my heart. I looked at art and read all the fanfic I could find, which wasn't enough. I told a friend I was doubting the wisdom of writing fanfiction for a thirteen-year-old movie without a huge following, but he said if I wanted to write it, I should write it, and not worry about who might care to read it. And after a few days of wavering, I gave in.

The stories I like best are the ones that seem just a little incomplete to me. In other cases, it feels right to flesh things out or explore alternate timelines. But here, a simple continuation seemed best, so that's what I present. I hope you enjoy it. I'm planning to post a new chapter every Monday.

Oh—and please leave comments! I love getting comments, even if they're on things you didn't like. The more comments I get, the more likely I'll be to see this through to conclusion. :-)

Well, this was it. This was forever.

There was something about the endless blue sky and the endless lands it dappled that seemed to contain a question. Mei had always wondered what that question was, let alone what kind of answer it might have. It was something along the lines of, What is it all good for? Or possibly, Where does it all lead? But when he'd asked these questions of his mother as a kid, he'd known they were wrong as soon as they'd left his mouth. His mother had smiled and rubbed him with her forehead as she tried to make sense of her child's wonderings.

The search for a question had stuck in his rumen all his life, even when he wasn't thinking about it. These days, the question was more like, Where does forever lead? It was a form of the mystery Mei was comfortable with. But the idea the mystery existed in the first place made him open-minded. It had kept him from running at a certain pivotal moment, a moment in the clear of day when nine out of ten goats would have turned tail and run, but Mei had hesitated and thought about the mysteries life had to offer. And now, months after that amazingly unlikely encounter, Mei was starting to feel at last, to his surprise, like he had not just a grasp of the sky's question, but even the first inklings of what the answer might be.

There were meadows outside his cave with no trace of the life he'd known. None of the strongest, most familiar scents. The full moon was down beneath his hooves somewhere, conducting its journey beneath the land, and the sky was brightening in the dawn. But in the cave behind him, a wolf slept, and the presence of that wolf was everything.

This was where forever led. And that snoozing wolf was the reason this place was a step on the path to forever.

"This is the first day of forever," said Mei to himself, so quietly the rising sun couldn't hear. He drew a deep breath and started tentatively to muse about what, exactly, that might mean.

ARASHI NO KANATA: BEYOND THE STORM

PART I: ALONE AT LAST

"It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf."
—Thomas Fuller

The 1st Morning

"Good morning, Mei!"

Mei looked back, as if he needed some kind of confirmation that his companion was really himself, that he hadn't reverted to his amnesiac state in the night. As if the tone of his voice didn't make that perfectly clear. There he was, chipper as ever, graced with a huge smile despite the menacing length of his snout. "Good morning, Gabu."

The wolf left their cave as if climbing into the world; then, once he had his balance, he bounded over. Mei's hair blew in the gust thus created, and he told himself he was wincing at this, not at the sudden approach of a predator. Mei's winces weren't very big anymore. "How's things? How's the grass? Is it tasty as ever?"

The truth was, the grass here wasn't as delicious as it had been at home. Sawa Sawa Mountain was a special place—there were reasons Mei's old herd lived at its foot. This place over the mountain had thinner grass—less lush, and with strange flavors grown in. But it wasn't bad, really—and the flowers here were amazing. "Tastier," he replied. "I couldn't enjoy much of anything when I thought you were gone."

Gabu slumped. Mei knew he was still taking in the weight of his recent experiences—fighting for his life, triggering an avalanche, believing himself about to die. He'd forgotten his memories—Mei couldn't imagine what kind of suffering might bring on something like that. His friend seemed to be all right, but it would be a while before either of them could be sure. And in the meantime, they would have other problems to deal with.

"I'm sorry, Mei. I wish I could have arrived here together with you. Think how grand that would have been—coming together through the snow and seeing that amazing valley!"

It would have been wonderful, yes, but not all the best moments in life are ones we get to live. "That's true. But what matters is that we're together now."

"We are!" There was so much joy still fresh in Gabu's voice. "We really are, aren't we? And no one is going to try to make us split apart!"

Mei imagined the birds or squirrels pooling up their courage and coming forward to make a complaint. "No, I think we're all right. So long as there aren't any more wolf packs around here… I think we'll be fine."

Gabu planted his haunches back and took in a deep, almost greedy breath through his nose. At last he let it out. "I don't smell any other wolves!"

"Neither do I. We're safe!"

The wolf seized Mei up and swung him around, dancing. "We're safe!" he echoed. The irony was that Mei hadn't been ready for the embrace and couldn't help but flail his legs. But that was just reflex. He knew he could trust Gabu with his whole self. He hugged back and shut his eyes.

As sure as the rising sun, Gabu set Mei gently down, unharmed aside from a little dizziness. "You should show me around, Mei! You know where everything is…"

Mei smiled. "I'd be glad to. I've already seen most of the features nearby… but it'll be like seeing them again, now that you're here."

And sure enough, everything in their little domain seemed to have more color, more vibrancy, more importance, now that Mei was no longer alone.

The 1st Evening

Gabu yawned as he padded back to the cave, Mei steadfastly at his side. He was getting used to being up all day and sleeping all night, though it wasn't easy. They'd agreed to try to keep the same schedule, which was worlds better than trying to carve little snippets of time out together while off living different lives. Gabu's pack had always been more active during the day than most, so it made sense for him to adapt. On some level he realized that he needed more sleep than Mei did, but he wasn't letting it show through. This was a new life, and it called for an endless supply of energy!

Still, he couldn't help yawning after a long trek like this. They'd seen everything! New forests, flatter than the ones they were used to, with fragrant berries and trees neither of them knew the names for. The regions were smaller here, with no truly vast meadows or craggy expanses. One type of land gave way briskly to another on this side of the mountain, which made it feel like a place for small families. Just right for a pair like them.

It seemed like Mei was similarly happy to show Gabu around. But as they walked homeward, ready to turn in, he seemed melancholy. Gabu wondered if he should ask why. Maybe it would be better to stay quiet and let his friend have his space. After all, if they were going to be together most of the time from now on, it was important to let Mei have his own thoughts, wasn't it?

It turned out that forbearance wasn't needed, though. Mei spoke on his own. "Gabu?"

"Mmm?" It was all he could do not to respond with a fond 'Yes, Mai?'

"Do you miss your pack?"

The question felt something like a lightning strike, far above. Scary, but not too scary to handle, not anymore. "Mm… I'm not sure yet. It hasn't been all that long, and I don't remember all the time I've spent away from them."

Mei stared ahead as he strode. "I miss my grandmother. And my friends… I thought about them last night. I was lying there with you, but I was thinking of them."

"That's okay, Mei!" It wasn't like Gabu was going to get jealous of memories.

The goat looked him in the eyes. Wow—there was still such power there. Gabu wondered if he'd ever get used to the full force of Mei's attention. "It's strange… knowing I probably won't ever see them again. Mina… and Tapper, and everyone… my whole life is different. It was all taken away."

"Ohh. I'm sorry, Mei!"

A smile came. "It's okay! I made the right decision. We made the right decision. But…"

"They meant a lot to you," Gabu finished.

A glum nod. "I'm still taking in everything I've lost. Every day… every hour, I remember another thing I'll never do again, or another place I'll never go."

How was Gabu supposed to respond to that? It made him sad, and now he was starting to remember his own relationships… though the most motivating aspect of his life, if he was being honest, hadn't been any of his packmates—it had been his ambition to rise in status within the pack. Life had been one big, exciting game which it seemed Gabu couldn't do anything but lose… but lately—before meeting Mei—he'd been losing less! And eating more. And… oh, now his stomach was growling again. Stupid appetite.

"Do you have anyone you'll miss?" Mei asked. "Anyone from your pack?"

"I do," he admitted. "There was a girl I liked. I was… I think I was starting to get her to like me back. Or… maybe she liked me the whole time, and I was just starting to see it!" Distance suddenly made Gabu's perspective very stark.

"Was it Lala?" Oh, right-they'd discussed Gabu's feelings for her once or twice before.

"That's right. She… it was obvious she was special. You could see it at a glance… the way she moved, the way she treated people… I never figured out what was special about her, aside from being the beta's sister, but that was the joy of it! And…" He almost stopped moving for a moment as he realized. "I think she saw something special in me too."

"Well, you are very special," said Mei, giving Gabu a friendly glance.

"Why… thank you? I guess I must be special, or I wouldn't be here."

"Unless it was just fate that you happened to be caught in the same storm I was, in the same place!"

He had to wonder. "Do you think any other wolf would have done the same as I did, in the same situation?"

Mei switched his tail up diagonally. "Do you?"

Gabu couldn't say he hadn't thought about it. "No," he admitted.

"Why do you sound so sad? You're special. Where others would have seen only a meal, you saw a friend."

And now look where it's gotten me, he wanted to reply. But that was a horrible notion; he banished it from his head with a jerk. "I wonder what Lala would have done, if she'd been the one you met in that barn."

Mei studied his face carefully. "I wonder, too."

They arrived at their hilltop cave and lay down outside. Close enough to dart within if danger or bad weather struck. Safe and healthy. Lords of their little domain.

"I wish I could have known her," said Mei. "Isn't it strange how we haven't told each other anything about the people we knew? We talk about everything else, but never that."

Gabu reflected. "I guess I didn't want to remind you that I came from a pack, not a herd."

"I may have felt the same way," said Mei. "But I almost want to think that, even back when this all started… I realized that I wouldn't be able to stay with them."

Gabu's eyes went wide. "You realized even back then what would happen?"

The goat reflected. "I don't know… I think it was just a feeling that I was on my way somewhere."

Huh. Gabu gave this idea the silence it was due before asking: "Where did you think you were off to, Mei?"

Mei shrugged, looking over the meadow. "Somewhere different than where I came from."

That was all he said, and it was all Gabu needed him to say. He rested his snout on his forepaws, relaxed, and thought wistfully about the place he'd come from.

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One last note: I'm not sure the translation "Arashi no Mukou e" is correct. I'd like to include the Japanese as part of the official title. If anyone speaks Japanese-what might the title "Beyond the Storm" work out to?