AN: Thank you so much to ShushIt, CometGlider007 and DREAMER1084 for their kind comments! Hope you like this chapter too! =3
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Chapter 2
The night was dark, the weak three day moon hidden behind a thick curtain of clouds, and Yu thanked the Lord for the lousy streetlights in Inaba. With any luck he'd make it back to the Dojima house without being seen.
He skulked in the shadows, belly low to the ground, ears flat against his head, tail tucked neatly between his legs. Almost there! Thank God all the neighbours seemed to be in for the night.
He edged furtively around the side of the wall, finally reaching the Dojima's garden. Thank the Lord! And curse himself for being so bloody stupid!
After making plans for tomorrow, the four friends had parted ways, heading home. Yosuke had given a cheerful wave as he left, and though he'd looked happy enough, Yu's wolf had sensed a faint hint of underlying sadness.
It hadn't been very strong, but Yu hadn't wanted to let Yosuke leave alone when he'd felt it. His wolf had urged him to protect the other boy, to keep him happy and safe. He'd suppressed the urge; it was things like that, stalking somebody he'd just met, that scared the humans away.
So, instead of trailing after the other boy like he wanted to, he headed along the main street. The sun was still shining, glinting off of the shop windows, and the occasional car's bonnet. It was way too nice of a day to simply go straight home. He'd decided to check out some of the shops, but there wasn't really much to look at. More shops seemed to be closed than actually functioning as businesses.
Apart from a few interesting finds in the book shop, which he'd bought and stashed in his schoolbag, he'd been sadly disappointed. There had only been one other place to catch his eye, a weird store with what looked like armour out the front. Yu wondered if it was some sort of Japanese tourist store, but doubted Inaba saw many visitors.
When he'd peered in the window he'd been met by an angry glare from the owner, who'd been standing behind the counter with his arms crossed. If he did go in there, and the guy keep glaring at him like that, his wolf would pick a fight for sure. He walked away, hoping to keep out of trouble. Maybe now he could understand why everyone enjoyed the city life. What did humans do in the country?
And now what was he supposed to do? There didn't seem to be anything. He supposed he could go look at the shrine or something…
He was just outside the torii gates when he realised that there was something else he could do. There was nothing at all beyond the closed bike shop further down the street. Nothing, that was, but open, grassy hills. Beyond that he could see a thick row of trees, hopefully concealing a whole forest.
Yu felt his spine tingle in anticipation. It couldn't hurt to try shifting now, could it? His uncle had told him he was allowed to explore, and he hadn't said anything about confining his escapades to after dark. Yu started past Tatsumi textiles, mind racing.
Happy and excited, Yu dashed across the empty road, heading for the small clump of trees just on the other side. He shrugged out of his school bag, stashing it behind one of the trees, figuring nobody would want to steal it anyway. Then he'd headed further away from Inaba.
When he was finally out of sight from the town, he was so excited his ears and tail were just about ready to pop out on their own. He stopped, taking a deep breath. This couldn't be too hard. After all, one of the biggest problems he'd suffered in the city was trying to keep his wolf in, not letting it out.
It only took one gentle, testing nudge, and his body was rippling, ready to go. Yu felt his chest swell with excitement, just before he landed on his stomach on the side of the dry, grassy hill.
Oops… He hadn't exactly meant to shift just yet, there was something he had to do first, though he couldn't seem to remember what…
A full body shift felt so unusual, much different from anything he'd done before. Within seconds of hitting the ground, he was barely conscious, body wriggling and bulging. He was only vaguely aware when his arms and legs began to change, feeling as though he were suspended in some peculiar dream.
When he properly came to, it was to the hideous sensation of having his throat wrung and his chest and legs bound. Yu tried to rub his neck, bringing his hands up to… Oh shit! He'd forgotten he no longer had hands!
His large silver paws scrabbled frantically, catching on something. Furiously, Yu ripped the offending item from his aching throat, taking big gasps of clean, pure air. It seemed like he'd never get enough oxygen into his lungs.
He turned his strange new head to take a look at his attacker, ears back in trepidation… and almost died of mortification. Ripped white fabric lay scattered on the ground, all that remained of his school shirt collar. His trousers had just sort of slipped off when he'd started struggling, and vestiges of his shirt were still stubbornly clinging to his body, though it seemed most of the buttons had pinged off at some point.
Yu hung his large, angular head in shame. Even little Nanako probably knew that shifting in a full outfit was pretty stupid. How was he going to look his uncle in the eye after this? Had anyone else ever made such an embarrassing mistake? And, oh God, image if he'd died! Suffocated by his own uniform. What sort of a wolf was he?
Yu let a huff of air out through his new, wet nose. Sitting around feeling like a jackass wasn't achieving anything. He'd been waiting for this moment since he was a kid, dreaming of his first shift for years. Now that the time was here he'd be damned if it went to waste. Even if he was looking sort of ridiculous.
Tentatively, Yu stood, awkward on his four paws, slowly strolling off to explore. The ground felt so strange under his bare paws, and it was sort of difficult to get all his legs to do what he wanted them to. It was so weird.
At one point he'd come to a shallow river. It was only a few feet across, and so he'd decided to jump it. Unfortunately, his back legs had wanted to do their own thing, and he'd landed in the middle of the stream. The sensation of standing in the running water was actually a very pleasant one, and he wasn't in a hurry to get out.
After he'd gotten used to his knew body he'd had a blast. Just running, feeling the wind ripple trough his damp fur, was wonderful. His shirt cuffs had gotten constricting, until he'd stopped and ripped them off with his very impressive fangs. He'd also caught track of a few different scents in the trees beyond the hills he'd started on. He had stalked a little family of wild boars for a while, unable and unwilling to do anything other than watch the cute little creatures root around, when he caught another scent.
This one was different, sending his wolf senses big alarm bells. Yu was sure it belonged to some sort of predator, but his wolf was way too new to identify it. It had to be dangerous, though; his wolf wanted him to flee, not fight for dominance. Taking the worrying scent and quickly darkening sky as his cue, Yu turned tail and returned home…
Which had led to this sad moment; his sorry, muddy wolf trying to sneak back to the Dojima house unnoticed.
He headed to the back door, whining miserably, hoping that someone was still up. He suddenly realised he had absolutely no idea what time it was. He lifted his paw, scratching gently at the door as he let out a mournful woof.
Relief rolled off of him in waves when he heard the door unbolt. Nanako opened the door a fraction, but it was obviously still on the safety latch.
"Is that you, Big Bro?" she whispered carefully, peering through the tiny gap in the door.
All of a sudden Yu realised how cold it had gotten. He wanted desperately to get into the light silhouetting the little girl and slipping through the gap. He whined slowly, trying to nod his head awkwardly in answer to Nanako's question.
Nanako looked at him, sniffing the air cautiously, obviously checking for a familiar scent. Then her face broke into a smile, and she stood on tiptoe to unhook the safety latch. As soon as she had the door open Yu shot inside, the artificial light making everything seem strangely yellow.
Nanako gasped.
"Big Bro… What happened to your uniform?" she asked, surprised. Some rather tenacious rags still clung to his matted fur.
Yu snuffed irritably, unable to answer her with anything other than a growl or bark. He trotted off, head butting the bathroom door open and then closed behind him. After another few awkward minutes, he was standing in the shower, naked, tattered rags in the bin, soaping the mud off with enthusiasm.
When he left the bathroom, towel around his waist, he ran upstairs to throw on a comfy old pair of pyjamas before heading back so he could apologise to Nanako. He found her kneeling in the living room, two steaming cups of tea placed on the low table, TV on some kids' channel.
He sat down on the cushion, grabbing a cup of the sugary, milky tea. Nanako was an angel.
"I can't make coffee as good as daddy does," she said, "but I can make milk tea."
"It's delicious," Yu said honestly. "Thank you."
"Big Bro, why did you come home as a wolf?" Nanako asked, nibbling her thumb nail, seemingly shy again.
Yu contemplated responses in his head, before remembering that she'd be able to smell if he was lying. Damn it.
"I'm such an idiot, Nanako," Yu lamented. "I shifted for the first time today, but I forgot to take my uniform off. I ended up destroying it! And then I fell in a river! And then I couldn't turn back into a human, or I'd have had to knock on the door in front of the neighbours, all muddy and naked."
Nanako stared at him silently, eyes wide, then burst into amused giggles. Yu found himself laughing too.
"Please don't tell your dad I was so silly," he said finally, glad he'd made her laugh. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Oh, that's right," Nanako said, sobering slightly. "He got called off to work again. I think something really bad happened."
"What do you mean? What does your dad do?" Yu asked. He'd never thought to ask yet.
"Daddy works with the police," Nanako said, sounding a little sad. "They always call him away, and make him do lots of stuff. And if it isn't them, it's the other wolves. Daddy's never home."
Wow. Yu hadn't expected that. It was no wonder Dojima was never home. How the hell was the man juggling such huge and taxing responsibilities as being a police officer and pack alpha. Still, it wasn't Nanako's fault her dad had bitten off more than he could chew.
"You're a pretty wolf, Big Bro," Nanako finally said. "Me and daddy are both brown wolves, but your silver fur is so lovely!" She was smiling again, Yu marvelled. How could she be so mature and selfless at her age?
He got up and walked around the table, sitting beside Nanako. She simply snuggled against him contentedly, and Yu chuckled when her ears and tail sprung out suddenly. They were the same chestnut colour of her hair.
Yu patted her head gently, giving her the contact that all wolves craved, scratching behind her ears. He wondered what she'd meant by 'something really bad happened', but he didn't want to bring it up again. He was sure if anything big happened he'd hear about it at school tomorrow anyway.
"I'm glad you're a wolf, too, Big Bro," Nanako mumbled happily, sounding a little drowsy. "It means I can change in front of you, and daddy can't get mad like usual."
"Your dad's just worried about you, Nanako," Yu assured her. "But your friends were right, your ears are adorable."
Her only response was a gentle snore. Yu smiled, checking the clock. It was almost 11:30. No wonder Nanako was so sleepy. He scooped her up gently, putting her to bed, before retiring to his own room. His first day in Inaba had been quite a day.
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"You better not have been bluffing about the steak, man," Chie warned cheerfully, flopping into one of the chairs surrounding their colourful, round table in the Junes food court.
"Calm down," Yosuke sighed, exasperated. "You'll get your steak. It's a new menu we're working on."
Hanging out at Junes could be good fun, but Yosuke was always waiting for somebody to try and put him to work. Still, it was sadly the best place to hang out in this sorry town. Sometimes Yosuke still longed for the city.
"Aww, seriously?" Chie moaned. "So, that's how it is. You're just using me as a guinea pig!"
"Yep," Yosuke agreed. He tried to get a glimpse of Yu without being too obvious. The guy was looking slightly tired, but otherwise just as good as Yosuke remembered him. They hadn't really had much chance to talk in class, and Yosuke was scared to stare too much in case his classmates caught him ogling another boy.
But damn! The guy was sexy. Yosuke was starting to wish he hadn't asked the girls along.
"This steak better be fantastic," Chie groused.
"Bet the girls at your last school were a lot nicer," Yosuke joked, looking at Yu.
Yu simply smiled in response, silver eyes looking into his. For some reason his gaze felt almost heavy, and Yosuke found himself getting hot.
"So, why did you show up late today?" Chie asked Yu, and both boys turned their gazes from each other reluctantly.
"I had to go get my bag before school," Yu answered, looking sheepish. "I was looking around in the book store yesterday and I left it behind."
"Really?" Chie asked. "I didn't really have you down as being such a scatterbrain. At least I've finally found someone as ditzy as me, huh, Yukiko?"
Yukiko stared at Chie slowly, looking a little out of it. She's been even more quiet and withdrawn today than Yosuke had ever seen her.
"What were you saying, Chie?" she asked.
"Yukiko… Are you sure you're okay? You're so pale today, and you keep spacing out on me. You must be getting sick."
"Oh, I'm fine, Chie. Really. It's just… did you see the news report last night… you know, the one about the announcer?" Yukiko asked, voice shaky and miserable.
"Yeah, I saw that," Yosuke said. "It was totally weird, huh?"
"I didn't see it," Yu added, "but everybody was talking about it in class today. She was murdered, right?"
"I dunno," Chie answered. "The police said she'd been all mauled, or something… Can you use a dog as a murder weapon?"
"That isn't even the point," Yosuke cut it. "If some guy had an animal kill her, how did he get the animal to her in the first place. If it really happened in a public place, someone's bound to have seen it. I mean, it had to have been a pretty damn big dog to do that sort of damage."
"I doubt it was a dog," Yu mused.
"Then what do you think it was?" Chie asked.
"It had to have been a werewolf," he said, voice serious, as though he were stating the obvious.
Yosuke looked at him, surprised. Yu was looking a little startled himself, like he'd said something he hadn't meant to.
"Are you trying to say werewolves are real? Nobody but a crazy person would believe that, dude," Yosuke finally answered. "It's a pretty lousy joke."
At Yosuke's words Chie's hand shot out, connecting with the back of Yu's head with a loud thwack.
"What the hell, Yu! A woman's dead! You shouldn't just sit there and make jokes!"
"I wasn't joking!" Yu grumbled, rubbing his head. "I just… I was just daydreaming or something, alright?"
"Fine," Chie said, looking slightly apologetic. "I'll let it slide this time."
"What do you mean you'll let it slide? You already hit me!"
Yosuke snorted at the pair of them. What the hell had Yu been thinking, though, to say something like that? Yosuke didn't think he'd said it as a joke, or to get a reaction. He'd looked like his mind was miles away, and he'd blurted something he hadn't meant to. So what the hell did that mean?
"Uhh, Yukiko?" Chie asked, her concerned tone grasping Yosuke's attention immediately.
Yukiko was standing now, visibly trembling. Her skin was sickly pale, and her dark eyes were wide, looking down as though in fear.
"I'm sorry, I have to go home," she said, voice weak.
"Hey, I'll walk you back," Chie said, standing.
"No," Yukiko answered. "I just want to be on my own right now. I'll call you tomorrow, Chie."
And with that, Yukiko was off, arms wrapped around herself despite the mild weather, black hair fanning out behind her.
Chie sat back down, looking bemused.
"Do you think she's just worried about the whole murder thing?" Yosuke asked, startled at Yukiko's behaviour.
"I dunno," Chie answered. "Yukiko can be really sensitive sometimes, but I've never seen her act like that…"
"I think you should call her tonight," Yu said, looking worried. "Just to make sure she's alright, you know."
"Yeah," Chie agreed. Everyone was quiet for a minute.
"Hey, it's the prince!" a cheerful voice said, snapping them out of their brooding.
Yosuke turned in his seat, seeing Saki, an upperclassman and work colleague, standing at their table. Yosuke smiled. Anyone else who called him that meant it as an insult, but he knew Saki didn't. She joked around sometimes, but she was actually quite sweet to him.
"Prince?" Yu asked, glancing at her.
"Huh? You didn't know?" Saki said, sounding surprised. "Little Yosuke here is heir to the Junes throne. His parents pretty much run this whole place."
Yosuke felt his cheeks heat. A lot of people were seriously angry at his family for their business venture, claiming that Junes was killing the local trade. Yosuke figured that if Junes hadn't opened then people would have just turned to online shopping or something. You couldn't expect people to be happy with so little variety, not in this day and age.
"Wow, I didn't know that," Yu mused. "My little cousin loves the advert for this place. She's even got me singing it. But I had no idea your family owned it."
Before Yosuke could think of something to say in response, another girl was approaching their table.
"Yosuke! Oh, thank God! Listen, I really need you to cover my shift today," she said hurriedly, already undoing her apron.
Yosuke sighed inwardly. This was the second time this week. He hated being a doormat, but the people in Inaba already hated him, so he usually ended up giving in when they asked him a favour. He knew deep down that covering shifts or being friendly wasn't going to change their hostility, but he still couldn't help caving, even if it did make him kind of spineless.
He didn't want to look like that today, though, not in front of Chie, and definitely not in front of Yu.
"I can't, Momoko," Yosuke answered weakly. He was already on the verge of giving in, though, and they both knew it. Damn it.
"Oh, come on! Please! My boyfriend got off work early, and we never get to spend any time together! Don't be so stingy!" She was wrapping a strand of her bleached hair around her fingers, obviously pissed, and Yosuke realised he'd lost again.
"Jeez, talk about pushy!" Saki said irritably.
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
"He said no, okay. He deserves time off, just like the rest of us," Saki stated firmly. "Now, what were you guys going to order?"
"I want the steak, the pork kebabs and some fries!" Chie started with relish, ignoring the other serving girl completely. After a particularly dirty glare at Saki, the girl moved off, retying her apron strings with a disgusted sigh.
"Heh, thanks Saki," Yosuke said, truly grateful.
"No problem," Saki smiled, patting his arm gently. "You remind me of my little brother, so I feel like watching out for you."
Yosuke felt his chest inflate, a warm feeling inside. He was honestly touched. He didn't have many people who cared about him. Even his parents were often too busy to be bothered with him. In reality, Chie and Yukiko were the only people he could count on. It was nice to think he could add Saki to that number.
He was surprised when he noticed Yu eyeing Saki carefully. What was that about? Then a horrible idea hit him…
What if Yu had a thing for Saki? Yosuke still hadn't any idea which way Yu swung, but he'd been hoping he might have a chance.
Saki took their orders, then swept off to get their food. She'd only been gone a second when Chie gave a pleased snicker.
"Way to go, Yosuke!" she cheered. "You're a lucky man. Your girlfriend really loves you!"
For some reason, Yu gave Yosuke an appraising look.
"That girl is your girlfriend?" Yu finally asked, sounding irritated.
Aw crap, he really did fancy Saki! Yosuke was sure the disappointment was going to kill him. It wasn't fair! The only good looking guy, and he was straight! Bloody typical…
Chie laughed. "He wishes! I was just kidding. She's just some chick he's always mooning over."
"She's just a good friend," Yosuke said, wondering what was going on in Yu's head now.
It wasn't long before Saki was back with their food and drinks. Yu's eyes trailed her the whole time. Yosuke wasn't sure his heart could sink any lower.
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It was starting to get late. The three of them had sat around chatting for a while now, and the air was starting to get pretty cool. Yosuke got up, grabbing his jacket.
It was probably childish, but he was feeling pretty damn miserable right now. Somehow, he'd gotten himself all worked up about Yu, even though they'd only met. It was his own damn fault for assuming, but he'd kind of thought Yu might like him back. Now he knew there was no chance, and all he had to look forward to was sitting alone in his empty house over the weekend. Fantastic.
"That was pretty good," Chie praised grudgingly, patting her belly as they got ready to go. "I gotta admit, I'm pleasantly surprised."
"As long as you're happy," Yosuke muttered, feeling a little bitchy. All the happiness he'd felt earlier at Saki's support had evaporated.
"God, what's up your ass?" Chie grumbled. "I'm going home."
She stalked off angrily, leaving him alone with Yu.
"Are you okay?" Yu asked, eyes boring into his.
Yosuke always tried to put on a show of being happy for his friends, not wanting to sound whiny, but something in Yu's gaze made him feel like being honest.
"It's just, my parents will both be working over the weekend," Yosuke said with a sigh. "I know it makes me sound lame, but it kind of sucks to be alone all the time."
Okay, that was only half of the truth, but it was still something, right?
When Yu still hadn't answered after a few seconds Yosuke felt himself flush with embarrassment. Jesus, why had he said that to the guy? He sounded like such a wuss.
"I know," Yu finally said, and Yosuke glanced at him, tension easing a little as he realised the other boy was serious.
"I hate being on my own too. So, umm, if you ever want to hang out, you can just call me," Yu was blushing, looking unsure of himself.
"Really?" Yosuke asked, unable to hold back a smile. He pulled his phone out, and the two exchanged numbers. Yosuke knew that this hadn't changed anything, that Yu could very well still be into Saki, but he was feeling better anyway. Yu had just admitted that he didn't like being alone either. Maybe…
"Hey, do you want to come back to my place tonight," Yosuke asked, face heating at how that sounded. "I mean, I've got some really good ps3 games, and I've got loads of kung-fu movies…"
"I can't," Yu answered, and Yosuke felt like a dick. Of course. Yu had just felt sorry for him, the offer wasn't genuine.
"My uncle might not be back yet, and my little cousin gets lonely too. But, uh, maybe tomorrow?"
"Sure!" Yosuke answered, cursing himself for his overeager response. "I mean, some games are more fun if you play as a two player, so I'll be looking forward to it." Jesus. He sounded more stupid the more he talked.
Yu just smiled, and the two headed out of Junes. Yosuke was glad they had a little way to walk before they went their separate ways. He might get to find out a little more about Yu.
"So, uh, do you like Saki?" Yosuke asked nonchalantly, trying to act like he didn't care about the answer.
"Uh, she's okay," Yu said cautiously.
They were out of the Junes grounds now, heading along the mostly empty Inaba roads.
"Aw, come on, man!" Yosuke said, trying for cheerful. "You don't have to pretend. You couldn't keep your eyes off of her. Maybe I could set the two of you up or something?" God, he hoped Yu didn't take him up on that offer.
"No," Yu said flatly. "Listen, I know that I shouldn't say anything, and that I'll probably sound like a jerk, but I don't think you should hang around her too much."
"What?" Yosuke asked, shocked and a little annoyed. "Is it because we're close? Are you jealous?"
"Of you or her?" Yu asked, eyebrow raised, a slight smile curving his lips.
"What?" Yosuke was kind of confused now.
Yu sighed. "Listen, Yosuke, that girl… well, I just don't think she's as nice as she seems."
"What are you talking about? She stood up for me back there."
"Yosuke, even when she's giving you that sweet smile… well, it's not genuine. I can sense frustration and resentment when she looks at you. I don't think she means you harm or anything, but I think she's using you for something. Maybe it's because of who your parents are," Yu said, looking thoughtful.
"How would you know?" Yosuke asked, getting seriously annoyed now. Was Yu trying to drive a wedge between him and Saki so that he could have her all to himself? Had Yosuke misjudged him so badly?
Yu sighed again, then stopped, turning around so he was staring directly into Yosuke's eyes.
"Listen, Yosuke, I knew you wouldn't understand, but I wanted you to know. I just, I notice things, how people are really feeling. Saki is using you, and I hate people who do that, fake friendship for their own purposes. And she is. I know it."
Yosuke looked into those silver eyes, and could only see honesty in them. Somehow, he found himself believing him. Maybe he was just a sucker for a hot guy…
"Just like I know what you feel… when you're looking at me like that…"
When had Yu gotten so close to him? Yosuke found himself almost intoxicated by the other's proximity. Did Yu really guess what was in Yosuke's head?
"And I want you to know, I feel like that too."
With that remark, Yu closed the gap between them, pressing his lips slowly against Yosuke's. The kiss was so soft, so gentle, but Yosuke felt it all the way to his toes. Heat flared through him at the contact. Wow.
Then Yu was pulling away, just as slowly. He gave Yosuke a small smile.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, blushing almost shyly, then he was off.
Yosuke simply stood for a moment, almost dazed. Somehow, his lips were still warm from Yu's kiss. All he could think was… wow.
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Thank you for reading!
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