Disclaimer: I do not own s-CRY-ed; however the Altar Wolf Kiba, the Fang I do own.
Time: One year after series began.
Note: I would like to thank Kenshinluva75 and InuYasha Rose1 for reviewing my story. Thank you!
Note 2: I'm sorry for not updating my story in such a long time.
Where the Wind Takes Me
Chapter Two
Toboe, the Howling
"Will she wake soon?" Tachibana asked
"She should." Ryuho replied. "Tachibana, do you mind going outside for awhile? I need to think over some stuff alone."
Tachibana scratched his head, "Alright, if you say so, Ryuho."
As soon as Tachibana left, Ryuho called out Zetsuuei, "I know you're not still fainted, Toboe the Howling."
'Toboe' opened her eyes, "Don't miss a trick, do you? I see you've heard of my other self. May I ask how much exactly?" Her hair had unwound itself during the night; now it was straight. The markings on her had strangely disappeared.
"I've heard plenty about you to know what kind of person you are." Ryuho said calmly, but fiercely. "What're you doing here? What do you want? As you are probably aware of, your reputation isn't one of the best, Toboe."
"My name's not Toboe; it never has, never will."
Ryuho narrowed his eyes, "Zetsuuei," Zetsuuei wrapped one of its purple tentacle-like-strips around 'Toboe' and the bed beneath her, trapping her. "Then who are you?"
'Toboe' could feel the fear creeping into her, "Let me go! You don't want to see me when I'm trapped, no one will ever!"
"Not until you've answered my questions." Ryuho persisted.
'Toboe's' eyes began to turn dark green instead of the light blue color it was now. Ryuho could see the girl before him slowly disappear into the Sun, only to be replaced by the body parts of a Wolf.
'Toboe' snarled and growled; she bared a Wolf's fangs. 'Toboe's' face lengthened into a Wolf's snout. Now, the transformation was complete. 'Toboe' was no longer the human Alter User, but a silver grey Wolf with green, thick, Butterfly wings.
"What the Hell is going on?" Ryuho shouted
'Toboe' snarled at Ryuho. She was relentless at struggling against Zetsuuei's bonds, lashing out and biting any part of the Altar she could.
Sturdy vines began to spring out from the ground and into the room.
"So… You know this girl?" Tachibana asked
"Yes," Scheris answered "She's my cousin, actually."
Tachibana looked at Scheris in surprise, "She's your cousin?"
"Well, yeah." Scheris answered. "It's…complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, a long time ago, I used to be in a very respectful home. I lived near my aunt and uncle's house, too. I used to play with Rouka all the time; she was my aunt and uncle's only child, and my best friend. We were really young; she was five, and I was six, when her parents found out she was an Altar User. They were horrified. They thought it to be some sort of disease and brought in this man named Sashenka Kagayaki to come in and look at her. He was very intrigued with her Altar powers; she's the only recorded person to ever be a Demonic Altar User."
"What's that?" Tachibana wondered
"It's when an Altar User uses such Altars that look like animals that have supernatural powers and gifts. Anyway, after finding that out, Rouka's parents threw her out. That man, Sashenka, began to chase her because he was so fascinated by her Altars. He disappeared a couple months after Rouka left. Years later, Rouka contacted with me. She told me she was living around on the Lost Ground and was doing alright.
"That's when I left, too. And then, when I got into trouble, Ryuho found me. After becoming a member of HOLY, Rouka once again contacted me. Only this time, she had been captured by HOLY. She'd been captured not long after Kazuma was captured himself. With all the chaos of Kazuma, Rouka escaped. I thought I'd never see her again, but here she is."
"So…" Tachibana said slowly "What exactly is her Altar?"
"The Wolf you saw, Kiba."
"The black or the silver one?"
"She has two?" Scheris asked.
"Yeah, I think so. I saw the silver one first, when she was facing HOLY's soldiers. She seemed so frightened. But when that one disappeared, and I stepped in to help, she called another one, the black one."
"That's strange." Scheris commented "I thought she only had one."
"What the hell?" Ryuho shouted.
Toboe snarled at Zetsuuei dangerously.
'No…' Rouka thought, 'Toboe, no! He's Scheris's friend! Just let go, Scheris's Friend! Tell your Altar to let go, and Toboe will stop!'
The vines that had grown out of the ground attacked Ryuho. Zetsuuei used its other purple arm to block the vines from him.
"Hello," Kanami said cheerfully to Scheris and Tachibana, "It's nice to see you again, Miss Scheris. Who's your friend?"
"Oh, this is Asuka Tachibana," Scheris replied "Tachibana, this is Kanami."
"It's nice to meet you." Tachibana said with a smile.
"Where is Ryu-kun?" (I think that's what Kanami calls him; I don't remember) Kanami wondered. "Is that lady from last night still here?"
"Yes, and her name is Rouka. Ryuho's inside. Where's Kazuma? Shouldn't you be home; he might be worrying about you." Scheris commented.
"I told him I'd be coming up here to say hello today," Kanami answered. "I'll just say hi to Ryu-kun and be on my way."
Kanami opened the door to the small, two bed roomed house Scheris and Ryuho had been sharing for a while now. She closed the door behind her. She walked to Scheris's room. The door was opened. Kanami was curious, and supposed that Ryuho was in there, but wasn't quite sure why.
When Kanami walked into the room, she let out a loud squeak upon seeing the chaos within it.
Ryuho looked behind him to see what was going on, "K-Kanami?" He struggled to say these words, seeing as he had to keep Toboe on the bed and from getting clobbered by the vines. "Kanami, run!"
But Kanami seemed to be frozen. She'd never seen something like this before. Toboe's eyes landed upon Kanami, who looked on the verge of fearful tears. Toboe forced the fear back. She had to stop. Toboe closed her eyes.
The vines from the ground slowly began to go back under. Toboe stopped struggling, and she began to disappear into the sunlight coming from the window. Her Wolf parts began to change back into the human that was Rouka.
Rouka was breathing heavily, and was fainted. Her eyes, though closed, showed distress.
Kanami fell to her knees, panting, eyes opened wide. It was not only what she saw that had frightened her. It was what she felt from Rouka's subconscious. And it wasn't just fear that she felt. There was an overwhelming feeling of sympathy Kanami felt towards this teenaged girl.
Pain. Grief. Betrayal. Anger. Sadness. Hatred. Hurt. Fear.
She'd felt it all. Rouka had gone through so much in nine years; it was unbelievable. Kanami had felt it all, what Rouka had been through. The feelings coming from Rouka, the feelings of practically no happiness in her life, the feeling of always being on the edge, trying to escape someone who was always chasing her, hit Kanami in a huge wave of depression.
"Kanami," Ryuho spoke. "Stay away from her; she's dangerous."
"But," Kanami protested. "I felt…What was in her subconscious."
"What did you feel?" Ryuho asked, knowing her Altar power.
"I felt so much…Most of it was…Pain, fear, and anger…It…It frightens me. She's not dangerous. She's just…Been through a lot, that's all."
Ryuho watched Rouka as she slept, her breathing regulating itself.
'Who are you, Toboe the Howling?' Ryuho thought in his mind. 'Are you really the one with the bad reputation, or the one with the bad past? Which are you? Or are you both?'
"Bye," Kanami called behind her as she walked down the hill in which Ryuho and Scheris lived.
"Say hello to Kazuma for me!" Tachibana called to her.
"Okay!" Kanami waved goodbye to them.
"Now what?" Tachibana asked.
"We tell Ryuho about Rouka," Scheris stated
"Rouka?" Ryuho asked, an eyebrow raised.
Scheris began to tell Ryuho about Rouka.
"Someone talking about me?" Rouka limped outside, where the three of them were sitting.
"Rouka!" Scheris exclaimed upon seeing her.
"It's nice to see you too, Scheris." The girl said, smiling, although the sad look in her eyes remained the same. She sat down as well.
"I see you're finally awake." Tachibana stated
"Thank you," Rouka said to him. "for saving my Altars and I."
Rouka closed her eyes briefly, as if listening, and then continued, "Kiba and Toboe say thank you to all three of you."
"So there are two of them now?" Scheris asked
Rouka nodded, "Yes."
"May I ask how you got such a bad reputation?" Ryuho wondered
"It's simple, really." Rouka said dryly. "When ever I get angry, Kiba comes to fight along side me. Whenever I am scared, Toboe comes to protect me."
"That's interesting," Tachibana stated. "But, can you call them out at will? I mean, just like right now? Without having to feel anger or fear?"
"I don't know," Rouka answered "And I really don't feel like trying either. You see, whenever Kiba or Toboe got out, I never tried to control them. They just run loose and attack anyone they want. I have never tried to control them, and I don't really feel like trying."
"So it was them who built up that reputation?" Ryuho asked
"You could say that." Then, Rouka's voice grew sad, "But…I'm to blame for most of it. I never tried to control them. Actually, most of the time, I willed them to hurt." Rouka looked away in shame.
"We all feel things we sometimes regret," Tachibana commented, trying to lighten up Rouka's mood
"Yeah, well, I'll bet your feelings never unleashed a demonic Wolf with wings, has practically no mercy, and can shoot fire or make vines grow out of nowhere."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Scheris stated
Rouka looked up at the sky and continued, "Yet…Despite those facts, I can't help but wish that they'd always be here for me. I can't imagine where I'd be without them. They've saved me so many times I lost track."
"They sound pretty cool to me," Tachibana said with a smile.
"I wish you could meet them," Rouka said "They're great to talk to!"
'I've never seen Rouka open up to anyone like this before.' Scheris thought silently to herself, a smile crossing her face. She leaned against her arms, watching Rouka and Tachibana talk they were old friends.
He seems like a nice friend. Toboe stated.
Yes, agreed. Kiba said in her same rough tone.
'Yes, he is, isn't he?' Rouka agreed.
Well, Tachibana and Rouka seem to get along just fine. Scheris is happy to see her long lost cousin again. Although he still has many questions about her, even Ryuho seems to be okay with Rouka. What will happen next, when Rouka meets Kazuma? Will she attack him? What has Rouka gone through in the past to make Kanami freeze like she did?