Toboe -

There was a broken-down shack in the middle of the woods. Part of Tsume's old gang's hideout.

It wasn't that long a walk, even with the detours, because Tsume knew where it was.

Some time had passed and Toboe started to talk to him again. Or rather, he'd spoken first.

" Are you hurt?" Tsume asked Toboe.

He shakes his head quickly. " No, I'm fine."

"Toboe," Tsume sounds like he wants to apologize, though Toboe doesn't know what he's sorry for exactly.

"You shouldn't have to… you don't need to force yourself to kill… for my sake.

Toboe doesn't say anything first. " I want to help," he whimpers.

" You don't have to," Tsume says in a miserable sounding voice.

Toboe feels even worse. He can tell something is wrong and it's driving him crazy. Though with so many bad things happening it's hard to keep track.

" You don't need to kill."

" I can't… be weak."

" Well, I don't like seeing you like this." Tsume growls.

" I just… I used to think strength was all that mattered. But you're strong in a different way."

" Yeah? Well, thanks. But I want to protect you."

The last thing Toboe wants to start to do is cry. So he focuses on the forest spread out in front of him. Now that he was traveling with the other wolves he's seen lots of them now.

" I'm sorry…"

" Don't apologize, " Tsume sighs.

"No... It's just that… well, I've seen so much stuff with you guys. So many amazing things that I would have never seen before."

He thinks about the orphanage. The stories that he's heard. Before he thought he'd spent his whole life there and it would have been fine. Maybe it would have been for all the trouble he'd caused.

" Sometimes I feel like I'm the slowest and the weakest… That I wasn't helping at all. Well, I used to think that anyway. I know that… that I can heal you guys. Even though I'd like to live in a world where no one has to fight. Where we can all be happy together."

He looks over, unable to keep the smile off of his face. When he thinks about the fact that they are still all alive. That despite all the bad times they've gone through, there has been good as well.

" We've all been through so much together. I think we deserve i-"

He glances over at Tsume. A loud sound escapes his lips. He thinks the grey wolf must be growling.

" Oh god, Tsume are you hurt?"

"Yeah, I mean… no. no, I'm not. I was laughing."

" Huh, why?"

Tsume's eyes glint and it's a strangely beautiful site to see him happy and not enraged.

" Look, I'm glad that you've figured it out. But did you have to say it in the sappiest way possible?"

He continues to laugh.

Toboe rolls his eyes, though he can't feel any real anger.

"; No, I have to. B- because I really like spending time with you, Tsume. So I want to help how ever I can."

" Ok, ok. Fine. Just…" Tsume groans. He arches his shoulders and mutters. " Yeah… I'm glad to hear it. I still… worry… I still don't want you to die. So don't do anything stupid."

Toboe nods right away. " I won't. "

" I don't hate it… knowing you're there. I guess it's comforting."

He glances at Toboe and their eyes meet. Tsume's smile is barely there at all. His words are quiet as if he's afraid to speak them.

Still, Toboe knows… or at least he hopes he knows, that he's happy.

" But shut up," Tsume says suddenly. In a whisper with his head snapping forward.

" Huh," Toboe gasps, nearly jumping backward.

" I can't… you can't tell me all those things when I'm about to fight."

Toboe starts to look around frantically. " Who are we fighting?"

Up ahead, there's a little rocky cliff. Down below that, there's a small abandoned cabin.

The smells of humans and blood are thick in the air. Toboe nearly gags.

Tsume scans his face, sees the alarm and smirks. " Didn't notice it before, huh? You shouldn't get so distracted by sappy things."

" Like you weren't just laughing."

" I can't fight if I'm distracted by kindness and sap.

Anyway, I didn't come out here for a stroll in the woods… I came here to fight… and kill if I have to."

" Who?" Toboe blurts out.

" The leader of the human pack."

" D-didn't you already fight them before? Didn't you already win? Aren't you already the… leader again?"

" Humans are thick-headed. They're stubborn. "

Toboe fervently resists the urge to say, like you?"

Tsume's blade flickers in the light.

" Sometimes you need to beat the crap out of people if they don't listen…. Cheza's words went a long way. And guess they know how dumb they're being. They just want to put on a show."

' Like you,?" Toboe once again thinks.

" I almost don't even care. To hell with them and their politics. I don't want to be the leader of anyone. They can do whatever they want. At least, I thought that before… but I don't get these people to listen to Cheza then…"

What? Kiba will never let him hear the end of it? Cheza will cry. Tsume will beat himself up about it despite everything?

Tsume shakes his head as if he's heard Toboes thoughts

" The peaceful world won't happen."

Toboe nods. " Then I'll go-"

" No… I have to do this alone. But I appreciate it."

"Please be careful then, Tsume. I'll go gather some healing herbs."

" Don't go too far, I'll… I'll be right back. "

Toboe smiles at Tsume, even though he's really afraid. Tsume is strong. He'll be ok. He has to be.

He thinks this, while his legs shake as he watches the grey wolf start to run and disappear over the cliffside.


Tsume -

It's dark and cold. A series of crappy falling apart wood that leads to an even colder floor inside. Freezing, grey man-made materials coat the ground. Concrete.

Tsume winces, if their plan was to freeze his paws off and have him die of hypothermia, it might be working too.

He remembers this place. Vaguely. Not that it was a particularly happy place to remember.

All that work to enter, the faint odor of gunpowder and blood coats the air.

Something shoots at him through the darkness. A bullet which he's only able to anticipate because he knew they'd keep doing stuff like this to try and kill him.

" I should've known that it would come down to this," Tsume growls. Truly he has always known. The forbidding sense that it was going to come down to a painful life or death fight came to him as soon as they'd entered the city.

It was hard to just come in after things had changed. And as idiotic as the thuggish humans roaming Freeze City were, at least they weren't afraid to die.

Or rather, they'd find out soon enough.

" I won't feel bad when I tear apart your throats."

" That implies that you can," someone heckled.

" As if you didn't already want that."

" I want…" Tsume started to say. There were so many things that he wanted and at this point, none of them were this. " Let's get started."

It was dark but now the light of a newly struck flame appeared to illuminate Tsume's face and his opponents. The supposed leader of the human pack.

More humans gathered outside the cage. Hundreds of them gathered.

" You've already heard the Flower Maiden's offer. If you help the people here and support her then you'll be rewarded." Because what was a new government without its military? What were humans without their greed.

" And why should we listen to you?"

" That's why we're fighting Isn't it? You'll listen to me if I win."

There are so uncertain grumbles amongst the crowd.

" Fine. "

" Then don't expect me to not to try and kill you."

All the pretty words and confident smiles Cheza gave, a waste. Tsume was tired of this. He was angry. If this was the price then this was the price.

He readied himself, stilled hid bladed and his claws.

The bell rang. The fight starts. It won't be long now.


Thank you for reading my Wolf's Rain fanfiction!

Sorry that it ended abruptly, I didn't get the chance to write more 0: