Chap. 2- "Love or Lust?"
She hobbled off, but turned around and flashed him her smile.
" Good-bye and thanks again, Tsume."
He waved and smiled back. He then waited until she disappeared and returned to Toboe in their hovel. The child lay sleeping on the floor curled up in a ball. Tsume covered him up with a blanket and went to the roof where he normally sat, thinking. The wind blew tossing about loose pieces of garbage. They looked like leaves to Tsume, but would never be the real thing he thought. Nature, hunting, snow, and a place without humans would never happen. But then an image of Kegawa came into his head like a long forgotten memory. He frowned and placed his arms on his knees, sighing.
That girl. Was she even human? Was she a wolf? She was so delicate and strong at the same time. She was mysterious, but yet he thought he knew everything about her. There were so many things about her and the crazy thing was he had only known her for less then an hour.
" Tell Toboe I'm sorry. And tell Darcia I will not return." Her words cut through the silent night like falcon talons.
" What did she mean by that?" He thought aloud.
Tsume closed his eyes and stood up. He let the wind and city sounds take him away. Away to Rakuen. Was there a paradise? Would she be there waiting for him? Or were they destined never to meet again? And why was she injured? The questions raced throughout his mind as he quickly sunk back into reality. She also had been blind. Was she born like that? Tsume growled in frustration and threw a piece of the dilapidated roof into the wind.
He went back inside and fell into a troubled sleep.
" Tsume. Tsume." Came Kegawa's voice, but it seemed far off.
Tsume awoke to the shaking from the small Toboe. His innocent amber eyes blinking rapidly. Tsume covered his eyes by the sudden rush of dancing morning rays. He groaned and rolled to the side.
" What were you dreaming about, Tsume?"
He growled in anger and frustration.
" Nothing."
" Oh, was it that girl?"
" What!?"
" The girl you saw. The one with the hair the color of a deer." He pointed to his head and gave a look of confusion.
" How do you know her?"
" I don't know her."
"Then why did she want me to tell you she was sorry?" He asked himself more then to Toboe.
" I dunno. I've never met her before."
The gray's wolf's face shook with confusion.
" I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later."
" But what about breakfast?" Toboe wept.
" I'll bring back something." Tsume's tone was a little softer now, as hardhearted as he was he could never be mad at the kid.
" Yay!"
The young teen stood up and hugged his companion.
Tsume walked through the streets again. He knew he wouldn't be able to find her, but there was always a chance she was wondering the city somewhere, anywhere. His dark amber eyes darted from alleyway to alleyway, from person to person. He remembered her smell, but he couldn't detect that at all. She smelled like foreign perfumes and she smelled of the Moon Flower. That was it. But why? She did not bare the red eyes as Cheza did and he knew she was human. Or was she?
He ducked into an alleyway and caught a few pigeons. Toboe would be satisfied with that. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw a girl laying on the ground bleeding. She was well hid behind a pile of trash cans. Her face was covered by her dark brown hair. And she had deep leg and arm wounds.
Tsume's eyes wandered to the girl's body. She had transformed into a wolf with ash gray fur spotted with ebony. He could tell she was blind by the thin film that covered her eye and no light was reflected in them. The smell of foriegn perfumes and the Moon Flower filled his nose. It was Kegawa!
" Kegawa!?" He cried in excitement, quite out of character for such a proud and stoic wolf.
"Tsume?" Came a weak response.
" What happened?"
" Nothing. I-I fell."
" You lie. Who did this to you?"
" No one." Another lie.
" Darcia?"
" No."
" A human?"
"No."
" Then who?"
"This sick body of mine gives out quite a bit. But this time it just gave out completely. I'll be fine in a few days. The crows and rats have taken a liking to me though.
He hadn't noticed how frail she had been before, but now it was apparent. He could see even more wounds. Bite marks and her fur was covered in dry blood. Her mouth hardly even moved. It angered him to see her so weak like this.
" I can help you."
" No. I'm fine. It hurts to bad for me to move anyway."
He growled.
" I can't let you lie here and die like this."
" It's fine, Tsume. I've been living on the streets for awhile now. I'll be well enough in a few days. I don't need your help, really."
Through all her pain she smiled. His heart shattered into pieces just like when Toboe spoke or did anything at all. He could almost feel her suffering within his own body. The scar on his chest was a harsh reminder of how hard it was to survive in this world.
" I'm going to take you back to where I live so we can get these wounds treated."
" Tsume, do not concern yourself with me. I'll heal and I'll be back on my four paws soon."
He shook his head and frowned. Suddenly the sound of human voiced filled the alleyway.
" There was a body over there." Came the voice of teenager.
" A body? A human's?" Another voice came. It was a timid child's.
" No a dog. It was in bad shape, but we could sell its fur for some good money."
" No one wants dog fur."
The teenager bent down and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.
" We'll lie and say it belongs to a wolf. I know someone who will believe me. His name is Quent. He's a deadbeat, old drunk."
"Okay! Then we can get mom out of the hospital."
" Right. Mom." The teenager's voice was thick with sarcasm
" Come on, let's go." He added.
Tsume looked at her. The human boys couldn't see them behind a pile of trash cans.
"Kegawa. Please, let me take you now!" His whisper hissed with fustration.
She slowly reached a hand out to him. A smile spread across her face, but she winced in pain.
" Take me, Tsume."
He carefully picked her up and rushed past the two boys. She weakly placed a hand on his chest stroking his scar.
" Did it hurt, Tsume?"
He looked down at her and shook his head.
" It did. But it no longer hurts."
" Do you hurt now?"
" No. Not anymore."
" I'm glad. I don't want to ever hear you cry, Tsume."
He had a shocked expression on his face.
" There he is." The voice of the teenager came closer with each word.
" Brother, we shouldn't chase that man."
Tsume ran through another alley until he reached the building. Kegawa was hiding in his chest from the fear.
" Are you all right?"
" Yes, I'm fine."
He opened the door and was nearly knocked over by Toboe. He looked at the girl and smiled.
" Is she blind, Tsume."
"Tob-," Tsume was interrupted by Kegawa's hand.
" Yes, I am, Toboe."
Tsume carried her over to his couch and laid her down. She closed her eyes.
" Where's breakfast?"
Tsume groaned,
"Shit! I left it."
" Tsume, you're bad at that."
" I'll get something for us all, then."
" Yay! I'll go with you."
" No-,"
" Let him go, Tsume." She interrupted him again.
He looked at her and sighed.
" I'll be fine. It will be a good way for me to rest up a little."
" Come on, let's go." Tsume said with almost anger in his voice.
" Are you sure you will be okay, Kegawa?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. Thanks. See you two later."
They walked through the streets in search of food. Anything would do, Tsume thought hearing his stocham react to his hunger. Toboe looked down at his boots happily kicking rocks and small pieces of debris from buildings. How did Toboe know Kegawa? Or did he?
" Hey, kid. How did you know Kegawa's name?"
" It said it on her collar."
" Collar?"
" Yeah, she had a really pretty black one around her neck. But it looked like it was very, very, very old."
Tsume shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away lost deep in his thoughts.
" There's food!" Toboe pointed to a stand selling hot dogs and other assorted human food. Tsume hated it, but he was use to it at the same time.
" Go get what you want, kid."
He gave him a confused look, but rushed over and snuck a few hot dogs.
" Is this good, Tsume."
Tsume nonchalantly followed the young boy back to the building.
He opened the door and saw Kegawa sitting by the window. The wind blowing her hair and the morning sun caught the shades of brown in her hair. She was so beautiful just sitting there even just feeling the sun and the wind. What the hell am I turning into?
"I smell something good. But, what is it?"
" Human hot dogs."
" Hot dogs?"
" Yes, they're very good."
Kegawa smiled and pulled the blanket around her shoulders.
" Tsume, I want to talk to you later."
" Sure."
Toboe was oblivious to the conversation as he gorged himself in the juicy meal. Kegawa slowly ate hers and Tsume ate his quickly, but with skill.
" The wind feels nice today."
" How did you get back on your feet so fast?"
" The earth helped healed me."
" The earth?" Toboe chimed in.
" Well, not the earth exactly. But that's what I call it. It's the thing inside that cures me. My "earth",however, is slowly withering away. I can feel myself get a little," she stopped and looked away.
" A little what?" Toboe urged naively.
" A little more tired everyday."
" Then go to sleep. I'll be real quiet so you can sleep, Kega-chan."
She smiled and looked out the window again.
"Thanks. But I need a lot more sleep then a few hours."
" Oh, I'm sorry."
Tsume just stared at the piece of hot dog without a stroke of emotion on his tan face.
" I'll be back later." He said standing up, his tone of voice was little more harsh then usual.
"Where are you going?" Oboe asked.
" Just for a walk."
She hobbled off, but turned around and flashed him her smile.
" Good-bye and thanks again, Tsume."
He waved and smiled back. He then waited until she disappeared and returned to Toboe in their hovel. The child lay sleeping on the floor curled up in a ball. Tsume covered him up with a blanket and went to the roof where he normally sat, thinking. The wind blew tossing about loose pieces of garbage. They looked like leaves to Tsume, but would never be the real thing he thought. Nature, hunting, snow, and a place without humans would never happen. But then an image of Kegawa came into his head like a long forgotten memory. He frowned and placed his arms on his knees, sighing.
That girl. Was she even human? Was she a wolf? She was so delicate and strong at the same time. She was mysterious, but yet he thought he knew everything about her. There were so many things about her and the crazy thing was he had only known her for less then an hour.
" Tell Toboe I'm sorry. And tell Darcia I will not return." Her words cut through the silent night like falcon talons.
" What did she mean by that?" He thought aloud.
Tsume closed his eyes and stood up. He let the wind and city sounds take him away. Away to Rakuen. Was there a paradise? Would she be there waiting for him? Or were they destined never to meet again? And why was she injured? The questions raced throughout his mind as he quickly sunk back into reality. She also had been blind. Was she born like that? Tsume growled in frustration and threw a piece of the dilapidated roof into the wind.
He went back inside and fell into a troubled sleep.
" Tsume. Tsume." Came Kegawa's voice, but it seemed far off.
Tsume awoke to the shaking from the small Toboe. His innocent amber eyes blinking rapidly. Tsume covered his eyes by the sudden rush of dancing morning rays. He groaned and rolled to the side.
" What were you dreaming about, Tsume?"
He growled in anger and frustration.
" Nothing."
" Oh, was it that girl?"
" What!?"
" The girl you saw. The one with the hair the color of a deer." He pointed to his head and gave a look of confusion.
" How do you know her?"
" I don't know her."
"Then why did she want me to tell you she was sorry?" He asked himself more then to Toboe.
" I dunno. I've never met her before."
The gray's wolf's face shook with confusion.
" I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later."
" But what about breakfast?" Toboe wept.
" I'll bring back something." Tsume's tone was a little softer now, as hardhearted as he was he could never be mad at the kid.
" Yay!"
The young teen stood up and hugged his companion.
Tsume walked through the streets again. He knew he wouldn't be able to find her, but there was always a chance she was wondering the city somewhere, anywhere. His dark amber eyes darted from alleyway to alleyway, from person to person. He remembered her smell, but he couldn't detect that at all. She smelled like foreign perfumes and she smelled of the Moon Flower. That was it. But why? She did not bare the red eyes as Cheza did and he knew she was human. Or was she?
He ducked into an alleyway and caught a few pigeons. Toboe would be satisfied with that. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw a girl laying on the ground bleeding. She was well hid behind a pile of trash cans. Her face was covered by her dark brown hair. And she had deep leg and arm wounds.
Tsume's eyes wandered to the girl's body. She had transformed into a wolf with ash gray fur spotted with ebony. He could tell she was blind by the thin film that covered her eye and no light was reflected in them. The smell of foriegn perfumes and the Moon Flower filled his nose. It was Kegawa!
" Kegawa!?" He cried in excitement, quite out of character for such a proud and stoic wolf.
"Tsume?" Came a weak response.
" What happened?"
" Nothing. I-I fell."
" You lie. Who did this to you?"
" No one." Another lie.
" Darcia?"
" No."
" A human?"
"No."
" Then who?"
"This sick body of mine gives out quite a bit. But this time it just gave out completely. I'll be fine in a few days. The crows and rats have taken a liking to me though.
He hadn't noticed how frail she had been before, but now it was apparent. He could see even more wounds. Bite marks and her fur was covered in dry blood. Her mouth hardly even moved. It angered him to see her so weak like this.
" I can help you."
" No. I'm fine. It hurts to bad for me to move anyway."
He growled.
" I can't let you lie here and die like this."
" It's fine, Tsume. I've been living on the streets for awhile now. I'll be well enough in a few days. I don't need your help, really."
Through all her pain she smiled. His heart shattered into pieces just like when Toboe spoke or did anything at all. He could almost feel her suffering within his own body. The scar on his chest was a harsh reminder of how hard it was to survive in this world.
" I'm going to take you back to where I live so we can get these wounds treated."
" Tsume, do not concern yourself with me. I'll heal and I'll be back on my four paws soon."
He shook his head and frowned. Suddenly the sound of human voiced filled the alleyway.
" There was a body over there." Came the voice of teenager.
" A body? A human's?" Another voice came. It was a timid child's.
" No a dog. It was in bad shape, but we could sell its fur for some good money."
" No one wants dog fur."
The teenager bent down and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.
" We'll lie and say it belongs to a wolf. I know someone who will believe me. His name is Quent. He's a deadbeat, old drunk."
"Okay! Then we can get mom out of the hospital."
" Right. Mom." The teenager's voice was thick with sarcasm
" Come on, let's go." He added.
Tsume looked at her. The human boys couldn't see them behind a pile of trash cans.
"Kegawa. Please, let me take you now!" His whisper hissed with fustration.
She slowly reached a hand out to him. A smile spread across her face, but she winced in pain.
" Take me, Tsume."
He carefully picked her up and rushed past the two boys. She weakly placed a hand on his chest stroking his scar.
" Did it hurt, Tsume?"
He looked down at her and shook his head.
" It did. But it no longer hurts."
" Do you hurt now?"
" No. Not anymore."
" I'm glad. I don't want to ever hear you cry, Tsume."
He had a shocked expression on his face.
" There he is." The voice of the teenager came closer with each word.
" Brother, we shouldn't chase that man."
Tsume ran through another alley until he reached the building. Kegawa was hiding in his chest from the fear.
" Are you all right?"
" Yes, I'm fine."
He opened the door and was nearly knocked over by Toboe. He looked at the girl and smiled.
" Is she blind, Tsume."
"Tob-," Tsume was interrupted by Kegawa's hand.
" Yes, I am, Toboe."
Tsume carried her over to his couch and laid her down. She closed her eyes.
" Where's breakfast?"
Tsume groaned,
"Shit! I left it."
" Tsume, you're bad at that."
" I'll get something for us all, then."
" Yay! I'll go with you."
" No-,"
" Let him go, Tsume." She interrupted him again.
He looked at her and sighed.
" I'll be fine. It will be a good way for me to rest up a little."
" Come on, let's go." Tsume said with almost anger in his voice.
" Are you sure you will be okay, Kegawa?"
"Yes, I'll be fine. Thanks. See you two later."
They walked through the streets in search of food. Anything would do, Tsume thought hearing his stocham react to his hunger. Toboe looked down at his boots happily kicking rocks and small pieces of debris from buildings. How did Toboe know Kegawa? Or did he?
" Hey, kid. How did you know Kegawa's name?"
" It said it on her collar."
" Collar?"
" Yeah, she had a really pretty black one around her neck. But it looked like it was very, very, very old."
Tsume shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away lost deep in his thoughts.
" There's food!" Toboe pointed to a stand selling hot dogs and other assorted human food. Tsume hated it, but he was use to it at the same time.
" Go get what you want, kid."
He gave him a confused look, but rushed over and snuck a few hot dogs.
" Is this good, Tsume."
Tsume nonchalantly followed the young boy back to the building.
He opened the door and saw Kegawa sitting by the window. The wind blowing her hair and the morning sun caught the shades of brown in her hair. She was so beautiful just sitting there even just feeling the sun and the wind. What the hell am I turning into?
"I smell something good. But, what is it?"
" Human hot dogs."
" Hot dogs?"
" Yes, they're very good."
Kegawa smiled and pulled the blanket around her shoulders.
" Tsume, I want to talk to you later."
" Sure."
Toboe was oblivious to the conversation as he gorged himself in the juicy meal. Kegawa slowly ate hers and Tsume ate his quickly, but with skill.
" The wind feels nice today."
" How did you get back on your feet so fast?"
" The earth helped healed me."
" The earth?" Toboe chimed in.
" Well, not the earth exactly. But that's what I call it. It's the thing inside that cures me. My "earth",however, is slowly withering away. I can feel myself get a little," she stopped and looked away.
" A little what?" Toboe urged naively.
" A little more tired everyday."
" Then go to sleep. I'll be real quiet so you can sleep, Kega-chan."
She smiled and looked out the window again.
"Thanks. But I need a lot more sleep then a few hours."
" Oh, I'm sorry."
Tsume just stared at the piece of hot dog without a stroke of emotion on his tan face.
" I'll be back later." He said standing up, his tone of voice was little more harsh then usual.
"Where are you going?" Oboe asked.
" Just for a walk."