7.

It is going to end here and now. Kiba thought, And it WILL end in his death.

"My death." Darcia laughed.

Kiba's face seemed to drain of all color. He cannot read my thoughts, I must be imagining.

"Hardly." Darcia said meekly. He looked down the rifle barrel and found Tsume's heart in the scope. He moved it a small bit to the right and then the cross arrows were on his life, what made him live, what allowed him life. It is amazing that the thing that gives him life is so easy and so venerable, so is the human heart. If anyone ever wanted to harm us they'd just have to squeeze the trigger or press the knife down harder. Tsume hated feeling venerable.

Tsume knew that Darcia could take him out at any moment, and he was risking his life for a wolf that he, now, despised.

"LEAVE! Tsume!" Kiba ordered.

"No." Tsume said flatly.

"Now!"

"Sorry, the big bad wolf needs a wingman and I am going to give one to you, myself. Yes I am ready to sacrifice myself in order to kill Darcia and avenge Hige's death, ONE THAT WASN'T DISERVED!" He said loudly so Darcia could hear him.

"My dear stupid wolf. Kiba isn't going to kill me. He cannot. He wouldn't have stopped unless to work out a deal." Darcia said, an evil grin on his face.

"You have no leverage, why would I make a deal with you?" Kiba asked.

"No leverage? No leverage, eh. Psh. Wolfie you have no idea who you are messing with, other than the fact that I have a gun, which by the way, if I wanted to, I could shoot your friend...Tsume is it? BOOM, and he'd be dead, however I have something you'd have to see to believe." Darcia said. Tsume quickly looked back to make sure that Blue and Toboe were gone and in a safe distance.

"Don't worry, I am not after them...yet." Darcia seemed to chant.

"What is your leverage, first. I want to know, you think that you know us so very well, tell me." Tsume said.

"First? Do not presume to tell me what I will and won't do, you aren't me and you don't know yet how good the leverage is in my favor."

Tsume's muscles tensed, causing his body to look sleek and strong.

"No need to get feisty," Darcia said hauntingly.

"Give me Cheza and I'll give you what I have, believe me, you'll want it." Darcia said.

"What is it?" Tsume asked, yet again.

"Look this is simple, Kiba turned around and confronted me for a reason and I am going to find out why. Then I will TELL you what you are going to do for me." Darcia spoke almost viciously, "Explain."

Kiba was slow to start to speak, but when Tsume gave him a look telling him that he'd better explain, even if Kiba usually never took orders, he began, "I wanted to offer myself for my friends safe return." Kiba said, a tear welling up in his eye.

Tsume's heart almost sank, Mr. Selfish was going to offer himself up for others. But Tsume forced himself to relive his anger for Kiba for he killed Hige. It was Kiba who made the pack stop and was supposed to make sure that it was safe and he failed, in the worst of ways. Tough Tsume was pissed he was becoming a touch softer.

"Wow! I am amazed, that doesn't sound like something you'd do." Darcia said. "Well, now that we have that out of the way, by the way, Kiba, you need not offer up your life I have someone who will do that for me. Let's move on to what you are going to do for me. You will give Toboe the directions to Cheza and he and I will go get her and then after I have made sure that I wasn't followed, attacked, and that she is really there I'll let him go. Not otherwise. In return you'll save the life of a friend, get Toboe back, and as I said years ago, before you broke the oath, you won't hear from me again."

"Save a life?" Kiba asked questioning.

"Yes." Darcia said.

"Retrieve Toboe and I'll tell you who it is. Then you'll be saving TWO lives, fail, follow, or attack and they both die."

Tsume and Kiba just stood there disobeying.

"NOW!!!" Darcia screamed.

"Who is it?!" Tsume screamed.

"Fine, I'll tell you. Wait! Showing is always more fun than telling." Darcia said. Darcia snapped his fingers and then the person that Tsume once loved so dearly appeared. In that instant Tsume ran to go get Toboe.

"Is that you..." Kiba asked as Tsume retrieved Toboe.