Wow, what can I say… Oh I know… THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!! I LOVE YOU… hehehe. This week was amazing, all those reviews, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming.

My gratitude goes out to those who gave me pointers, asked questions, and demanded UPDATE SOON OR DIE!!! You're wonderful people, who have made this incredibly long week, great.

Thank you: me, Lady Light, watergoddesskasey, Selene, Jewelclaw Lady of Wind, BlueFrost, Jypsee, setsuna-3000, serena-bunny-hime, Serenity Komoshiro, EoAngel, Hn, Aeden Hale, Serendy4ever, Kou Kepani, Kitoky, keika, Rayne StarDust, Water Angel1, Serena Moon, Liz, Machiko, Concrete Tenshi, Anime Moon Gurl, Lady Tristana Rogue, Chaos, Flame Dancer077, Serenity Moon2.

I have one question. How far along is Wolf's Rain on adult swim??? If someone could inform me what episode, I would be incredibly grateful. Again thank you..

Ages: Serena (21), Kiba (22), Tsume (28) Toboe (16), Hige (22), Molly (25), Darien Shields (29), Nathan (32), young woman (mid 20s).

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Chapter seven:

A Place to Stay, and a Deer to Eat

Serena relaxed the moment Kiba set her down on her own two feet. Pulling away from him, she shot him a haughty look. "I can walk you know!" she shouted. She turned away from him, her foot catching on an uplifted rock, and she went tumbling to the ground.

Wincing, she rolled over onto her back, to look behind her. Tsume was smirking at her. "Are you sure about that," he asked.

Her face burned with embarrassment. She sat up, dragging her legs up to her chest. Her arms crossed over her kneecaps, so that she could burry her face into the crook of her arm. Resentment consumed her, and she forced herself to block out Tsume's hardy laughs at her own expense. She had only been joking earlier, about trying to make him laugh by making a complete fool out of herself. Looks like the jokes on me, she thought bitterly.

After a while the laughter died, and she was able to unbury her face. Resting her head on her crossed arms, she stared at the wall close to her. They were going to stay the night in a cave in the middle of nowhere. Her eyes drifted to the rocky ground. No blankets, no mats, not even food. Her stomach growled at that thought. God I'm hungry, she whined. What I would do for a cup of noodles.

A hand touched her shoulder, before a body dropped to the ground next to her. "Are you okay Serena," Toboe asked. He gently nudged her shoulder with his face, rubbing his cheek against her, in hopes of warming her chilled form.

Lifting her head, she looked over at him. She had this crazy notion to pet him, which just seemed wrong, since he was a human at the moment. "Thanks Toboe," she said softly.

A soft growl emanated from the front of the cave. Kiba stalked passed them, before dropping to the dirty floor. As he did so, he reverted to his wolf form. Serena stared at the white wolf, her eyes transfixed on him. It was still quite a shock, even though she had seen it happen before.

Toboe was also looking at the huddled shape near the back of the cave. Reluctantly, he pulled away, and climbed to his two feet. "Tsume," he called, before joining the other two men outside.

Serena glanced over at the cave's entrance, then looked back over at Kiba. He laid near the back wall, his back towards her and the entrance. She couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

Silently, she rolled over onto her hands and knees. Being as careful as she could, she crawled towards him. He made no motion if whether he heard her or not. In fact he appeared to be asleep, even though he had laid down just a few minutes before.

She sat down next to him, her eyes studying him carefully. Without thinking, she reached out, and ran her hand along his fur, letting it tickle her skin.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she apologized. "I'm just not in a good mood I guess…" Looking away, she added, "I felt kind of hurt, and I lashed out. So, I'm sorry."

There was no reply, but then she hadn't been expecting one. Easing herself to the floor, she ignored the rocks that bit into her skin. She shifted around until she was close enough to him, to give him her heat. Like he had done when she had fallen asleep on her couch.

The memory brought a smile to her face, as she snuggled close. She breathed in deeply, her face buried deep into his neck. "You smell so good…" she murmured, already half asleep. "I lied to you earlier," she admitted, the sleepiness taking hold of her. "I followed you because I- I wanted to see you again…" she yawned lazily, her arm wrapping itself around his form.

Her breathing slowed, to where it came and went in an easy rhythm that hinted to a deep sleep.

----

Kiba opened his eyes after a few moments of waiting. Lifting his head, he glanced over at the sleeping blonde. Unlike what he had expected, he didn't feel at all uncomfortable with her pressed so close to him. In fact he felt the opposite.

It was like that time in her apartment. When he had laid there on the couch with her. Only this time she was giving him her heat instead of the other way around.

Gently easing himself out from her embrace, he was surprised to hear a small whimper come from her. His golden eyes shifted to her shoulder in worry. Had I moved it? he asked himself. It didn't seem to be bothering her anymore, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt.

He watched as the blonde rolled over onto her back, and began to softly snore. He grunted, his mouth twitching to form a smile. She hadn't changed all that much since he had seen her last. Which wasn't a surprise, considering it had only been about a week.

Lying back down, he made sure he was close to her, so that she rolled over again, seeking heat from him. Despite his attempts to keep it hidden, he couldn't hold back the softness that entered his eyes. If he had been a human, he would have smiled.

Like before she burrowed close, her face resting against his neck, her arm draped loosely across his middle. He didn't really think about it, didn't even consider it. But as he laid there, his wolf form melted away, until he was left in his human form.

Lately he had been finding himself spending more and more time as a human, that he questioned himself. There were times when he wasn't sure which form was his true form.

The girl next to him, made a soft sound, her body moving even closer. Even though he preferred to lie alone, and be alone, he found himself letting her get closer.

Kiba stared down at her face, which was half buried against his neck. He could feel her warm breath brushing across his bare skin, feel her fingers wrapping around a fist full of his jacket.

She looked so relaxed as she slept, so content even though she was in the presence of a wolf. Hesitantly, he nudged her with his face, his nose slightly prodding her forehead. He inhaled deeply, letting the scent of her ease his tension.

Since he had met her, he hadn't been able to get enough. Her fragrance was different than that of a human's. It was much sweeter, much more appealing than any other scent he had ever breathed in.

That was how he had known she was in the city. He had been heading back to the warehouse, when he had caught a faint scent of it. Before he knew it, he had followed it all the way to her. And like that time in her kitchen, she had turned, as if knowing he was there.

"Kiba," she murmured, her voice dragging him out of his thoughts.

He let his breathing slow somewhat, letting his body relax so that he could sleep. And like when he stayed in her apartment, it didn't take him long at all to nod off.

----

Bright colored eyes blinked wearily when something warm cast itself upon him. Once his eyes adjusted to the light of sun, Tsume stared up at the ceiling. They were inside a cave, the one Kiba had told them to rest in for the night.

He snorted, his disgust at the thought of the younger man. It was bad enough they were on this blind quest to begin with, it was another to have some young wolf giving him orders. Gruffly, he sat up, stretching his arms up over his head. Startled, he brought his hands out in front of his face.

Didn't I fall asleep as a wolf last night, so that I could stay warm? he thought wearily. Why had he woken up in his human form? He had no recollection of changing last night.

Turning his head, he looked over to see who was asleep next to him. What the hell, he exclaimed mentally. His molten amber eyes swept over the two sleeping forms of that mountain wolf, and girl they had dragged along with them.

His eyes moved to Hige and Toboe. They two, laid near the white wolf and the girl. And also, they laid in their human forms.

Scowling, Tsume climbed to his feet, and moved away from the four. He stopped in the exact spot as he had laid down on, in his wolf form. There was even a faint print of his body still in the loose dirt. How the hell did I get all the way over there, he asked himself.

He shot the four who were still asleep a nasty look, before he slipped out of the cave. The sun was warm on his skin, but he felt cold. There was a strong wind coming from the North. Which they would have to fight on their journey. "Wonderful," he muttered bitterly.

Tsume forced himself to move away from the mouth of the cave. He argued with himself, with each step he took. Even though he had felt warm lying there on the cave floor, he refused to be caught snuggling. "No matter how damn cold it is out here," he growled.

This wasn't the first time. Back in the warehouse, he had fallen asleep next to the others, relishing in the warmth they gave off. Now, he just plainly refused to go back in there.

Decisively he sniffed at the air. It wasn't as compelling as it was inside the cave. But he did catch a hint of something to the west.

"You smell it too," Hige asked, when he joined the older man. "I would say it's a deer," the young man said. Tsume tsked, turning away from the shorter wolf. "Whatever."

Hige grinned, his eyes giving the silver haired man a sly look. "Well I guess I'll go catch breakfast," he declared to the man next to him. "Want to come?"

Tsume shrugged, as if the matter of eating was no big deal to him. "Sure," was his gruff answer.

The younger man reverted to his wolf form, which Tsume did as well. While in human form Tsume towered over Hige, but the younger wolf made up for it in this form. He easily out weight and out muscled the gray wolf.

With Hige leading the way, the two wolves started on their journey to find something to eat.

----

Serena rolled over onto her back, lazily. Wow I haven't slept this good since- she cut off that train of thought when she realized she wasn't alone. Blinking, she willed herself to rise out of her dream world, to the real one.

Wide awake, she let her head turn, so that she could see who or what was next to her. Her mouth opened as if to scream, but she quickly pursed her lips together, to cut herself off. What in the world! she screamed at herself mentally.

She stared at the face which was about an inch away from her nose. His skin was slightly pale in color, but looked smooth to the touch. His eyes were closed, but she already knew their color. A cold blue. Lying on her back, she stared at him while he continued to sleep, clearly unaware of her scrutiny. His hair an unruly deep russet brown, fell across his face. Its length was long, brushing his shoulders easily.

He was wearing the same clothes from yesterday. If this was a different situation she would have been disgusted. But she was also wearing her clothes from yesterday, since she didn't have an extra outfit with her. Beneath his thick jacket, she knew he wore a white shirt, one that he didn't bother to button the buttons at the collar. Looking down, she could see his legs, which were clad in tight blue jeans that fit him just right. Simple tennis shoes were on his feet.

Serena felt this overwhelming feeling to roll over and fall back asleep. And let his scent and his warmth drag her back to the dream world. But something that brushed across her stomach made her hesitate. Looking down, she stared down at her own body.

Her clothes had managed to get tangled around her at some point or another during the night. With her shirt pulled up to expose her stomach, Kiba's hand laid flat against her skin. His touch burned her flesh, giving her more than she wanted for heat. Even in his sleep, his thumb brushed across her middle, setting her on fire from the inside out.

She didn't feel so cold, or tired, or hungry anymore. She was too aware of how close he was to her, how male he was, and how warm he felt.

Her breath hitched in her throat, when his face nudged her cheek, as if seeking comfort. His antiques reminded her that he acted more like his wolf form than human.

God what am I doing here? she asked herself. She had gotten herself into more than she had wanted. Or so she thought. Sure she had searched him out, but this had never crossed her mind. Being this close to him had never occurred to her. I only wanted to see him again, she reminded herself, even though another part of her laughed at her own thoughts. I just wanted to make sure he was okay.

Serena almost laughed at herself. That's a lie, and you know it Serena, she scolded herself. Who was she trying to kid?

Hesitantly, she reached down. Taking his hand, she carefully lifted it. She sensed the difference in him long before she felt it. While still holding his hand inches from her stomach, she looked over at him. Her nose touched his, and her eyes locked with his. Holy crap he's awake!

She had hoped that maybe she could sneak out of this predicament, without getting entangled in an uncomfortable situation. No such luck there, she grounded out. Nervous, she murmured, "morning Kiba." And thinking that he might want his hand back, she dropped it.

When it slapped against her stomach, she felt her face burn even more. "I'm sorry," she blurted out. It was all her fault they had ended up in this situation to begin with. She should have just stayed on her side of the cave.

Dragging her eyes away from his, she felt too ashamed to look at him. "I-" she sighed, breaking off before she made an even bigger fool of herself. She rolled away from him, and sat up.

Tugging at her shirt, she pulled it down, before climbing to her feet. God, what was I thinking? she mentally berated herself.

Serena grabbed her head with both of her hands, and cursed herself with every bad word she knew.

"Is something wrong?"

She turned around to look at him. He was sitting on the floor of the cave, looking up at her. "No, no…" she quickly covered up for her strange oddities. "I'm fine, really."

Whirling around, she quickly left the cave. Not only was that awkward- her thoughts were cut off, when another voice shouted, "Morning Serena."

Startled, she looked over at the three boys, who were crouched near the dirt just a little ways from the cave. "Morn-" her smile slowly faded, along with her warm greeting, when she saw the carcass that laid between them. It was a male deer, she could tell by the antlers even from here. Its throat was bloody, as if it had been bitten into. But the most gruesome wound was its stomach, that looked as if something with sharp teeth and claws had torn into it.

Her eyes looked at the boys, and then back at the deer. She felt her stomach grumble, while the rest of her gagged. "Oh my god," she whispered, horrified at the sight of blood that coated around all of the boys' mouths.

Her lungs burned as if she couldn't breathe, while the rest of her quivered. Staggering, she stumbled away from the boys and the dead deer. It didn't take a genius to know what had happened.

She made it behind the cave wall, before her legs gave out beneath her. Dropping to the dirt floor, her stomach heaved, and she lost all of the water she had had the other day. Retching again, she tasted blood, which only cause more to come up.

Her whole body shook with each heave, as she lost what little nutrients she had consumed since her meal with Tsume and Toboe at the restaurant.

"Serena," the voice was soft, sounding worried, but distant.

She was gasping, her heart laboring in her chest, as if she had just ran a mile without resting. Something she didn't do willingly. "Serena?" this time the voice sounded closer, more confident.

Looking up, she stared at the youngest of the four boys. There was only a hint of blood around his mouth, the rest had been wiped off with his red shirt sleeve. The sight of the deer's blood, sent her heaving again, even though there was nothing left inside her.

Serena scrambled to her feet once the spell was over. Avoiding the mess she had made, she moved away from the younger boy. Just thinking about him eating from a dead deer made her queasy. It made her stomach cramp, even though it grumbled.

She was hungrier now than ever. She had less in her now, than yesterday, since it all was on the ground.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I think she's ill, Kiba," Toboe said softly. His eyes were looking at her with a great deal of sadness. "I think we made her sick."

Serena stiffened from where she rested against the wall of the cave. Kiba didn't eat any of it, her mind told her. He had been in the cave with her. But that didn't mean he hadn't eaten deer like that before, she argued back. Her stomach protested, as if telling her she needed food whether it was raw or not.

"Serena?"

She felt a presence behind her, hovering close, but not touching. "I'm fine," she managed with only a hint of a quiver.

"What's wrong? Why are you ill?" Kiba asked, this time his voice more serious, more stern, than questioning. She shook her head, "I'm fine," she answered again.

He grabbed her by the shoulders, and he turned her around to face him. "When did you eat last?" When she didn't answer, he shook her, and asked again, "When did you eat last?"

Her shoulders lifted. Her face was ashen, and her eyes hollow. She felt sick, tired, hungry and cold. Her list of troubles were growing. "I had breakfast with Toboe and Tsume…" her mind brought up the deer, and she shuddered. "at the city, I had noodles at a restaurant." Again she shrugged, to weary to do anything else.

Kiba frowned. "That was two days ago." His eyes raked across her form. "you need to eat," he ordered, his voice firm.

Serena shook her head. "I-I cant." She motioned towards the mess she had made. "I-I cant eat that- that thing… I can barely eat store bought meat, and that's cooked."

The look he gave her though, told her she wasn't going to have much of a choice in the matter.

----

"You're lucky I'm a damn good sketch artist," Molly declared as they left the restaurant. "Serena is usually our artist for the paper."

Sighing, she stopped near the edge of the sidewalk, her feet teetering on the edge. "I cant believe she was kidnapped." Reaching up, she wrenched her fingers through her short red curls with a frustrated sigh. "I cant see why someone would take her and all," as she said this, her eyes dropped to the pictures she held.

One was of an older man with short silver hair, the ends drawn back into a low ponytail. He looked pissed off, she thought as she stared at the man's face. Pissed off and dangerous. "She probably offered these two food, and they decided to use her kindness against her."

The next picture was that of a boy, probably much younger then herself. He had long reddish brown hair, that shaped his grinning face. He didn't look mean, or evil. But then looks can be deceiving, she thought to herself.

"What do you think?" Molly asked, as she turned to look at her new partner. Being in this guy's company was dull and boring. She missed Serena more with each passing minute.

The young man frowned as he moved to stand next to her. "All we can do now is ask around. See if anyone saw anything," he answered. "Lets start near the warehouse where her things were found."

Molly sighed, her green eyes rolling. Oh yea, she thought dully. Serena would have ordered that they "Sniff out the way, and threaten the locals. If anyone resists our questioning, we will cut off their head." Then we would laugh, and everyone would look at us as if we had just lost our marbles. Her smile was sad, as she turned to follow her new partner.

He might not be as exciting as Serena, but he sure was hot.

He had that tall, dark and handsome look. Not like the guy she had sketched, even though he was quite the hot stuff himself… Her new partner was also new to their paper. He had just moved to the city, and applied for a job. It appeared he did such a good job at his old paper that Nathan couldn't help but hire the jerk.

Yep, not only was he the hottest thing to ever walk in blue jeans, he was also very conceited. Darien Shields, could probably take Nathan Ferelith, for a run for his money.

Her partner turned to glance back at her. "If you're going to slow me down, why don't you just head back to the hotel," he said coolly.

Molly rolled her eyes again. "Yea right," she replied. Picking up her pace, she added, "And let you find my best friend without me? Ha! Nice try."

She stuffed the pictures and her notebook back into her shoulder bag as they walked down the street. When she finished, she snuck a look over at the man who towered over her by a good foot and a half.

He had to be at least six foot, maybe not as deliciously tall as Nathan, who was about six foot four inches. But Darien was still tall.

He had short black hair, that had a slight shaggy look to it. His bangs fell constantly into dark blue eyes, something she was sure he let happen on purpose. He was in good shape, that much was obvious, since his tight jeans, and black turtleneck didn't leave much to imagine.

"Why don't you take a picture, it lasts longer," he said with a smirk, when he caught her staring.

Disgusted, Molly looked away sharply, and crossed her arms over her chest. "You wish!" she shouted. "I have a boyfriend thank you very much. And not only does he look better in jeans than you do, but he's much better to look at than you, period."

"Touché," he said with a soft chuckle. "So you were comparing myself to your boyfriend?" Molly smirked, and she shot the older man a sly look. "Yes I was, pretty boy. And compared to him, on a one to ten scale, you rate as a five."

She watched with great satisfaction when he winced. "Wow that bad, huh? He must be a god, to look better than me." Molly snorted, "you are so-" She stopped short when they reached the front door of some house. Frowning, she looked around. "What are we…" her voice trailed off, when she realized Darien was knocking on the door, already.

A young woman answered the door, "yes-" Molly watched as the young woman brightened when she caught sight of the beauty standing at her door, and Molly didn't mean the bird that perched itself on the gutter that ran along the roof of the woman's house.

God, no wonder he's so full of himself, she thought with a scowl. Woman practically throw themselves at his feet.

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I feel obligated, to state this one more time. I will update, come hell or high water, every Monday.

I am slowly making progress with this story. The end for me, not for you by a long shot, is coming… hopefully. I have a general idea how this story might end, (don't take my word for it). I have it all planned out (don't make promises you cant keep LP), and hopefully you all will be here when I write those parting words, (no pressure or anything).

Oh yes, I probably should explain something about this chapter. Before any of you get completely lost. In this story, Serena grew up pretty much as a vegetarian. Basically she lived off noodles, since you know she doesn't like vegetables either. The only time she ever did eat meat was on holidays, when she spent time with her friends, or mom.

This chapter takes place two days after the last chapter, so they have been traveling non stop.

Another thing I must admit, I'm a little worried. A lot, well most have said that Kiba has been kind of err mean. That was never my intent, seriously. I guess my hints weren't as insinuating as I thought, (dammit!!! And I tried so hard to). Don't worry its not your fault, I guess I need more practice.

Oh well…

I believe that is all… I hope, anymore questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Reviews:

Me: yes, I am sorry about the wolf thing. I promise later that I will give it a shot, when I have more experience in writing these type of crossovers.

Lady Light: Wouldn't you like to know… hehe, I promise you will meet the guy Nathan is talking to later. That phone call is my first subtle hint to Serena's personal past…

Selene: I will email you this one time… I update every Monday. As for your question well… I don't want to give anything away, but I have taken that into consideration… only later chapters will tell.

Jewelclaw Lady of Wind: Yes, you are right on the money. I thought since I changed Serena's last name, I think I'll do the same for Molly. Sorry I wasn't creative with Darien's last name… cant win em all…

BlueFrost: you mention my worry about the dates for this story… well I am a little worried, not so much now. Since the Full Moon plays three important roles in this story, so I'm trying to keep the right amount of time in between each one. Haha writers block, yes so far I have been fortunate… as for my other stories, hmmm.

Jypsee: Yes I thought Kiba was quite the cutie myself. Hehehe. How the wolves transform into humans… you know I never quite understood that myself… and I've watched most of the episodes…. Hey if you find out, would you mind passing the info along… it might come in handy… that is if you don't mind…

EoAngel: yes this fic is a Kiba/Serena romance.

Hn: yes, I'm glad you noticed. Nathan does play an important part, but not until much later. I made him sound like Duo??? Oh dear lord… Yes I think I did exceptionally well with Tsume's character in this chapter. Hehehe. I hope you liked it.

Serendy4ever: Oh I know, doesn't this make Mondays seem great!!! I look forward to them now, unlike before when I dreaded the day. Wouldn't you like to know… I have a ton of things cooked up for Serena. I am going to make her head spin, hahaha. You'll see why Nathan is paranoid about Serena missing…

Kitoky: When I read your review I was sort of confused. I'm pairing Serena up with Kiba. I noticed you were worried about Kiba, since he wasn't wanting anything to do with Serena… well that's not true, and if that was what you got from the story I am terribly sorry. I was only trying to make him appear Jealous. Since he only got mad when the other wolves got close to her… Cheza will be in this story, I have found the perfect place for her… as for Twists and turns, I will admit there will be plenty showing up soon.

Serena Moon: Don't worry the fluff will be arriving very soon.

Liz: WE HAVE A WINNER!!! Lmao… yes Nathan does know something Serena doesn't… only now to figure out just what…

Machiko: I saw that you mentioned no spoilers… well I hate to say this, but two chapters of this story will contain a bit of spoilers. Chapters 9 and 10. I will check to see what episodes these chapters cross with, so that I can inform you ahead of time. I asked earlier in the chapter how far along Adult Swim is… hopefully its passed the part I cross with story with the show at…

Concrete Tenshi: I know short chapter… but don't worry chapters 8,9, and 10 are a lot longer… a lot… yes he would, and you'll see that later in the story. Tsume to me is a complex character. I mean I'm pretty much going by on how he reacts with Toboe… at some times, he's okay with him, at others he mean… so I'm pretty much giving him mood swings. His character to me is touch and go. There are more Wf/SM out now… crap I haven't read much of anything lately… much check this. Ty!!!!

Anime Moon Gurl: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! I think you were the only one who caught my subtle hints…. Thank you!!!! I am not a complete failure… I am not sure how far along Adult Swim is, but there is one episode where Kiba becomes extremely possessive of Cheza. He wont let the others care for her, even though he's tuckered out… I am using that image, with his relationship with Serena. If you noticed that each time one of the other wolves got near Serena, he would either growl, shove them, or whisk her away??? See Jealousy… everyone kept thinking he was a jerk, and I thought I was doing a horrible writing job… So THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!

Serenity Moon2: Yes, Shields, is Darien Shields. You asked about the scent that the wolves catch when they are near Serena. Well it is sort of like how Cheza smells like flowers. Its just a fragrance her body gives off, because of who she is. Who she is, will be revealed in later chapters, though.

Well that's all, thanks again for reading another chapter of Nobility!!!! Stay tuned, for there is so much more to come…

Until next Monday.

LP