Chapter 6

Toboe ran as fast as he could to catch up to Kiba but soon Hige had passed him and Toboe had to stop. Hige skidded to a stop and ran back. "Hey kid. You ok?" "I'm...fine..." "I think he was right."

Toboe's head snapped up. "Tsume? You think Kiba's a freak too, don't you!?" "No, no! I think he's right with the fact that we can't catch up. We'll have to wait and see if he comes back." Hige defended himself. Toboe kinda drooped and then sat down on the ground. "Your right..."

Hige put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up kid." He sat next to him on the sidewalk. An hour passed and Hige was eating the candy he'd put in his pocket. Toboe hugged his knees.

"You know.. he probably wont come to us... right here." Hige said. He heard Toboe's voice cracking like silent sobs when the pup answered. "He said he'd come back. 'I'll come back.' He said it. 'Now that I've found you guys again.' He promised." Toboe sounded defeated. "Ah.. come on... Kid..." Hige tried to comfort him. "And.. I'm not a kid! I'm strong! He said that too. 'You wouldn't let us help you. You were Brave.' Up until I.. died." Toboe cried. Hige didn't know what to do.

"Kiba!" Toboe yelled with his head still in his knees. "I'm the glue right! Kiba!" The red wolf had hardly met this Kiba but he'd known him for a life time. Hige felt weird doing it, but he comforted him. He patted his back. Toboe actually cried to sleep.

Just a little ways off was Kiba in the sewers just below them. He'd run there when he started hearing Toboe cry. "Toboe.." he started. "You.. were.. you really..." he stopped when Toboe fell asleep. Hige picked the boy up and took him on back roads to his house. Hige's house. It would've looked strange for him to carry him in public. Kiba followed them after he climbed out of the sewer. He didn't want to stink. "You really are the glue Toboe. Even now... You're glue."

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Tsume was driving around when he spotted Kiba in human form, slinking around the edge of an alley, following someone. He looked up to see Hige walking in his house with Toboe. "Freak probably attacked the kid." He said to himself. He skidded his bike to a halt in front of Kiba's path. "Tsume." Kiba said, surprised. "Can't you just leave them alone?" "He.. called me.." Kiba said, looking down. "He wants me to come back. He cried." Tsume just glared at him and didn't move. Kiba gave him a brief glare before becoming a wolf and slinking past him. He reached up and rang the doorbell with his paw.

Hige's mother answered. "Hello? Oh my!" She slammed the door. Kiba whined softly and lowered his ears. He heard something inside. He hoped Hige answered before Tsume came.

"Mom who was it?" "A big white dog. How do you think...." "Mom!" Hige ran and opened the door to see Tsume grabbing Kiba, human, by the collar. "Tsume! Let him go would ya?" Tsume looked up and dropped him. "Why? He's a wolf." "He's coming with me no matter what he is." Hige almost shoved Kiba into his house.

"Hige... thank you." Kiba walked through Hige's house to his room where Toboe lay. "Well that guy is a jerk." Hige said, sitting behind him. Kiba looked around. Hige's door was closed so he became a wolf and lay carefully next to Toboe. The boy smiled in his sleep and hugged Kiba around the neck.

"Wow.. he really likes you.." Hige stated. Suddenly his mother shrieked. "Who are you and what do you want?" "Is Hige around." Tsume asked dully. "Mom!" Hige ran out.

"Cheza..." Toboe said dreamily. 'Toboe. Are you getting your memories back because of me too?' Toboe breathed deeply. 'I hope so..' Kiba fell asleep next to his friend. Tsume came in and looked at Kiba in disgust.

"You're letting him lay by him?" "Yea. why not? We're friends and.. although I'm still getting used to the whole wolf thing... he's cool." Hige said, sitting next to the bed. "Your house. Your friend. Your life." Tsume said as he sat down too.

"Tsume... why you have to .... lie about everything...stop lying and... be honest with... yourself." Toboe mumbled in his sleep. "What's that?" Hige asked. "Something he said to me in Kiba's old world." Tsume replied. "What? So now everyone will have memories except me?" Hige asked in half rage half disappointment. "What are you gripin' about? The old world really sucked." Tsume said in a Tsume-joking-way. "So says you.." Hige said and there was a long pause.

"So.. what's it like?... having your memories back.." Hige finally asked. "A dream..... Two sets of memories. Both real but you have to sort them out. It's like waking from a dream you can actually remember." Tsume said in a far off way. He was staring at a blank stretch of wall but his gaze went past it.

Past it to another world where a pack of wolves are trotting through sleet and snow toward a goal that seems impossible. Being told their goal isn't real. It's doesn't exist. But being pushed on by a leader who wont give up. Who's soul purpose is to open paradise for his kind. Who's entire being was born to find them and make the impossible trek to an impassible blockage where an unimaginable place lay waiting for them. The place that hadn't been opened. The place where... everything falls apart.

Tsume was brought back to reality by Toboe yawning and waking up. The boy then went wide eyed and shot up. "Where am I?" "In my house." Hige said almost angrily. "Kiba.. where's Kiba.. I think I just had a memory jog." Hige and Tsume looked at Kiba resting by Toboe. "Kiba.." Toboe looked at him. Then he got up and left Kiba laying there. Kiba became human and laid in a lose ball. He looked so comfortable and warm.

They pulled the cover over him again and Toboe smiled. "If I were a girl..." "You are a girl." Tsume muttered. "I'd say he were really cute." Toboe put his arms behind his head.

"What's wrong with that? He does look cute. Just cause your a boy doesn't mean you can't say anything. You ever hear girls? 'She's pretty.' 'She so cute.' 'I just adore her..' Ya..." Hige said, leaning back.

"Ya.. but that's girls.. and Toboe is enough of a girl." Hige fell down and Toboe looked mad at this. "Men aren't like that. That's just degrading. Calling another guy cute. Men don't like being called cute." Tsume finished.

"Not every guy only likes being called punk ya know.." Hige snapped, getting back up. "No guy likes being called cute." Tsume lashed. "I like being called cute." Toboe said cheerfully. "Of course you do." They both said matter-of-factly.

Their yelling woke Kiba and he opened his eyes slowly. He sat up when he noticed that he was under a cover and no longer next to Toboe. He looked around and spotted the red wolf. He smiled. Toboe jumped in joy and sat next to him.

"Kiba! I think I had a memory jog! I think I got them back!" The pup exclaimed. "I hope you're not disappointed.. I know the old world isn't as great as you thought it was." Kiba said, frowning and looking down.

"Are you kidding! Not only did I get memories! I got feelings too! I remember how I felt during them. It was amazing. Kinda depressing at some points, but what life isn't? Kiba, that other world was more excitement than anything I've ever seen." Toboe's voice got slightly smaller on the part about depression. Then he looked sad and stared at the floor.

"What?" Kiba asked. Almost afraid of the answer. "I.. remembered Granny." Tsume flinched a bit. "I remembered her... dying.. And how sad I was..." Toboe said. Kiba put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "It's okay. You have her in this world Toboe. And that's what matters." Kiba smiled. Tsume scoffed.

"If life has no meaning, you're dead already." He laughed once. "You really are full of hot air and crap." "So you wont eat me when you're starving." Kiba almost laughed remembering that. Only Hige seemed lost. Toboe looked like he was gonna laugh and Tsume looked pissed.

"That's it. I'm leaving you weirdoes alone." he said, standing up and trudging out of the room.

"Tsume!" Toboe jumped up. 'Ah man.. if he's going to do that thing where he tries to keep me from leaving and I stupidly don't...' Tsume groaned and thought. "Why are you so mean to Kiba? Even though you have your memories? Couldn't you tell we were all friends? You're saying none of us meant anything at all? That nothing about that journey meant anything? Tsume don't lie about.."

"Shut up.." "Huh?" "Don't say that." Tsume said coldly. Toboe flinched back. "Don't tell me I'm lying, runt!" Tsume slightly raised his voice.

"What's wrong, Tsume?" Toboe asked calmly with a hint or worry. "I just... Don't want to stay here. Leave me alone right now okay?" Tsume's voice was softer now as he left.