Finals are over! No more tests! I'm so happy! Tralalalala! (does little happy dance)
Kiba: She looks like a fool.
Tsume: She is a fool.
Yuri: I think she looks…cool…heh heh
supperninny-chan: Really? You like my dance?
Yuri: …(sweat drops) you want the truth?
superninny-chan: You want me to write you out of the story?
Kiba: This is pointless. Can we please get back to the story? You're just wasting time trying to be funny.
Tsume: And failing miserably, at that.
Kiba: Uh huh.
supperninny-chan: Hey! Well…(inaudible grumbles)…stupid Kiba…
Kiba: What's that?
supperninny-chan: Let's get back to the story! Whew! Dodged that one.
"Yuri!" Kiba cried, dropping to his knees beside her.
"Kiba, I…" Toboe began.
"Where?" Kiba said roughly, cutting Toboe off.
"I-I don't know. I-she-she's holding her…" Toboe stammered, pointing to Yuri.
Kiba turned back to Yuri, carefully turning her over. Despite the large amount of blood, Kiba was quickly able to find Yuri's wound. Yuri groaned slightly when Kiba turned her over and clutched at her wound—she had been shot in the shoulder. For a moment, Kiba was relieved to see that the shot had not been fatal. But if they didn't treat it properly, she would die of blood loss. Kiba flung his jacket off and ripped a sleeve off his shirt. He tore that sleeve into two long strips and tied them together. There wasn't much he could do to stop the blood flow with a wound like this and no medical expertise, but it would have to do. He wrapped the strips around her wound, winding the fabric under her arm and over her shoulder. He tied the ends together with a firm tug and carefully placed Yuri's arm over her chest. Holding her up with one arm, Kiba took his jacket in the other and draped over her shoulders, making sure it covered her torso completely, and gathered her gingerly into his arms.
Hige ran suddenly around the corner, meeting Kiba and Toboe. "Hey, where have you—oh man! What happened to her?"
"She's been shot, you've got to get her out of here."
"Right." Hige affirmed. Tsume and Blue then landed next to Hige, looking winded.
"We finally lost them, now's our chance," Tsume ordered. "And," he added, "I found these." Tsume jingled a pair of keys in front of his face.
"What the hell are those for?" Kiba yelled.
Tsume let out an exasperated sigh. "These are our ticket out of here, now follow me." With that, Tsume turned and ran back in the direction he came from. The wolves exchanged puzzled looks and followed Tsume—Kiba in the lead. Kiba stopped abruptly, staring. Before him, Tsume stood beside a black utility vehicle.
"Get in," he ordered. The wolves ran toward the vehicle and climbed quickly inside. The vehicle contained only two seats and a cargo area. Tsume jumped into the driver's seat and Hige sat in the passenger's seat. Having lived amongst humans for some time, Tsume was no stranger to driving and he quickly had the lot of them zooming down the many rows of trucks.
"How did you find this, Tsume?" Kiba asked. He was sitting in the cargo area, still holding Yuri.
"I saw a bunch of them driving around in them. I think they started deploying them once they knew exactly where we were. Anyway, I snuck up on the last one in the line and disposed of the soldiers inside. Convenient, huh?"
Kiba managed a lopsided grin, but with great difficulty. "Don't worry Kiba, she'll be alright," Toboe said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah," Kiba responded hoarsely, looking at Yuri.
"Oh no," Tsume called, setting his jaw. "They're onto us. Hold on tight, guys."
Tsume started swerving to and fro, weaving in and out of rows, and trying to avoid the other vehicles that were now pelting them with bullets. A little ways away, Tsume spotted a gate through which the vehicles like this one were being deployed. The gate was open—no, it was starting to close. Tsume pressed the accelerator to the floor and held the steering wheel fiercely. The gap grew smaller and smaller—would they make it in time?
The sides of the car were scraped as the squeezed through, showering the car with bright sparks and filling the air with a loud screeching noise. They made it.
"We're home free!" Hige yelled, punching the air. "Now where do we go?"
"I overheard a couple talking about another town when I was looking for you guys. It's supposed to be just a few miles from here," Kiba answered. "Just a few miles north,"
Tsume nodded turned the car sharply to the left. "To the north," he muttered.
"She's very lucky to be alive, you know that?"
"Yes, thank for all your help. We are truly grateful."
"How did she arrive at such a condition? And the rest of you! All tattered and torn. What happened to you?"
The wolves exchanged nervous glances before Kiba answered, "It's a long story. Uh, may I see her now, please?"
The old woman let out a long sigh. "Yes, I suppose you may. She's resting now, and mind you she needs it, so be careful not to wake her."
"I will, thank you." Kiba grunted as he stood and walked slowly out of the room.
"Now, I'll bet your are all positively famished. What would you like?" The old lady said, smiley brightly at the Tsume, Hige, Toboe, and Blue.
It really was lucky they'd found her. As it turned out, the next town really wasn't very far afterall—at least not in a car it wasn't. They reached the small town of Arcadia in very little time. Kiba had watched Yuri the whole time, concern written all over his face. When they finally did reach the town, he had to exercise great self-control to stop himself from running madly into the town, yelling for help. The car had finally broken down a few yards from town, making them walk the rest of the distance.
The climate improved from that of the last town, even though it was only a few miles north. There were some tress here, and grass grew in semi-abundance. They approached the town with caution.
It really was a small town. The streets were lined with small houses rather than large apartment complexes, and there was no sign of people outside. "This place is deserted," Tsume muttered.
"You think we should look for a hospital or something?" Hige pondered aloud.
"And then what? Pay them in smiles when they hand us the bill? Think again, fool." Tsume snapped.
"Alright, I was just saying…"
"You think one of these people might help us?" Toboe asked, pointing to the houses.
"Yeah right," Tsume scoffed.
"It's worth a try, though, isn't it?" Blue interjected. Blue was the only member of the pack besides Toboe who believed in the general benevolence that was inherent in most humans—most, not all.
"We've got to do something, Tsume," Kiba added angrily, indicating Yuri.
"Whatever," Tsume muttered.
Blue and Toboe exchanged nods and together, ran up the walk toward the first house. It was a small house, painted white with dark blue trim and shutters. There were a few flowers in small pots on the windowsills, but apart from that, entirely unadorned. Blue rapped on the wooden the door lightly. "Just one minute," came a muffled woman's voice from within. The door opened a crack, letting a pair of large, spectacled, blue eyes peek through at the two wolves.
"Yes, what is it? What do you want?" The woman asked.
"Please ma'am, our friend is hurt," Toboe, pleaded, his small hands clasped together pleadingly.
"Why don't you take them to the hospital?" The woman answered suspiciously.
"We don't have any money, won't you help us please? We don't know what else to do. Please, she's been shot."
"Shot?" The woman gasped, opening the door a bit further. "Good lord, why didn't you say so? Where are they?"
"Over there," Blue answered, pointing at Yuri, in Kiba's arms.
"Oh!" The woman exclaimed. "Bring her in, bring her in, my dears. We mustn't waste time!" She cried, ushering the pack hurriedly into her house.
The woman turned out to be a friendly-looking, stout old lady. She took Kiba's arm and hurried him into a room at the end of a hall, telling him to lay Yuri on the bed, then pushing him out the door, and shutting it behind him.
Kiba paced back and forth while the old woman treated Yuri. The old woman emerged twenty minutes later with a tray full of medical supplies looking grave, but satisfied.
Now Kiba walked quietly down the same hall, reaching the room at the end of it, and turned the knob on the door silently.
The room was warm and dimly lit. The walls were white with flowered trim all along the top and the floor was a rich, mahogany wood. The room was about as simply adorned as the front of the house had been, save for a bookcase along the right wall full of trinkets, big and small, and a large wooden chest that lay at the foot of the bed. The bed stood at the far left corner of the room, with a large wooden rocking chair next to it.
Kiba walked slowly toward the rocking chair, looking apprehensive. He didn't know what he was so worried about; the woman had said Yuri was fine. Still, the memory of Yuri's body covered in blood was an image that still brought chills down his spine. As he approached, Yuri's head came slowly into view under the mounds of blankets drawn over her. Kiba sighed. She looked so peaceful sleeping there.
After trying and failing, several times, to get the rocking chair to stand still, Kiba gave up and instead decided to kneel at the bedside. Yuri stirred a little as Kiba brought his face to level with hers. Startled, Kiba was relieved to see that she did not wake. And so he knelt there, gazing upon her face, contemplating.
Why had she done such a thing? Why had she jumped in the way? Didn't she know it was dangerous? Didn't she know that it was he who was trying to protect her, not the other way around? Kiba clenched his fist. He still blamed himself for this. If it hadn't been for his carelessness, she would be all right. She would have been in the other room with everyone else, eating and talking happily, not here…not like this.
And still, he didn't know when it happened. He didn't know when he his feelings for her had changed so drastically, that the only thing that seemed to matter was her safety. His stomach seemed to fly up beside his heart when he saw her. He felt dizzy, and he didn't know why. Was this love? What is love? He had heard humans speak of it often, speak as if it were the most wonderful feeling in the world, as if nothing else in the world mattered, only love, only the person you loved. They were right. He was in love with Yuri, not fully understanding what that meant, but he knew he was. He knew that he could not stand to part with her and he knew that he had never been more terrified in his life than when he thought she had died.
Kiba smiled inwardly. He was such a fool, what would the others say? What would Tsume say? He, who hated humans more than any of the others, wanted to take one as his mate. Kiba stroked Yuri's cheek softly. He traced the line of her jaw, lingered for a moment on her ear, then settling again on her cheek, Kiba leaned forward and softly kissed Yuri's forehead, taking in the sweet fragrance of her skin; the soft scent of her hair.
Yuri stirred again. Kiba looked at her face and smiled. Fixed on Yuri's face was the most serenely happy expression her had ever seen—she smiled.
"The food is ready, dears! Come and get it!" called the old woman from the kitchen. Although in their human forms, the wolves certainly looked more ravenous now than they ever did in their true forms. The hurried, Hige in the lead, toward the kitchen, following the enticing aromas the room emitted. The sight of the steaming dishes, all laid out neatly on the table was too much to bear—the wolves pounced on them.
"Oh my!" the old woman exclaimed, standing back to avoid the onslaught. "It's a good thing I made so much!"
"More? You mean there's more?" Hige cried, half-chewed food falling freely from his mouth. "Pack it on, Granny!"
The old woman scoffed a bit at Hige's remark, but smiled nonetheless. Her own grandson had passed away some years ago and she had missed being addressed as "Granny" for some time. She patted Hige's head comfortingly as she laid bowl full of soup in front of the wolves.
Hige, about to throw his hands inside, was met with a sharp tap from Granny. "Wait until I serve you. Good lord, I could swear that you'd never had soup before!" She exclaimed, taking six bowls from and a cupboard and a ladle from a drawer. Hige, Blue and Toboe laughed happily and Tsume scoffed.
The wolves quickly abandoned the use of the spoon, and downed their bowls in one gulp. Granny chuckled as she watched, thoroughly enjoying their company. Noticing that she wasn't eating, Toboe stopped and walked over to her. "Granny, uh, aren't you going to eat?"
"No, no my dear. I've already eaten. An old granny like me doesn't need to eat as much as you do, now go on, eat until you're full." Toboe and smiled and returned to the table. "Such a sweet child," she thought.
"Hey, what about Kiba? Aren't we leaving any for him?" Hige asked, looking around at the nearly empty bowls and plates.
"What about him?" Tsume responded. "If he was really hungry, he'd have come out to eat, wouldn't he?"
"Hey, he just went in to see Yuri," Toboe said, Hige nodding in agreement.
"Don't worry dears," Granny cut in, "I made more than enough food. He'll have his share. But in the mean time, I'm going to get a few things ready for you. You all need get cleaned off a bit more."
"I thought you said we already washed," Hige said, showing her his hands.
She chuckled merrily. "Oh my, I've never met such a lad! All you've done is wash your hands! Look at you! I would have had all of you bathe before eating, but you looked so starved." She wiped a tear from her right eye and continued, "I'll get a bath started for the young lady, and then you can each take turns." With that, she walked out of the kitchen.
"Man, this is the life," Hige sighed, sitting placidly back in his chair and picking at his teeth.
"She reminds me of someone," Toboe said, looking forlorn.
"Yeah, well don't get too comfortable. We'll be leaving soon," Tsume cut in roughly.
"Leaving? What do you mean?" Hige said, sitting up.
"What's the matter with all of you? Haven't we forgotten something? The reason we're all traveling around like this in the first place?"
Comprehension suddenly dawned on Hige. "Paradise?"
"Of course, Paradise! We're in the middle of nowhere and we still have no idea where Cheza is. Am I the only one who is still on track?" Tsume said, growing impatient.
"Well, what about Yuri?" Toboe asked timidly.
"What about her?" Tsume returned.
"Is she going to come with us?"
"No, why would she. She hardly knows any of us, and she isn't even a wolf."
Toboe thought for a moment. "Then what about Kiba?" he asked.
Tsume stopped. Toboe had, knowingly or not, just touched upon the one thing that Tsume had been worrying about for some time. What about Kiba? Since Yuri had told them the story of how she met Kiba, he had grown worried about the relationship the two of them had. The girl's voice and expression had been indicative of some closer connection she may have felt for Kiba. And when he had finally seen the two of them together, his suspicions had been confirmed. Something had changed inside of Kiba—she had changed him. What was going to happen now?
"I don't know," Tsume muttered, getting up and exiting the room. The three remaining wolves exchanged nervous glances.
Granny opened the door of the bedroom silently and peered inside. The boy had been with her for some time now; he must be tired. As she looked in, she smiled tenderly. She stepped in and shut the door behind her.
"Come, my dear, there's food on the table. We should let her rest now," she whispered, tapping Kiba lightly on the shoulder. He looked up, and nodded, following Granny out of the room.
While Tsume paced in the living room and Hige, Toboe, and Blue sat silently in the kitchen, Kiba had fallen asleep where he knelt. Granny had come in and seen him, with his face right next to Yuri's, and his hand safely behind her head. "What a touching sight!" Granny thought.
Oh, this was a nice ending, if I do say so myself!
Kiba: She's complimenting herself? How pathetic.
suppperninny-chan: Aw man...can't you give me a break , Kiba? Try to be nice?
Kiba: glares No.
supperninny-chan: D'oh! Oh well, we'll work on that later. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter: Strength. I think I may have gotten the chapters mixed up somewhere along the way, updating several chapters at once. If there are any inconsistencies you may detect, the story isn't flowing right or doesn't carry on from one chapter to the next, please contact me! Thanks!