Title: The Price of His Past
Author: Ladye Black
Warnings: no, not really...ok, so I use a bad word
Disclaimer: Everything (almost) else had this thing, and it really hasn't changed.
Notes: Gomen ne, minna-san? The shit pretty much hit the fan this last week. I came down with a cold, our house was slightly flooded, I had to stay at my grandparents for two nights, da dada da da. At any rate, here it is now, and I hope you can forgive me for it being so long since I posted.
Chapter 6
It was almost a week before Kiba considered Tsume well enough to travel. During that time, Kiba had taken it upon himself to see to the grey Wolf's care.
Tsume didn't make it easy for him. Every minute was a contest of wills with Tsume insisting he was fine and Kiba repeatedly pushing him back onto the ground again, and again, and again.
Hige watched it all amusedly; while Toboe's usually happy face was marred by a pensive frown. Tsume growled when either of the two got near him, at Hige because he didn't trust the brown Wolf, and at Toboe because of what the runt had done when Tsume had first woken up.
"Can we leave now, Mom?" Tsume growled sarcastically at Kiba.
The white Wolf merely favored him with a glare and a slow nod.
"Good." Tsume got up from his place on the cave floor and walked stiffly to the entrance while the rest of the pack stared after him.
The former gang leader lost himself in his thoughts as they walked. Why were those creatures after him? It had been a little more than ten years, why did the creatures come after him now? Especially since Tsume had the feeling those things could have found him at almost anytime.
The questions left him with only one option, to go back to the place where it had all started and try to figure everything out from there.
Decision made, he stopped suddenly, causing Hige to run into him.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Hige asked, rubbing his head.
"I have somewhere else to be," Tsume murmured.
"What?!"
"I have to go," was all he said before he started running to the Southeast.
"Tsume!" Toboe called after him desperately.
"Let him go," Kiba said quietly from behind him.
"But-"
"No," the white Wolf growled harshly. "He made his choice. Let him go."
"But, Kiba," Hige protested. "The direction Tsume went...isn't that the direction of the city where you guys met?"
Kiba froze. Why would Tsume be-? He turned and started running, following in Tsume's paw prints.
Hige and Toboe exchanged looks before setting out after the two older Wolves.
Hours later, panting and trying to catch their breath, they stood outside the wall of Tsume's old city.
"Wow, Tsume! This place is huge!" Toboe exclaimed as he looked around, wide-eyed.
"Yeah," Tsume answered, sounding slightly sad, eyes fixed on the city. Toboe, feeling Tsume's somber atmosphere and not sure what to do, whined plaintively.
"Tsume," Kiba said, "Why are we here?"
For a long moment, the other Wolf didn't answer. Finally, he sighed. "Because, for me, this is where it all started." And gathering his courage, he went into the place that housed some of his worst memories. The others followed him.
Slowly, they made their way through the twisting streets, passing by merchants, food vendors, and the people buying their wares. They headed for a place that had significance only for Tsume and a few others.
As they got deeper into the city, the whispers started. "He's back", "The Leader has returned", Tsume looked neither left nor right when he heard them. He just continued to move straight ahead, ignoring them.
After what seemed to be many hours, and many miles, Tsume stopped. Toboe, who had been looking around him fearfully, almost ran into the bigger Wolf.
"Tsume?"
"We're here," he announced gruffly and pushed open the door directly in front of him.
TBC...
Yes, that's it for this chapter. I too tired to write about what's inside right now. Tell me what ya think!
