Title: The Price of His Past
Author: Ladye Black
Warnings: Y'know, I probably should have mentioned this at first, but this is a bit AU when it comes to Tsume's past.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own the characters; however, this piece of fiction is mine.
Notes: Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I'm sorry it took me so long to update this.
Chapter 7
At first, they could see nothing, just a dark, inky blackness that seemed to consume the inside of the warehouse. Slowly, Tsume led them through a tunnel of sorts, feeling his way by an almost forgotten memory. Suddenly, he stopped, having encountered a wall signifying the end of the tunnel. He turned to face his companions, even though he knew they couldn't see him.
"I want you guys to promise me something," Tsume demanded.
"Sure!" Toboe agreed immediately. Tsume frowned at the pup's ignorance.
"Whatever goes on in here, I don't want you to interfere. I'm not quite sure of the reception I'll receive here, so it'd be better for you all if you just stayed in the background."
"Why?" Kiba asked, sounding faintly concerned.
Tsume was glad they couldn't see him now. "These people were once like pack to me, and I left them," was all he said.
Kiba frowned into the dark, not liking the implications of Tsume's statement. "We won't interfere," he said reluctantly.
"Speak for yourself," Hige said heatedly. "Tsume's part of this pack, if someone tries to hurt him, we should defend him. Same goes for anyone of us that might be attacked."
"This is something Tsume has to do, Hige, it's not right for any of us to interfere if he doesn't want us to." Tsume was relieved to have Kiba's support. The white Wolf's opinion was perhaps the one he had the highest respect for.
"And you, Toboe?" he asked, aware that the smallest Wolf had yet to give his answer.
"Well," the young Wolf said hesitantly. "I kinda feel like Hige. I don't want you to be hurt, Tsume!" Toboe quickly rushed forward blindly to give Tsume a quick, affectionate lick. "But, if this is what you want, I won't stand in your way."
"Thank you, all of you." Tsume, for the first time, felt like he truly belonged with this group and instead of watching from the sidelines. "I suppose that's enough stalling."
"Tsume!"
"Yeah, Kiba?" the grey Wolf asked. The white Wolf did something strange then, something that Tsume never thought the Wolf capable of doing, something that gave Tsume more hope than he ever remembered having. Kiba darted forward slightly and licked Tsume right along his muzzle before backing off just as quickly. Tsume was even more relieved that the others couldn't see him now.
"Right, here we go," and he pushed the wall in to reveal a place that had been almost lost to the ages; a secret place, known only to a few, and reachable to even far less. It was an almost tangible Paradise.
The other three Wolves looked around in amazement, almost convinced they had entered a dream. There was a rolling grass field, trees that carried life, and further away, a small village.
"How?" Hige asked softly. "How can this be here?"
"A long time ago, when Wolves were still wild, Humans called 'scientists' realized the world was dying." Tsume started explaining, passing down the story that had been told to all the generations that had lived here. "So, these 'scientists' started looking for a way to save the world. Many years passed and finally they saw a solution to their problems. They chose a remote location, took everything they would need, and started building, growing, and experimenting. This place is called 'Akemi' and those scientists, more than two hundred years ago, built this place. There's nowhere else like it."
For a moment, Tsume was lost in the past, remembering how he had been brought to this place and how wonderful his time here had been. He shook himself out of his daze, and in gaining awareness, he felt the others' eyes on him. "What?"
Toboe spoke first. "Tsume...how could you leave? I think that if I lived here, I'd never want to leave this place."
"Yeah," Hige agreed. "It's like a dream come true."
Tsume couldn't help himself, he laughed, bitterly. "Sorry, porky, but the beauty here is just like it is anywhere else; skin deep."
"What do you mean?"
Tsume regarded Kiba somberly for a moment. "This place is artificial, what you can't see is the metal that supports this structure. Sure, the grass is real. But the sun and sky are not. It's part of the lost technology that only the Noble's have anymore. To run this place requires a lot of energy, something that's not in real abundance here. Someday, this place will die."
For a moment, Kiba saw the raw, unguarded pain in Tsume's eyes before the Wolf covered it up under his usual tough exterior. "Well, we'd better head for the village, there's someone I need to talk to."
They started for the rash of houses. "And remember, no interfering," Tsume reminded them harshly, before leading the way.
As Tsume walked away, with the others following him, Kiba felt a wave of uneasiness well up in his chest. Whatever was about to happen would not be pleasant, he thought before following them.
TBC...
How's that? Again, sorry for the delay. "Akemi" means 'bright and beautiful' in Japanese...so the name website tells me.
