A/N: I finally updated...(I was going to write more than this, but I'm too busy for a while to complete it. This is a good place to stop anyways.)
Warnings: None, really. Some swear words. Implied yaoi, that's it. (For about three lines. If you can't take that, you're not going to like my story in a couple of chapters...)
Disclaimer: I wish I owned Wolf's Rain and its characters, but I do not. Oh well.
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Part two
The set of blackened gates groaned as they eased forward. Toboe and his new 'friend' stepped in through the first doorway, only to meet a cold, steel wall. Hige shot him a questioning glance, and shrugged his shoulders when the younger boy didn't reply. He's a weird little one, Hige thought. I wonder if he's really… His thought was interrupted by the door behind him grinding to a close. Instinctively, the hair on his neck rose (seeing as he was inside an enclosed area), but settled as another voice echoed through their temporary cell. "Please…remain…still." Okay, easy enough.
"Thank…you…for…your…cooperation." Hige chuckled, "You're welcome!" and nudged the young boy, while offering a grin. Toboe looked at him like he was mental, and stepped forward to the newly opening wall in front of them. "Whoa! Whoawowowo. Hold up, little man." Hige grabbed his partner's red shirt. "I thought you said this place was the safest that you knew of. Was that your weapons check? Have a nice day?" The younger one didn't even turn around as he calmly replied, "What, you didn't see it? You're checked in and ready to go. Right now, they already have your blood sample." "GAAHH! Are you serious? Next time you bring a buddy here, you should probably let them know ahead of time. Thanks a lot for the briefing, Captain T." Toboe flipped his hair and turned only his head to flash a smirk; "You're welcome."
Hige gaped at the boy in front of him, and couldn't help the beads of sweat that escaped the back of his neck. Oh jeez. Just what I need…I haven't even met this kid and he's already pulling the moves on me. All thoughts of a different 'relationship' disappeared as Toboe moved forward, apparently unaware of the reaction. Maybe I'm just imagining things, Hige reassured himself. However, he kept catching himself staring at the cute little butt before him.
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The inside of Toboe's haven wasn't exactly the heaven that Hige imagined, but it was definitely a lot more civilized than outside of the walls. The fountain in the center circle dripped slowly into a dirty pool below, but there were actually children present who were throwing rocks into the stone basin. Looking around, Hige noticed that the carved fountain was centered inside a large pentagram, which also seemed to be the core of the small city. Rotating around, he saw that there were five roads that emanated from each of the points of the star. When he made the full circle, he saw that his young friend had already taken off down the first road. "Come on!" shouted Toboe. The older boy sprinted after him down the open street.
Apparently, the younger boy's wound had already healed, since the older one had a hard time keeping up with him. "Where (huff) are we going? (wheeze...)" "Are you really that out of shape? It's only a few more blocks away!" Dodging the ragged pedestrians, Hige wheeled around a side street that he thought his companion had turned down. The only thing was that the young one was totally out of sight. The teenager leaned against the wall to catch his breath, and tried to retrace his steps through his mind. "Great. Just peachy. I was pretty sure he OOPH…" A strong hand clamped over his mouth, and Hige could not escape his captor's vice grip. The voice behind him ordered, "Don't say a word, and follow me or else I might just have to kill you." Hige nodded through the silencing hand, and the hold was released. "Who the hell are you?" Hige hissed. The voice simply stated, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."
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As he followed the cloaked being, Hige couldn't help but notice how awkward this situation was. Okay, I'm following the Caped Wonder here, and no-one else really seemed to care that I was almost assaulted. Now that he thought about it, the teen noticed that he wasn't taken prisoner in a dark alley, but another brightly lit road that wasn't too far from the main street. Since no-one else around stopped this guy, he shouldn't be that harmful. He was pretty strong, but it's not like I can't take him out. Cheap bastard. Caught me out of breath and from behind, too. Hige jolted to a halt, almost slamming into the back of the creep he was trailing. "In through here," demanded the faceless voice. The teenager replied, "You can't talk to me out here?" After no response, Hige shouldered his way past the figure into the doorway, grumbling the whole way.
The cloaked man followed and locked the door behind him. As he pocketed the keys with one hand, the other whipped away his dark disguise. The first thing Hige noticed was the emotionless gaze passing through him. One eye was normal, but the other was…golden? The man did not hesitate to accost Hige. "Why are you here, wolf?" "I didn't choose to be here, you idiot. I was brought here by a friend, and am stuck here because you totally separated us. And how did you…" "I can see you," drawled the handsome man. "I know what you really are. That camouflage bullshit doesn't get to me. I can see what's behind the mask." Hige glared at the cocky freak. Look who's talking, cloak-boy. The man side-stepped around him, and continued: "No matter. You did not choose to be here, so you are more welcome than others. Please, take a seat." He gestured towards the ornamental furniture. "Since you don't know why you are here, maybe I can explain why I think you are here. You might as well get comfortable." Hige slowly moved towards the chairs. "You never told me exactly who you were." The other man moved into a separate room, and pops and fizzes were heard while he explained. "I am a man of sorrow and despair. I am a man who has walked this earth completely in the search for an answer, and I am a man who still continues to walk in an endless quest. Most importantly, I am a man who holds the knowledge and answers for you…" "I didn't ask any questions," Hige interrupted, "and a name would sure be great instead." The dark-haired figure walked back into the main room with two wine glasses, and replied, "Most people know me as Darcia."
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Toboe ran through the street, glancing down any side pathway that might have contained his new friend. Oh, crap, he thought to himself as he sprinted. Where the heck did he go? He was right behind me, and now he's gone. He turned down a road that looked brighter than the rest. I can't really lose him right now. Not before I can repay him. He wasn't sure why, but the path before him seemed a lot more familiar than any other road he'd been down before. It seemed…happier…easier to follow. Toboe knew that in this place, his friend wasn't really in any danger. However, he couldn't afford to lose him and continued to run anyways.
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A/N (again): This one's not too exciting. I think I'm going to sneak in some lemony goodness by the chapter after the next, if not the next. (Wink, wink.)