Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain, though I would rape it if it was a tangible thing to be raped. I own only the story and the original characters…and…the bad writing. That's about it (sadly). Damn the story for having so many lovely lovely characters….

Hm…at this current point in time, I cannot find the notebook that I wrote the fifth chapter in…I have approximately three notebooks with After the Storm in it…but I can't find the flipping first one…. –searches some more- Ha! Found it! Actually story now…sorry….

Tsume's POV

The rain had finally stopped. I was sitting next to the fogged up window, unable to fall asleep. Hige didn't have a problem- he was snoring like the pig he was only a few feet away. Idiot.

"You can smell it."

I turned to glare at Kiba, starting to bristle already. "Why won't you just shut up? I can't smell a damned thing. Go to sleep, Pretty Boy."

"I have a name."

"I don't care."

Kiba and I turned our heads at the same time as Hige's ass started blaring a song. Toboe yelped and tried to sit up, put too much pressure on his wrist, fell down and hit his head. Hige yawned, sat up, and pulled a cell phone from his back pocket. "You're so sexy…perfect for me…" he sang drowsily to the cell phone's jingle, then put it up to his ear. "No, Mom, I'm not getting laid."

I stared at him blankly. "You still live with your mom?"

"I'm with some friends- No, you haven't met them…Oh yes, Mom, I get high all the time." He said that part with a heavy dose of sarcasm, though I wouldn't have believed him, what with the way he acts… Leaning back, he put one hand behind his head. "Come on, Mom. I'm eighteen- that means I'm an adult…What do you mean by that! Just because I can't keep an apartment doesn't mean I'm any less of a- sorry, Mom."

"That's pathetic." I turned back to the window. "Next thing ya know, he's gonna be inviting us-"

"To my house!" Hige hopped up. "Mom wants to meet all of you."

"Really?" Toboe rubbed his head. "You're still in contact with your mom?"

"Actually, she's my old Science teacher, but she took me in when she found out that I didn't have anyone. She's probably worse than a real mom. But she says that we shouldn't be staying at an orphanage and that we need some real beds. So let's go!" He shoved his cell phone into his back pocket and headed for the door.

Toboe stood as Kiba, looking very hesitant, slowly followed Hige. "Aren't you coming, Tsume?" he asked when I didn't move.

"No," I said flatly. "Why would I go to Porky's house to meet his parents? It's not like we're dating or anything." I shuddered at the thought. "We aren't even friends."

"It's alright, Pup. Tsume should stay anyway. He might make my Mom think that I've joined a gang or something." Hige vanished out the door.

I was once in a gang…Something tickled the back of my mind, making me think of memories that seemed more like clouded dreams…What was I thinking? I'm a loner. Who needs someone, anyway? All the idiots do is get in the way.

I watched them leave before turning on TV to watch the news. Maybe I could figure out why the Elite Forces tried to capture Pretty Boy.

"Good morning, everybody. This is Gabi Saran with the one o'clock news." Her name really sucked for her line of work. Gabi? That's some sort of cruelty. "Top story tonight…er, morning….is about what is being called the Canine's Riot, which took place in Tokyo at four o'clock yesterday afternoon." Piss. "The riot was originally started by an extremist group known as the United Brothers who wanted to…'express' their displeasure at the soldiers' arrival in Tokyo. The soldiers claim to have had dangerous cargo, which has been as-of-yet unreleased to the media, but were having trouble navigating through the crowded streets. As the soldiers tried to calm the crowd, a wolf allegedly was spotted amongst the rioters. Mass panic erupted as two more large canines were spotted near the military truck. One was a steel gray color, the other was a rugged brown color." Piss again. "The animal spotted in the crowd has been described too many different ways to accurately describe him to the public. The government has issued a reward for a live capture of any of these animals.

"In related news, the religious cult who call themselves the Moon's Messengers have also issued a reward to anyone who can capture the creatures. They also claim that the animals will come to them in the knowledge that they can help them to Paradise. It is suggested that people try not to harm the 'Wolves', as the Messengers have threatened to brutally dismember anyone who harms a hair on the canines' heads.

"The Prime Minister has issued several tips to avoid any close and potentially dangerous contact with the animals-" Piss yet again. I went to turn of the TV after getting myself another Red Bull, but froze when Gabi said one word.

"Darshia,"-Where the hell have I heard that name before?-"Commander of the Elite Forces, is now issuing a statement on these creatures and the unstable political situation in the world. This is live from Kyoto."

My skin started to crawl as I gazed at the man on the screen. He had only one eye, which was a brilliant blue color, and long, dark hair. The one blue eye seemed to pierce straight through the screen to stare right at me. "Ladies and gentlemen of Japan." His voice sounded almost amused and was seething with charismatic arrogance. I could tell he was a self-centered bastard as soon as he opened his mouth. "I would personally like to apologize for the situation yesterday afternoon. The Wolves that were spotted yesterday are very dangerous animals that need to be stopped and captured at all costs. We were very lucky that no one was attacked or wounded by them during the riot. However, the government and military"- Since when have they been separate?- "would like to encourage that you continue living your lives as usual despite the situation of the Wolves and the situation that I am going to address at this time." Darshia straightened and returned to gazing out at me. "We have been caught in an international war that is sure to escalate to-"

I turned off the TV and stood. I had to find Pretty Boy, Porky, and the Pup. (RhapsodicMelody: Hey! They hall start with "P"!) Something about this Darshia bastard told me he had been the one who wanted to capture Kiba.

My nose may not be as good as Porky's, but I could still track them. They were waiting for traffic to stop so that they could cross the street, their outlines vaguely recognizable through the haze and lights of the city.

"Well well well. Look who decided to show up." Hige turned to me, smiling smugly. "What's wrong, Drop Out?"

"Darshia." The word came out of my mouth before I could even think to stop it.

Kiba's head whirled around. "What did you say?"

"Do you know who he is, Pretty Boy? He just made a statement on the news about us and the government has put out a reward for our capture. He was the one who sent the soldiers to capture you."

"Darshia…That sounds familiar." Toboe scratched the side of his nose as he thought. "Why would he want us? There are plenty of other Wolves out there…"

"Toboe wasn't the only one spotted yesterday. They saw Porky and me, too." I gazed sharply at Pretty Boy as he watched me with that same, passionate, unmoving look on his face. "You were the only one they didn't see."

Kiba stared at me for a moment longer, then turned away. "Let's get to Hige's house. We'll talk there." He crossed the street, hands in his jacket pockets.

Hige's "Mom" lived in a little one-story house close to the gas station where we had all met. It was squashed between two much larger buildings, making it look even smaller, and looked older than all of the other houses on the street. A cat-shaped welcome sign was hanging from the door, looking tiny and lost among the many flowers shoved onto the porch.

"I'm home, Mom!" Hige called, opening the door and holding back a huge dog.

"Hige!" A tall, slim lady with messy, wavy hair the color of the sunset ran out from the kitchen to embrace her "son".

"Come on Mom, you're embarrassing me." But Hige held on to her anyway, grinning from ear to ear. "Got any food?"

"Of course." She handed him a carrot, then turned to Toboe. "Aren't you the most adorable little boy I have ever seen!"

Toboe turned pink and gave her a meek smile, probably looking all the more cute. "It's nice to meet you, Ma'am."

"Hige, introduce them!"

Hige tossed the carrot over his shoulder. Even the huge dog that he was fending off seemed uninterested in the vegetable. "The kid's name is Toboe, the guy with the crazy hair is Kiba, and the delinquent in leather is Tsume. Guys, this is my mom."

"Just call me Mom, no need for Mrs. or Ma'ams or anything like that." She flaunted into the kitchen and brought out what looked like white sausages on wheat buns. "Anyone want some tofu dogs?" No wonder Hige was always so hungry. "They're fresh!"

"No thanks, we already ate." Kiba was trying to keep the dog from scratching up his pretty face as he spoke.

"Down, Custard, down!" Mom dragged the canine off of Kiba. "Guess what I found today, Hige?"

"A boyfriend?" Hige was eyeing the tofu dogs in obvious distaste.

"No, silly, something even better!" She ran into another room and came back with what looked like a giant lint ball. "Isn't she adorable!"

"AME!" Toboe ran over to Mom and snatched the lint ball away. "I was so worried about you!"

Mom glanced at Hige inquiringly.

"Long story, Mom. The guys and I are gonna go to my room, alright? Come on." He ran down the hallway and into a doorway.

Hige's room was smothered in clothes, about half of which appeared to be those stupid hoodies that he wears. The walls were covered in pictures of models and people that I assumed he knew. There was no bed, but he did have a clumsily covered futon with the largest, most drool stained pillow I had ever seen in my life. "Nice room," I said, sounding as bored as I was.

Hige shrugged, looking unfazed. "You've probably never had a house or a room, so it's understandable that you don't recognize this beautiful, tastefully decorated room for the piece of art that it is."

"Why are there half-naked girls on the wall?" Toboe asked awkwardly, making me chuckle as Hige turned pink.

"You'll understand when you're older. So what'd ya hear, Drop Out?"

I glared at him before leaning against the wall. "We're wanted by the government and some crazy cult. We'd better keep a low profile for a while, at least until this mess clears up. Lucky for us Japan is going to war and the soldiers should be discharged." I scratched the jagged scab on my face. Dammit. I should have dodged.

"Who is Darshia?" Kiba demanded, fixing me with one of those piercing glares. "What does he had to do with all of this?"

"He's some creepy-ass bastard with one eye who has some sort of standing in the military. I know he's the one who sent the Elites to get you." I stared right back at him. "Call it instinct or whatever, but I know this guy is after you."

"Why me?"

"How the hell should I know?" I turned away, making a face of disgust. Dumb ass.

Toboe scratched behind the kitten's ears as he murmured, "He wants to get into Paradise."

"What?" I demanded, probably a little harsher than necessary, and Toboe blushed.

"It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean…Kiba seems to know more about Paradise than anyone else. If you were trying to find Paradise, wouldn't YOU try to find someone who could lead you to it?"

"Kid's got a point," Hige said, putting his hands behind his head and plopping onto the futon. "But how could a human know about Paradise?"

"There's something wrong about him," I growled. "Something twisted and sick."

"We have to go," Kiba said simply, turning away, hands still in his pockets. "If we stay in one place, it'll be easier for him to find us."

"You mean, easier to find YOU."

Kiba turned to glare at me, then left. Damn him. He was still acting all self-righteous, even though it was his fault that we got into this mess. I HATED that.

Hige sighed and stood, stretching like he had rested well in the two minutes that he had laid on the futon. "He's right. Let's get going. You guys go ahead, I've gotta say good bye to my Mom."

"Come on, Pup." I turned to leave.

"Hige…tell…tell Mom to look after Ame. I don't want her to get hurt." Toboe gave Hige the kitten and scittered after me.

"Do you ever look after yourself?" I demanded, somehow irritated by his last selfless act. "It was a damn cat."

Toboe wiped his eyes, trying to hide his tears. "I like looking after other people, and Ame needs someone. Besides, she's so small and weak-how could she look after herself?"

I gazed down at him for a moment, thinking about the irony in what he just said, then turned away. "You're an idiot."

-Somewhere else…-

"Isn't the bath water cold, Cheza?" Cher asked, looking at the girl in shock.

Cheza simply remained almost completely submerged, startling red eyes half-opened and apparently unfocused. "This One is thirsty."

Cher turned and left for the kitchen, shaking her head. That girl was just so… She finished filling the glass with water, slowly heading back to the bathroom. What had she gotten herself into? Stopping in mid-step and almost dropping the glass of water, Cher stared at the tub, where Cheza was completely underwater and blinking up at her calmly. "Cheza!" Grabbing her arms, Cher pulled her up. "Are you alright!"

"This One is no longer thirsty."

RhapsodicMelody: I LIVE! Actually, I'm sorry about the delay. You see, I got a laptop. YAY LAPTOP! But, there is a dark side to this piece of hardware- IT CAN'T GET AN INTERNET CONNECTION. Which means that I typed up to chapter 10, and then realized that I couldn't do anything with it. So I finally got my own computer WITH the internet and am now sending this to you. I actually have up to chapter…29 written in my notebooks. Don't worry, there's still a lot more to happen, and there will be more Darshia and evil people. Also, I think we're getting close to where some of my original characters (who are actually important to the story) show up. Don't worry, I won't let them steal the show. I loves my Wolf's Rain boys too much. And that little part with Cheza was a little impromptu on my part. Just letting ya know that she's still alive. Until next chapter!