Chapter 2: Confirmation
Kiba and the others had climbed half the mountain. Hubb, the human detective was getting to the top only very sluggishly. Kiba was carrying Cheza on his back and Hige and Blue weren't very far behind.
"It's really hard to breath up here." Hige complained.
"Probably because we are so high up," Hubb answered, "the air gets thinner the higher you go."
"C'mon guys were almost there." Kiba said his words pulling them onward.
Hubb was catching up with the wolves that were jumping from ledge to ledge. Just as he as reaching for a fissure on the mountainside, his feet slipped from under him and fell into the abyss below.
"Hubb!" Blue called into the abyss.
"I'm alright, keep going," Hubb called from below.
Kiba set Cheza down next to Hige and leaped down to where Hubb was hanging.
"We won't leave without you," Kiba stated, reaching down to grab Hubb's hand and pull him up.
"No!" Hubb exclaimed, Kiba stopped. "Just go, I'll only slow you down if I'm not going along, you can get there faster."
"Don't say that, grab my hand," Kiba pleaded, he wouldn't allow him to give up, not this easy.
"I'm sorry I have to, I'll only slow you down… and when we get there, I most likely won't be allowed in, the paradise you are going to is for wolves. And I'm not a wolf." Hubb stated.
Kiba's eyes widened.
Hubb took one last look at the wolf and let himself fall.
Kiba could only watch as Hubb fell from his grasp. When he was gone from his sight he stood up and sighed, then yelled into the air, "We didn't ask for this!!"
Hubb fell he fell past Tsume and Kayali as they were making their way up to the others. Tsume reached out his hand for Hubb to take it, but Hubb simply looked at him. With the look in his eyes the two wolves could see the human was already dead. He landed on the ice hard ground; his head cracked and began bleeding and blood spilled from his nose and mouth.
But he wasn't dead; he was in shock and was soon to be only a lifeless thing. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a book wrapped in a pink colorful scarf. The book that his ex-wife left for him, she had died a few nights earlier. When they all were riding in a truck that fell off a weak shelf of ice. She couldn't get out in time and fell with the truck. He opened the book to the last few pages; they were blank.
Kayali just stared into open space, and it looked like Tsume was blaming himself for not saving the detective. They both continued on with sadness in their eyes.
"I don't know if you left this book for a reason, if you wanted me to find it, but I did and I tried, Cher. I hope I can see you again, in our own paradise." Hubb whispered. He dropped the book and the title said Book of the Moon showing itself in bright gold lettering that glittered in the moon's light. This was the book that supposed to tell what happened when wolves actually got to paradise. But the last pages were blank, these pages were supposed to tell what happened to humans when the wolves found paradise.
Kiba jumped back up to the group, "He's gone, he let himself fall."
They all continued on, they were to close to stop now, the thought pulled them constantly forward.
Further up the mountain the pack halted when Kiba motioned for them all to stop. Up on the Fissure above them was Darcia. Had become a wolf, so that he could enter paradise.
He was an all black wolf with one golden eye and one blue eye. This made him both wolf and human. For as long as the group had known this enemy he had been trying to become a wolf. To rid himself of his human entity, and to save the life of the woman he loved. But when he couldn't save her he thought he could at least enter paradise.
Jogura was in love with Darcia from the beginning but Darcia didn't love her, he turned her away for Jogura's little sister Harmona. The one person he couldn't save.
"What!?" Kiba exclaimed.
"Fools! You will not make it to paradise, give me the flower!" Darcia demanded.
"Kiba get going I'll hold him off." Hige said blocking Cheza, his wound still bleeding.
"Hige you wont survive." Blue complained, coming to his side.
"Then I'll die, and take this bastard with me." Hige growled.
He leaped up and snapped at Darcia who moved fast and took hold of his neck.
"Hige!" Blue screamed.
Blue attacked Darcia as well desperate to save her mate, she unlike Hige, she wasn't injured. She could fight at full capability.
Darcia dropped Hige and then attacked Blue who was essentially his next target.
Kiba was carrying Cheza up the mountain, he thought of what Darcia had said to him before, 'To enter paradise you must rid yourself of those that are not worthy.' Kiba heard a scream of pain from below and stopped his movement.
"Blue, Hige." He whispered looking back down the mountain. "No!" He turned around to run back.
"Kiba, paradise is there." Cheza said her voice weak she was dying. She pointed to the top of the mountain.
Kiba looked up and then back down to where his friends were, he turned around and continued up the mountain.
"You will die here." Darcia said tossing Blue's almost lifeless body aside. He once again attacked Hige grabbing him by the neck and piercing his airways. He then tossed Hige aside and ran up the mountain after Kiba.
"Blue." Hige said coarsely, he slowly crawled over to her. Her eyes were blank and she was bleeding from her mouth. He sat next to her and leaned up against the side of the mountain, he put his hand in her hair.
"Hige?" Blue asked her voice cracked as she spoke, "Hige is that you, I can't see you." Despite what she said she smiled.
"Yea I'm here don't worry I wont leave." Hige murmured.
He stayed at her side and listened to her take her last breath.
Tsume had jumped onto the fissure and stopped when he saw and smelled blood. Kayali stopped at his side.
"Tsume," Hige whispered when he saw the two.
"Hige?" Kayali stuttered.
"Tsume, Blue is dead and Kiba is going to the top of the mountain with Cheza…Tsume send me away." Hige ordered.
"No Hige I wont do it." Tsume answered quickly.
"I'm not asking Tsume I'm telling, send me away. I'm in pain here." Hige demanded, dispite the situation, and smile came to jester wolf's features.
Tsume stood motionless at the request, but after a few seconds he walked towards Hige, in Kayali's eyes he looked like a wolf. He walked up and took hold of Hige's throat, cutting off air and in all breaking his neck.
Kayali watched, her heart breaking a little more.
"C'mon lets go." Tsume said walking back and jumping to the next ledge.
Kayali stood for an extra moment to look at the friends she was leaving behind.
"See you in paradise, guys." She whispered to the two lifeless shells. She then jumped up after Tsume.
Kiba reached the peak of the mountain and set Cheza down she then lead the way further to a giant chasm.
"Stop!" someone said from behind, Kiba turned to see Darcia blood drenched his entire being.
"What have you done with my friends?!" Kiba demanded. Kiba didn't have to ask but his mind willed the words to come out of his mouth
"Like I said before, to enter paradise you must rid yourself of those who are not worthy, I simply helped you get rid of them." Darcia said closing the gap between the two wolves.
Just as Darcia was about to attack Cheza leaped off the edge and down into the chasm below disappearing in the darkness.
"Cheza!" Kiba yelled into the abyss.
Kiba heard a scuffle from behind and turned to see Darcia, though he was fighting with Tsume who had approached noiselessly.
"Kiba!" Tsume yelled between blows, "Go after her!" Darcia knocked him back.
Darcia then turned and ran for the chasm leaving Tsume to wonder. Kayali stepped in now; she blocked his path to the hole and leaped upon him, trying to tear into his neck. She succeeded and tore the skin away. In return she was bitten in the ribs.
She stopped point blank and stumbled to the ground, ribs and other bones were crushed, and she could feel the pain of her ribs piercing her lungs. Blood started to pour from her mouth, as her breathing became labored and painful.
Tsume acted again, he leaped for Darcia, who was ready for the attack. Darcia took hold of Tsume's leg tearing the tendons and all the muscles. Then like with what he had done to Hige and what Kayali had done to him, he ripped away the flesh and muscle around his neck. Although Kayali wasn't able to penetrate his windpipe, Darcia was more than able.
He backed away and turned to run, but not before Tsume ripped a good chunk out of his leg.
Tsume looked over at Kiba who had not followed Cheza but stood and watched the chaos.
"Kiba!" Tsume yelled despite the injuries. "Go after Cheza, dammit!!" he crawled up and leaned against a rock.
Darcia had reached Kiba and leaped over the edge of the cliff following Cheza.
"But, what about you two and Hige and Blue." Kiba questioned.
"Hige and Blue are dead, Blue was dead when I got there and I had to put Hige out of misery, he told me to. Kayali and me are as good as dead." Tsume said ashamed.
Kiba took one last look at his friends, the last of his pack.
"Go god dammit!!" Tsume yelled.
Kiba nodded and jumped over the cliff as well.
Tsume leaned his back against the rock and sighed. He heard a noise and looked up, he saw Kayali trying to get over to where he was sitting. She wheezed and could barely breath, but eventually made over Tsume.
She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes; her last few efforts were trying to get over Tsume, so that she or him didn't have to die alone.
"Tsume." She wheezed, "I'll see you in paradise." Those were her last breaths, they shuddered from her body and she was dead.
Tsume felt the last pieces of his heart shatter he didn't want to have to watch both Kayali and Toboe, the small wolf pups that had somehow taught him to love again, die before his eyes, it was painful to say the least. They both as a team broke through Tsume's hard shell to the softer person merely wanting love. They showed Tsume something…something he thought he could never have again, a family. But Tsume thought also it was better that she died before him, because she would have probably taken all this in so badly to watch all her friends die, and he put his head on hers and sighed for the last time.
They snow had begun to fall again and it wasn't very hard but a lot.
Tsume slipped into sleep and was dead...to the mortal world.
Kiba fell from the top to the bottom of the chasm he landed as if it were nothing and looked around for Cheza. He noted the room was very large and there was a small pure blue lake in the center, he moved towards Cheza, then something knocked the air from his lungs.
Darcia had jumped off first, he had forgotten about Darcia. Hysteria had set in or what looked close to it.
"I will get to paradise, it will be mine." Darcia laughed. He knocked Kiba out of his way and went towards Cheza who was becoming weaker and weaker by the minuet.
Darcia walked up and took her by the back of the neck and caused her to bleed. As she bled, her blood was the color of a flower's stem, green.
Kiba ran up and attacked Darcia knocking him off her.
This battle continued for a long enough time for the flower maiden to root herself in the ground.
Kiba stopped to watch, as he did so Darcia clamped down on his chest adding to the other injuries.
Darcia dropped Kiba and walked over to Cheza who seemed like she couldn't see him. Darcia was once again hysterical he laughed as walked over Cheza picked her up and tore her roots from the ground.
"You let me into paradise no one else!" Darcia demanded.
"Let her go!!" Kiba yelled, slowly standing and making his way to Darcia.
Darcia laughed, "You refused to die." He turned his attention back towards Kiba.
As he got closer, he started to laugh again, but it stopped then he vomited.
He turned back to look at Cheza who was once again rooting herself to the ground.
"What have you done to me?!" he asked,
"What runs through this ones veins is poison, and those that are not protected by the flower's will die." Cheza answered.
Kiba watched as Darcia moved toward the lake in the middle of the room. As he reached it he stepped on the water. A purple looking air rose up around him and his body dissolved away.
Kiba stood in shock few moments longer then he slowly made his way over to Cheza who was becoming more like a flower.
He reached her and laid himself down in her lap, she wrapped her arms around him.
"Cheza can I go to paradise I want to see my friends, I know that they are dead, but they must be in paradise." Kiba pleaded.
"Kiba, this one can only open the door you must prove that you worthy to enter." Cheza said these were her last words to him. She wilted and became a moonflower.
Kiba looked on in horror, what was he going to do now. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. But something told him that he needed to take this wilted flower somewhere else.
Kiba stood up and carefully picked up the flower and took it out to the middle of the lake, he didn't know if was going to sink or if he was like Darcia going to burn up, and he truly didn't care either way. He set the flower down in the middle of the lake and clasped from his injuries.
He opened his eyes to watch more and more moonflowers grow in the shining moonlight, the flower he had brought over was also beginning to bloom.
In the cores of the pre white flowers, he could see his journey with his pack replaying for him, like the life flashing before the eyes, He saw Toboe, and Gwent covered in snow. Hubb was also begining to cover with snow, the blood all but covered. Hige and Blue in they're wolf forms where nothing but snow mounds as were Tsume and Kayali when the flower showed him them.
'Paradise...' this was Kiba's last thought.
He closed his eyes and fell through the surface of the water, he was sinking but he didn't care he was going to paradise.
Phew...those two chapter took a lot out of me. If you can't tell by them, i was extremely effected my the way all the pack died and even more so on how, the series just ended, but i have yet to actually read the manga so i don't know. When i wrote this, my flaws were many and i knew i had to improve, i started this fic sometime ago, and though i'm up to chapter 11, those aren't coming until i know for sure i'm done with them. If that last statement confuses you, take ten minuets to stop and read my profile, it's lengthy but informative on how my brain just so happens to function.