Disclaimer- Let's see, here's a list of all of Megumi's belongings- oh, look, there's no "Wolf's Rain" on there. I guess she doesn't own it…

Wow, I feel pitiful. I am once again referring to myself in the third person.

Ah, hell with it. On with the fucking story.

Chap XI

My backside was inch-deep in snow… I whipped open my eyes and sat up. All my mind could think of was all that Vi'd gone through. All her pain…her painful past…

"Hello, Lupus!"

I practically shot five feet into the air.

"This one…startled Lupus?" Oh…it's just Cheza. Good thing I didn't crap myself…actually, why am I scared of doing that? It's never happened at all, not even to wimpy dumbasses.

"Yeah…you definitely did," I replied. Poor Vi…

"Lupus?"

"What!?" I snapped back.

"If…this one…can make Lupus feel any better…this one knows. This one knows her secret."

"Y'mean…Vi's…"

"Yes."

I wasn't sure what I felt at Cheza's sudden statement. She…she knew Vi's secret. Was I relieved? Alarmed? I glanced at the flower maiden. A serene smile played at her lips…she certainly meant well.

"Thanks, Cheza. It's good to know..." I said. Everything….it's just becoming overkill…I feel so overwhelmed. Hey…wait a minute…"Where're the guys?"

"They are in the city that way, looking for food. Is Lupus hungry?" I shook my head to her question. Gawd…they've been so worried about me…they'd better be all right. Groan…hey…what was that smell? It's kinda….familiar. It's not Cheza, and it's definitely not me…ah. That's it…it's this drink humans call booze. Never tried it, and I don't plan to. Humans…idiots, all of them, but booze makes them even worse…

"Look what lazy bum finally decided to get her sorry ass up."

Eh? Was that…Tsume? I glanced back…it was. I remembered his usual distant, almost disdainful personality towards me…he padded next to me.

"Look…about what happened to your friend. Cheza let us in on your memories a few nights ago."

So that's what was happening, earlier…wait. They saw it? I glanced at Cheza. Those huge, red eyes of hers just stared right back, in an I-know-and-I'm-sorry-if-you're-mad kind of way. Jeez…who knew Cheza could do that?

"That's a lot to go through, kid. Too much to go through," he continued.

I…felt…really, really odd. I mean, Tsume, of all wolves, is showing compassion, here. And this definitely wasn't a trick. Maybe this was a sign of the apocalypse…

"But…when we reach that damned Paradise…you won't have to go through with that any more. Even if it's hell, you won't have to feel any more of that pain."

OKAY. THIS IS JUST GETTING DAMN WEIRD. I don't care if Hige the fat pervert pinches me awake; JUST MAKE SURE THIS ISN'T A DREAM.

I felt a hunk of meat flop into my lap.

"Here. Eat up. You're gonna slow us down if you don't." I just stared at the meat, then Tsume. Then the meat, then Tsume. Meat. Tsume. Meat. Tsume… "What the hell are youdoing?"

"Don't ask." I couldn't really think of anything else to say.

"Just eat it."

I obliged. Ohhhh…soo good…yum…fresh, tasty, REAL meat...still warm…oh, such joy. Nothing ever tasted so good as a fresh kill.

"Tastes better when you kill it yourself," I commented, trying to make conversation. Whoa. What was I thinking? Conversation? With Tsume? I can forget about th-

"Yeah, it does."

WHAT THE FUCK?!? Holy shit, Tsume's conversing with me! I smelled Hige's familiar scent…

"Wow, Tsume, never knew you had it in you to start hitting on Lupus!"

I practically died laughing.

"SHUT IT, PORKER!" Tsume roared...ohh….oh gawd…GAWD that's classic…

"N-hi-hi-ce haahaa...." I could barely talk, I was laughing so hard.

"I had a feeling you were going to come and ruin something," Toboe moaned, shaking his head as he came up behind Hige.

I suddenly felt really, really hyper…the meat Tsume gave me must've made my energy levels shoot up. Playtime.

I tackled both Hige and Toboe to the ground.

"Oh, gawd, you two are pitiful. PITIFUL PITIFUL PITIIIFFUULLLL!!!!!" I yelled. Yup…I was on a sugar high. Well, something close to it.

A few seconds later we were all this blurry furball, packed together and play-fighting. Gawd, this was fun…more fun than I'd ever had. Even Tsume seemed to let loose.

"Lupus?"

There's…Kiba. I pounced on him playfully…he 'fought' right back. Play, play, tussle, tussle…hang on. I've done this before…but…I never played with Kiba, before. My right eye…the green one…hurt a little…

I gleefully pounced on Kiba as we played in the snow. He barely showed up, being the white wolf he is. These times had to be the best of times…

A while later, we were sprawled out on the ground, out of breath.

"Hey…huff…Kiba…"

"Yeah, Lupus?"

"Let's grow up and do this every day!"

"Yeah! We can do it even more when we get to Paradise!"

I heard that grunt-whine calling. A gray-black-splotched wolf waited for us.

"Aww…Mom…" I moaned.

"Can't we just play a little longer?" Kiba piped.

"You can play tomorrow!" Mom snapped back.

"But…"

"No, Lupus. You and your brother have had your playtime for today."

I…I remember this. This…this memory…it was real. No dream, no joke…it all happened. I remember it all. I remember my mom…I remember Kiba…as a brother. My brother.

"Hey, Lupus? You all right?"

"Mmh? Oh, right…uhh…just spacing out a little."

I knew it was so much more.fjkd

We spent the night in some rancid old cave…the damn thing smelled like booze and shit farted out by those smelly dogs. Kiba and Tsume kept watch up front, even though Kiba looks like he's fallen asleep; Toboe was curled up, snoring lightly; Cheza was…somewhere; and I get stuck with Hige in the middle of it all.

"Dammit, how can you guys STAND this?" I screamed.

"Hey, if you wanna freeze your ass off in the snow, go right ahead." DAMN, HIGE, SHUT THE HELL- wait. MUCH better idea coming to me…

"Why don't you go, he-who-fucks-girls-in-his-sleep?"

"WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU SAY THAT?!?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe the 'SNNAARRRKK…ohh, yeah….that's it…SNAARRRK…"

"Oh, god, I did that?!" Hige seemed a bit amused at it. You've gotta love his easy-going personality.

"Look, at least it wasn't as bad as when you almost humped Toboe in your sleep."

"SAY WHAAAT?!"

"You must've been fucking some pretty girl in your dreams. It's kinda wrong, snoring and saying, 'Ohh….I love whipped cream there…'. Then trying to lick Toboe…"

"Now, waaaiit a minute. You mean I thought Toboe was a girl in my sleep and…"

"Almost, Hige. Almost. I dragged you away right before you tried."

"Hrrrrnnngg?" Toboe groaned, waking up. Another idea came up to me…

"Oh, Hige, stop, stop!" I screeched in my fakest, highest, girly-est voice, grabbing Hige's hand and making it look like he was shaking me silly, getting a good laugh from both of us. Looks like Tsume caught a glance…and he did not look happy. Oh, well. Fun is fun. So who gives a shit?

"Hey, Kiba," he said, trying to get him up. He slept on. I crawled up to the two.

"HELLOW, KIBA! WAKEY, WAKEY, KIBAAA! OI'VE GOT SOME NOICE FISH FLAKES FOR YOU T'EAT!" I yelled, impersonating this human skit I've remembered since forever…(Monty Python's 'Dead Parrot'. Pure and utter hilarity, there.)

"Hey…Lupus…." Looks like he's still groggy. "Y'know…I had the weirdest dream…it was just you and me…we were a lot younger, and we were…playing in the snow. Kinda felt like…we were brother and sister."

And the plot thickens…

Ok…to make you little whiners happy, I did a little Lupus x Tsume. Happy now? (Besides, a little romance isn't all that bad…helps make the funnies. :P)

The Hige thing took me a while to write. Mainly because I was laughing so hard I couldn't do anything. (Yeah…I've got nothing against slash/lemons)

I know I haven't gotten Blue in here yet. (I'm practically killing myself for it.) But not to worry…Blue (and Quent Yaiden) make their appearance soon…

Happy Holidays!

Megumi