A/N: and here's the next chapter! enjoy!
Chapter 7: Eat, Run, Attack
"It's ok if you don't appear as a person in front of her," Toboe assured Ryooshi as they headed up a flight of stairs toward an apartment door. "She knows I'm a wolf. Actually, she found me when I was a pup. She took me in when nobody else would. She might even take you in, too!"
"I doubt it," Ryooshi muttered as they reached the door and snuggled the kitten she still held a little closer. She knew she couldn't be doing the thing any good because she was soaking wet and cold herself, but at least it had a warm blanket around it. Toboe closed his umbrella and shook the extra water from it as the two stood under the awning above the door but as Ryooshi glanced over the railing then looked back, she found Toboe gone.
"Toboe?" she called, looking around with a frown.
"Are you coming?"
She jumped and looked down to see his wolf head sticking out through the doggy door at the base of the door and blinked at him a few times. His wolf eyes stared at her expectantly as she glanced around nervously.
"Y-Yeah," she finally replied, and knelt down to the door. She shook her soaked dark brown fur then carefully picked up the kitten, still wrapped in its blanket, into her teeth to carry it through the door with her.
"Sister! I'm home!" Toboe called into the quant apartment as he helped Ryooshi stood, the kitten in her arms.
"Thank goodness!" a cheerful voice called back from the hall a few feet away from the door. Ryooshi instantly ducked behind Toboe when she heard footsteps hurrying down that hall and he gave her a small frown, but had no time to ask her what was wrong when a girl with bleach blonde hair that had a light blue streak on one side and brushed her shoulders and burnt honey eyes rounded into the room, saying, "I was worried about you being in the rain! I'm glad I made you take the umbrella."
The woman didn't seem to notice Ryooshi cowering behind Toboe until she pulled him toward her for a hug. Ryooshi backed away a step when the woman stood away from Toboe with a frown.
"Who's your friend?" she wondered, sincerely.
"This is Ryooshi," Toboe grinned, stepping toward the latter mentioned and placing an around her shoulders. "She's a wolf, like me!"
"Is that right?" the woman smiled, then stepped toward Ryooshi and placed a hand on her head to ruffle her hair. "I'm Liona. Pleased to meet you."
"Y-Yeah," Ryooshi nodded slightly when she pulled her hand away. "Nice to meet you too."
"And what's this?" Liona smiled a bit more widely as she reached for the bundle in Ryooshi's arms. "You brought another friend with you, Toboe?"
"He was just sitting in a box in the rain," Toboe reported, lowering his arm from around Ryooshi. "I felt bad just leaving him there."
"Well, looks like it's four for dinner tonight," Liona grinned, rocking the still sleeping kitten in her arms then looking up at Ryooshi. "You're staying for dinner, right?"
"W-Well," Ryooshi sputtered, nervously making Toboe frown at her in confusion. She was so lively before, what had changed? "I…I wouldn't want to impose…"
"Nonsense!" Liona chirped, waving it off. "Toboe and I hardly ever have company!"
"I really just came here to stay out of the rain," Ryooshi replied. "You don't have to feed me."
"And have you go hungry?! Not on my watch, young missy!" Liona wagged a finger at her then turned to Toboe, handing him the kitten, gently and saying, "Alright, Young Pup. You put him on my bed. I'll warm up some milk for him before dinner. In the meantime, you find something for him to sleep in. Ryooshi can help you out."
"Ok," Toboe nodded and jerked his head to the hallway as he looked at Ryooshi. She glanced at Liona as she hurried toward the kitchen across the living room but followed Toboe into the hall. He waited for her to catch up as they entered and asked, "Why are you so nervous?"
"I'm not nervous," she lied and he saw through it as she glanced around the hall.
"Haven't you been around humans before?" he wondered as he turned into a room where the door had been left open.
"Well, yeah," she replied as she followed him. "But it's been a while since I've been around any that knew I was a wolf, and even then…"
She trailed off just as Toboe set the kitten on the bed in the room they'd gone into and he frowned, turning to her and asking, "Even then, what?"
Ryooshi jumped with a start at that question, but instead of answering she looked away, blushing in embarrassment then muttered, "Nothing."
"You can trust me," Toboe assuring her with a warm smile, suddenly in front of her and taking her hands into his. "I won't tell Liona if you don't want me to."
"N-No, it's nothing," she insisted, shaking her head and pulling her hands away from his grip with a blush. "Really, it's nothing. Just something silly that happened a long time ago. Shouldn't we find a bed for the kitten?"
Toboe looked at her in evaluation as she only smiled at him. Well, it seemed she was back to her usual and apparent happiness, but something unsettled her, he could tell. But, instead of pressing the matter he smiled back with a nod in agreement to find something to make a bed out of for the kitten. He started into the hall again and toward a door on the opposite side the room was on.
"So, have you figured out a name for the kitten yet?" Ryooshi wondered as he opened the door and rummaged through the shelves of pillows, sheets and towels.
"Not yet," he replied, not looking away from his task. "What do you think?"
"About what?" she wondered, watching him stoop to rummage through another shelf.
"A name," he chuckled.
"Oh!" Ryooshi chirped then shrugged, "I don't know. He's your kitten."
Toboe suddenly gave a shout of surprise and toppled back from stooping, making Ryooshi jump in surprise then giggle as he sat up and shook the rattling from his head.
"What happened?" she giggled as he crawled toward the place he'd been rummaging through.
"There's a pillow in here that would make a perfect bed for him, but I can't get it out!" he replied, shoving his hand into the piles of sheets and pillows. "Sissy wasn't very organized when she put all this stuff in here."
"Do you need help?" Ryooshi giggled, kneeling next to him and he gave her a comical glare that she was giggling at him.
"I can get it," he mumbled. "Thanks."
Toboe struggled through the sheets and pillows stuffed in the shelf as Ryooshi tried stifling back giggles and snickers at the faces he made in his fight until he toppled back again from finally yanking out the pillow he had a grip on. Ryooshi laughed heartily and Toboe only glare at her comically.
"I'm sorry," she giggled. "You just looked so funny!"
He couldn't help but start giggling himself, imagining what he looked like and definitely agreeing that he probably did look funny toppling over after his one on one battle with a linen closet.
"Well, you two seem to be getting along just fine," Liona grinned from the end of the hall, making the two wolves jump to their feet and turn to her. "You two would make such a cute couple."
"Sissy!" Toboe squeaked as he and Ryooshi blushed in embarrassment and the woman headed toward them with a bottle of milk in her hand.
"I'm not playing matchmaker, of course," she insisted, handing the bottle to Ryooshi. "I'm just making an observation." She winked at Ryooshi, who still blushed then turned to Toboe saying, "Come help me in the kitchen, Pup. I need a taster."
"Alright," he sighed and was about to follow Liona down the hall and into the kitchen when he stopped to turn to Ryooshi and ask, "Are you gonna be ok with the kitten?"
"Uh…yeah," she nodded, definitely. "I think so. He's only asleep now." She took the pillow from Toboe's hand and grinned, "I'll just lay him on this pillow and feed him when he wakes up."
Toboe smiled, warmly and nodded then hurried down the hall to follow Liona as she stirred something in a huge pot cooking on the stove.
"Come taste this meat sauce I'm making to you and Ryooshi," she beckoned and he nearly bounded toward her to have a taste. Liona took a separate spoon and took some of the sauce into it to let Toboe have a taste which he took, happily.
"That's great, Sissy," he grinned, licking his lips to take any excess sauce off his lips.
"Good," Liona smiled, setting the spoon he'd licked on the counter and using the spoon she'd been stirring with to continue stirring. "So…Ryooshi seems like a nice girl. Or should I call her a she-wolf?"
Toboe frowned at Liona but replied, "You can say girl. And yeah, she is a nice girl."
Liona nodded, silently as she continued stirring the sauce in the pot but Toboe looked at her in examination for a moment before she replied, "She'd pretty, too. And you two seem to have a lot in common."
"Yeah," Toboe drawled out, suspiciously.
"She's not seeing anybody, is she?" Liona wondered, taking a taste from the spoon she stirred with and looking at Toboe with wide, 'innocent' eyes.
"I didn't ask," he replied. "And even if I did, and she wasn't, that's not why I invited her here. I didn't want her to be in the rain."
"Alright," Liona shrugged, turning back to stirring. "Just a thought."
"I know," Toboe mumbled but looked away from her to stare into space, suddenly consumed in thought. Liona frowned at his silence and nudged him gently to get his attention, making him turn wide, amber eyes filled with wonder at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked and his eyes shrunk down as he sighed.
"Ryooshi isn't the only wolf I saw today," he replied, sitting himself on the floor at her feet.
"Really?" Liona wondered in interest. "How many others? Were any of them your friends from before?"
"All of them were, actually," he muttered and Liona looked down at him with wide eyes.
"All of them?!" she squeaked, and Toboe nodded. "Did any of them recognize you?"
"I didn't really talk to Kiba or Blue," he replied. "I just saw them in a diner. Cheza was with Kiba. But I talked to Hige and he didn't remember me. He just seemed irritated that I was standing in front of him and looking at him. I actually bumped into Tsume…"
Liona frowned when he trailed off but said nothing as she looked at him. He looked lost in thought and sorrow, and when he finally gave a sigh of disappointment he continued.
"He asked if we'd met before, but I knew he wouldn't believe me if I said we did and he just didn't remember," he continued. "He would've laughed at me."
"You don't know that, Toboe," Liona replied, shutting the heat off on the sauce. "He might have believed you if he was the one that asked if you'd met."
"But, if he didn't remember me, then maybe the others won't," Toboe theorized. "Maybe I'm the only one who remembers. Maybe even Cheza doesn't remember?"
"You said that Cheza was with Kiba?" Liona remembered and Toboe nodded. "Then they must remember if Cheza was with him. Think about it, Pup. Why would Cheza be with Kiba if neither one of them remembered?"
Toboe did think about it. He thought for as long as it took for Liona to place the sauce on a low burner on the stove she was cooking on and start stirring at another pot filled with meatballs.
She had a point, he thought. If Kiba and Cheza didn't remember, why would Cheza be with Kiba in the diner? Unless Kiba had been attracted to her by her scent again, but he himself didn't have an urge to find paradise just yet, so why would Kiba be seeking her out? The more he thought about it, the more questions came up, and the more he thought about those, the more it gave him a headache.
"Smells good, Miss Liona," Ryooshi suddenly smiled from behind Toboe and he started from his thoughts, whirling around to see her.
"Thank you, Ryooshi," Kiona smiled. "And please, just call me Liona, ok?"
"Ok," Ryooshi nodded and looked down at Toboe who stared at her with wide eyes but she only reported, "The kitten's awake. He was asking for you."
"Oh, ok," Toboe nodded and stood to walk down the hall, Ryooshi following.
"Dinner's almost ready!" Liona called after them.
"Ok!" Toboe called back, still heading down the hall, but when they reached Liona's room, Ryooshi gripped Toboe's arm and stopped him, making him look at her with a frown on confusion and ask, "What's wrong?"
"The kitten really isn't awake," she confessed, quickly. "I heard you talking about your friends. I wanted to ask you about one of them."
"W-Well…" Toboe tried, looking away from her and pulling his hand away to rub the back of his neck, nervously. "Well, see, they were me friends…It's really a long story."
"I won't make you tell it," she assured him, making him frown again as he looked back at her. "You sounded kinda depressed when you were talking about it. I just wanted to ask you…about Tsume."
"Ts-Tsume?" Toboe sputtered, his heart clenching at the thought of his friend and his reaction to seeing him again. "W-What about him?"
Ryooshi stared at him for a moment then shook her head, casting her eyes down in embarrassment and mumbling, "Never mind. I can tell, you don't wanna talk about it. Forget I even said anything."
"No," Toboe replied, gently. "It's ok, really. What did you wanna know?"
She fidgeted on her feet for a moment, a slight blush forming on her cheeks before she finally sputtered, "W-Well…I guess I just wanted to know…what he's like. When I talked to him he was kind of mean, but if you were friends with him, he can't be all mean, right?"
"Oh," Toboe replied, widely and smiled as he continued, "Yeah, he was kinda mean to me at first, but he's a good guy. He acts tough, but he wouldn't think twice before helping somebody out if they were in trouble. He helped me out more times than I can count."
"Wow," Ryooshi breathed, her jade eyes wide in amazement then she muttered, "He doesn't seem like that. He just left me out in the rain."
"Well, like I said, he doesn't come off that way at first," Toboe shrugged and Ryooshi nodded.
"Well, thanks for filling me in," she grinned and slid her arms around his chest to hug him, making him blush a bit. "And thanks for letting me stay here until the rain let's up."
"Y-You're welcome," was all he could muster, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd never had a she-wolf so close to him like this. It made him so nervous, he didn't know whether to just stand there or hug her back. He was relieved of the decision when she pulled away and smiled at him.
"Dinner!" Liona called and Toboe snickered as he saw Ryooshi's eyes light up at that word.
She bounded down the hall with Toboe right behind her to meet Liona in the kitchen holding two steaming bowls of meatballs drenched in meat sauce. She grinned at the two as she set the bowls down pm the table and the two wolves sat themselves in chairs in front of the bowls as Liona brought her own bowl of spaghetti and meatballs for herself.
"Dig in, Pups," she grinned, starting at her own food, and the other two certainly did dig into their food. Ryooshi especially made a mess, as she had been the hungriest, but Liona didn't seem to mind the mess. Living with Toboe she had come to expect it.
After dinner, and after Toboe and Ryooshi cleaned up most of the sauce they'd splattered over the table and floor, Liona wiped down the table of wolf drool and access sauce and Toboe hurried to check on the kitten, bringing it back with him into the living room.
"Look who woke up," he smiled, holding the kitten in his arms and feeding him from the bottle as Liona built up a fire in the fireplace.
"Oh! Let me see him!" Liona pleaded, hurrying toward him. She took the kitten in her arms, the bottle in her hand and continued feeding it as Toboe sat with Ryooshi I front of the fire.
"What should we name him, Sissy?" Toboe wondered Liona sat in a recliner in front of the fire.
"How about Cutie?" she grinned, still looking at the kitten and Toboe rolled his eyes.
"He'd be teased by all the other cats in the city if we name him that," he retorted and Ryooshi gave a giggle as Liona sent a comical glare at him.
"Well, what do you suggest, Young Pup?" she replied and Toboe shrugged then turned to Ryooshi.
"Why don't you suggest something?" he asked her and she looked up at him with wide eyes.
"But…he's yours," she reminded him.
"That doesn't mean you can't suggest something," Liona chimed in and Ryooshi sighed, realizing she wasn't getting out of thinking today.
She suddenly suggested, "Why not 'Ame' since we found him on a rainy day?"
"I love it!" Liona grinned and looked down at the little kitten to murmur, "Ame. It fits!"
"See?" Toboe smiled warmly at Ryooshi. "Was that so hard?"
"Hardest thing I've ever done in my life," Ryooshi retorted, making him chuckle at her.
"Well, Pups, I'm gonna head to my room and read before going to sleep," Liona said, standing with the kitten in her arms then told Ryooshi, "Toboe usually sleeps out here in front of the fire on cold nights. He'd usually sleep in my room, but it gets too cold in there. You don't mind sleeping out here, do you?"
Ryooshi listened intently to see if the rain outside had let up. She didn't want to impose on her new friends any more than she had to. The rain still went on outside and she turned back to Liona and smiled, "No, I don't mind."
"Alright then," Liona smiled, heading toward the hall. "Good night, you two."
"Good night," Toboe grinned and Liona ruffled his hair before passing, making him giggle. The two wolves found spots in front of the fire and Toboe couldn't help but ask Ryooshi, "How come you wanted to know about Tsume?"
She shot a wide eyed gaze at him, a blush over her cheeks as he only waited for her response. She stared at him for a moment, trying to think of a good answer then finally replied, "C-Curiosity. He…interests me."
"Oh, I see," Toboe nodded widely and Ryooshi sat up a little straighter, her eyes going a little wider as he gave her a sideways glance and guessed, "You mean he attracts you, right?"
"That-That's not what I said!" Ryooshi squeaked and Toboe giggled at the deep blush over her cheeks.
"No, but that's what you meant, right?" he smirked and Ryooshi stared at him in disbelief.
"I---! You---! That---! No!" she sputtered and Toboe burst into laughter, but she only pouted and laid down on her stomach and set her chin on her hands in front of her.
"It's ok," he assured her. "I can see how a lot of girls would be attracted to him. He's that bad boy you girls like."
Ryooshi dared not say anything, but instead stared into the fire and Toboe glanced at her as he mirrored her position to sleep as well.
"Your secrets safe with me, Ryooshi," he murmured and she glanced at him to find him staring at her in his wolf form and she smiled back, letting her guard down as well.
"Thanks, Toboe," she replied, and he nodded, setting his head down on his paws and closing his eyes.
Ryooshi turned to stare into the fire, unable to sleep and hearing the rain start to die down. If she had to stay up all night to wait for the rain to stop so she could leave, she would. She kept her wolf eyes on the fire, suddenly remembering a scene she'd witnessed and been apart of long ago. Wolf howls filled her ears, yet there were none howling tonight. Growls commenced soon after the howling was over. She saw, in her minds eyes, a fight to the death between to of her kind: Herself and another wolf.
"Finish it off!" the human behind her shouted as she stood in her wolf form in front of him, her legs shaking as she heaved for breath. The wolf in front of her was lying on its side and barely alive.
"What are you waiting for you stupid mutt!" the human shouted and came up behind her to kick her rump, making her yelp and leap forward toward the dying wolf. She stood above it and bared her teeth in a growl, ready to strike.
"You betray your own kind?" the weak wolf in front of her wondered just as weak sounding, making her straighten and cover her fangs. "You hunt us down...and kill us? For what? Food and shelter from humans who treat you like you're nothing but a killing machine?"
"I'm doing what I can to survive!" she snarled back, baring her teeth again in anger at the dying wolf. "I have to live, don't I?!"
"Then live," the weak wolf replied, tauntingly. "Live without pride and dignity. Live with the guilt that will consume you for the rest of the days, and the knowledge that all wolves who may survive your hunting and slaughtering of them will hate you and expose you if you try to hide. Live as the one hated. Your name suits you well, Huntress."
"Shut up!" Ryooshi snarled and bit down on the wolf's neck, snapping it.
She heard again and again that snapping of bone in her mind, and she did feel guilt whenever a memory from her past played over in her mind. Humans had treated her like garbage, and she knew her own kind hated her. She was born alone, she would die alone, and she would stay alone throughout her miserable life. What pack would except her once they found out what she'd done, even if it was years ago? Even Toboe, if he found out, would hate her. She couldn't risk it.
That was the reason, when she heard no more pitter patter of rain drops falling against the roof and porch of the apartment, she stood, glancing at Toboe to make sure he didn't wake up, and headed toward the doggy door in the front door, slipping out quietly. She glanced behind, standing tall in her human form, at the door with sad eyes then leaned on the door with one hand.
"I'm sorry, Toboe," she murmured. "I don't belong here, or anywhere else for that matter. If you knew my past, you'd understand and want me gone. Thank you for all you've done."
She lowered her hand and hurried down the stairs, but remained careful not to slip on them, because they were still wet from the rain. She had no idea where she was going, but she decided she didn't care. Shoving her hands into her pockets she headed down the streets, not noticing a few figures lurking around her in the alley she turned into.
"Hey there, cutie," a low, menacing voice came from in front of her and she stopped to look up at a man with an evil grin over his mouth.
"Aren't you a pretty thing?" another man agreed, stepping out of the shadows beside her. She turned to run behind her but another gruff man came out of the shadows and stood behind her.
"Going so soon?" he shrugged at her and she backed against the only wall they left her on the other side of her as they closed in on her. Trapped. She hated being trapped. She never did well in corners. She always ended up over-doing it.
"How about we show you a good time, little cutie?" one of the men wondered, closing in on her.
"How about you shove it up your ass?" she retorted and all the men made surprised noises.
"We got ourselves a feisty one, boys," one of the men reported and Ryooshi only smirked.
"Oh, I'm more then feisty," she corrected. "I'm your worst nightmare."
She wasted no time in pouncing onto the man in front of her and sinking her teeth into his shoulder, making him cry out in pain.
"What the hell is she?!" one of his buddies shouted in astonishment as she had let her guard down and was standing on the man in her wolf form.
"She's a witch or some kind of magic transformer shit like that!" the other man replied as their friend cried out in pain. "Let's get outta here!"
She didn't care that the other men ran away as she let go of the man's shoulder she'd been holding onto then sank her teeth into his arm when he raised it, making him cry out in pain again. She didn't notice another figure come up behind her and lift something it was holding toward her. She definitely felt the pain of the thing landing onto her head and felt her head become light as she loosened her death grip on the man's arm and fell off of him, unconscious.
A/N: ooh, a little of Ryooshi's past. actually more than a little. yeah, yeah, i left it at a cliffhanger, i'm horrible. so sue me! it keeps you reading, right? thats what we want! LOL By the way, 'Ame' is Japanese for Rain. reviews?