A/N: wow, this one came up fast. enjoy!

Chapter 21: Repeat of History

"I'm bushed," Hige yawned, stretching as he led the pack into their tent, Blue next to him as he rested his arm on her shoulders.

"You're always tired," Toboe smirked, following the couple in with Kiba next to him, Tsume and Ryooshi bringing up the rear. As the rest entered the tent, Ryooshi suddenly stopped and tugged on Tsume's arm she'd been holding, making him stop as well and look at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked and she only smiled, not saying anything as she pulled on his arm, obviously directing him somewhere, but she wasn't saying where. He let her lead him through the now settling village and toward a tent that had a small slit of soft light shining through the front flaps of the entrance.

"Ryooshi, what's going on?" he demanded, losing patience quickly. She still didn't respond as she pulled one of the flaps of the tent open and pulled him inside after her. He saw that the light was coming from a small fire to ward off the cold of the night.

"I asked Chief to let us have a tent of our own, just for tonight," Ryooshi finally explained, sitting next to the fire and still holding Tsume's hand as he stood next to her.

"Why?" he wondered honestly, sitting next to her and not failing to notice that she still wasn't letting go of his hand.

"Because I wanted to be alone with you for a while," she smiled, sweetly then smirked, "Besides, by the way you were whispering, you didn't want the others to know that you wanted me to pet you, right?"

He gave a small sneer and looked away in irritation that she had seen through him. She only giggled and leaned forward, taking the liberty to scratch his neck. He jumped when she suddenly touched him but he melted into it and lifted his chin as she trailed her fingers up to scratch under his chin.

"How's that, my little love-sick puppy?" she teased, jokingly with a smile.

"Just shut up and scratch," he snapped back, making her giggle again as she obeyed. Her fingers trailed back down his neck then scratched up behind his ears and he sighed contentedly, laying his head on her lap as she continued scratching behind his ears.

"I'm gonna make your leg kick uncontrollably," she sang, tauntingly as she trailed her hand back down his neck and toward his stomach.

"If you can find the spot that'll make me do that," he retorted and gave hummed out a sigh when she started rubbing his stomach, slipping her hand under his shirt and jacket.

"I don't think that will be a problem," she smirked, hovering over his face, her dark brown hair draping around his head. She scratched his abdomen and his left leg twitched, making her stop and look at it then turn a smirk back to him. "Told you."

She resumed rubbing his abdomen and Tsume's leg started kicking, but he didn't care. He now understood why so house pets liked this so much. It felt like all his tension was gently being forced from his body leaving his muscles so relaxed he could have died a happy camper and having Ryooshi do this for him was a bonus.

Ryooshi giggled as she watched his leg kick uncontrollably and murmured, "I have a nickname for you now."

Tsume only hummed in response.

"Fluffy," she smirked, mischievously.

"Hell no," he snapped, suddenly sitting up and pouncing onto her, pinning her hands on either side of her head, his knees on either side of her hips. "You are not calling me that."

"Why not?" Ryooshi pouted, realizing he wasn't all that angry. "You are fluffy."

"I don't care," he replied. "You're not calling me that. Just call me what you've always called me."

"What, jerk and asshole?" Ryooshi retorted, not even trying to throw him off of her.

"See?" he smirked, closing in on her face. "I'm not as picky as you."

"Oh, bite me," she snapped.

"If you insist," he smirked wider, still closing in on her.

He suddenly stopped, his smile dropping and she wasn't confused at all by why he'd frozen. They both kept still as they caught a faint sound outside. It sounded like it was far away and getting closer and it sounded like it was an engine of some sort.

"You hear that?" Tsume asked they sat up and she stared wide eyes ahead as they heard it get louder and louder until they could tell it was coming from above.

"Oh, god, no," Ryooshi breathed, as Tsume kept his attention of the sound.

"Sounds like a---"

"Helicopter," Ryooshi finished, drawing his attention to her. She scrambled to her feet and towards the tent entrance, Tsume on her heels.

The people of the village were running around in a panic, a helicopter circling in the sky, its spotlight shining down at the people on the ground, looking for something. Tsume stood next to Ryooshi just as the light passed over them. Someone was talking through a megaphone of some sort, but you could hardly hear what he was saying over the chopper blades.

"Wolf Hunters," Ryooshi breathed, terror dripping from the words and Tsume looked at her in disbelief.

He gripped her arms and turned her to face him and snarl, "You said they wouldn't waste their time looking for us!"

"They wouldn't," she replied, not struggling against his grip, "unless they found out that I was with you. In that case they would."

"Why?!" Tsume snarled.

"To kill me," she answered, without hesitation and Tsume felt his anger melt, his grip on her loosen, and his heart clench in his chest at the idea. "We have to get these people into the canyon before they see the pack and start shooting!"

Tsume didn't say a word as he nodded and they hurried off in different directions. Tsume went to find the others, Ryooshi ran to find the Chief. She spotted him and hurried toward him, seeing the panic in his eyes.

"Huntress Wolf, what is---?!"

"This is my fault," she said quickly. "They're Wolf Hunters! You need to get your people into the canyon before they see me and the others! Hurry!"

Runs with Horses nodded and started ushering his people toward the canyon. Ryooshi stayed in her spot, making sure the people were listening to him, but she was soon blinded by a bright light above her and she shaded her eyes to look up. The helicopter was right above her and she could distinctly hear the sound of a man shouting that she was a wolf, then she heard the cocking of a gun.

She didn't move. Whether out of fear, or guilt that she had brought this to all her friends, she couldn't move. She was nailed to the ground, staring at a light that she was sure her death.

"Ryooshi!"

She saw the outline of a man aiming at her and closed her eyes, preparing herself for the inevitable, the wind from the chopper blades whipping her hair around her face. She heard the shots, but instead of being pummeled with gunshots, she was shoved to the side and tackled to the ground, a pair of arms around her waist.

"Come on!" Toboe shouted, standing and grabbing her hand to drag her to her feet. Now out of her trance she began running with Toboe, but she soon realized they were the only ones. None of the other wolves were with them.

"Wait!" she called, starting to struggle against the young pup's grip. "Where are the others?!"

"They're gonna draw the chopper away from the village!" he replied and Ryooshi stopped dead, then turned wide eyes to the helicopter that was, in fact, drifting away from the village and going after four wolves.

"No!" Ryooshi screamed, attempting to run after them but Toboe kept a firm grip on her hand and pulled her back. "Didn't Tsume hear me?! They're after me! They won't stop until they get me!"

"Tsume told you me to get you to the canyon!" Toboe strained against her struggling to get away. "He'll kill me if I don't get you safe!"

"He'll be killed!" Ryooshi retorted, still struggling and now feeling tears form in her eyes. "They'll all be killed if they're this reckless! Let me go, Toboe!"

"I can't!" he argued, and finally having enough of this, pulled on her arm as hard as he could to bring her close enough so he could pick her up and sling her over his shoulder to carry her to the canyon.

"Toboe! Put me down!" she barked, kicking and hitting his back with her fists. "You don't understand! Put me down!"

"I'm not gonna let you get killed, Ryooshi!" Toboe snarled and she stopped her struggling, hearing by the tone of his voice that she'd have to go about this another way.

Once they'd reached the edge of the canyon just beyond the village, Toboe set her on the ground and sat down himself, thinking Ryooshi would behave now. However, when she was sure Toboe was comfortable she shot off toward the drifting helicopter, making Toboe shoot to his feet.

"Ryooshi!" he shouted, but she didn't listen as he ordered her to come back. She couldn't let the others die for protecting her. She glancing back when she heard Toboe panting not too far behind her and she whirled on him, half-way to where the helicopter was now landed beyond the village.

"Stay back!" she snarled, causing Toboe to stop dead. "I can't have all of you risking your lives just because they came after me! Go back!"

"They're my friends too!" Toboe barked back.

"Toboe---!"

A volley of gunshots and a yelp interrupted her. She whirled around with wide eyes and bolted toward the helicopter, Toboe behind her. Too panicked to care whether he came with her or not, she continued on, clawing over a sand dune to a plateau of sand that stretched out to the horizon. She felt her heart thump in her chest when she saw Hige lying on the ground, but she could tell he was still breathing, Blue next to him as Tsume and Kiba guarded the two by standing their ground between them and the helicopter.

"Shoot 'em all!" one of the Hunters shouted from the helicopter.

"No!" Ryooshi screamed, running toward the helicopter. "Leave them alone! I'm the one you want!"

"She's a wolf!" one of the men shouted and another aimed a gun at her.

"Ryooshi!"

"Wait!"

They all froze at the sound of the new voice. A voice that made Ryooshi shake with fear and almost bow her head in submission. One of the men in the chopper crawled out from behind the rest and jumped onto the sand, removing his helmet to reveal short, brown and amber eyes, a charmingly sadistic smile on his lips.

"102," he crooned. "I never thought I've see you again."

"Keiji," Ryooshi breathed, trembling from head to toe. She took a step back when he came toward her, but she stayed where she was.

"Ryooshi, run!" Tsume snarled, but it was in vain, because she didn't dare move.

"Ryooshi," Keiji echoed. "Is that your name? No wonder you didn't want us to know it."

"Let them go," she breathed, finally. "They haven't done anything."

"Wrong," Keiji replied flatly. "They killed some of my men back in the city."

"Your men?" Ryooshi repeated with a frown.

"Oh, yes," Keiji remembered. "After you left, I was promoted to platoon leader. My men were assigned the city where a pack of wolves escaped, and one of them looked a lot like one of ours. Naturally I had to go after it, I just didn't think it'd be you, partner."

"I'm not your partner," Ryooshi growled. "You never treated me like your partner!"

"And why would I?" Keiji shot back. "You're a wolf."

"Leave them alone," Ryooshi snapped, getting back to the present. "Just let them go, please."

"Finally find a place where you belong?" Keiji taunted. "I remember what you used to say about not belonging anywhere after what you'd done. Do they know what you really are?"

"Yes, they do," she replied without hesitation.

"And why should I let them go? What's in it for me?" Keiji wondered and Ryooshi felt herself panic. What the hell could she offer him to leave them alone?! "Tell you what," Keiji murmured, stepping a little closer to her. "You come back with us, and I'll let them go."

Ryooshi shot a wide-eyed look of shock at him that turned to anger as she hissed, "Go back to that hell-hole to be a Hell Hound?!"

"It's either that or your friends get shot full of holes right here and now," Keiji replied and Ryooshi felt a lump form in her throat.

She glanced at the group where they all stared in wonder at the scene then cast her eyes down in thought. Here she was again, being given a choice to become something she'd regret, or die. But this time it was different. It wasn't just her they were going to kill. They would kill her friends as well. The thought of them dying, Kiba never seeing Cheza again, Toboe never seeing Liona again, it made her heart drop to her stomach, and the thought of never seeing Tsume again made her heart dig deeper into her stomach. But, if it let them live, she'd have to choose the lesser of two evils.

"Fine," she muttered, so the others couldn't hear her, feeling tears run down her cheeks. "I'll go." She looked back at Keiji with a burning gaze. "But you leave them alone, because if I find out you killed them anyway, I'll become your worst nightmare. You know I will."

"Fair enough," Keiji choked, then cleared his throat and turned to one of the men in the helicopter to order, "Hand me one of the leashes."

The pack of wolves who appeared in their human forms now straightened and glanced between Ryooshi and the Wolf Hunters. One of the men in the chopper tossed Keiji a chain link choker leash and Ryooshi appeared in her wolf form so that he could slip it over her neck.

"Ryooshi! What the hell are you doing?!" Tsume growled, but she hung her head once the leash was on, not looking at any of them as they stared at her in disbelief and wonder. "Ryooshi, this isn't funny!"

She still didn't look at him, or respond as Keiji led her to the helicopter then helped her get in as the sun began to rise. Tsume ran toward the chopper, but one of the men pointed his gun at him. That didn't seem to stop him because he kept running but Kiba shouting at him to stop behind him brought him to a halt just as he came inches from the barrel of the man's gun. He snarled at the men inside then turned to Ryooshi who stared back at him for a moment, then bowed her head, her ears lowered to the sides in sorrow. Tsume stared at her with wide eyes. He realized at that moment, she was protecting them by letting the Wolf Hunters take her.

"Don't do this," he pleaded and she only gave a small whine as she turned her head away from him. "Don't do it!"

"Get back, mongrel!" one of the men snarled and used his foot to shove Tsume in the chest and to the ground, making Ryooshi straighten and stare out the side at Tsume with wide eyes.

"Let's go," Keiji ordred, and the helicopter engine was started.

Suddenly thinking only of Tsume and wanting to be near him, Ryooghi tried to leap out of the chopper, but Keiji held tightly to her leash, making it impossible for her to escape. She tried clawing her way past the men in front of her, but was unsuccessful. The leash around her neck tightened as she struggled against it, but she didn't feel the pain as the chopped lifted from the ground and into the air. She saw Tsume on the ground, staring up at the chopper in anger and disbelief and still struggled.

"It's too late, mutt!" Keiji strained against her struggle. "You jump out of this chopper you'll be killed, along with your friends!"

I don't care! was all she thought. At least I'd die with them! At least I won't be alone in my death like I thought! At least I'd die with the one I love!

She stopped struggling and as Keiji pulled her back to where she was supposed to sit, she howled as the chopper faded into the sunrise.

"Tsume!"

A/N: holy crap! did she just say she loved him?! yes she did. holy crap! what's gonna happen next?! i have no idea. lol! well, all i can say is, reviews?