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smashconTitle: Yuki; of the wolf children
Author: Stephage
Rating: PG
Prompt: Exploration
Fandom/Series: The Wolf Children
Word Count: 5000 Words
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: It's been a long time sense Yuki vowed to never transform into a wolf again, but with sudden news that the forest her half wolf brother occupies is being cut down, sends her back to her home village, will she be able to convince him to leave with her and save his life? Who will she see from her past? And is her new life in the city everything she thought it would be?
Yuki; of the wolf children
It had been 10 years sense Yuki had left her small home village in Osaka for a scholarship located in west Tokyo, Yuki studied and worked hard through school and eventually landed herself a mediocre job as an accountant. The stony concrete roads and towering buildings were a change from the peaceful farm paddocks she had come from. Yuki and her younger brother Ami, where both born in Osaka and raised by their mother, she was only a baby when they moved from the city, and she hardly remembered any of it, it seemed quite funny to her as she thought about being compacted in a one bedroom apartment, how her mother ever managed them as children. Being half wolves and unable to control themselves from transforming, the neighbours must of thought it strange, when little howling’s echoed down the hallways at night. However did her mother even mange to explain the noise and chewed furniture to the other occupants. Yuki smiled to herself, as the train bucked and shook, she observed the cold glass window and let out a heavy sigh, she thought about growing up on the farm, and their humble upbringing. So much had changed after Yuki had made the decision to become completely human, and never again transform into a wolf, a decision she had privately made after losing control and striking a boy from school, even though he had forgiven her, and what’s more guaranteed her secret safe, Yuki changed when she saw the damage such a monster was capable of, what she was capable of, Yuki never wanted to feel that way again, she clenched her jaw as her mind examined the vast array of memories washing over her. There had been times when Yuki started to lose control of her wolf like instincts, at first it was challenging to refrain from transforming, whenever she felt angry or depressed, she would glance down and see her nails start to grow into dagger like claws, but she always managed to cover up by quickly stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking away, but the change wasn’t always triggered by negative thoughts, sometimes Yuki would find herself walking through a park on a lunch break, one look at the field of green grass, and a pair of pointed ears might slip out. Yuki remembered having to wear a hat for most of her college years. The train jolted to a halt, and Yuki was tossed back into reality, she gathered her suitcases and pushed through the crowd of people, the city air was stuffy, and the buildings disappeared into the smoggy grey skies, she could feel the ground even through her thick boots, and she wrapped her scarf firmly around her neck. Her eyes glazed over as she walked down the street to the bottom of her apartment.
Yuki pushed open a large gate and slipped inside the musty apartment, it wasn’t the nicest place to live, the carpets always seemed damp, and the radiator rarely worked, mould grew on the celling and the elevator hadn’t run in years. Yuki tried to remember the apartment she was born in, and questioned if it was like this one, it didn’t really matter what it was like inside, seeing she spent most, if not all of her time working long hours in the secluded office. Yuki never had a problem appearing cheerful in front of people, she made friends very easily, and why wouldn’t she, Yuki was a smart, beautiful young woman, with long brown hair, that fell just above her hips and big brown eyes, framed with thick lashes, her skin was clear and pale, and she didn’t have any problem being noticed. But her days where busy and usually chaotic, even when Yuki was offered holidays from her company, she would always deny ,or give them to someone else, considering she didn’t have any family left. Not since her mother passed away a few years ago, and she had not seen her younger brother Ami in almost 10 years. He was always a peculiar boy, and use to cry a lot. Ami spent most of his days clinging to their mothers’ skirt, even when they would explore the country side, and hunt together. Ami always complained, even though Yuki was 2 years older, they could have been mistaken for twins, Ami was a complete replica of his big sister, they did everything together but deep down he was always a lone wolf and so he became one permanently, taking on the role of the forest guardian. The last time Yuki and Ami spoke it was disastrous, Yuki had tried to convince Ami to come back to school, but Ami refused. He no longer wanted to be a human, and Yuki no longer wished to be a wolf, so they went their separate ways.
Yuki tuned on the light of her room, her bed was folded into the wall, and a desk sat adjacent to an old television set, Yuki moved some clothes from the floor and made a path with her foot before she collapsed onto a chair, books and office work stacked high on her counter, she let out a little groan before opening her laptop, Yuki had become so good at appearing completely human, she sometimes wondered if she could become a wolf again, she turned on the small television above her and tuned it to the news, the sound drowning out her own thoughts, “Stop” Yuki whispered to herself, “Just stop, don’t even think about it”.
Yuki stared down at her own hands, the TV blaring behind her, she looked at her fingers, and her nails, how long had it been since she was a wolf, Yuki concentrated as hard as she could, but nothing changed, her hands stayed frail and slender, completely human, Yuki gritted her teeth, deep in concentration. Then she heard a name from the screen, and her attention was drawn away from her hands, she stood quickly to her feet, and turned up the television, she listened carefully again, for the name, a second time she heard it, “Nishinomiya” the reporter continued, the forest of Nishinomiya is being demolished for new housing, there on the monitor was a group of construction workers applauding and smiling at a large pot bellied man with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a hard hat perched on his rumpus head. On the other side where a small number of protesters with signs in their hands held high above their heads, words like “save our wildlife”, and “leave our forests” written aggressively across them. Fear gripped Yuki’s chest and stole her breath as she watched intensely, a video of her home town was being played, they’re cutting down the forest?, Yuki leapt across the room and fumbled around for her phone, she quickly dialled the number of her supervisor and listened eagerly to the receiver, “hi Suka I need to access my holiday pay, I’m going to be away from the office for a few days” Yuki’s tone was stern. “Thank you very much, I’ll see you in three weeks.” Yuki began dialling a second number into the phone, after a few moments a voice answered, “hello Tokyo domestic travel, how may I help you” Yuki replied, “hello, I need a one way ticket to Osaka for tonight!” Yuki reached in her closet, pulling out clothing and started franticly shoving random items into a large suitcase. “Thank you, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Yuki ended the call and put the phone in her jacket pocket, before hurrying down the corridor and into the still busy street. Yuki stood at the train track, icy wind blowing through her hair, she tried to not think negative thoughts about her brother, why did he have to be so stubborn, and so stupid, didn’t he care he was going to get himself killed. Her thoughts got the better of her, and she found herself wiping away a hot tear from her cheek, yes it had been years since she saw him, and yes the last time they had been together they fought, Yuki wanted to be a human, and Ami wanted be a wolf, but she was his big sister, and she wasn’t about to let anyone hurt her baby brother. The train clicked across the tracks, and roared beside Yuki, her heart still racing inside her, the train doors rolled open, and she made her way inside, Yuki found an empty booth and sat down, kicking her feet up, and sprawling her luggage beside her, in about 3 hours Yuki would find herself in her old childhood town, a place she had left 10 years ago, filled with memories, and an unavertable confrontation with her long lost brother, Yuki’s eyes flittered closed, and her mind calmed, she thought about her family. She drifted to sleep with a slight smile on her lips, and when she dreamt, she did so of her childhood, of running through fields, and bounding over valleys, of her mother, and she remembered what she could of her father. He too being half wolf, and half human, Yuki often thought of him, although she was only 3 when he died, she still had some memories of him, and stories about him, from her mother, he was warm, and soft, and kind…
“Platform three is about to depart” a loud voice over the megaphone pieced the air, and Yuki’s dream, “I repeat, platform three is about to depart” Yuki shot up, and looked out the window, Yuki snatched her bags and ran out of the train, the station in Osaka had timeworn buildings, with bricked walls, and stone paved walkways, still busy but with much less people than Tokyo. Yuki still had a while to go, she walked up to a sign that had the bus routes and times, still another 20 minutes by bus, she had forgotten just how remote the village was, before she could sit down a bus pulled up inside the terminal, it read “Nishinomiya” Yuki took a deep breath before stepping inside, she chose the seat closest to the window, and watched the other passengers board the bus, mostly elderly, with dirty jeans, and large bags of potatoes and other fresh produce. Yuki looked down at her white button up shirt and office pants, she hadn’t even changed out of her work clothes, at least she couldn’t smell any worse than the farmers. The doors closed, and the bus started, Yuki watched the scenery start to change, first the buildings started to decrease in number then size, the concrete jungle was replaced by lavish greenery and red leaves, the sky stretched above her, rice paddy fields and little streams, Yuki watched and her stomach fluttered with nerves at the sight of her old town, or perhaps it was merely hunger, Yuki pondered about the last thing she ate, it was yesterday around noon, the bus stopped at a small community village, with a dirt road and a few local shops. Just around the corner her old school could be seen, and another 6 minutes’ walk was her old house. Yuki sat down at the nearest café and observed the familiar surroundings, memories in every direction, she placed her face in her hands and rested them on the table. “Oh Yuki you’ve really blown it now” she murmured, in all her rush she had completely forgotten to book a room for her to stay in. Yuki sat hungry and frustrated, massaging her eyes, when suddenly she herd her name coming from behind her “Yuki?” she heard it again, Yuki turned her head and fixed her eyes on a tall man walking towards her, he had his arm in the air and a big smile on his face, Yuki didn’t recognize the stranger at first, she tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes, the man wore a red check parker, and had a sort of rough beard, as he got closer she saw something familiar in his eyes, it couldn’t be, Yuki thought to herself, “Akiuki?” she stood up to meet the stranger with a puzzled look, “well of cause it is, where the heck have you been?” Yuki and Akiuki sat for a long time at the café exchanging memories, and reminiscing of childhood days, he had changed so much from the moody little boy she knew from school.
Akiuki had grown up a lot, Yuki let her eyes wonder across the surface of his face, his dark brown eyes, and sharp jaw, then she noticed something that stole her smile, the scar on his ear, where she had attacked him, her mark was permanently on his skin, the mark of a beast. Yuki thought about that day, then she remembered the reason she had come here, her tone grew sombre, and she clenched the table. “Yuki? Have I said something wrong? What’s going on?” Akiuki asked puzzlingly, Yuki turned her face away, as tears streaked down her cheeks and onto the table, Akiuki reached for her hand, and gripped it tightly, “My brother lives in this forest, and they are going to cut it all down” quivered Yuki, Akiuki nodded, “then we better go get him” Yuki gazed up at Akiuki a bewildered look spread across her face, she wiped away at her tears, “I don’t even know if he will remember me, or remember being human at all. I can’t bear the thought of him hurting you Akiuki, I’ll have to go by myself, as a wolf…” Yuki stood from the table, and gave a grateful bow. “Thank you for your kindness Akiuki” Yuki turned to leave when she felt something pull at her hand, she looked down at Akiuki’s hand laced with hers, Akiuki blushed, and gave a embarrassed smile before pulling away and running his fingers through his short hair, “Just come back in one piece” he snickered, “I don’t want to lose you again” Yuki’s cheeks grew hot and she returned the awkward smile before walking away.
Yuki travelled up the dirt road, she reminisced with herself about her school days, of friends and teachers and Akiuki, she couldn’t help thinking about him, no matter how hard she tried to dismiss her thoughts, Akiuki kept pushing himself back in the front of her mind, she thought about him in such detail the time completely slipped, away and she found herself standing directly on the drive way of her old home, without even realising it, Yuki looked over at the house, it didn’t seem like anyone was inside it, so she wondered over and pressed her cheeks against the window, setting her bags on the floor and peering inside, it was completely baron. Yuki tried the door, it caught a little before giving way and sliding open, Yuki crept inside, the dust stirred around her feet as she shifted through the abandoned house, as Yuki wandered through the rooms, figures of little wolf pups bounded merrily around the corners, her mother’s voice rang down the hall for supper, and happy laughter filled the air. Yuki wrapped her arms around herself, as memories filled the empty rooms, but before she completely lost herself she heard a startling howl bellowing from outside. Yuki ran down the hallway and forced open the back door, long weeds wrapped around her ankles, Yuki sighed in the crisp autumn air, and looked across the vast open valley, lavish grass could be seen for miles, the mountains so high they disappeared into the clouds, then Yuki felt something stir inside her, then another howl carried across the wind. Yuki kicked off her shoes “it’s now or never” she ran as hard and as fast as she could, down the open valley, through the wild flowers, the cold wind whipped and stung her skin, the sharp rocks cut away at the souls of her feet, but she didn’t stop. Yuki pushed herself harder and faster, she jumped as high as she could and all at once it happened, Yuki was on all fours, weaving through the trees, leaping over crystal streams, small animals scurried away from the predators path. Yuki glanced down and her reflection, her nails sharp, her legs strong, a thick brown coat covered her body, it had been so long since she had seen herself like this, since she felt like this, Yuki had never felt so alive, she bounded up the steep mountain peak with ease, she ran so fast for the briefest moment she forgot where she was, and then… she came to a screeching halt, she turned but it was too late, her back legs slid underneath her and she flipped on her side and there directly above her towered an enormous, silver haired wolf, staring down at her with shiny golden eyes.
Yuki was terrified at the sight of him, she sat in awe, he was incredible, she had never seen anything like him before, his stance demanded respect and fear, and she was truly afraid of the beast before her, it was Ami, but at the same time it wasn’t, she could recognize her brother anywhere, but he seemed so different, so untameable, Yuki’s heart was pounding in her chest, she stood up and regained her human appearance, she spoke softly yet sternly “Ami, it’s me, Yuki, don’t you remember me?.” The wolf, growled gnashing his teeth, Yuki could feel his hot breath on her face, but she continued to look him straight in the eyes as she spoke, “Ami, we need to leave, the humans are coming to cut down the forest, you have to transform back into a human” The wolf snarled and lunged at Yuki’s throat, “Ami stop being so stubborn!” Yuki yelled, she pulled away from the vicious beast and transformed back into a wolf just before Ami could strike again. Yuki pivoted on her heels and swatted at Ami, she connected with the side of his face and flung him to the ground, the wolf retaliated by nipping at her neck, the two wolves intertwined in a bloody battle of fangs and craws, ripping fur and flesh, whimpering and growling, until one wolf emerged from the heap, and fled into the forest, blood trailed down the hill and the frantic animal gasped as it reached the clearing, the second wolf close on its tail, until a loud sound pieced the air, birds fled the tree tops and disappeared into the smoke filled air. A second gunshot fired in the distance, the silver wolf gave up the chase and headed back into the mountains, Yuki limped down the trail, defeated and tender, she reached the house and collapsed at the back door. Yuki lay on her back trying to catch her breath, she examined her wounds, they were minor scratches here and there, but nothing serious. “Ami has completely forgot being human” Yuki thought to herself, then a shadow reached over the top of her, Yuki turned her face to see the obstruction of light, she was amazed to see Akiuki standing above her, hands in his pockets, smiling down at her, “you have looked better Yuki, I guess the reunion didn’t go very well?” Akiuki snickered, and kicked at the ground beside her. Yuki swatted at Akiuki’s legs before folder her arm across her face and moaning loudly. Akiuki knelt down beside her, and gently placed his arm underneath her back, hoisting Yuki to her feet, she lent on Akiuki and together they slowly limped over to the side of the road, where Akiuki’s car was parked. “You can’t stay here Yuki, you’ll have to come home with me” Akiuki said, as he flung Yuki's luggage into the trailer, Yuki’s cheeks felt warm again, this seemed to be an ongoing occurrence whenever Akiuki was around, Akiuki lifted Yuki into the passenger seat of his ute, before driving the two of them down the road, Yuki leaned her head the window and admired the countryside, the sun was starting to set and Yuki couldn’t help notice the way the light fell into the creases of Akiuki’s face, and down to his shirt.
The car stopped, at an old house, its statue quite resembled her own childhood house, and Yuki wondered if she would be walking in to meeting Akiuki’s girlfriend or wife, or even children, Yuki took a deep breath and swallowed the lump building in her throat, followed by that hungry feeling in the pit of her stomach again. Yuki was increasingly nerves, “won’t your wife mind if I come in unannounced” Akiuki shook his head “I don’t think she’ll mind at all” Yuki looked down, her face bright red from embarrassment, then Akiuki threw his head back and laughed loudly and obnoxiously, “I don’t have a wife!” Yuki pouted and slapped his arm “hmmm you jerk!” maybe Akiuki hadn’t changed so much after all. “Okay, okay I’m sorry I live here with my granny” Yuki began to giggle, “it’s not that funny” replied Akiuki, as he opened Yuki’s car door, the two of them walked to the entrance of the house, “she actually my great grandmother,” Akiuki continued while fumbling his keys, Yuki could smell something totally alluring from inside the house, it had been so long since she ate a home cooked meal, her mouth began to water at its rich aroma, “oh I see, you live with your granny so you don’t have to cook!” Yuki poked out her tongue and pulled at her eye, in a childish teasing way, Akiuki pulled his cheeks in mock, then the door creaked opened, a small fragile old woman stood in the door way, “aren’t you a bit old for that Akiuki” spoke the old women, the two felt incredibly silly, and grew red with humiliation, “Granny, ah sorry, this is my friend Yuki.” Yuki gave a deep bow to the old woman, “it is lovely to meet you” answered Yuki, the old woman smiled, “yes, it’s nice to meet you too dear, come inside before the cold gets in” Yuki followed Akiuki and Granny inside the well lit room, a fire place was blazing in the corner and a large pot sat on top of it, surely this is where the enchanting smell was coming from, the house was quite spectacular, it looked as if it was built a long time ago. The old woman sat across from Yuki and Akiuki, stirring the pot, Yuki sat down as gestured, on a small cushion in front of the fire, “So, Yuki” the old woman croaked, Yuki raised her head in response, ”Yes mam?” Akiuki leant over and whispered in Yuki’s ear “call her granny, everyone does.” Yuki corrected herself “Ah I mean, yes granny” the old woman smiled, and continued her stirring. “Akiuki tells me you’re a wolf” Yuki’s fists clenched around the hem of her skirt, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile, Akiuki burst out in a nervous laugh, and jumped to his feet, Yuki’s face was bright red as she stared angrily in Akiuki’s direction, but he adverted his gaze, and made himself scarce in the kitchen, granny chuckled to herself, “now he’s gone we can have a proper talk.” Yuki looked up at the old woman in surprise, “Yuki, don’t be too mad with Akiuki, I’m all he has had since his mother remarried, he was still in school, my granddaughter wanted to move away, but Akiuki didn’t want to leave, he had fallen in love. When it came time for them to move away, I offered for him to live with me, it didn’t seem like much fun, living with an old lady, but we became very close, and then one day he rode home from school in quite a rush, he wasn’t his normal happy self, and I knew something must of happened, he had been waiting to hear about a scholarship to Tokyo, we didn’t have a great deal of money, so a scholarship was the only possible way for Akiuki to get into that school, but there was only three places left. When I walked into his room to talk to him, he told me there was a girl at school, who got the last scholarship, at first I thought he was jealous, but when I looked into his eyes I sore something different, it was love” Yuki’s hair stood up on the back of her neck, and goose bumps covered her body, as she listened to granny’s story “even though Akiuki would never admit his true feelings, I knew just by the way he told me about the wolf girl in his class, and I never doubted him for a minute, after all, the world is a very strange and wonderful place, and I have seen my fair share of it in my life” granny gave a reassuring smile that put Yuki’s nerves at ease.
“So I guess Akiuki told you I was back in town then?” the old woman chuckled and sat beside Yuki. “No, he hadn’t told me any such thing” Yuki was confused. but before she could ask, the old woman continued “when I saw the way he looked at you just now, it was the same way he would light up when he was a young boy” Yuki felt her face blush, and she covered a girlish smile, just then Akiuki emerged from the back room, sliding the door open with his foot, he was carrying three porcelain bowls in one hand, with cups stacked inside, and a hot pot of tea in the other, Yuki rushed over to take the tea from his hand, Akiuki searched her face for any signs of remorse or anger, but she just smiled knowingly, Akiuki gave a puzzled but a relieved smile back, and they gently placed the items on the table, the three sat together and ate the soup in peaceful silence, with each sip Yuki’s worries slipped further out of her mind.
Akiuki grabbed a blanket from the cupboard and draped it over Yuki, he couldn’t help but lingered a little while, as Yuki lay quietly curled up on his couch, he smiled to himself before turning out the light,
The sun fell across the room, and a rooster crowed loudly, Yuki’s eyes fluttered open, and she sat up on the couch, Yuki pulled the blankets around her waist and walked over to window, she ran her fingers across the condensation and leant against the glass, Yuki admired the beauty of the morning, the way the sun rested against the hills, and the dew spread likes spider webs on the grassy fields, the air was crisp, and made her shudder, Yuki tiptoed to the front door and pulled on her shoes, before making her way outside, she didn’t make it far before she noticed a large truck parked in front of the forest path. Yuki walked faster as she tried to identify the machine, a large number of excavators and bulldozers could be seen through the trees, as Yuki made her way around the truck, she saw a familiar face, it was the same face she had seen on the TV in Tokyo. The large bulbous man stood, in the middle of a bunch of construction workers, laughing arrogantly, and chatting amongst themselves, one of the men noticed Yuki and they all became quite, turning their attention to her, Yuki felt embarrassed, as the group of man stood, arms folded staring at her. Yuki stood straight and tried to speak, but before she could open her mouth, the large man bellowed at her “What are you doing in this forest miss? Don’t you know it’s condemned?” Yuki gathered her strength and replied in a small voice “I… I thought you weren’t supposed to be cutting it down for another week? The group of men returned her question with bouts of laughter, before turning away and walking back to their trucks, the large man grinned, and took a puff of the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, blowing smoke in Yuki’s face, “are you one of those tree hugging protesters too??” Yuki gasped for air, and coughed into her hand, “No, I...I mean, I don’t care what you do to the forest, I just thought...” the man cut off Yuki before she could finish her sentence, “THEN GET OUTTA HERE GIRLY!!” he screamed, Yuki gasped and stumbled backwards, the man laughed louder at her, then a loud growl from behind Yuki took everyone by surprise, “Did you bring a dog missy” asked the man, laughing louder still, just then a shadow appeared on the ground before them, Yuki spun around, and there stood and very large aggressive wolf, just meters behind them, his eyes shone brightly through the leaves. The men stumbled to the ground at the sight of him, “What on earth is that?” one man exclaimed, “it’s a damn wolf!” called out another, the large man, crushed his cigarette under his heel “don’t be ridiculous! There aren’t any wolves, it’s just a big dog, get the guns!” Yuki scrabbled to her feet, and ran over to the angry beast, “AMI RUN!” Yuki screamed, but the wolf didn’t budge, instead he lowered his head and gnashed his teeth in fury. Yuki pleaded as she ran closer to the wolf, tears ran down her face and hit the ground, then a gun shot fired, Yuki could here the men start yelling and fighting amongst themselves, suddenly the sounds from behind her were drowned out, Yuki looked up at Ami, and everything went silent, time slowed down, Yuki felt the hot wet pain coming from her chest, she stumbled back taken aback, still staring dully at Ami, her vision blurred, and she turned back at the village, the construction workers stood frozen mouths agape. Yuki looked down, her heart still pounding through her body and escaping in torrents through the open wound, the world grew dark, and she felt herself lose balance, as Yuki fell through the air, she thought about her brother, and imagined him next to her, she thought about it so hard his arms felt real, around her, Yuki opened her eyes, and found herself not laying on the hard ground but in Amis arms. She could hardly believe the man beside her was really her little brother, Ami lay under Yuki, biting his lip with his eyes closed, tears running down his cheeks and onto her face, Yuki smiled and raised a hand to his face “is that you Ami” she whispered, Ami opened his eyes and looked at Yuki, pain across his face, “I am so sorry Yuki” Ami quivered rocking her softy, Yuki closed her eyes, “I’m so glad you’re okay Ami” and with that, Yuki’s hand slipped down beside her hitting the ground.
Yuki could hear her name being called, but she couldn’t open her eyes, try as she might, it was just too hard, and the cold numbed her body.
Yuki’s eyes shot open, she couldn’t move her body, but she looked around, she was in a small room, and vase of flowers was placed beside her, on one side, and a pair of feet on the other, Yuki turned her head to get a better view of the other person in the room, she couldn’t quite make out their face. Yuki tried to sit up and a sharp pain followed rippling down her chest, Yuki gasped and the man rushed over to her, “Yuki? You’re awake, try not to move,” Akiuki stood beside her, clenching desperately to her hand, Yuki smiled at the friendly face, and laid back down, “Akiuki? When...how did I get here? Where I am I?” Akiuki placed his other hand on her face, “shhhh its okay Yuki, you’re in the hospital, you’ve been shot, the bullet just missed her heart, when I woke up this morning and you weren’t on the couch. I went out looking for you, as I was driving up the road I saw you, laying unconscious in a man’s arms, he was holding you in his arms, walking up the street. I stopped the truck and helped him get you into the car, when I turned around to ask him what happened, he was gone” Yuki smiled, “it was Ami” Akiuki sat down beside her, and reached for the remote. “Yeah, I thought it was.” Akiuki turned on the TV above the bed and their on the news was a bunch of people weeping, laying on their faces at the forest path, the news reporter said “this is where the construction workers saw him, they claimed to have seen a wolf god, it is said the creature appeared human, before them, monuments have been placed around the forest and a shrine is being erected in the morning. The forest is being called sacred ground, all construction plans have been cancelled” Akiuki switched off the television, Yuki smiled, she had saved her brother, not the way she thought, but he was safe. Yuki was overwhelmed with joy, she leant towards Akiuki and placed her wet face against his shirt, “I’m so happy Akiuki” Akiuki smiled down at her and gently stroked Yuki’s hair, the doctor tapped on the door and walked into the room.
“Yuki Hirramora, I have spoken to your doctor in Tokyo you’re fine to be relocated whenever you’re ready” the smile left Akiuki’s face and was replaced by a deep sadness, “I guess, you’ll be leaving, now that you’ve done what you came here to do” Yuki nodded her head slowly, and burred her face deeper into his chest, she rubbed her eyes and pushed away her tears, “well my job and my life is in Tokyo.” Yuki said with a brave face, Akiuki gripped onto her shoulder and stared into her eyes, Yuki’s face felt warm as she gazed deep into his brown eyes, “YUKI WILL YOU MARRY ME!” Yuki stared stunned, before her mind could come up with the million reasons why she shouldn’t, she heart took over “yes” Yuki whispered, her heart pounded loudly in her chest, her eyes closed as she leant into him, their lips pressed longingly onto each other’s.
Yuki recovered quickly, the two of them married in the spring, and they moved into Yuki’s childhood home, by the following year they had two bounding pups, the forest remained sacred ground, and tourists would come to the wolf god shrine to pray, and the locals would often hear howling from the forest, even though they never saw a wolf, Yuki and Akiuki’s children grew up as both wolf and human, just as Yuki and Ami had done, her family would often take a walk up the mountain, and bring food to her brothers shrine, the kids would run and leap and hunt, and as they would. A shadow of a wolf could be seen across the ground, but often were met by the footsteps of a man.
Fin
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Author: Stephage
Rating: PG
Prompt: Exploration
Fandom/Series: The Wolf Children
Word Count: 5000 Words
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from the story and all creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
Summary: It's been a long time sense Yuki vowed to never transform into a wolf again, but with sudden news that the forest her half wolf brother occupies is being cut down, sends her back to her home village, will she be able to convince him to leave with her and save his life? Who will she see from her past? And is her new life in the city everything she thought it would be?
Yuki; of the wolf children
It had been 10 years sense Yuki had left her small home village in Osaka for a scholarship located in west Tokyo, Yuki studied and worked hard through school and eventually landed herself a mediocre job as an accountant. The stony concrete roads and towering buildings were a change from the peaceful farm paddocks she had come from. Yuki and her younger brother Ami, where both born in Osaka and raised by their mother, she was only a baby when they moved from the city, and she hardly remembered any of it, it seemed quite funny to her as she thought about being compacted in a one bedroom apartment, how her mother ever managed them as children. Being half wolves and unable to control themselves from transforming, the neighbours must of thought it strange, when little howling’s echoed down the hallways at night. However did her mother even mange to explain the noise and chewed furniture to the other occupants. Yuki smiled to herself, as the train bucked and shook, she observed the cold glass window and let out a heavy sigh, she thought about growing up on the farm, and their humble upbringing. So much had changed after Yuki had made the decision to become completely human, and never again transform into a wolf, a decision she had privately made after losing control and striking a boy from school, even though he had forgiven her, and what’s more guaranteed her secret safe, Yuki changed when she saw the damage such a monster was capable of, what she was capable of, Yuki never wanted to feel that way again, she clenched her jaw as her mind examined the vast array of memories washing over her. There had been times when Yuki started to lose control of her wolf like instincts, at first it was challenging to refrain from transforming, whenever she felt angry or depressed, she would glance down and see her nails start to grow into dagger like claws, but she always managed to cover up by quickly stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking away, but the change wasn’t always triggered by negative thoughts, sometimes Yuki would find herself walking through a park on a lunch break, one look at the field of green grass, and a pair of pointed ears might slip out. Yuki remembered having to wear a hat for most of her college years. The train jolted to a halt, and Yuki was tossed back into reality, she gathered her suitcases and pushed through the crowd of people, the city air was stuffy, and the buildings disappeared into the smoggy grey skies, she could feel the ground even through her thick boots, and she wrapped her scarf firmly around her neck. Her eyes glazed over as she walked down the street to the bottom of her apartment.
Yuki pushed open a large gate and slipped inside the musty apartment, it wasn’t the nicest place to live, the carpets always seemed damp, and the radiator rarely worked, mould grew on the celling and the elevator hadn’t run in years. Yuki tried to remember the apartment she was born in, and questioned if it was like this one, it didn’t really matter what it was like inside, seeing she spent most, if not all of her time working long hours in the secluded office. Yuki never had a problem appearing cheerful in front of people, she made friends very easily, and why wouldn’t she, Yuki was a smart, beautiful young woman, with long brown hair, that fell just above her hips and big brown eyes, framed with thick lashes, her skin was clear and pale, and she didn’t have any problem being noticed. But her days where busy and usually chaotic, even when Yuki was offered holidays from her company, she would always deny ,or give them to someone else, considering she didn’t have any family left. Not since her mother passed away a few years ago, and she had not seen her younger brother Ami in almost 10 years. He was always a peculiar boy, and use to cry a lot. Ami spent most of his days clinging to their mothers’ skirt, even when they would explore the country side, and hunt together. Ami always complained, even though Yuki was 2 years older, they could have been mistaken for twins, Ami was a complete replica of his big sister, they did everything together but deep down he was always a lone wolf and so he became one permanently, taking on the role of the forest guardian. The last time Yuki and Ami spoke it was disastrous, Yuki had tried to convince Ami to come back to school, but Ami refused. He no longer wanted to be a human, and Yuki no longer wished to be a wolf, so they went their separate ways.
Yuki tuned on the light of her room, her bed was folded into the wall, and a desk sat adjacent to an old television set, Yuki moved some clothes from the floor and made a path with her foot before she collapsed onto a chair, books and office work stacked high on her counter, she let out a little groan before opening her laptop, Yuki had become so good at appearing completely human, she sometimes wondered if she could become a wolf again, she turned on the small television above her and tuned it to the news, the sound drowning out her own thoughts, “Stop” Yuki whispered to herself, “Just stop, don’t even think about it”.
Yuki stared down at her own hands, the TV blaring behind her, she looked at her fingers, and her nails, how long had it been since she was a wolf, Yuki concentrated as hard as she could, but nothing changed, her hands stayed frail and slender, completely human, Yuki gritted her teeth, deep in concentration. Then she heard a name from the screen, and her attention was drawn away from her hands, she stood quickly to her feet, and turned up the television, she listened carefully again, for the name, a second time she heard it, “Nishinomiya” the reporter continued, the forest of Nishinomiya is being demolished for new housing, there on the monitor was a group of construction workers applauding and smiling at a large pot bellied man with a cigar hanging out of his mouth and a hard hat perched on his rumpus head. On the other side where a small number of protesters with signs in their hands held high above their heads, words like “save our wildlife”, and “leave our forests” written aggressively across them. Fear gripped Yuki’s chest and stole her breath as she watched intensely, a video of her home town was being played, they’re cutting down the forest?, Yuki leapt across the room and fumbled around for her phone, she quickly dialled the number of her supervisor and listened eagerly to the receiver, “hi Suka I need to access my holiday pay, I’m going to be away from the office for a few days” Yuki’s tone was stern. “Thank you very much, I’ll see you in three weeks.” Yuki began dialling a second number into the phone, after a few moments a voice answered, “hello Tokyo domestic travel, how may I help you” Yuki replied, “hello, I need a one way ticket to Osaka for tonight!” Yuki reached in her closet, pulling out clothing and started franticly shoving random items into a large suitcase. “Thank you, I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Yuki ended the call and put the phone in her jacket pocket, before hurrying down the corridor and into the still busy street. Yuki stood at the train track, icy wind blowing through her hair, she tried to not think negative thoughts about her brother, why did he have to be so stubborn, and so stupid, didn’t he care he was going to get himself killed. Her thoughts got the better of her, and she found herself wiping away a hot tear from her cheek, yes it had been years since she saw him, and yes the last time they had been together they fought, Yuki wanted to be a human, and Ami wanted be a wolf, but she was his big sister, and she wasn’t about to let anyone hurt her baby brother. The train clicked across the tracks, and roared beside Yuki, her heart still racing inside her, the train doors rolled open, and she made her way inside, Yuki found an empty booth and sat down, kicking her feet up, and sprawling her luggage beside her, in about 3 hours Yuki would find herself in her old childhood town, a place she had left 10 years ago, filled with memories, and an unavertable confrontation with her long lost brother, Yuki’s eyes flittered closed, and her mind calmed, she thought about her family. She drifted to sleep with a slight smile on her lips, and when she dreamt, she did so of her childhood, of running through fields, and bounding over valleys, of her mother, and she remembered what she could of her father. He too being half wolf, and half human, Yuki often thought of him, although she was only 3 when he died, she still had some memories of him, and stories about him, from her mother, he was warm, and soft, and kind…
“Platform three is about to depart” a loud voice over the megaphone pieced the air, and Yuki’s dream, “I repeat, platform three is about to depart” Yuki shot up, and looked out the window, Yuki snatched her bags and ran out of the train, the station in Osaka had timeworn buildings, with bricked walls, and stone paved walkways, still busy but with much less people than Tokyo. Yuki still had a while to go, she walked up to a sign that had the bus routes and times, still another 20 minutes by bus, she had forgotten just how remote the village was, before she could sit down a bus pulled up inside the terminal, it read “Nishinomiya” Yuki took a deep breath before stepping inside, she chose the seat closest to the window, and watched the other passengers board the bus, mostly elderly, with dirty jeans, and large bags of potatoes and other fresh produce. Yuki looked down at her white button up shirt and office pants, she hadn’t even changed out of her work clothes, at least she couldn’t smell any worse than the farmers. The doors closed, and the bus started, Yuki watched the scenery start to change, first the buildings started to decrease in number then size, the concrete jungle was replaced by lavish greenery and red leaves, the sky stretched above her, rice paddy fields and little streams, Yuki watched and her stomach fluttered with nerves at the sight of her old town, or perhaps it was merely hunger, Yuki pondered about the last thing she ate, it was yesterday around noon, the bus stopped at a small community village, with a dirt road and a few local shops. Just around the corner her old school could be seen, and another 6 minutes’ walk was her old house. Yuki sat down at the nearest café and observed the familiar surroundings, memories in every direction, she placed her face in her hands and rested them on the table. “Oh Yuki you’ve really blown it now” she murmured, in all her rush she had completely forgotten to book a room for her to stay in. Yuki sat hungry and frustrated, massaging her eyes, when suddenly she herd her name coming from behind her “Yuki?” she heard it again, Yuki turned her head and fixed her eyes on a tall man walking towards her, he had his arm in the air and a big smile on his face, Yuki didn’t recognize the stranger at first, she tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes, the man wore a red check parker, and had a sort of rough beard, as he got closer she saw something familiar in his eyes, it couldn’t be, Yuki thought to herself, “Akiuki?” she stood up to meet the stranger with a puzzled look, “well of cause it is, where the heck have you been?” Yuki and Akiuki sat for a long time at the café exchanging memories, and reminiscing of childhood days, he had changed so much from the moody little boy she knew from school.
Akiuki had grown up a lot, Yuki let her eyes wonder across the surface of his face, his dark brown eyes, and sharp jaw, then she noticed something that stole her smile, the scar on his ear, where she had attacked him, her mark was permanently on his skin, the mark of a beast. Yuki thought about that day, then she remembered the reason she had come here, her tone grew sombre, and she clenched the table. “Yuki? Have I said something wrong? What’s going on?” Akiuki asked puzzlingly, Yuki turned her face away, as tears streaked down her cheeks and onto the table, Akiuki reached for her hand, and gripped it tightly, “My brother lives in this forest, and they are going to cut it all down” quivered Yuki, Akiuki nodded, “then we better go get him” Yuki gazed up at Akiuki a bewildered look spread across her face, she wiped away at her tears, “I don’t even know if he will remember me, or remember being human at all. I can’t bear the thought of him hurting you Akiuki, I’ll have to go by myself, as a wolf…” Yuki stood from the table, and gave a grateful bow. “Thank you for your kindness Akiuki” Yuki turned to leave when she felt something pull at her hand, she looked down at Akiuki’s hand laced with hers, Akiuki blushed, and gave a embarrassed smile before pulling away and running his fingers through his short hair, “Just come back in one piece” he snickered, “I don’t want to lose you again” Yuki’s cheeks grew hot and she returned the awkward smile before walking away.
Yuki travelled up the dirt road, she reminisced with herself about her school days, of friends and teachers and Akiuki, she couldn’t help thinking about him, no matter how hard she tried to dismiss her thoughts, Akiuki kept pushing himself back in the front of her mind, she thought about him in such detail the time completely slipped, away and she found herself standing directly on the drive way of her old home, without even realising it, Yuki looked over at the house, it didn’t seem like anyone was inside it, so she wondered over and pressed her cheeks against the window, setting her bags on the floor and peering inside, it was completely baron. Yuki tried the door, it caught a little before giving way and sliding open, Yuki crept inside, the dust stirred around her feet as she shifted through the abandoned house, as Yuki wandered through the rooms, figures of little wolf pups bounded merrily around the corners, her mother’s voice rang down the hall for supper, and happy laughter filled the air. Yuki wrapped her arms around herself, as memories filled the empty rooms, but before she completely lost herself she heard a startling howl bellowing from outside. Yuki ran down the hallway and forced open the back door, long weeds wrapped around her ankles, Yuki sighed in the crisp autumn air, and looked across the vast open valley, lavish grass could be seen for miles, the mountains so high they disappeared into the clouds, then Yuki felt something stir inside her, then another howl carried across the wind. Yuki kicked off her shoes “it’s now or never” she ran as hard and as fast as she could, down the open valley, through the wild flowers, the cold wind whipped and stung her skin, the sharp rocks cut away at the souls of her feet, but she didn’t stop. Yuki pushed herself harder and faster, she jumped as high as she could and all at once it happened, Yuki was on all fours, weaving through the trees, leaping over crystal streams, small animals scurried away from the predators path. Yuki glanced down and her reflection, her nails sharp, her legs strong, a thick brown coat covered her body, it had been so long since she had seen herself like this, since she felt like this, Yuki had never felt so alive, she bounded up the steep mountain peak with ease, she ran so fast for the briefest moment she forgot where she was, and then… she came to a screeching halt, she turned but it was too late, her back legs slid underneath her and she flipped on her side and there directly above her towered an enormous, silver haired wolf, staring down at her with shiny golden eyes.
Yuki was terrified at the sight of him, she sat in awe, he was incredible, she had never seen anything like him before, his stance demanded respect and fear, and she was truly afraid of the beast before her, it was Ami, but at the same time it wasn’t, she could recognize her brother anywhere, but he seemed so different, so untameable, Yuki’s heart was pounding in her chest, she stood up and regained her human appearance, she spoke softly yet sternly “Ami, it’s me, Yuki, don’t you remember me?.” The wolf, growled gnashing his teeth, Yuki could feel his hot breath on her face, but she continued to look him straight in the eyes as she spoke, “Ami, we need to leave, the humans are coming to cut down the forest, you have to transform back into a human” The wolf snarled and lunged at Yuki’s throat, “Ami stop being so stubborn!” Yuki yelled, she pulled away from the vicious beast and transformed back into a wolf just before Ami could strike again. Yuki pivoted on her heels and swatted at Ami, she connected with the side of his face and flung him to the ground, the wolf retaliated by nipping at her neck, the two wolves intertwined in a bloody battle of fangs and craws, ripping fur and flesh, whimpering and growling, until one wolf emerged from the heap, and fled into the forest, blood trailed down the hill and the frantic animal gasped as it reached the clearing, the second wolf close on its tail, until a loud sound pieced the air, birds fled the tree tops and disappeared into the smoke filled air. A second gunshot fired in the distance, the silver wolf gave up the chase and headed back into the mountains, Yuki limped down the trail, defeated and tender, she reached the house and collapsed at the back door. Yuki lay on her back trying to catch her breath, she examined her wounds, they were minor scratches here and there, but nothing serious. “Ami has completely forgot being human” Yuki thought to herself, then a shadow reached over the top of her, Yuki turned her face to see the obstruction of light, she was amazed to see Akiuki standing above her, hands in his pockets, smiling down at her, “you have looked better Yuki, I guess the reunion didn’t go very well?” Akiuki snickered, and kicked at the ground beside her. Yuki swatted at Akiuki’s legs before folder her arm across her face and moaning loudly. Akiuki knelt down beside her, and gently placed his arm underneath her back, hoisting Yuki to her feet, she lent on Akiuki and together they slowly limped over to the side of the road, where Akiuki’s car was parked. “You can’t stay here Yuki, you’ll have to come home with me” Akiuki said, as he flung Yuki's luggage into the trailer, Yuki’s cheeks felt warm again, this seemed to be an ongoing occurrence whenever Akiuki was around, Akiuki lifted Yuki into the passenger seat of his ute, before driving the two of them down the road, Yuki leaned her head the window and admired the countryside, the sun was starting to set and Yuki couldn’t help notice the way the light fell into the creases of Akiuki’s face, and down to his shirt.
The car stopped, at an old house, its statue quite resembled her own childhood house, and Yuki wondered if she would be walking in to meeting Akiuki’s girlfriend or wife, or even children, Yuki took a deep breath and swallowed the lump building in her throat, followed by that hungry feeling in the pit of her stomach again. Yuki was increasingly nerves, “won’t your wife mind if I come in unannounced” Akiuki shook his head “I don’t think she’ll mind at all” Yuki looked down, her face bright red from embarrassment, then Akiuki threw his head back and laughed loudly and obnoxiously, “I don’t have a wife!” Yuki pouted and slapped his arm “hmmm you jerk!” maybe Akiuki hadn’t changed so much after all. “Okay, okay I’m sorry I live here with my granny” Yuki began to giggle, “it’s not that funny” replied Akiuki, as he opened Yuki’s car door, the two of them walked to the entrance of the house, “she actually my great grandmother,” Akiuki continued while fumbling his keys, Yuki could smell something totally alluring from inside the house, it had been so long since she ate a home cooked meal, her mouth began to water at its rich aroma, “oh I see, you live with your granny so you don’t have to cook!” Yuki poked out her tongue and pulled at her eye, in a childish teasing way, Akiuki pulled his cheeks in mock, then the door creaked opened, a small fragile old woman stood in the door way, “aren’t you a bit old for that Akiuki” spoke the old women, the two felt incredibly silly, and grew red with humiliation, “Granny, ah sorry, this is my friend Yuki.” Yuki gave a deep bow to the old woman, “it is lovely to meet you” answered Yuki, the old woman smiled, “yes, it’s nice to meet you too dear, come inside before the cold gets in” Yuki followed Akiuki and Granny inside the well lit room, a fire place was blazing in the corner and a large pot sat on top of it, surely this is where the enchanting smell was coming from, the house was quite spectacular, it looked as if it was built a long time ago. The old woman sat across from Yuki and Akiuki, stirring the pot, Yuki sat down as gestured, on a small cushion in front of the fire, “So, Yuki” the old woman croaked, Yuki raised her head in response, ”Yes mam?” Akiuki leant over and whispered in Yuki’s ear “call her granny, everyone does.” Yuki corrected herself “Ah I mean, yes granny” the old woman smiled, and continued her stirring. “Akiuki tells me you’re a wolf” Yuki’s fists clenched around the hem of her skirt, she gritted her teeth and forced a smile, Akiuki burst out in a nervous laugh, and jumped to his feet, Yuki’s face was bright red as she stared angrily in Akiuki’s direction, but he adverted his gaze, and made himself scarce in the kitchen, granny chuckled to herself, “now he’s gone we can have a proper talk.” Yuki looked up at the old woman in surprise, “Yuki, don’t be too mad with Akiuki, I’m all he has had since his mother remarried, he was still in school, my granddaughter wanted to move away, but Akiuki didn’t want to leave, he had fallen in love. When it came time for them to move away, I offered for him to live with me, it didn’t seem like much fun, living with an old lady, but we became very close, and then one day he rode home from school in quite a rush, he wasn’t his normal happy self, and I knew something must of happened, he had been waiting to hear about a scholarship to Tokyo, we didn’t have a great deal of money, so a scholarship was the only possible way for Akiuki to get into that school, but there was only three places left. When I walked into his room to talk to him, he told me there was a girl at school, who got the last scholarship, at first I thought he was jealous, but when I looked into his eyes I sore something different, it was love” Yuki’s hair stood up on the back of her neck, and goose bumps covered her body, as she listened to granny’s story “even though Akiuki would never admit his true feelings, I knew just by the way he told me about the wolf girl in his class, and I never doubted him for a minute, after all, the world is a very strange and wonderful place, and I have seen my fair share of it in my life” granny gave a reassuring smile that put Yuki’s nerves at ease.
“So I guess Akiuki told you I was back in town then?” the old woman chuckled and sat beside Yuki. “No, he hadn’t told me any such thing” Yuki was confused. but before she could ask, the old woman continued “when I saw the way he looked at you just now, it was the same way he would light up when he was a young boy” Yuki felt her face blush, and she covered a girlish smile, just then Akiuki emerged from the back room, sliding the door open with his foot, he was carrying three porcelain bowls in one hand, with cups stacked inside, and a hot pot of tea in the other, Yuki rushed over to take the tea from his hand, Akiuki searched her face for any signs of remorse or anger, but she just smiled knowingly, Akiuki gave a puzzled but a relieved smile back, and they gently placed the items on the table, the three sat together and ate the soup in peaceful silence, with each sip Yuki’s worries slipped further out of her mind.
Akiuki grabbed a blanket from the cupboard and draped it over Yuki, he couldn’t help but lingered a little while, as Yuki lay quietly curled up on his couch, he smiled to himself before turning out the light,
The sun fell across the room, and a rooster crowed loudly, Yuki’s eyes fluttered open, and she sat up on the couch, Yuki pulled the blankets around her waist and walked over to window, she ran her fingers across the condensation and leant against the glass, Yuki admired the beauty of the morning, the way the sun rested against the hills, and the dew spread likes spider webs on the grassy fields, the air was crisp, and made her shudder, Yuki tiptoed to the front door and pulled on her shoes, before making her way outside, she didn’t make it far before she noticed a large truck parked in front of the forest path. Yuki walked faster as she tried to identify the machine, a large number of excavators and bulldozers could be seen through the trees, as Yuki made her way around the truck, she saw a familiar face, it was the same face she had seen on the TV in Tokyo. The large bulbous man stood, in the middle of a bunch of construction workers, laughing arrogantly, and chatting amongst themselves, one of the men noticed Yuki and they all became quite, turning their attention to her, Yuki felt embarrassed, as the group of man stood, arms folded staring at her. Yuki stood straight and tried to speak, but before she could open her mouth, the large man bellowed at her “What are you doing in this forest miss? Don’t you know it’s condemned?” Yuki gathered her strength and replied in a small voice “I… I thought you weren’t supposed to be cutting it down for another week? The group of men returned her question with bouts of laughter, before turning away and walking back to their trucks, the large man grinned, and took a puff of the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, blowing smoke in Yuki’s face, “are you one of those tree hugging protesters too??” Yuki gasped for air, and coughed into her hand, “No, I...I mean, I don’t care what you do to the forest, I just thought...” the man cut off Yuki before she could finish her sentence, “THEN GET OUTTA HERE GIRLY!!” he screamed, Yuki gasped and stumbled backwards, the man laughed louder at her, then a loud growl from behind Yuki took everyone by surprise, “Did you bring a dog missy” asked the man, laughing louder still, just then a shadow appeared on the ground before them, Yuki spun around, and there stood and very large aggressive wolf, just meters behind them, his eyes shone brightly through the leaves. The men stumbled to the ground at the sight of him, “What on earth is that?” one man exclaimed, “it’s a damn wolf!” called out another, the large man, crushed his cigarette under his heel “don’t be ridiculous! There aren’t any wolves, it’s just a big dog, get the guns!” Yuki scrabbled to her feet, and ran over to the angry beast, “AMI RUN!” Yuki screamed, but the wolf didn’t budge, instead he lowered his head and gnashed his teeth in fury. Yuki pleaded as she ran closer to the wolf, tears ran down her face and hit the ground, then a gun shot fired, Yuki could here the men start yelling and fighting amongst themselves, suddenly the sounds from behind her were drowned out, Yuki looked up at Ami, and everything went silent, time slowed down, Yuki felt the hot wet pain coming from her chest, she stumbled back taken aback, still staring dully at Ami, her vision blurred, and she turned back at the village, the construction workers stood frozen mouths agape. Yuki looked down, her heart still pounding through her body and escaping in torrents through the open wound, the world grew dark, and she felt herself lose balance, as Yuki fell through the air, she thought about her brother, and imagined him next to her, she thought about it so hard his arms felt real, around her, Yuki opened her eyes, and found herself not laying on the hard ground but in Amis arms. She could hardly believe the man beside her was really her little brother, Ami lay under Yuki, biting his lip with his eyes closed, tears running down his cheeks and onto her face, Yuki smiled and raised a hand to his face “is that you Ami” she whispered, Ami opened his eyes and looked at Yuki, pain across his face, “I am so sorry Yuki” Ami quivered rocking her softy, Yuki closed her eyes, “I’m so glad you’re okay Ami” and with that, Yuki’s hand slipped down beside her hitting the ground.
Yuki could hear her name being called, but she couldn’t open her eyes, try as she might, it was just too hard, and the cold numbed her body.
Yuki’s eyes shot open, she couldn’t move her body, but she looked around, she was in a small room, and vase of flowers was placed beside her, on one side, and a pair of feet on the other, Yuki turned her head to get a better view of the other person in the room, she couldn’t quite make out their face. Yuki tried to sit up and a sharp pain followed rippling down her chest, Yuki gasped and the man rushed over to her, “Yuki? You’re awake, try not to move,” Akiuki stood beside her, clenching desperately to her hand, Yuki smiled at the friendly face, and laid back down, “Akiuki? When...how did I get here? Where I am I?” Akiuki placed his other hand on her face, “shhhh its okay Yuki, you’re in the hospital, you’ve been shot, the bullet just missed her heart, when I woke up this morning and you weren’t on the couch. I went out looking for you, as I was driving up the road I saw you, laying unconscious in a man’s arms, he was holding you in his arms, walking up the street. I stopped the truck and helped him get you into the car, when I turned around to ask him what happened, he was gone” Yuki smiled, “it was Ami” Akiuki sat down beside her, and reached for the remote. “Yeah, I thought it was.” Akiuki turned on the TV above the bed and their on the news was a bunch of people weeping, laying on their faces at the forest path, the news reporter said “this is where the construction workers saw him, they claimed to have seen a wolf god, it is said the creature appeared human, before them, monuments have been placed around the forest and a shrine is being erected in the morning. The forest is being called sacred ground, all construction plans have been cancelled” Akiuki switched off the television, Yuki smiled, she had saved her brother, not the way she thought, but he was safe. Yuki was overwhelmed with joy, she leant towards Akiuki and placed her wet face against his shirt, “I’m so happy Akiuki” Akiuki smiled down at her and gently stroked Yuki’s hair, the doctor tapped on the door and walked into the room.
“Yuki Hirramora, I have spoken to your doctor in Tokyo you’re fine to be relocated whenever you’re ready” the smile left Akiuki’s face and was replaced by a deep sadness, “I guess, you’ll be leaving, now that you’ve done what you came here to do” Yuki nodded her head slowly, and burred her face deeper into his chest, she rubbed her eyes and pushed away her tears, “well my job and my life is in Tokyo.” Yuki said with a brave face, Akiuki gripped onto her shoulder and stared into her eyes, Yuki’s face felt warm as she gazed deep into his brown eyes, “YUKI WILL YOU MARRY ME!” Yuki stared stunned, before her mind could come up with the million reasons why she shouldn’t, she heart took over “yes” Yuki whispered, her heart pounded loudly in her chest, her eyes closed as she leant into him, their lips pressed longingly onto each other’s.
Yuki recovered quickly, the two of them married in the spring, and they moved into Yuki’s childhood home, by the following year they had two bounding pups, the forest remained sacred ground, and tourists would come to the wolf god shrine to pray, and the locals would often hear howling from the forest, even though they never saw a wolf, Yuki and Akiuki’s children grew up as both wolf and human, just as Yuki and Ami had done, her family would often take a walk up the mountain, and bring food to her brothers shrine, the kids would run and leap and hunt, and as they would. A shadow of a wolf could be seen across the ground, but often were met by the footsteps of a man.
Fin
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