Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ Lil' Red Riding Hood ❯ One-Shot

Title: Lil' Red Riding Hood

Summary: The story of Tsume's youth and how he was before joining up with Kiba and Co.

Rating: PG-13 for violence and mild language.

Disclaimer: Here it goes - Lyrics go to Sam the Sham, and I do not own Wolf's Rain. If I did, it wouldn't ever get sappy, and I would most definitely not be writing fan fiction for it. I would be too busy working on the purchase of SquareEnix.

Author Notes: Read my Live Journal for those. (Link on profile)

---

Owoooooooo!

Who's that I see walkin' in these woods?

Why, it's Little Red Riding Hood.

Hey there Little Red Riding Hood,

You sure are looking good.

You're everything a big bad wolf could want.

Listen to me.

---

A child's laughter echoed down the darkened alleyway to signal the advance of the two friends. A small girl with deep red hair and silver eyes broke through the barrier of darkness, a smile gracing her features as she looked back and waited for her companion. She twirled her dress around her in a flowing fashion, enjoying the feeling of freedom it elicited of just relaxing and having fun.

Soon the smile turned to a scowl, as her patience wore out. She cried into the darkness for her friend to hurry, stomping her foot in mock anger. She crossed her arms over her chest and heaved an exasperated sigh which prompted burst of laughter from the other side of the barrier.

A boy a bit older than the girl emerged, a wolfish grin placed upon his face. His spiked gray hair waved in the breeze as he looked down at her with amber eyes and imitated her angry stance. Taunting her with words of mirth, his eyes danced with humor as she became more and more frustrated.

She whined in protest, the anger giving out, and threw herself onto him in an effort to get him to stop laughing. Alas, it had no effect, other than to make him laugh harder, and soon she was kicking him and dancing in celebration, laughing from the surprised expression he had on his face.

Tsume watched as she danced, watched as she lit up the alleyway with her sheer joy. 'This is why I must protect her.' He thought to himself. 'This is why Luna will always be mine.'

---

Little Red Riding Hood

I don't think little big girls should

Go walking in these spooky old woods alone.

Owoooooooo!

---

"How would you know that, Tsume?" Luna drawled, her eyes narrowing at her friend. "Are you a scholar?"

Chuckling at her sarcasm, Tsume leaned back into his chair to observe the waitress that refilled their drinks before replying. "No, dear Luna, I am not the type of scholar you would know of. I am a scholar of the world."

Years older now, both were sitting in a bar at a table near the door, with drinks before them. The girl's red hair was now longer, as Tsume's was shorter, but for changes, that was it. They were still the best of friends, and they still took every opportunity to annoy the hell out of each other.

She snorted in disgust and picked up her mug of ale to drink. "Scholar of annoyance, you mean. Have you ever completed a heist without hitting on the female clerk before exiting?"

"Yes, I have." He answered with certainty, nodding his head in agreement with himself. "If the female is very old I will respect her age and leave her be."

Wailing in laughter, Luna fell off of her chair and started banging her fists on the floor. "Respect for age?" She coughed out, trying to contain her laughter. "Translate that to Tsume language and you will have a 'no screwing old hags' rule because they just might die while you are doing your business!"

Tears streamed down her face as she continued to laugh, rolling around on the floor with mirth. Tsume scowled for a while, before finally getting into the spirit of the joke and crawling down onto the floor with her. He lay down next to her, and turned her to face him (which was quite easy, in the state she was in).

"My my, Luna is jealous." He started, smirking as she stopped laughing and started to blush. "Luna wants Tsume all to herself, and is angry that he doesn't base all of his romantic notions on her!"

Roaring in rage, Luna kicked him in the stomach before clambering up and standing over Tsume with an evil glare in her eyes. "Tsume, dear, I wouldn't go near you with a ten foot pole if we were not friends from childhood."

Barking laughter followed her movements as she stormed to the exit of the bar. The door slammed, and Tsume ceased his laughing to opt for a groan of pain.

"Damn, that woman leaves bruises."

---

What big eyes you have,

The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad.

So just to see that you don't get chased

I think I ought to walk with you for a ways.

---

The screech of a woman thoroughly surprised rang out from an alcove off of the main street. No one paid any attention, as it was none of their business, and as such should not be bothered with.

"Tsume, untie me!" Luna commanded, glaring at the wolf who ever so smugly was looking down at her with a wide grin on his face. She attempted to kick him, but he dodged the violent action before she could do any harm.

"Aww... widdle Luna is all tied up!" He chortled, hopping around her flailing feet with mirth. "I'll untie her if she promises to be a good girl and give poor old Tsume a kiss!"

A look of utmost horror fell upon her face as she registered what her friend had just said. A kiss? No way! The rules outlaw any sort of contact in that way, as per the handbook on maintaining healthy childhood relationships. How could he be serious?

"I hope you have a good reason for that demand, Tsume." Luna growled, narrowing her eyes menacingly at her best friend. "The Puritans will kill you if anyone gets wind of that! And I would be killed for complying!"

"Fine." Tsume answered, narrowing his eyes in anger. He quickly bent down, planted a quick kiss on her lips, and tore off the bindings he had placed around her before proceeding to turn away and walk down the street in a huff.

Luna watched him go with a blank stare. Raising one hand to place over her mouth, she sighed and stood up before following after him. "He didn't explain the demand… Damn Tsume!"

---

What full lips you have.

They're sure to lure someone bad.

So until you get to grandma's place

I think you ought to walk with me and be safe.

---

Luna stomped down the alleyway as she fumed in anger. Two weeks had passed since Tsume had started to 'hit' on her, and it was starting to get disconcerting. Sure, she loved him, but she was used to him running around everything female with great fervor, not just her. If she didn't do something soon, he would gain the upper hand. She would be his, and she would have no say if he decided to get bored and run off with someone else.

As she slowed down her pace in speculative thought, she began to wonder about how to still have control but still have Tsume. With the new order of 'Puritans' around, she might just as well give up, as they kill humans and wolves that decide to love each other, calling it 'inhumane acts' and their punishment was to 'invoke the wrath of god'.

A sound of four paws scraping the hard concrete ground brought her out of her contemplative state. Tsume was behind her, slowly advancing as if to let her know he was there. "Luna, if you don't love me, say so and I'll leave you alone..."

Shock coursed through her veins as she heard him speak. She refused to turn and face him before she had a plan of action, so she just continued facing away from him as she replied. "I do love you, Tsume. I just don't want you to run off with other wolfs and humans while I am yours."

She turned to face him, and a realization struck her. He would never leave her. Not as long as she lived. A smile played upon her face as she advanced towards Tsume, and laughed at his shocked expression as she pulled him into the shadows of the alleyway. As far as she was concerned, those Puritans could go blow.

---

I'm gonna keep my sheep suit on

Until I'm sure that you've been shown

That I can be trusted walking with you alone.

Owoooooooo!

---

The moon was covered with clouds. That was the excuse he would use tonight. He moved off of the roof of the building and started into the hallway, walking in the direction of Luna's room. As long as those 'Puritans' were out and about, he did not want to leave her alone for long periods of time, even if it were to let her sleep. If she had to rest for more than a few hours, them she would just have to get used to him being there with her.

He stopped right before her door and listened for any sounds within. Soft breathing was accompanied with the rustle of blankets as she changed her position in her sleep. A grin grew on his face, and he slowly entered the room, closing and locking the door behind him. She was sprawled out on the makeshift bed, the coverings haphazardly thrown over her. Quiet murmurings came from her dreams crossing over to the waking world as she stayed in her repose.

Seeing that she would not awaken, Tsume got on all fours and crawled over to her side. He lay down beside her, and moved in closely, as to keep him warm, and prevent her from rolling over on top of him.

She continued to speak gibberish in her sleep, and turned over to snuggle down into Tsume's body, finding comfort with him. A smile fell upon his features as he observed her. Peace was at hand with the world, so he thought at that moment, and life was good.

---

Little Red Riding Hood

I'd like to hold you if I could

But you might think I'm a big bad wolf so I won't.

Owoooooooo!

---

"Tsume!" Luna cried, running before him as if to shield him. The puritans were out in full force again, and this time they had found them.

"God have mercy on your soul, little girl!" One of the supposed holy men cried, firing his rapid fire gun in her general direction. Tsume pulled her out of the way and behind a piece of rubble from the building that had been blown up in an attempt to kill Luna.

"You alright, love?" Tsume asked her, giving her the once over to check for any injuries. She nodded her head with a reassuring grin on her face, before planting a chaste kiss on his lips and rushing out towards the Puritans side of the street.

"Luna!" He shouted, rushing after her. She stopped, and turned to face him, before a pole with a cross on the end skewered through her and into him. They fell back onto the ground from the force of the blow, which temporarily stopped the advances of firepower from the Puritans.

"Goodbye, Tsume love." Luna murmured, shoving herself off of him and removing the pole. The sounds of the Puritans laughter barely made its way to his ears, as Tsume watched in horror as the woman he loved gave one last smile before falling back as the life left her.

In a rush it all hit him with pain and tears. Luna was dead, and he was not. Al he had sustained was this x-shaped gash across his chest. Turning to look at the Puritans, he saw their smug faces as they prepared to shoot him with another pole.

In a frantic movement, he grabbed her lifeless body and ran as fast as he could go, aiming to get away from the evil men and bury Luna where he can find her when he figures out how to find death.

The pain and blood loss caught up to him after a while, and he stopped at the side of the street, looking down at the lifeless body in his arms.

A lone howl rang through the night, stopping everyone who heard for a moment, before moving on with what they were doing. After all, it was just a wolf.

---

What a big heart I have-the better to love you with.

Little Red Riding Hood

Even bad wolves can be good.

I'll try to be satisfied just to walk close by your side.

Maybe you'll see things my way before we get to grandma's place.

---

"Hey, guys! The scent leads to this grave!" Toboe shouted, kneeling before the headstone and stiffing it. The others followed and watched in puzzlement. "Why would the scent of Lunar Flowers be coming from this old grave?" Hige asked as he scratched his head. "I mean, don't they grow above ground?"

Going down and sniffing the air around the grave as well, Kiba shifted a bit at the dirt before turning to the others and shrugging. "Maybe we should dig it out?" He questioned, turning to Cheza as if to ask her permission. She simply stared at Tsume awaiting his reaction.

"A Lunar Flower was buried with the human many years ago." Tsume started, oblivious to the surprised looks he was getting from his wolf friends. His gaze was firmly fixed upon the grave, a memory playing in his mind of a happy girl with red hair and a smile that lightened the whole world. "She loved the scent of Lunar Flowers, so the wolf that was the cause of her death found one in a garden and buried it with her, so she will always have the flower she loved with her, even in death."

"Wow." Hige commented, raising an eyebrow at Tsume's far off expression. "You must have liked that story. Now, let's dig it up!"

Toboe, Kiba, and Hige started flinging dirt in every direction as the smell of the flower got stronger and stronger. Cheza held her gaze on Tsume, a concerned look across her features. He had sat down on the ground, unable to see what they were going to unearth.

"We found it!" Toboe exclaimed, pulling out a well preserved flower and lifting it to his nose to sniff it. "Pretty…"

They climbed out of the grave, and Kiba gave the flower to Cheza as a token, before Hige noticed something wrong. "Hey! Where was the body that Tsume talked about?"

---

Hey there Little Red Riding Hood

You sure are looking good

You're everything that a big bad wolf could want.

Owoooooooo! I mean baaaaaa! Baaa?

---

Laughter echoed down the abandoned hallways of the darkened building. It was a sad kind of laughter, but sweet nonetheless. Almost as if the woman who emitted such a sound was reliving a happy memory, but was in constant awareness of the fact that such a happy moment was lost forever in the spans of time, and was most likely not ever to be relived again.

"Come get me, Tsume. Please…"

Story Fin ~