{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}

"Who are they?"

"We don't know. They were in the swamp when we took Valeri for his test. They were fleeing the beast."

"Interesting. Where are they now?"

"We have them at Andrei's, under guard. They tell a rather fantastic story, but that doesn't change the fact that the boy appears to be a renegade."

The older man, leader of the village, raised his eyebrows. "A renegade? Send a messenger to the castle immediately. Whatever they were doing in the swamp, I want as little to do with it as possible. It's for Maxim to determine what to do with them."

"I'll send a messenger immediately then."

"Before you go..."

"Yes?"

"Valeri... He passed?"

"He did. You should be proud of him."

"What do you think they'll do with us?" Nabiki asked in a hushed voice.

"I am sure they will not be affording us any hospitality," Kuno replied.

"Yeah. They didn't think anything about you though. I wonder how they knew they could fight you off if you attacked."

"Their spears. The points were coated with a strong substance. I could smell it, and it was not pleasant."

"Oh. A poison, you think?" She had been seconds from making a break for it when they had grabbed her. Nabiki was now thinking she had been lucky not to run.

"I believe so. The same stuff as was contained in that meat."

Nabiki shook her head a little. "Weird. I wonder what this all means for us."

Kuno shrugged, looking at the two men guarding the door and estimated his chances for escape. "I plan on leaving here as soon as possible though. I do not trust them."

"Neither do I." Nabiki looked around the small shack to see if there was anything that might help them escape.

"Listen," Kuno said suddenly, almost inaudibly, "I shall..."

Before he could relay his plan, the door opened and in walked one of the men that had ordered their internment in the shack. "You two, come with me," he commanded.

Kuno and Nabiki stood slowly, walking forward as the man gestured. They exchanged a brief look before they went outside. They had missed their chance. They were led through the village, all the inhabitants staring at them, until they reached a series of tubs and a complicated contraption hooked up to some huge wooden barrels leaking water. Nabiki figured it was for water purification.

They were at the public baths.

"They're going to give us baths?" she asked aloud. Not that she couldn't use one; she was filthy and so were her clothes.

"Yes," answered their guard. "Strip and clean yourselves up. You need to be presentable before you go to the castle."

It took the two a moment too long to comply. "Go on or we'll do it for you, and I don't think you want my men doing that."

Nabiki shook her head, looking at the faces of the guards. She most definitely did not want them putting their hands on her. Without another moment of hesitation, she began to remove her clothing.

Kuno followed suit and climbed into one of the large tubs as soon as he was naked. Nabiki got into the dry tub with him and waited for water.

A knob was turned on the contraption, then another was turned that looked like it was connected to a series of clay pipes. There was the sound of flowing and water and then it was sprinkling into the tub from overhead.

For a moment, Nabiki could forget where she was and what was going on as the water rinsed the grime from her. Whatever was going to happen, if they were going to give her a chance to clean up, she was going to take advantage of it.

"Make it quick. We're not doing this is a favor to you," one of the guards growled.

Kuno glared at him briefly before using his hands to wipe the dirt away from his body. This whole situation was something he didn't like at all.

"Get my back," Nabiki whispered to him. She turned around and felt his hands move over her skin. It felt too nice after all the time in the swamp.

Too soon, the water stopped and they exited the tub.

"Put these on." The man flung some drab clothing at them and waited. "Once you're dressed, they've decided to feed you and then wait for your escort to the castle."

"Escort to the castle? Why would they do that?" Nabiki whispered as they ate slowly. She wished that they could speak in some language the people didn't understand. Unfortunately, they seemed to understand Japanese perfectly.

Kuno just shrugged. There was no point in guessing as they'd probably be informed eventually as to what was going on.

Their escort consisted of a group of five brutish-looking men and one smaller, skinnier man. The brutes all stared at Kuno, then more lingeringly at Nabiki.

"Stop that, you fools. You even consider it and Maxim will come down on your heads. You're more useful as soldiers than rugs," the head of the escort snapped. "Come on. Grab them and let's go. I don't like staying around this place any longer than necessary."

"Um..."

"Quiet! I don't want to hear anything out of you two. When we get back, you'll be put back in your places."

"But that's what I wanted to..."

"Quiet!"

Nabiki's head rocked as the invisible blow contacted with the side of her jaw. She whimpered, but made no other sound. She knew what he was and didn't want to with anymore of his kind. Her stomach sank when she realized she had no choice in the matter though.

Kuno's hand on her arm steadied her as she stumbled. His eyes flashed at the back of the man's head, seriously contemplating doing something violent.

"Don't even think about it if you value having a head on your shoulders," one of the large guards warned.

"You'll have a chance to explain yourselves when we get back to the castle. Don't make me waste anymore energy on keeping you in line," the leader snarled.

"She's pretty cute."

"I don't need to hear anything out of the rest of you either. You're just along to bring them in alive, not give commentary."

"Too bad she's taken. Not that it really matters, eh, Morathi?"

"Sure, but she's pregnant. That takes all the fun out of it."

"Not all the fun." The two conversing began to laugh darkly.

"Morathi, Vidor, enough!"

Leaning over, Vidor whispered to his companion, "He looks like good sport though, don't you think?"

Morathi nodded. "He might last a week. If Maxim even keeps him around."

***

"Wait here."

The door was slammed shut and locked, leaving Kuno and Nabiki shut up in a tiny room at the front of the castle. It was pleasant enough, but there was no mistaking it for what it really was: a holding cell.

"I think we made a mistake this time. A bad mistake," Nabiki moaned.

"We... we took the chance. We have to deal with it."

"Don't bullshit now, Kuno," she snapped. "You know this is trouble and that we're overmatched."

"We shall find a way to prevail. Hope is not lost."

"Yet."

The sound of the door being locked ended their conversation. Hopefully someone more reasonable than their escorts had been would be there.

The door opened and in walked a tall man in elegant red and gold robes. His face was gaunt and pale, made paler by his jet black hair swept back away from his face. He smiled and revealed his pointed canines. "I am Konstantin. I have heard the circumstances under which you were brought here, but I know that you are not a renegade," he said amicably.

"You've obviously come here for a very important reason if you were willing to brave the swamps. If you tell me, I may be able to assist you."

Nabiki swallowed and looked at Kuno. Her only dealings with vampires had been extremely unpleasant, and she wasn't sure just what to make of the one before her.

"You may speak freely. I only want to know what you have to say. We don't get uninvited visitor often." Konstantin took a seat in one of the chairs in the room, though he looked extremely uncomfortable in it.

"Well, we... want to speak with Maxim," Nabiki managed to say, feeling like she had overstepped her bounds.

"Oh? And why is that?" the vampire asked, clearly amused.

"We... we have a problem," was all she would say. "We were told Maxim is the only one with the ability to help us."

Konstantin looked at them, his eyes moving back and forth between the two. "I'll see if I can arrange an audience then." He stood and left the room, though the door was still securely locked after it had been closed.

***

The two were led down a huge hallway with walls that seemed to be carved from bare rock. Flickering torches lined the entire hall, illuminating paintings and tapestries that gave the place a feel of elegance.

At may points there were large, arched doorways that went into darkness. No sounds came from any of them and there no other people in the halls that they could see.

"Kuno-chan," Nabiki whispered, "I'm... scared."

The hideous man that walked in front of the turned and smiled, revealing a mouth full of pointed teeth. "There's no reason to be afraid. Lord Maxim will hear your request. He hears everyone's requests."

"I am sure," Kuno said darkly.

At the end of the hall, a set of large wooden doors decorated with ornate designs awaited. The man put his hands on the huge handles, looked at the, and said, "The master will see you now." Then he pushed the doors open.

Nabiki and Kuno were both taken aback at the sight. In contrast to the dark, elegance of the previous hall, this one was huge, bright, airy, almost cheerful. There was somewhere around a hundred people all in it staring at them.

Most were human in appearance, though there were a few, like their guide, that looked less than human as well. And each of them directed their gaze upon the two strangers that had entered their domain. The silence was unimaginable.

Walking slowly, Nabiki tried not to stare at all the people. She kept her gaze focused at the end of the hall.

The figure at the end of the hall, seated upon a huge throne, was watching them with open amusement, but did not speak. The closer they got to the figure, the more foreboding the man appeared.

"Come closer, you two. Don't be afraid," he said, smiling the entire time, though it didn't seem entirely happy.

Not that they had a choice in the matter. They had come too far to back out. When they had reached within five feet of the throne on its raised pedestal, they were motioned to stop.

"Kneel," their guide said to them, not so quietly.

Kuno gave him a dark look while Nabiki was doing her best not to look at the face of the man they had come so far to see. There was something horrible there that she couldn't bear to look at.

"He is the one who rules over the entire land. You will pay him the proper respect and kneel before him."

Reluctantly, Kuno got to one knee and watched Nabiki do the same out of the corner of his eye.

Maxim looked down at the two, smiling strangely. "Please, stand up," he said in a voice that was deep and rich. "Tell us why you've requested an audience."

Nabiki was still looking away from him in an oddly subservient fashion and left Kuno to speak for her. "There are matters we would like to discuss in a more private manner... Sir." Kuno recognized the need for it even if he did not like calling the man that.

There was a wave of whispering and even a few disbelieving laughs at his request that Maxim endured for a few moments. He raised his hand and immediately all noise stopped. "I will accommodate your desires this time, and this time only, since you are strangers. Now follow me," said Maxim, still smiling.

He stood with a flourish, his relatively simple clothing belying the fact that he was the most powerful figure in the world. Maxim stepped down form the throne and pedestal to walk around behind it.

Kuno and Nabiki stood and allowed their guide to lead them after Maxim. They went around behind the throne and through a small arched doorway. Once they were into the small hall beyond, covered in darkness, the door shut behind them, eliminating the last of the light.

After giving them a moment for their eyesight to adjust, their guide led them down an almost claustrophobic hall with maxim's footfalls echoing ahead of them.

The two could feel the fear and uncertainty of each other. Though words were always convenient to use, for feelings, they weren't entirely necessary. Of course, that made it hard for Nabiki to hide her feelings the way she was used to doing, and it made Kuno incredibly smug when dealing with her a lot of the time.

A door opened ahead, blinding them momentarily and silhouetting Maxim in the doorway. There was an incredible feeling of dread that ran through Kuno at that moment, and he wanted nothing more than to turn and leave, to not go through that door. There was something beyond it, something terrible, that he wanted to avoid at all costs.

Beyond that door he was afraid they would find their deaths, but they had no where else to go.

***

Kuno ducked his head at the last moment and took the blow across his shoulders, the force of it driving him to his knees.

"What's wrong, dogman? Haven't you ever been beaten by your master?" one of the men taunted.

There was another series of blows, all across his back and shoulders.

"No, his master's taught him too well. He can probably sit and beg on command," the other jeered.

A hand worked it's way into Kuno's hair and yanked his head back. "Well, do you?" the first man asked, and evil sneer plastered on his face. "Do you sit up and beg? Roll over? Play fetch?"

Kuno spat in the man's face and got punched for it.

"I bet he plays dead real well," the second man said, smiling.

The first man, wiping his face, nodded. "I bet he does. Did you bring the stuff?"

"Right here."

"Good. Give me the catalyst." He took the small needle his companion offered him and jabbed it into Kuno's arm.

The stinging sensation Kuno felt soon faded to be replaced by one of extreme energy and exaltation, and he found himself changing. Why they would want to do that, he didn't know. He was better when he was changed, and that couldn't be what they wanted to accomplish. And if it was his change they wanted him to go through, well, it wasn't much to speak of anymore.

That is, until he was hit on his lower leg as it was shifting, sending waves of unendurable pain shooting through his body. Kuno screamed aloud when the next blow landed on his other leg, and the next blow. He continued as his screams became howls and it felt like his entire body was being torn apart.

"He's done. Give me the stabilizer."

Another prick in the arm that wasn't noticeable after everything Kuno had gone through, and then there was silence except for his labored breathing.

He could feel his entire body slowing down, as if it would eventually grind to a halt. The wounds that had begun to heal were still fresh with their ache settling into him. It was like he was underwater with weights attached to him. He could barely move and not with any speed.

"I hope you like this form, dogman, because you're going to be stuck this way for a while." The man gave Kuno a kick in the ribs for good measure and left the cell with his companion.

The door slammed shut and the sound of many locks falling in place echoed throughout the dungeon.

Kuno rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling through half-lidded eyes. The taste of blood, his blood, was sharp, overly salty... He considered moving to one corner and curling up there, but the effort of moving his entire body that much was too great.

Soon he passed gratefully into unconsciousness.

***

So much for their plan. It had been foolish of them to think they could just walk in, ask something like they had and then expect to have their request fulfilled. What had happened, she probably shouldn't have been able to anticipate though.

She should have, damn it! That slug back in Gosunkugi's house had said some things that made it pretty clear what she could have expected to happen. He had treated her like a commodity or a prize. Nabiki should have known better, and now things were looking real bad.

Nabiki paced the small, well-furnished room. The fact that they had dragged Kuno away and politely escorted her to this room did not sit well. There were two things she didn't plan on doing and those were staying in this little dump of a dimension and becoming some warlord vampire's concubine. No way.

Even if she changed, Nabiki didn't think she could really fight back, and she couldn't leave Kuno if she managed to escape.

The sound of footsteps in the hall alerted her and she stood on the opposite side of the room, staring at the door intently.

It opened slowly, revealing Maxim, alone, in his ceremonial attire. He was smiling, but again, there was that hidden glimpse of something dark and evil. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you any more than necessary," he said as if it was some sort of comfort.

He entered the room and shut the door behind him. He did not bother to lock it, the same way it had not been locked before. "Right now, I'm only here to talk. You can save your worries for another time."

Maxim sat down in a large chair and looked at Nabiki evenly. "I am a man of my word and I do not make many promises. I only wish to talk at this time."

Nabiki found her feet moving automatically to a chair before she stopped them and walked the rest of the way herself. If Maxim had been surprised at her display of defiance, his face did not show it.

"First, let me destroy any notions you may have of escaping," he said once Nabiki was settled. "I can see the beast in you. You will not surprise me with it, nor will you be able to overpower me."

Nabiki did her best to hide the disappointment she felt.

"I also know of your unborn. If you value their lives, or your own for that matter, you will cooperate." He made a vaguely apologetic motion with his head. "I'm afraid the life of your mate isn't worth much though. I know how hard that loss can be for one such as yourself, but all your thoughts of him can be easily taken care of.

"All memories of him and your previous life can and will be removed to make you... happier and more docile," Maxim concluded with a smug smile on his face that horrified Nabiki.

"You... you can't be serious," was all she could think of to say.

"I'm very serious," he said, leaning forward in the chair. "Not that you would have a choice in the matter, of course." Maxim settled back in the chair, relaxing once more. "The prospect may be distasteful now, but once it's done you won't care. So just cooperate and make things easier on yourself."

A thousand thoughts ran through Nabiki's mind. She had a little leverage. She could demand that...

"And don't think you can bargain your way out of this. If you refuse to cooperate, I will simply do what I wish with you, but it won't be as painless," Maxim said with a detached air.

OK, so that crushed all of Nabiki's ideas, and she couldn't really expect everyone from Nerima to show up to rescue her like they had always done for Akane. And the idea of giving in was too distasteful for her, but what choice did she have?

Nabiki looked up at Maxim, her intense brown eyes meeting his sparkling gold ones. For a moment, it appeared that she might resist him, discover the fire in her that gave her strength when she needed it... "Just... just don't hurt him; let him go," she said quietly, holding her gaze even.

Maxim didn't smile as she expected him to. He nodded solemnly.

"I want to talk to him first, before..." Nabiki said, cutting herself off.

Maxim nodded again and stood up. "He'll be brought here shortly." With that said, Maxim left the room and closed the door.

Nabiki slumped against the wall and slid to the floor. Giving in... That seemed to drain something from her, something vital. It was the thing that had pushed her to come to this awful world and try to get things done herself... It was gone and the only thing left was a profound emptiness.

Nabiki lowered her head to her knees, put her arms across them as well and finally gave up hope.

***

The door opened slowly, the guards being wary of the cell's occupant. Not that it mattered; Kuno was too dazed from the beating and the drugs to do much more than twitch his tail.

Seeing the state the prisoner was in, the two guards stormed in and grabbed Kuno by the arms. They hauled him into an upright position while one fastened a thick collar around his neck.

"Come on, dogman," the other guard said, snarling. "Lord Maxim wants a word with you."

They dragged him out of the cell and down the corridor a little way. Kuno tried to get his legs under him, but the still weren't working, and his thoughts were all fuzzy.

"Stop struggling," the second guard commanded and yanked on the collar sharply, choking Kuno momentarily.

At the end of the hall was a heavy door that led out of the dungeon. It was open and Maxim was waiting there. As the guards approached, he looked at Kuno darkly.

"This is the end, boy. She wants to talk to you and then you can consider your life forfeit. I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you an hour, and then she's mine."

Maxim nodded at the guards and watched them haul Tatewaki Kuno away. A strange name indeed. Not that it mattered, but the boy was from another place. The boy didn't have the knowledge to do it himself, so someone else had opened the gate between the two worlds. Probably another encroached lord, pushing his boundaries... That would be put down soon enough.

***

Nabiki lifted her head as the door opened. The two guards tossed Kuno to the floor and pushed his limbs inside the door. They looked briefly at each other then at Nabiki.

"We'll let you have some time alone with dogman here if you treat us right, girl," the first guard said.

"Yeah. We won't hurt you as long as long as you do what we say," the second one added.

Both of them stepped over Kuno and shut the door. "Trust us, you won't feel a thing."

Nabiki stared at the two in disbelief as they advanced on her. "You can't..." she said, unable to call up the anger and rage she needed to defend herself.

The guards smiled at her. "Oh sure we can."

"You most certainly can NOT!" a voice boomed from behind them. "You two," Maxim said, walking up behind them, "have made a very grave mistake."

In a flare of bright red flames, the were consumed and soon disappeared, their screams lingering. When the flames finally died down, the only thing left was a pair of faintly glowing footprints.

"You have an hour," Maxim said, looking at Nabiki. "You should make it count." And then Maxim left by the door, slamming it behind him.

That snapped Nabiki out of her paralysis. She blinked twice and looked at Kuno on the floor. It was then that she noticed what bad shape he was in.

She crawled across the floor to him and say by his head. She ran her hand over the blood-matted fur of Kuno's neck. "Kuno-chan." she said quietly. An hour... That was all she had until everything she knew was gone. An hour until it was all ripped away from her. She wasn't going to cry though; she would deal with it...

"Kuno-chan! You have to wake up. I need you to wake up..." He was the last thing about home that she would see, she would have any contact with.

When he didn't respond in any way, Nabiki leaned her head down and touched her forehead to his. "Kuno-chan... Tatewaki, please wake up. You're my last chance..." she said resignedly.

Kuno cracked his eyes open, breaking the seal of dried blood that had held them closed. He tried to move his arms, but they still felt like there were lead weights attached.

"Kuno-chan, you have to be awake. You have to do something for me before... before the hour is up." One tear escaped, then another, and then many more. "You have to do this. I don't want them thinking..." Thinking, believing that she didn't care for them.

Not knowing why Nabiki was so upset or what she was talking about, Kuno forced himself to move, forced his muscles to function. He put his hand on her leg and lifted his head, breaking contact with her to look into her eyes.

Nabiki didn't make any sound for a moment, just looking at Kuno, then finally said quietly, "I don't want this to happen. I don't want to forget everything."

Kuno knew she was afraid, very afraid, but he didn't know why. Damn them for doing this to him, preventing him from talking to her. Somehow, finding a well a energy, he made himself move, fight through whatever was sapping his strength, and sat up.

He wiped some of the tears from Nabiki's cheek before standing up slowly. He made his way to the generous-sized bed, feeling like he weighed 2000 pounds, and sat down on it.

Nabiki stood and sat next to him, avoiding looking at his face. Instead, she looked at his forearms and hands, stained with his own blood. The crimson crust was a harsh contrast to the snowy white fur and ruined his appearance.

Finally, she looked up at him. "There's something you have to do for me."

Kuno nodded curtly. This was obviously important to her.

"I want you to tell my family that I... I love them. Even Ranma and his idiot father. Tell them and make sure they understand." Nabiki stared at Kuno, making sure he was listening. "Tell them and make sure they hear it, make sure they KNOW it."

Kuno shook his head. He understood what she wanted, but why was still unknown to him. When they were done, she could tell them herself.

"You will. And there's something else, but you can't refuse this..." Nabiki glared at him momentarily. "You have to leave. Go back to Japan and never come back here. Never consider coming back here because it will be the worst mistake of your life! Do you hear me?"

Kuno nodded again. Things were getting more strange. When he got back to Japan, he didn't want to ever think of this place again, let alone come back to it.

"One more thing. You have to promise you'll do this." She grabbed Kuno's chin and made sure they were looking into each other's eyes. "Promise."

He gave her a short nod and Nabiki knew he meant it.

"Promise that you won't forget that I... that I... love you."

Kuno's eyes got wide with surprise and he felt that everything was finally falling into place for him.

"Promise me you won't forget that... because I will," Nabiki finished quietly.

The hour passed slowly, but it was still too fast for her.

The door opened suddenly, catching the two completely off-guard. It was Maxim with more guards; a large group of them were standing out in the hall. He looked at the two of them on the bed, Nabiki clutching Kuno almost desperately, and snarled. "Get that thing away from her!"

Two guards charged into the room at Maxim's command and tried to pull Kuno away.

"No! Damn you!" Nabiki yelled, holding on to him with all her strength. "I won't let you! I won't do it!"

"It's too late to disagree. Just stop acting like a spoiled little girl and come quietly. I don't want to have to ruin that pretty face of yours," Maxim said. His voice was calm, but there was no mistaking the seriousness of his threat.

Nabiki knew that everything Maxim had said before was a lie. He wouldn't let Kuno go, and her life would end with everything left unfinished. That did it. She released Kuno, which surprised the guards, who tumbled backwards off the bed with him.

"You will let him go," Nabiki said from the side of the bed where she had rolled off. She was standing at the ready, trying to keep her eye on the entire room at once.

"You have no..." Maxim's voice trailed off as he looked from the guards holding Kuno over to Nabiki. The look on his face grew dangerous. "I warned you about trying to bargain your way out of this," he said menacingly, his fangs showing.

"Yeah, I know, but if you try anything before I see you let him go, then I'll be dead." She sunk her fingers deeper into the flesh of her neck and felt the claws pierce it. Trickles of warm blood ran from the wounds.

Maxim snorted. "You wouldn't. Why would you die for this insignificant..."

"Yes, I would. I know you won't let him go, and you're more likely to kill him than anything else. And I would kill myself just to spite you, you sick bastard." Nabiki's voice held a rational quality that she didn't feel.

Maxim looked at her, judging her sincerity. It was almost frightening, the amount of conviction she had for being human. "Very well, if you are determined..."

"Damn straight I am! Now let him go!" Her anger made the wounds hurt less.

Maxim motioned with his head to the guards that were holding Kuno. They released his arms, but stood to either side of him. "Fine. He will be released and then..."

Nabiki nodded, knowing exactly what he was thinking. There was no doubt that he would hurt her a lot, but she had the comfort of knowing that she wouldn't remember any of it.

The group marched through the halls with Maxim and Kuno at the front. Nabiki was following them all with her claws still in her neck. She would see it through to the end, whether it was hers or Maxim's.

Instead of going through the main halls, they went through the smaller side corridors and ended up at a heavy door with an iron bar across it. The bar was lifted and the door opened, revealing the darkness of the night beyond it.

Maxim turned to Kuno. "You can leave, but I only let you live this once. If I ever see you again, you will die. Now get out of my sight."

The guards shoved Kuno out the door where he stumbled down the small slope and fell to the ground.

"Kuno-chan, remember what I said!" Nabiki yelled from back inside. "Now run! Get out of here!"

Kuno picked himself up and looked back at the door. He could still see her inside and she looked very scared.

"Leave and don't ever come back... for your own safety!" she called out to him.

He took one step toward her, but he just couldn't go any farther. That would definitely mean her death and most likely his. With Nabiki's determined and frightened face firmly in his mind, Kuno turned and ran off, trying to get as far away from the castle as he could.

Nabiki watched Kuno run off, tracking him until he was lost in the night. The door closed at that point, cutting off the fresh air, and the iron bar was dropped back into place. That was that. Things were beyond her control now.

"Take her back to her room and make sure she doesn't try anything else stupid," Maxim ordered, his eyes glowing in the darkness.

Nabiki's hand was yanked away from her neck and both her arms were seized in iron grips. After proving what she was capable of, they weren't so gentle with her this time.

***

Kuno ran as fast as his legs would allow through the dark and twisted forest. More than once he tripped and fell to the soft dirt. Each time he got up and tried to wipe the dirt from his eyes. The dirt that was making everything blurry...

***

"You defied me. I don't like that," Maxim said, looking at Nabiki.

"Too bad. Go to hell," Nabiki spat back.

"You will be a nice addition once I've... cured you of that disrespectful attitude. For the moment, it's time you paid for openly defying me in the presence of my men." Maxim never smiled; he went about things in a very business-like manner, which chilled Nabiki even more.

He turned around and Nabiki could hear him getting something out of the box that he had brought with him. When he turned back around and Nabiki saw what he had in his hand, she struggled against the physical and magical bonds that held her.

"Hold still and this will hurt less. Struggle and the pain will be excruciating," Maxim said as he brought the tip of the long, thick needle to the flesh of her right bicep. He stabbed it into her arm, drawing blood, watching her face.

Nabiki somehow managed not to make a noise, though she did grimace and inhale sharply.

Maxim smiled then. "Indeed. You won't have that control over your voice once we've really begun."

Kuno didn't know how long he had been going as he never saw the sun. It might have been hours or days, he just didn't know... and didn't care. He walked, and sometimes he ran, through the barely discernible cycles of day and night.

A few times, even with the sluggishness that trapped him, he managed to catch food. That continued to sustain him, but... If only he hadn't said he would do those things for Nabiki. He would have gone back there and... and... He didn't know, but he would have gone back there and done it.

But he was so tired and weak and... angry. How could she do something like that to him? How could she make him leave and live without her? Did she realize, didn't she know that he needed her?

Kuno fell to the ground, collapsing in a snowdrift amidst some trees. He hadn't even noticed that he had passed from the warmer, almost tropical climate around the castle back into the colder area he had first arrived in. Not that it would have made a difference to him as he passed out from exhaustion.

"Hey! Hey, look what I found!"

Kuno opened his eyes at the sound of a person yelling. Alarms went off in his head that it might be one of Maxim's guards and they would be attempting to kill him. He shot to his feet, or at least he wanted to, but he still didn't have any energy.

"It's our visitor. He's come back."

Kuno grabbed on to a tree and pulled himself up. Looking up, he saw Rhodes and one of the other men from the village approaching him.

"I'm surprised to see you back. What's happened to your girl?" Rhodes asked, dismissing Kuno's inhuman appearance.

Kuno could only look at the man sadly. Rhodes and Anatalia probably hadn't expected to see them ever again when he and Nabiki had left for the overlord's castle, and now... Kuno was back under circumstances that were worse than death.

Rhodes saw the look and frowned. Anatalia probably would not be happy to hear whatever the Kuno boy had to tell. He put his hand on Kuno's shoulder. "Come back to the village. You look like you could use a good meal."

"Rhodes! What about our traps?" the other man asked, keeping one wary eye on Kuno.

"Sorry, Peter. The boy here looked like he could use some help. Of course we'll check the traps. Let's go, we'll be back at the village in no time," he said, gesturing at Kuno.

'Boy? Some boy...' Peter thought as Rhodes began walking.

The three walked slowly through the deep snow. It had been a severe storm that had dumped plenty of new snow on everything, just to make things more difficult it seemed. Kuno plodded along behind the two men. He felt beaten and worn and distinctly unwelcome from the looks Rhodes' friend was giving him.

They trekked through the forest, checking all the traps they had put out and resetting them if necessary. Peter and Rhodes chatted idly about the planting for the coming Spring, keeping their conversation pleasant and vacant.

Rhodes turned suddenly to address Kuno. "Why don't you..." He made a vague hand gesture. "Do your thing so you can tell us about where you went."

Kuno looked at Rhodes' curious face then at Peter's distrustful one; he shook his head.

"No?" Rhodes asked him. "Why not?"

Great. How was he supposed to explain things in his condition? Kuno could only shrug helplessly. He had absolutely no idea how he was going to get through things like he was.

"You don't know? You don't want to?"

Peter's look had grown nastier by the second.

Kuno shook his head, seeing that they didn't understand, couldn't possibly understand... He shrugged and made some annoyed whimpering sounds.

"You can't?" Rhodes asked with obvious confusion in his voice.

A minor and very short-lived feeling of relief filled Kuno. He nodded that they would understand a little of what was going on.

"Well, why don't we just go back for now and get you cleaned up?" Rhodes had avoided mentioning it before just because it didn't seem necessary, but there was something very wrong. The Kuno boy was... filthy and haggard looking. He was covered in dirt and there was dried blood in his fur. Some of it looked still wet.

The rest of the trip was much more quiet than before. Several of the remaining traps had animals in them; the catch was good, but not great. The next week would be one with meat in short supply.

For Kuno, just seeing the dead animals, smelling their blood, made his mouth water. He didn't know the last time he had eaten anything, but it wasn't recently because his stomach growled loudly and he realized he was starving.

Rhodes looked back at him and chuckled. "Sorry, but you're going to have to wait until we get back, and even then, I don't know if it will be to your liking."

Kuno sighed dramatically and nodded. His playacting skills had improved ever since he had to deal extensively with these people. They couldn't read the subtle emotions, meanings in the noises he made and his body language the way Nabiki could. Everything had to be over-dramatized.

But... Kuno turned his nose up and sniffed at the cold air. He stopped and pricked his ear forward, listening to the sounds of the forest around them.

Glancing back at Kuno, Rhodes saw his posture. Holding Peter's arm and pointing back, he said, "Look at that." It was one of them, close up and in action; he couldn't help but look.

Peter looked back and stopped walking. The way the 'boy' was standing... It looked like he was about to charge the two men and take sizable bites out of their bodies.

Knowing he couldn't strictly rely on his speed and strength, Kuno dropped to all fours and moved stealthily among the trees. First he went back the way they had come, then back around in a wide loop.

The two men watching didn't quite understand what was going on, only that the wolf creature was apparently stalking something.

Kuno moved slowly, deliberately... If he got overanxious, he would bungle the entire thing. Yes, by the group of bushes... If he could just keep the wind in his face and the noise down to a minimum, this would work.

"What's he doing?" Peter asked.

Rhodes shrugged, watching Kuno move through the snow, a black spot in the whiteness.

As it happened, Peter speaking turned out to be the necessary distraction for Kuno, who suddenly leapt at the bush. Or more precisely, beside the bush.

Rhodes and Peter both winced when the almost human scream came from the area Kuno had just jumped at. There was rustling and a few seconds later, Kuno stood up, holding a fat pig-like animal in his hands with its throat torn out.

"Good job. Looks like we won't be having any problems this week," Rhodes said happily as Kuno rejoined them with his kill.

"You'd eat that?" Peter asked, looking at the dead animal in disgust. "After he killed it?"

Looking at Peter strangely, Rhodes said, "Of course. Meat is meat." He poked the dead beast. "There's a lot of it too."

"But what if you catch... that?" Peter asked and pointed at Kuno. "What if you turn into one of those? What'll you do then?"

"Peter, don't be silly. He's a friend. He wouldn't do something like th..."

"How do you know? Even if he doesn't mean to do it, it could still happen. And then what? Anatalia would be hysterical; you know she can't stand those things!" He turned to point at Kuno again to emphasize his words, but Kuno was already gone.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Kuno didn't stop at the sound of Rhodes' voice. Things were finished. He would go back to Japan and forget... He would make himself forget somehow. Forget all the things that had happened...

He would make himself fall back in love with Akane and the pig-tailed girl and forget everything.

"Don't let Peter bother you. We've all had bad experiences with the lords and their armies. You just happen to look like something we don't trust very easily." Rhodes put his hand on Kuno's shoulder and felt the wet stickiness. Some of the wounds were still bleeding.

That was unheard of. He should have healed almost as quickly as the vampires, so why did he have open wounds on him? Rhodes stared at the blood on his hand. "What happened?"

Kuno turned and Rhodes saw the dampness at the corners of the red eyes, that didn't seem so intense as before. Shaking his head, Kuno could only look at the man sadly. There wasn't any way to express all the things that had gone wrong.

"Right. You're coming back with me and I'll hear no arguments." Rhodes put his hand on Kuno's back and steered him toward the village.

"Forget Peter. Even if no one else will eat, we will," Rhodes added. It felt so inadequate because it was obvious that there was something larger than food bothering the boy, but it was the only thing Rhodes had to go with.

Anatalia was cutting some vegetables for stew, waiting for her husband to return, hopefully with a good catch. While vegetable stew was fine, meat always made it better.

The door opened behind her and she turned, ready to greet her husband, but what she saw stopped her. Her husband was there, but the boy was with him as well. She shuddered at the sight of the beast, but put on her happiest face for Rhodes. "How were the traps?" she asked, wiping her hands.

The two came inside and Rhodes shed his outdoor gear. "Not that good," he answered.

Anatalia's face fell at the remark. When the traps weren't good, life in general was not that good.

"But look what the boy here caught for us," Rhodes continued brightly. He moved aside so his wife could see what Kuno was holding.

She looked pleasantly surprised at the large beast in Kuno's hands. "Just for us?"

"Peter didn't mince words about not wanting anything to do with it." No reason to go into details; they were all Peter's paranoid fears anyway.

"Think you can take care of that, Anna, while we get cleaned up?" Rhodes asked, showing uncommon camaraderie toward Kuno.

She nodded. "If you could just put it down..." she said to Kuno, trying not to sound like she was still afraid of him.

Kuno grunted and put the animal by the twin basins. He had seen the process the two put a kill through to get the most out of it possible. They were efficient getting everything useful from an animal from many years of practice.

"I hope you don't mind a cold bath, boy. I'm afraid you won't be very welcome in the pools looking like that," Rhodes said, looking Kuno over.

Kuno shook his head. A hot, or even warm soak would have been nice, but he was just so dirty, any bath at all sounded nice.

"Why don't you take those off? Anna can wash them later," Rhodes suggested, gesturing to the pants Kuno was wearing.

Kuno looked at Rhodes then Anatalia, panicking a little. First of all, they were the only thing he had left of when he had left Japan. He didn't know if he wanted to chance losing them. Secondly, Kuno didn't relish the idea of being naked in his current state for everyone to see.

"Here. Put this around your waist." Rhodes handed Kuno a large chamois-like towel.

Accepting it gratefully, Kuno went back to the small room he and Nabiki had shared when they had first arrived. He shut the door and removed his dirty clothing, blushing for no apparent reason. He wrapped the towel around his waist, trapping his tail beneath it, and left the room.

He left his clothing on a stack that needed to be washed and went out into the main room. Anatalia looked at him nervously as he came out, but continued with cleaning the animal. Kuno waited patiently for Rhodes, watching Anna out of the corner of his eye. Every few seconds she would spare a glance in his direction.

That made him feel self-conscious as he was only wearing the towel, and she was a strange woman... He barely felt comfortable around Nabiki naked in his wolf state... He had barely felt comfortable, since he wouldn't ever live through that experience again... He wiped his eyes quickly on the back of his arm.

"Ready?" Rhodes said, clapping Kuno on the shoulder, making him jump. "We're going to get cleaned up, Anna. Be back in a bit." He walked past Kuno to the door, slipped his boots on over bare feet and left the little home.

Kuno followed, shutting the door gently, and walked behind Rhodes. He idly noted how the man was dressed for the bath and the large basket he was carrying. Over one shoulder, Rhodes had a towel, much like the one Kuno was wearing around his waist, but smaller. He was also wearing a long loose robe of the same material, tied with a belt.

"So you don't know how it happened? That you got stuck that way?" Rhodes asked as they walked to the river and the series of pools among the large rocks.

Damn, it was going to be hard. Kuno shook his head.

"So you know how, but not how to reverse it?"

Kuno nodded.

"Things went bad, didn't they?" Rhodes asked softly, against his better judgment.

Kuno swallowed and nodded solemnly.

"We'll get you back to normal somehow, and then you can tell me what happened. Count on it." Rhodes tried to sound comforting, but wasn't sure if he succeeded or not.

Thankfully, there was no one at the pools and the two had their choice. "The top pool. Private and warm," Rhodes said, heading up a rocky incline immediately.

At the top, it was easy to see why Rhodes had preferred that pool to the other. It was somewhat secluded from the others and not fed by the river. A small constant stream of clear water came down from the mountain and filled the pool, while the excess poured out from between two rocks.

Rhodes removed his boots by the edge, then set his towel on a rock and removed his robe, leaving it on top of the towel. He waded into the water until it was up to the middle of his chest, the basket floating next to him. He shivered a little a sank in up to his neck. "Come on in. It's warmer than normal. The mountain must be extra active today."

Kuno watched Rhodes start pulling things out of the basket and hesitantly removed his towel. He tossed it aside and got in the water quickly since he didn't like the feeling of insecurity he had when standing in the open.

Rhodes had brought some salve with him that he used to clear up cuts and wounds, and was going to offer it for the boy's wounds. When he turned to show it to Kuno, he got his first and most... dramatic lesson in the reproductive physiology of a werewolf.

His jaw dropped and his eyes got wide. Naturally he hadn't thought anything about bathing nude with the boy; it was something that happened normally when there were no private baths, but he hadn't ever expected... couldn't have ever imagined... no one in the village...

Kuno looked up from watching his footing and saw Rhodes. The man was looking at... HIM.

Rhodes looked away as quickly as his surprise and amazement would let him. He pulled a small cloth out of the basket, pretending that was what he had been doing for the last two minutes then looked up at Kuno's face, pointedly avoiding all other parts.

"Here," he said and tossed the cloth to Kuno.

Kuno caught it in one hand and sat in water, blushing underneath his fur. Of course people were going to stare. He should have expected it. Nabiki had stared and had even been a little frightened. He was so big he was almost deformed; that wasn't something to be proud of.

"Soap." Rhodes tossed some soap at Kuno. "I just hope it works on fur. Never tested it out..."

Kuno nodded and, holding the soap and cloth, submerged himself fully for a few seconds. When he emerged, he immediately began scrubbing at himself with the soap and cloth.

Rhodes watched for a moment, making sure the soap worked. When he could see the grime coming off, he concentrated on bathing himself.

There was no sound except that of running water and some minor splashing. Neither of them made any noise more than necessary.

Rhodes was done long before Kuno and took the opportunity to relax in the warm water. The silence was something he missed, but hadn't realized it until that moment. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the rocks, sighing softly with content.

Several minutes later, some splashing and grunting from Kuno made him reopen his eyes. Kuno was trying to wash the mass of coarse, thick fur on his back, but his arms were not long or nimble enough to do so. The grunting was Kuno trying to reach that unreachable place on his back.

"Here, let me help you," Rhodes said, getting up from the rocks.

Kuno gave him a thankful look then turned so Rhodes could get at his back.

"Get down in the water," Rhodes said and pushed on Kuno's shoulder. As Kuno sank into the water, Rhodes began lathering the soap on the cloth. It was strange, but he felt like he was a father again. He couldn't count the times he had helped his young son bathe in the very same pool, giving his boy the same instructions he was giving Kuno. But that had all been before the accident.

He began to absently wash Kuno's fur, raking his fingers through it, feeling the wounds beneath his fingertips. "I definitely want to know what happened to you." He worked at it for a few more minutes, getting the last of the dirt and blood out.

"There. Dunk," commanded the older man. He scrubbed roughly at the fur under water, trying to force all the soap out. He pulled Kuno up, then forced him back down into the water, getting the rest of the suds to wash out of the fur.

He cupped water in his hands and poured it over Kuno's back until all traces of bubbles were gone and the boy was clean. "That's it. All clean. But I think you need something on those wounds." Rhodes saw Kuno start to shake his head and stopped him right there. "If I don't do something, if you don't do something about them, they're just going to get infected. It won't take very long, so just relax."

Kuno sighed and let Rhodes apply the ointment. In all actuality, he was enjoying the attention. Beyond the desire to be spoiled as it was with many wealthy people, Kuno was just happy Rhodes cared.

The salve was cool and tingled as it was spread over the wounds. Kuno couldn't make his body heal itself, but he could feel when something else did. As Kuno relaxed under Rhodes' attention, he realized it was exactly what he needed.

Rhodes had to find the wounds by touch. Some were obvious with great chunks of fur missing, and others only by the presence of running blood and pus. As he smeared the whitish substance on a particularly nasty wound across Kuno's shoulder, he looked closer.

As he thought, it wasn't any cut or scratch. The skin was split open as if it was from a very hard blow. Things must have gone very bad.

He truly wanted to help the boy, but how could he? He wasn't a fighter; none of them were. They were just farmers for the most part, living day to day. How could one man, one village stand against Maxim, the overlord that had been ruling long before Rhodes had been born? Since before Rhodes' mother had been born...

"It looks like we're done here. You can go ahead while I get everything," Rhodes said and gently pushed Kuno toward the edge of the pool. He didn't want to make the same gaff as before, even if it had been honest surprise.

Kuno got out of the water and quickly put the towel around him. Looking back, he was relieved to see Rhodes gathering the cloths and soap. Aside from the earlier... embarrassment, it seemed that the cleansing was was exactly what Kuno needed. He felt refreshed and it seemed that a little of his strength was returning.

"Feel better?" Rhodes asked as he emerged from the water. "You sure look a might better."

Kuno nodded as he watched Rhodes put the towel around his neck and slip on the robe and his boots. Picking up the basket from the ground where it had been set before the older man could, Kuno began walking back to the home.