The group had been walking for hours, and they were getting tired, but as they crossed the border of the portal you're amazed to be greeted by the sigh of worn down houses and slums. Following the train lines, they ventured farther. As they ventured they were being watched by hundreds of eyes on their backs, not missing a beat. After a while, you're stopped by a large man, who asks them to follow him.

Key studied the large man, taking a step back. He was skeptical, as almost anyone would be when stopped by a large stranger. "Why should I?"

"You're travelers, are you not?"

"Why should I tell you anything?"

"Because there's an easy way, and a hard way."

"So, if we don't don't go with you, you'll do something harsh?"

"No, it'll just be a hell of a lot harder for you to get out of here."

"How so?"

"Let's see. First, robbers. Second, you don't fit in at all. Third, you'd loose your way in an hour."

Key mumbled something under his breath. "Okay. . . We'll go with you."

"Exactly, now if you had just come with me, not so many eyes would be on you right now," the man grabbed Yui's arm to rush them along and she squeaked, terrified.

"Let her go," he growled, knocking the man's arm away from Yui.

She quickly ducked behind him, holding on to him tightly as the man looks at them both with annoyance before continuing to walk. Key followed him skeptically, taking Yui's hand. Yui followed him, sticking close to Key's side as the man led them through the streets to an old run down house, "You can spend however long you're staying here. It still works, it's just a little chilly so you'll wanna cuddle in close and probably sleep in the living room with the fire going."

Key didn't say anything, nodding curtly to the stranger.

"You've got supplies I presume, keep your things close to you. Especially the girls, there's a lot that happens down town."

He hesitated, "Okay. . Thanks."

The man nodded and left them to themselves. Yui just clung to Key and her brother tighter as Azusa skipped over to the door, smiling. Ashton followed Azusa, curious of everything, his sister following them.

Blue closed the door behind them, locking it, "What are we gonna do?"

"Good question. I don't exactly trust the location we're in," Key said.

"Neither do I," Azusa joined in, "We should get out as quickly as possible."

"We don't know where to go. He just led us deeper into an unfamiliar place. . ."

"Let's explore a bit first, then we'll know what's around." She suggested, looking between then, "But he's right. . we stick out like a sore thumb. . ."

"Well, what are we supposed to do about that?" We didn't really bring too much with us. . ."

"Have you seen the people? We don't need much. Just some rags or less colorful outfits. A.K.A Blue is fine," she laughed as she was pushed playfully.

"Well, I can just take off my jacket. That's the only colorful thing about my outfit. And Ashton and Cloud have neutral clothes, so I think they're fine." Key said.

Azusa looked down at herself and Yui, "That's gonna be a problem for us."

"Hm. . . We'll figure something out."

She nodded, "Anyone have dark jackets or such?"

Ashton, Cloud, and Key shook their heads. "Sadly, no."

Blue looked down at himself and sighed, "I guess I could try." He took off his sweater and shirt. He put the shirt over his sister's head, then looked at Azusa before picking up his sweater and handing it to her. "That's two. ."

He looked down at himself, biting his lip; he was down to a brownish-white singlet. He took off his scarf with a small sigh, wrapping it around Yui's neck. "There. All warm now?" They both nodded and hugged him.

"Time to explore!" Ash exclaimed, heading for the door.

Azusa ran after him, followed by everyone else. They started wandering around the unfamiliar place, trying to figure out a way out. Azusa stopped a couple of times to sneak some little kids some food. Cloud eventually drifted to the back of the group, watching Azusa stop every once in a while. She sighed to herself.

Azusa looked up at her, "What's up?"

"It's nothing. .  I'm just homesick, I guess. ."

"Oh? Well, I'm sure you'll be okay soon."

"How will I 'be okay soon'? Homesickness can only be cured by being home. . ."

"Or being familiarised with the unfamiliar."

". . What?"

"If you get used to moving around and experiencing new things, then you start to feel at home wherever you are."

"I doubt I'll get used to it anytime soon. . . I'm the complete opposite of my brother. ."

"That doesn't mean a thing. Just because you're not like your brother doesn't mean you have to be afraid of being out of your comfort zone."

"I never said I was afraid. I just hate being out of my comfort zone."

"It's sorta the same thing to me." She shrugged.

"Well. . I think it's different. . Either way, I just want to go home. . ."

"I was like that. . . Maybe that's why you were chosen."

"I don't care why I was chosen. . Whatever the reason, I think it's stupid."

"How so?"

"Because they took us from our homes! They abducted us. They should be in jail, whoever 'they' are."

"I guess so. . . I never thought of it like that."

"Of course you haven't. No one here seems to think of it that way, because they're too busy having an adventure instead of thinking rationally," Cloud said in a rant-y way, huffing.

Azusa suddenly started crying, having bad thoughts. 

Her eyes widened, "I-I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head as Yui noticed and rushed back to look after her, "It's okay. . . bad thoughts again?" Azusa only nodded, leaning into her.

Cloud's wolf ears drooped a bit, and she stood back, afraid she had done something wrong. Blue walked over and picked up Azusa, carrying her as if she was a little baby, cuddling her. Noticing the other girl's anxiety, he sighs, "It's okay, Cloud. . She just gets flash backs to things she'd rather not remember, sometimes."

"I feel like I said something wrong, though. . To trigger it. ."

"Not really. . . I mean, she just has attacks sometimes."

"Okay. . ." She sighed, speeding up a little to walk next to her brother.

After a while, Azusa had fallen asleep on Blue, holding onto him desperately as if she didn't want to be forgotten. Yui went to check on how Cloud felt. Cloud was leaning against Ash as they walked, her thoughts elsewhere.

Yui decided not to disturb her, talking to Ash instead, "Is she okay. . ?"

"I think so, but I can never be sure with her," Ashton said. "She'll probably be fine after a bit. . If not, I'll talk to her. Sometimes she just needs to be left alone, though."

She nodded, "Azusa apologized to her for getting so upset."

"That'll probably help, but I think she thinks she's at fault."

"It's okay. She kinda just had a rough childhood, she never had a home to go back to so she took her home with her."

"Sounds ruff. . . Cloud'll be fine, you don't have to worry."

"You sure?" She sounded concerned.

"I'm sure. You can try talking to her later, if you want. Right now we should let her be."

"Of course, thanks for clarifying." Yui joined up with Key, hugging him.

Key briefly hugged her back. "Is Cloud alright?"

She nodded, "Ash said she needed time."

"Makes sense. So. . . How do you feel about this whole predicament?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what do you think of this trip? Of us getting lost in this unfamiliar neighborhood? I'm curious."

Yui looked around and sighed, "Honestly, I don't like it one bit."

"I think it's an opportunity, but I understand how you feel. I'm not the biggest fan of it, either."

"This place or the adventure?"

"The whole experience. I'm an artist, I take inspiration from the things around me, so an adventure is just what I need to get my artistic creativity flowing."

She nodded, "I'm just worried, I guess."

"I'm a little worried, too. I'm sure everything'll work out in the end, though."

"Hopefully. . ."

"What if I promised things would turn out okay?"

"You can't, Key."

"I can. Whether you believe in my promise is up to you."

She nodded, going quiet. Key went quiet as well, taking out his sketchpad and doodling a few things as they explored. She watched over his shoulder, admiring his work.

"So, should we be looking for anything in particular?" Ash asked after a little while of exploring.

"For now, just out surroundings in case we need to escape. . . Later on we'll need to look for an escape." Blue voiced.

"Good plan," he said, humming to himself as they walked.

Eventually it got too dark and they had to return home.

~*~

They woke up shivering, he wasn't joking when he said it was cold. Ashton and Cloud had transformed into wolves in the middle of the night, their fur keeping them warm. Yui cuddled into Key when there was a rough knock on the door. Ashton turned back into a human, stretching and opening the door.

A boy around their age was shoved inside by two large men, "Keep 'im out of trouble."

He looked at the new kid, then back at the men. "Uh. . . Okay. . ?"

They walked off before the new boy looked up at him, stuttering shyly, "I-I'm sorry. ."

The werewolf closed the door, looking at him. "Sorry? But you haven't done anything wrong. Anyway, I'm Ashton! You can call me Ashton, Ash, or Ashy, your choice."

He nodded, "Liam. . . Is Blue here? I was told he was. ."

"Oh, you know Blue? Yeah, he's here. Right over there," he said, gesturing towards Blue.

"Is it okay if I stay. . ? I'm kinda lost. ."

"Sure! The more the merrier," Ashy said optimistically.

Liam nodded a thanks, yawning quietly. Ash turned back into a wolf, laying down next to his sister. Liam sat in the corner awkwardly, curling up. Cloud lifted her fluffy head, looking at the new boy, her icy-white eyes catching his. He waved, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. She flicked an ear in acknowledgement, laying her head back down. He eventually fell asleep, shivering.

~*~

Cloud had curled up next to Liam, sharing her fur's warmth without thinking. She was asleep, her breathing slowed. Liam cuddled into her as he woke up slowly, very confused as to where he was. She moved a little in her sleep as he cuddled into her. He pulled back, sitting up a little too quickly when he realized that he was cuddling a wolf. Her eyes blinked open at the sudden movement and she yawned lazily, lifting her head up. She was still half-asleep. Liam relaxed, patting her head slightly. Cloud's eyes swept around the room, a little confused before she remembered where they were. She looked over at Liam, not used to being pat on the head by anyone but her brother.

He looked down, "S-sorry."

". . It's alright," she said, not even sure if she was sure about that sentence.

He fiddled with his fingers nervously, opening his mouth to speak before closing it again. She decided not to push anything, standing up with a stretch and walking over to her brother, who was looking out a window in his human form. Yui woke up, too, poking Key, not wanting to disturb anyone else.

The white haired ghoul's eyes slowly opened, and he glanced at Yui. "Hm. . ?"

She cuddled up to him, "I'm worried about something. ."

"About what?"

"How we're gonna get out of here. ."

He hesitated. "We'll find a way. . . I could probably climb something tall and find the train tracks again."

"But after that. . We needed a portal to get here and Kyoto found it."

"I suppose. There's bound to be a portal if we look hard enough."

"I know, I just. . I'm scared. I don't like being away from home."

"Being away from home isn't the best thing in the world," he agreed, "but we're bound to get back home at some point. Haven't you ridden the train before?"

"Yeah, but. . we've never been left before."

"Hm. . . Do you think some of the others from the train have been left, too? It's a strange situation. ."

"I've heard rumors. ."

"Rumors of others? Hm. . Maybe if we could all meet up, we could figure out a way out of here."

"All meet up?"

"Yeah, like, gather everyone from the train who got left behind. It'd probably be hard to do that, though."

"I didn't see anyone else. . I think it was just us."

"I guess. We should try to be optimistic, though."

She nodded, playing with his hand.

"Hm. . We should ask what the others think once they're awake. We should take action soon, too, if we want to have the chance of catching up with the train."

"Right. I think today is a good day to get out of this hellhole."

"Any day is a good day to get out of this place. Should we wake them or wait for them?"

"Wake them. . we shouldn't waste time and my brother loves to sleep."

"Alright. I'll wake Azusa, you wake your brother? Everyone else seems to be awake."

"Okay." Yui pulled back, crawling over to her brother, trying to wake him like all siblings do; dragging him about and yell at him.

Key gently shook Azusa awake, "Hey, Azusa, wake up."

Azusa blinked her eyes open, confused as to where they were, "Whaaa. . . ?"

"We're gonna talk about getting out of this place."

She nods slowly, getting up with a yawn, "We should eat, too. . Before we start walking again."

He nodded, gathering the other awake people so they could all talk.

"How are we gonna find the portal? Kyoto found it last time."

"We'll find it if we search hard enough," Ashton said. "Or maybe Kyoto found a way here? If he's here, he could help us again."

"Does everyone have their tickets in-case we need them?"

They all nodded, pulling their tickets out.

"Let's go look for a way out, if Kyoto shows up he shows up. If he doesn't. . Too bad I guess."

The group nodded, Ashton taking the lead and leading them out to search for a portal. Azusa eventually cause up to Ashy, tapping his shoulder to get his attention.

The enthusiastic werewolf turned to her. "Yeah?"

She giggled at his energy, "Hey Ashy? Why do you lead us all the time? Are you a pack leader or something?"

"Oh, no, I've never been a pack leader. Most werewolves find me overly enthusiastic, so I never end up leading anyone. I like to, though."

"What about your sister? Too quiet?"

"She's quiet and shy, not leader qualities in terms of being an alpha female."

"Do you have other siblings?"

"Nope, just Cloud."

"Why are werewolves named as they are?"

"Well. . I guess it's always been that way. We're more wolf than anything, so we follow how they work."

"But your sister is named Cloud and you're Ashton."

"Oh, our names? That depends on your parents. We're people, too, not just wolves, so our names vary."

"I guess I never thought about that. . How are werewolves made?"

"Well, when too werewolves love each other very much. . ."

She quickly covered his mouth, blushing, "So it's genetic, not just a bite. . ."

He took her hand off his mouth, "The original werewolf and its descended can change people into werewolves with a bite, but it's a painful process. At least, that's what I've heard. Of course, it's rare to meet someone like that anyway, so there's no really saying if that's true."

"Interesting. ."

"I guess it is kind of interesting, but eh."

"Are werewolves immortal?"

"Immortal. . ? No, we're not immortal. We live as long as humans do."

"So approximately seventy-six years?"

"Depends, I guess. Some werewolves live in packs in the wild, most live within towns and cities. The ones in the wild tend to live a shorter life, but that's usually the case for most wild animals."

She nodded, soaking all the facts in, "What about both? Moved from the wild into captivity and vice versa."

"Civilization, not captivity," he corrected. "If a werewolves moves into a city from the wild, they might live longer, and if a werewolf moved from the city into the wild, they might not live as long, but it depends on how healthy they are."

She nodded, mumbling, "Sometimes it feels like captivity. . ."

"I guess. . I try not to think of it that way, though."

She nodded again, sighing slightly, "I think it's only the times when you're lonely and quiet you realize how trapped you are. ."

He hesitated, "I guess I've never really been lonely before. . . I'm usually with Cloud."

"Oh. . . Lucky you have siblings."

"Don't you have a family. . . ?"

She shook her head sorrowfully. "I wish I did. ."

His ears drooped a little. "Hm. .  We'll be your family!"

"Really?" She perked up.

"Yeah! It'll be fun!"

"Thank you Ashy!"

He smiled at her, his tail wagging.

She grinned, hugging him tightly, "Should I tell Cloud or. . ?"

"If you want to, I'm not stopping you."

She nodded and ran over to Cloud, hugging her.

Cloud jumped, surprised at the sudden hug. "A-Azusa?"

"Ashy said I could be a part of your family because I don't have one!"

"Part of our family. . ?" She hesitated a little, "Okay."

"I don't have to be if you don't like it. ."

"No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting it. ."

"The hug or. . ?"

"Both. But I suppose I should expect Ashton to do things like that."

"Has he done it before?"

"No, but he does a lot of unexpected things."

"Story time with Cloud?"

"Well. . . he seems to make a lot of friends, and he'll do whatever he can to make them happy, so he does unexpected things. . . He bought someone a kitten once."

"Aw, that's so sweet."

"He really is. . Some people think he's kinda annoying, though."

"People are dumb sometimes." She nodded, thinking back to a few times when humans have been the worst species ever.

"Hey, Azusa?" She said suddenly. "Do you think we'll really find a way out of this place?"

". . . Yes. I think it'll take a while, but we will."

"Hearing someone say that makes me feel better. . Thanks."

She nodded, "I think Kyoto found it because his father was a portal keeper. . So I hope he gets here soon. ."

His father was a portal keeper? Interesting. . Is Kyoto a portal keeper?"

"No. . . He was dropped for not being pure blooded. I don't know what his mother was."

"Even more interesting. . I don't meet very many hybrids. I wish I did, though. I like to learn about them."

"Liam is another one, his father was a demon, he thinks his mother was human." She pointed at the boy who was back with Blue.

"I know who Liam is, I slept with him last night. ." She said, then blushed a little. "Ah. . N-not like that!"

Azusa covered her mouth, giggling and deciding to tease her, "Sure Cloud~ Geez. You move quick."

Cloud's blush deepened and she covered her face with her hands. Azusa hugged the other girl once more, kissing her cheek in a friendly manner.

"W-well anyway. . H-he's a hybrid? I'll have to ask him about it later."

"He's shy, just be careful about how you ask. . . He might dance around the question."

"Okay. . Good to know, thanks. Did you meet him the first time you rode the train?"

"Yeah. He's nice."

"Everyone else seems to have experience with the train. . . I hate not knowing things. Especially things like this. ."

"I'm sorry. . ."

"For what?"

"For knowing. ."

"Hm? I don't blame you for anything. . ."

Azusa stayed quiet for a while before nodding, "I think you'll work it out quickly. . . Besides, none of us know what we're doing now."

"I guess. . ." She went silent.

|A/N: Splitting this chapter into multiple parts. There are too many replies to stick it all in one chapter. Stay tuned for Part Two. Read on!|