You gaped, eyes wide as the man named Zoro stared right back, giving you a strange look you couldn't even begin to describe. He still held your hand, forcing your palm to stay still so he could rub his cheek against it. Just like when Bushido would get annoyed when you stopped petting him, he would force his head into your hand and rub, as if he had been starving for attention.

Your mind reeled and you managed to free your hand once you finally came out of your stupor. He scowled when you pulled it away and started to smack your balled up fists into his chest.

"Get off." you hit him again and again. "Get off! Get off, NOW!!"

Looking reluctant he moved off to the side, letting you sit up and move freely. You quickly clutched your head, fearing your brain would explode if you tried to understand what was going on. Zoro saw your distress and moved forward but you quickly held up a hand and stopped him.

"Just...Just let me think."

He stopped but didn't force anything, waiting patiently as you groaned and looked ready to pull out your hair. You turned your gaze to him with a look of pure confusion.

"So...Let me get this straight." He waited for you to continue, but you only swallowed, almost afraid to really ask. You've read enough fables, myths, and romance novels to be able to connect the dots, but you needed a 100% confirmation before becoming fully committed to this crazy bullshit.

"You're really...Bushido?"

A nod.

"My dog!" You shouted, as if he hadn't heard your question the first time. "You're my dog, Bushido?!"

"Yes," he replied with a scowl. It was simple, you should have been able to get it.

"But you're named Zoro...and you can turn into a human...?"

Zoro gave you a look, one that screamed 'duh'.

"So.....You're a...a werewolf?"

"Yes."

Everything was silent and tense for a moment as you stared at one another until you started to hyperventilate. Zoro could hear your heart start to pound like a drum in your chest and smell the fear suddenly coming off you like waves. He watched as you quickly pulled your knees up to your chest and buried your face in them, rocking back and forth as you took everything in. 

First, a man attacks you and your dog and then you realize your dog is a naked werewolf and you jumped off the third floor and had a car thrown at you and holy shit this was too much!! What else existed out there?! Vampires? Zombies?!! Demons?! 

Then, a horrible thought struck you.

Did you do anything embarrassing around Zoro when he was in dog form? You quickly looked up and eyed the wolf, staring at him so intently that he was visibly uncomfortable.

"What?!" He snarled, ready for any attack you planned on him this time.

You quickly thought back to all the time you spent with your beloved Bushido and tried to remember all you could. Had you gotten undressed around him? Did you sing embarrassing songs aloud or chew your food with your mouth open?! Oh god...what...what if you had farted around him? Because you were breaking some serious girl code if any guy knew girls actually farted.

Zoro twitched, watching you slowly cover your mouth with your hand with a look of horror on your face. He got up quickly and snarled, "Stop looking at me like that!!"

You screeched in response when he stood, eyes bugging out when you remembered just how naked he was. I mean, it was hard to forget, but it was dark and everything had been covered in shadows when he crouched down and now everything was as clear as day (or at least as the moon could show - which seemed to be quite a bit at the moment).

"Put some pants on!!"

The wolf looked startled for a moment for a second before snapping at you. "I don't keep a pair of pants on me all-!" He yipped comically when you smacked him with a stick you snatched from the ground, it still had most of it's bristles from the tree it had fallen from and it stung when it smacked against his skin.

"PUT.ON.SOME.PANTS!!!" 

Zoro snatched the branch before you could continue to hit him and threw it into the trees then he turned to face you with a stone cold face. "Stop playing around, we have to leave."

You glared right back, refusing to let your gaze waver any where past his neck. "I hope you mean you're taking me home."

"No. He knows where we live. We have to relocate-!!" He jumped in surprise when you attacked him again, having grabbed a new stick and hitting him in the same spot as last time. "STOP IT!!!"

"I am not abandoning my home because you can't play nice!!"

Zoro grabbed your wrist this time, pulling the branch from your hand and keeping a firm hold on you as he stared you down. "Hunters never play nice."

You trembled, eyes suddenly brimming with tears which caused Zoro to jump back in shock. He hadn't expected you to start crying!!! You had been fighting tooth and nail like a stubborn mule and he had to admit he enjoyed it, but he wasn't sure he could handle you crying!

"I wuh-want to g-goo hooOOoOOOooome!!" You wailed, the weight of everything that had happened finally crushing your will to argue. All the while, Zoro watched in horror as you sobbed and hiccuped like a child; the whole scene making him feel like some horrible villain.

"We can't." Zoro crouched next to you, hesitantly reaching forward with the intent to pat your head. But he quickly pulled away when you wailed again at his response, an uncomfortable look crossing his face. Shit, he had been alone for so long that he had forgotten how to comfort people. He scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a good way to explain the situation you both were in. Hunters meant business and this one didn't seem to care if you were killed in the process or not and he would be damned if you got hurt.

He tried to think of a way to calm you down but he didn't need to, falling back onto his ass when you had launched yourself into his arms. You buried your face into his chest and sobbed hard, just wanting someone to hold and comfort you. All thoughts of this man and what he had brought to your doorstep were long gone, right now you needed someone warm and safe or you'd lose it right there. Life had always been hard before you met the wolf but it seemed this was the straw that broke the camel's back and he was the only one around at the moment.

Zoro frowned and wrapped his arms around your form, nuzzling his nose into your hair like he had done when you were frightened during the battle. You seemed to respond well to this, sobs reduced to hiccups, so he continued. He took in your scent and body, large hands rubbing gentle, soothing circles on your back while you curled up in his lap. Zoro was starting to get the hang of it when he finally noticed you had fallen into an exhausted sleep, having lost so much energy dealing with all the madness from the past few hours.

He sighed and looked up at the sky with a deep grimace, feeling just as exhausted. "...shit."

~

"I told you we can't," Zoro sighed in exasperation, fingers gently curling in your hair as you laid on top of him. He had settled down on the ground with you still in his arms the night before and had kept watch until you finally woke up an hour or so after the sun had come up. You didn't really seem to mind your position, most likely because you had given up on fighting his weird need to touch you.

You huffed, warm air brushing over the man's toned chest, the soft whisper of your breath almost making him shiver. "I'm not going to live on the woods, Zoro. You can't make me."

The wolf snickered at your childish response. "Watch me."

You looked up at him, chin resting on his body and glared. "Why is that psycho after you anyways?! Did you eat his sheep!? Blow down his house?! Or did you dress up in drag and pretend to be his grandma!?"

Zoro smirked, glad you were back to your cheeky self. "Hunters are hired to take down preternatural creatures. Normally it's because we've killed a few humans or ticked off the wrong people. It could have been another monster like me, not liking a lone wolf in their territory."

You tensed slightly, not at all liking these explanations. What had Zoro done? Were you even safe with him? Or was he just biding his time until he gobbled up little red riding hood?

He looked at you, eyes glinting in amusement. "It's most likely the latter."

"Most likely? I hope you don't mean you've done all those other things," You hissed, not at all amused. You found yourself sliding down in his lap as he sat up; the man sighing as he continued to comb his hand through your hair.

"Don't worry about it. It's not important."

"Not important-?!"

"For now we need to find a place to stay," He kept on, ignoring you now. "Since you refuse to camp out, we'll have to get what money we can and find a hotel somewhere."

"Wait, you mean we can stay anywhere that's not my house then??" You asked, eager to not be in the woods.

He looked at you, eyebrow raised curiously. "Yes...it can't be linked to us though, or else we'll just be found again."

"But we can go back to my house right?"

"I told you-"

"We need to," You interrupted heatedly, glaring right back at the wolf as he looked down at you in irritation. "I know a place we can stay, but we need to go back to my place and grab the key." And a few necessities. You were not going to wear dirty clothes for who knows how long.

He looked ready to argue, but he knew you wouldn't budge and he sighed. "Fine. But we'll have to slip inside unseen, he'll probably be watching the place."

You held up your fingers to give him the OK sign, big grin on your face. "Got ya, boss. Leave it all to me~!"

~~

Man, there were A LOT of police running around. You shuffled about the crowd of gawkers as nonchalantly as you could, hearing people gossip about the incident and what could have caused all the damage. You peered past a few people in front and froze.

Shit, it looked a lot worse in daylight. The parking lot was a wreck, police tape sealing everyone off from coming onto the crime scene. You noted that they still hadn't managed to get the one car off the other while officers looked on in confusion at the neatly cut automobile just a few parking spots away. Other cars were dented really bad too, one even had it's entire roof cut off - most likely from one of the attacks that hunter guy had sent your way.

You looked around a bit worried before proceeding towards the apartments itself, thankful the stairs weren't sealed off as you slowly and leisurely made your way up the steps. You even whistled all too innocently as you made it to the third floor. Grinning when no one stopped you, you made your way to your apartment and sighed in relief when the door was open just a crack. It must have been sheer luck that the police hadn't come up to check on everyone or else they would have noticed your place empty and trashed and connected the dots. What was even better was that the police presence had kept away any would be thieves who had any funny ideas about stealing from your unlocked home.

You stepped inside and softly closed the door, flinching at the sight of your home. Your table was done for and you were sure you could see water soaking the hallway carpet. You hoped it hadn't soaked to the apartment below as you started to scurry around and pack whatever you could. You had convinced Zoro to stay hidden while you volunteered for this task. I mean, everyone would notice a naked man walking around anyways.

You packed clothes and important items like a toothbrush and shampoo, mentally checking off things you needed for this little trip. You quickly went to your closet and grabbed the biggest sweatshirt you owned and grinned when you found a hoodie you usually wore to bed when it was cold. It was a plain black pull over with white text written on it.

NO. You're wrong.So just sit therein your wrongnessand be wrong.

Snickering, you folded up the hoodie, picturing Zoro wearing it. He would certainly be cute. You wished you could give him a pair of pants though, it was awkward enough he was naked. The next stop will definitely have to be a Walmart or whatever to pick up a pair of jeans.

You blinked in shock, realizing you'd been thinking like this was all normal and you weren't about to go on the run because your dog turned out to be a creature you hadn't thought real. You should have been hiding in the closet and cursing the world instead of picturing how cute Zoro would look in an outfit. You stuffed the hoodie into your duffle with a scowl and zipped it up. You were seething, but oddly enough, not because Zoro was what he was and the trouble he had brought. You weren't sure what you should be mad at really...it's not like he could help being what he is. Not to mention he was under your care and as a responsible pet owner, one must take care of their dumb animals.

Plus, you'd grown attached to the bastard. First, when he was a dog...and maybe even when he was human. I mean, he's still the same Bushido.

"One day at a time," you murmured. You found your keys on your nightstand and checked to make sure they were all there on the ring. With that you turned to leave only to freeze when you finally noticed the tall man with golden eyes standing in your bedroom doorway.

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

You clutched your duffle and gulped. "G-Get out of my h-h-house!"

The man stepped into the room, making you squeak and quickly bend down and grab your handy baseball bat from under the bed. "I'm warning you!"

He stopped and held up his hands, as if that was going to calm you down. "I am only here to talk."

You snapped, "Talk!? You threw a car at me!!!"

"I apologize." He didn't look the least bit sorry. "But I must speak with you."

You held up your weapon and glared, "Get out! I don't want to hear anything you have to say!"

"That wolf that was in your home." The man went on, stepping forward once more. "Where is he?"

"Up yours!"

"You don't realize how dangerous he is," the man went on, stepping forward once more, now only a few feet from you.

You laughed scornfully at him. "You're one to talk."

He stared at you for a moment, eyes making you shiver as if he were reading your thoughts. "If you will not tell me, then I will leave. But I also came to warn you that he is not some pup who will play innocently with you. He is a wolf."

His emphasis on the word made you a bit uncomfortable, but you were unsure why.

"Wolves do not play nice. They are pack creatures who are aggressive and fight for dominance. Challenge them and they will sooner rip your throat out in response." He watched as you paled before continuing. "Lone wolves are more dangerous. They are social creatures. If one does not belong in a pack then there is something wrong with them - mentally and physically."

A feeling of indignation rose in you, wishing to shout the man down for daring to say your Bushido had something wrong with him. But he was stepping closer now and you felt like your voice was on mute.

"He may be nice now or even affectionate." He was now right in front of you, ignoring the bat that separated your bodies. "But one tiny mistake in his eyes could lead to your death. Something as small as breathing wrong can make a lone wolf run mad. They are also more likely to commit suicide and take many others with them. They believe in many things that do no make sense and do not survive long - pack magic keeps them sane. But he has been alone for too long, he is too dangerous to continue to live."

He bent down, staring you right in the face with all seriousness. "I will not stop following him until he is dead. Even if you die with him, I will slay him."

You were trembling, realizing how strong this man's presence was, much like a rabbit encountering a lion. You wished he would just shut up, you didn't want to hear any of this. Not about the man you had woken up to with his hands petting your hair with gentle fingers. You were sure such hands couldn't kill. Right?

The golden eyed stranger stared right at you, quickly making you doubt all the things you had thought about Zoro. Seeing the uncertainty in your eyes must have been enough for him though because he stood tall once more and turned to leave, saying one last thing before he left the apartment completely.

"I will not stop you from going to him. But know that your choice here will change your life."

Then he left as quietly as he came. And then you remembered to breathe.

You slumped on your bed and held your bat tightly. You felt unsure what to do now. Surely, Zoro would never hurt you? He had been nothing but kind....but would that last long? Were lone wolves really that messed up?

Just what the hell were you going to do?