He turned his head at the sound of the howl. He involuntarily shivered, not even realizing it. The howl was just too loud, too strong. Too depressed. He found himself seeing the unfortunate animal in his mind. Watching the blackest night. Howling away, wishing to be saved, wishing to die.

He almost jumped when a hand was laid on his shoulder, then exclaimed stupidly, "Youji-san!"

Youji Kudo stared down at him, smiling. His dark brown hair fell over his eyes and he pulled away, leaning on the counter, crossing his arms. "You've been staring outside for, like, the past five minutes."

"Sorry," Ken Hidaka said, wincing and rotating his shoulders. Their last mission still had his muscles tied in a bunch, and he wasn't allowed to miss his shift the next day. Still, it was only a matter of minutes before he could go home. He and Youji were the only ones left after all, remained to close up. Aya Fujimiya and Omi Tsukiyono had gone on an hour earlier.

"S'okay." Youji bent to pick up one pot and replaced it. It was one of the plants that one little boy was going to buy, but changed his mind instead and bought another. "You ready to go home?"

"Let me check the registrars for a moment," Ken volunteered. He moved away from the glass frame and recounted the orders. It took him another ten minutes, but it was calming his frayed nerves.

When he looked up, Youji was staring outside just as he did.

"Youji?" he queried quietly.

Youji didn't turn to him. "It was the dog, wasn't it?" he asked.

Ken shrugged. "It was just a noise. Probably a dog wanting to go outside the house." He remembered the howl suddenly and he shivered again.

The taller man let his hand slip into his back pocket and held out a carton to Ken. Ken refused the cigarettes, and Youji tapped them to get one out. Full lips trapped the thick stick but they moved. "Locked up inside the house," he told him.

Ken frowned, pushing aside some of the pots. "How'd you know?"

"Live next door." Youji lit the end of the cigarette and took a few puffs before continuing: "Assholes always bitch about who's gonna walk the dog. Their kid always ends up doing it, though."

"Huh?"

"They're a coupla kids... married...who cares?" Youji blew a ring of smoke and shrugged. "Woman's pregnant, of course. Have one kid. The couple looks like they're both in college. Or should be, I should say."

"No...I meant the dog."

Youji smirked. "Skinny little thing. Too brown. Too black. Can't tell. Always so damned happy when he's outside, but after a few minutes, he's bitching to go back in. So's the little animal."

It took Ken a few seconds to realize that Youji had fully described both the boy owner and the dog. He fought back a snigger.

Youji took another puff. "They're just a coupla kids." He sounded almost sad but he quickly turned to Ken and smiled. "Hey, you gonna be finished there, like, sometime tonight? I'd like to go back to my apartment, you know."

"You never say 'home'," Ken blurted out suddenly.

Youji blinked. He tapped the cigarette ash into one of the pots. Aya would have a fit in the morning. "'Course I don't. I'm not going back 'home'." He spread his arms wide and grinned. "Ken, 'this' is home." He shrugged again. "Home isn't next door to a couple who fights with a boy who ends up walking the dog every night. It's just something I go back to because this place doesn't have the right place to sleep in."

Ken felt like he couldn't understand what Youji was saying. It was as if all he was spewing were words that were supposed to be heard by someone else.

Then, there was the howl again, and this time, Youji and Ken jumped in surprised. The two stared at each other before laughing nervously.

"Isn't your apartment a little far from here?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, but the dog has big lungs for a skinny little thing." Youji winced and rubbed his ears. "So's the boy. I should start complaining." He took one last puff before throwing the cigarette butt outside to the street.

Ken was putting on his jacket but he stopped at that remark. "Well, why don't you?"

Youji smirked again. A hand reached up to brush away some of the strands that fell over his eyes. "The landlady looks like shit and I'd rather watch the wife next door."

Ken rolled his eyes.

There was another howl, followed by a quick yap, then silence again. Youji pushed open the glass door. "Hm. He must've gone out now."

"The boy?"

"No. The dog."

Ken was still confused at the terms Youji was using. He quickly grabbed the keys to his motorcycle and followed his friend outside. Youji was already behind the wheels of his jeep. Ken raised a hand at him and Youji nodded back.

But he was just about to insert the ignition key when he heard Youji call out his name again. "Ken!"

He turned. "Yeah?"

Youji stared at him, then to the direction of his apartment. "The kid's gonna die soon," he said softly. "He was bitten yesterday. He doesn't know it, but the dog has rabies. It should only be a few days."

Ken shivered again. He wished Youji would look at him. "Is the kid still alive?"

"Yeah. He's probably walking that damned dog but..." Youji shook his head. "He'll die in two days or something." He smiled at Ken. It was only then that Ken noted the exhausted lines on Youji's face. "I was the one who found him bleeding and brought 'im to the hospital."

"Oh." Ken licked his lips. Rabies. People turn insane and reject water, then reject light, then die of dehydration.

"It's only a matter of time," Youji told him quietly. "Only a matter of time before the boy dies."

"I'm sorry," Ken told him truthfully.

Youji shook his head and smiled. He ignited his jeep. "Yeah, me too. But then, it's only a matter of time, too. I'm gonna follow him, you know."

"Youji--!" Ken let out a strangled cry.

Youji backed up the jeep and gave him a thumbs-up sign. "You never know," he said. "Living next door to a couple with a rabid dog. The dog'll die tomorrow, if he's not whimpering at some corner in the house. Maybe I'll get bitten. Maybe I won't." He shrugged. "It's just a matter of time."

The jeep revved again and Youji laughed, throwing back his long, brown hair. "See ya tomorrow, Ken!" And he drove away.

Ken watched him, frowning slightly. Only a matter of time... He shrugged again and put on his helmet, kicking his motor to life, and speeding away.

The roar of the motorcycle drowned out other sounds, but he thought despite it all, despite the hard helmet he was wearing to cover his head, he heard a loud howl, a whimper in the night.

But then, he couldn't be sure.