Disclaimer: Don't own Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki, subbed or dubbed, characters included.

Rating: T (some hints of M at points)

A retelling of the movie, except in written form - those wondering what will be different, well, you'll soon find out. For now though, it starts where you might expect- but it will jump from point-to-point like the movie, as closely as can do anyway.

It all began with a chance meeting.

...

Hana worked, making sure to take notes from the instructor, but her gaze kept wandering for some reason. Other students weren't taking this anywhere near seriously - a couple were giggling together, and this one guy was reading under the table. Making a little motion, she continued her note-taking - maybe the others were thinking they could get by on the exams alone, but she needed to make sure she was ready. A college degree here, with some scholarship help, would allow her to earn a living in this world-

-the thought made her pause.

She should be proud, happy of what she's accomplished... but instead, all she got was a sense that she was missing something. Pragmatically, it made sense to go to college, and a scholarship was proof that she was good- but she neither liked the idea nor disliked it, of what a degree could bring her.

And she didn't know why that was...

Hana's gaze wandered again, almost going back to her notes afterward, before she noticed something very odd.

This guy - white shirt w/ open collar, black hair - he was diligently taking notes... without a textbook.

"Wait, I don't think I've seen him before" she thought, wondering about that. "He looks... out-of-place here."

Or that was the feeling she had anyway.

...

At the end of the lesson, Hana passed her slip onto the podium, alongside the others of course. However, as she turned to walk on, she noticed someone moving in the back... the guy from before, leaving through the other door.

She was certain he hadn't put a slip on here.

Having only two seconds, she looked at the batch of blank slips, then made up her mind and took one. Moving quickly, she went through the door as well, only in time to see a glimpse of him pass by- she ran forward, starting to pant a little, but which way did he go? Then remembering the only way down to the main level was the closest staircase, she chose that direction, and found him going down that same flight of stairs. "Um, excuse me" she breathed quickly, catching her breath, only to make a sound.

He slowly turned toward her in that moment, one hand in his pocket, and the other carrying his notebook.

But his gaze, the set of his mouth...

"Oh" Hana breathed, blinking. "Uh, you didn't fill out a slip" she continued, "They'll mark you down as absent if you don't. I grabbed one for you-"

"Don't bother" the man whispered, his voice deep and- and lonely. "I'm not a student here."

She stopped, letting out a breath-

"I shouldn't have come here" he continued, before moving forward again. "See ya."

Hana could only stare after him, confused- but above all worried, as she didn't know what to do. Her body slowly moved on it's own after a few seconds, taking her through the halls, while Hana wondered if maybe she should have gone after him anyway. By the time she got close to the entrance, she looked up, only to pause- it was him again. But, unsure whether to approach or not, she stood by that pillar... she didn't know why she watched, or how she felt there was something more.

A little group of children ran past the man, laughing as they played, but one lagged behind the others - he fell down, and began to cry. But the man noticed almost instantly, and he quickly moved over, pulling the boy to his feet-

She breathed out.

-and gently patted the boy's head.

Still watching, Hana stared at the back of his head, as the other kids wondered who he was... she found herself asking the same question. She must've been staring for a minute before coming back to focus-

-and she decided, on the spot, there wasn't anything to lose by trying again!

Hana ran after him, just catching up by the gates, slightly panting from the effort. "Please, wait a minute" she called to him; he stopped where he was, with barely a glance back. Well... uh... mmh; she dug into her bag, "That class you were sitting in is pretty tough, even with a textbook" she breathed, pulling out her own. "So I was thinking that, if you wanted to come back for another lecture, maybe... maybe we could share mine?" she asked, holding her textbook in front of her.

He didn't react, or say anything.

Unsure, her arms slowly fell downward, but she didn't move.

His brow slowly furrowed... then, just as slowly, he turned toward her.

Seeing him properly for the first time, Hana took in his face - he had a rugged look, with some slight stubble. The lines of his expression, mouth, and eyes- they still presented the same feeling she'd gotten when he spoke; loneliness. His black hair, while longer than many guys, didn't fall past his neck... though it did seem to sharpen into points in places, when hanging down anyway. One eye was hidden by that hair, but the one she could see was blue, looking at her intently. It took her a moment to realize he was deciding how serious she was, or something along those lines...

But, what could she do? What should she say?

The man slowly let out a breath, closing his eyes. "I don't know" he said - that same voice; she could feel every word, "I don't know that I'll be back."

"...but, if you do come back, my seat will be open for you" she assured him, gently.

He didn't answer that... but, after a small sound, he turned to leave again.

Hana jolted, almost to go after him, but stopped herself in mid-motion - if she pushed any harder, she might only destroy what chance she had, and drive him away.

"Still" she thought, slowly bringing up her hand to her heart, "who is this guy? I've barely known him five minutes, and yet... I feel something. But, I don't even know his name..."

/

Hana still had thoughts about him, all throughout the week - she hoped he might come, and that they could be friends, but she never saw him at the gate or the classroom. The worry caming to a head near the end, where she'd not only picked at her lunch, but she couldn't focus on note-taking during class - by the third attempt, she stopped, slowly looking at the window sadly-

-wait, what was that?

A figure ran across the courtyard in a hurry... wearing a white shirt, with dark hair...

With barely a breath, Hana recognized him, and (relieved) quickly moved to make a spot for him. Barely ten seconds later, he slipped in and took her previous seat, propping up her textbook like he'd been there the entire time.

The instructor barely noticed, if at all.

The man slowly looked at her; Hana gave a little smile, when she looked back.

He had a tiny reaction to that, unsure... but then he moved closer, the better to for them both to take advantage of her textbook. She moved closer with no issue, and he didn't seem embarrassed either, where soon the note-taking share began. The more they worked, the more it became clear to her that he was a nice guy at heart; his helping the child from before had hinted that. Right now, he was more self-conscious, and unsure if a quick-learner, but he managed to work well with her. Only his loner shield remained...

Well, it was only the first step thus far.

Hana just hummed, thinking she'd made a good start.

She remained that way throughout the lesson + note-taking, even while they were assigned work, as expected in a college. When she asked if he had the books mentioned in the assignment, he slowly shook his head - then she suggested a quick trip to the library, which surprised him. But he did agree, as they needed these books, and went with her to the library (he was a quiet one as expected, but not afraid to make conversation, if he thought the topic would work). They got in easily with her class card, him right behind her... she waited till the desk workers were busy, before quickly motioning to sneak forward quietly. The moment they were safely out of sight, she quickly looked back, relieved and glad that they hadn't been caught-

"You surprise me" the man noted beside her, in an undertone.

A little jolted, Hana nonetheless smiled bright (to his surprise), even happier to hear the subtle approval in his voice - but of course, they had books to find, so she led him throughout the shelves. Soon they were in the same section together, going across book titles, pulling some down and skim-reading for their assignment- it was enough to make her smile again.

...

That good start soon started paying off, even just a little.

"So, what do you do for fun?" Hana asked softly... though, she then forgot the rules of their little 'game'. She just wanted to know so much about him, that it kinda over-spilled: "And what are your favorite foods? Have you ever, you know, fallen in love before?"

He slowly chuckled a bit. "Wait your turn" he chided, gently mild, making her breathe out; there she went again. "Now... why were you named 'Hana'?"

"Curious, right?" she breathed, remembering it all easily. "The day I was born, my dad noticed a cosmos flower blooming in the backyard. Nobody had planted it there; it just popped up. That's why he named me 'Hana', because it means 'flower'."

Then she hummed a bit, more soft, but also many other things as the memories came. "He wanted me to smile all the time, just like that cosmos flower - that way, whenever things didn't work out, I could give life my best smile and get through it" she continued. "Crazy as it sounds, it always seemed to work... mhh... when my father died, I smiled ear-to-ear all through his funeral. One of my relatives scolded me, in front of everyone, saying that I was disrespecting his memory."

Hana slowly glanced down, as they continued to walk. "Maybe it was disrespectful" she whispered, looking ahead a little. "I dunno."

He slowly looked forward too, having been glancing at her before. "Naahh" he drew out, sorta playful, "I think you were perfect."

Hearing that, she gave off a little laugh, "Hmm, good to know" she answered, just a little softer. Hana settled her hands behind her back as they walked, while he didn't seem surprised at all... still, he was opening up to her a little, though it was the first day.

It seems she's found a good friend, and Hana didn't think she could be happier.

Soon weeks went by, and then months - in that time, Hana learned a number of things about him, such as his usual nightly stopping place being the coffee cake shop. She'd even made it a little ritual to see what he was doing for a few seconds/a minute, before she ran up and they started walked together, doing various things. Yet always, one thing would slip her mind until too late to ask, every single time; his name. But also, it didn't feel right for her to ask, especially since he didn't volunteer it. She wanted to know, but his silence on the subject made her hesitate, thinking there might be 'issues'; she didn't have any right to pry into those-

She still felt a little worried though, at times wondering if she should or shouldn't.

On their latest walk:

"Every apartment is like it's own little world" he breathed, looking around the buildings. "Some families have money, some don't... five people live in that one" he pointed out, she breathing out at this. "And there, just two" he continued, stopping by this cluster while she slowed. "Some full of kids, others all old folks..."

Hana stepped closer to him. "How do you know all that?" she asked, but gentle. "Did you help their families move in?"

"Not all, no" he answered with a little smile, looking at her for a moment, before he returned his gaze to the buildings. "But when you're a mover, word gets around about who lives where. What kind of people, how many, game-changing details like kids, whether the place allows pets or not, or even something as simple as heating, or beds" he outlined. "It's a huge market out there, even just for this part of town, let alone all of Japan."

Hana looked out at the view too, smiling; it truly was beautiful, especially with the night lights.

"And to think, it's all a stepping stone, these apartments" he continued. "Stepping stones toward permanent homes, where the people raise families, pursue careers, or whatever strikes their interest."

Kinda like her- college scholarship, a part-time job, all with an apartment. But it still lacked some kind of excitement- no, she couldn't focus on that right now.

"It'd be nice to have a home" he whispered-

-Hana slowly breathed out, and her heart beat faster. His tone further spoke to her of loneliness... but... there was something else there too, very tentative, maybe even nervous...

"A place where I belong" he continued, gradually drawing her attention more and more. "To kick off my shoes, give my face a good washing, sit back in a comfy chair... must be nice. I could build a bookshelf, and once I fill it with books, what's to stop me from building another? You can't put a price on that kind of freedom" he finished, wistful.

His words- they built up images in her head, about what he might have dealt with, and reasons behind why. But above all was the image of this strong man, yearning for softness yet alone for a long time, still being himself along the way-

Just as he finished, Hana smiled, slowly looking out at the view again.

"I could belong there too, if you don't mind the company" she whispered softly.

Hana saw his expression, if for a moment: shock, mainly the good kind, as if he couldn't believe she was sincere (but she was). It didn't remain very long, as he slowly went back to his normal expression, but his silence said to her he'd been affected.

"Well, it is a big hint" she thought, a little shy. "Not something you hear everyday."

/

The next night

When Hana stopped near the coffee cake shop, just as they usually did, she was confused and saddened to see he was nowhere to be found. She had a brief thought back to last night, where he'd tried to tell herself something, but seemed to change his mind before he left; did that have something to do with it? Even if it wasn't though, she refused to leave - she waited, repeatedly warming herself up however she could, even as crowds slowly dispersed + the shops closed. By the end of it, she was sitting against the boarded-up-for-the-night shop, knees to her chest to keep warm.

"He will be here."

And still she waited.

"...Hana."

She didn't move, but his voice- it began to spread warmth through her body.

"I'm so sorry" he breathed again, regret behind his words. "Truly I am."

Seconds passed... she slowly raised her head with a smile; it showed her pleased relief well, or so she thought.

He made a little sound at that, but stepped closer... soon he tentatively offered his hand to her.

Hana took it gently, using his strength to pull herself up- and held on a moment longer than necessary, hmm. He looked at her then, and she might've been blushing slightly this time. "So" she whispered, pretty soft, hanging onto his arm. "Where were you planning on taking me tonight? Just for a walk?"

He slowly looked at his arm, held by her own...

"Yes, actually" he breathed, touching his hand to her arm. "You know that hill, just above this area?" he continued, briefly glancing down again. "With the forest growth + trees?"

"I do" she answered; she'd never been up there before, as it was quite a climb, either by winding roads or straight up the hill - hadn't been time for that with school + her job.

He slowly looked at her again, then back at her arm before he gently extracted it from his own. Hana made a nervous sound; was she being too forward? But instead of saying something, he merely gestured for her to follow him like normal, leaving her to stare after him briefly (then follow). The entire way, she wondered what was going on- she'd made a shy move, and he'd been okay with that until he pushed her away. But at the same time, he hadn't rejected her by saying he didn't feel that way... just to follow him up this path. Hana didn't know what he was planning, but she hoped these mixed signals were just in her head, because she'd seen that he realized what she was doing.

The climb itself was a small wake-up call to her body; it hadn't expected this much exercise all at once. She'd walked a lot, and made sure to stay in shape enough to keep it that way, but this had taken a lot of energy.

The view was so beautiful though; the lights of the city, while not gone entirely, faded away to reveal the night sky's brilliance. The air was noticeably cleaner too as a result, though maybe more chilly now; Hana wrapped her scarf around her mouth a little more. Still, the sight of the city, the sky, even the trees around her were a nice break from the city's aesthetics. She took her time just breathing in and out, trying to take in the smells, the air, no matter how chilly it might be. When she came back to herself, she found him by the nearest tree, about five feet away- but he looked nervous.

"I've never told anyone about this" he whispered, deep voice imbued with effort. "I was scared to- I still am, because it's you... but you deserve to see me for who I am. No, for what I am."

"You're you" she told him gently, sincere.

"Close your eyes" he breathed, nervous. "Please, Hana."

Starting to get a little worried, Hana did so - despite an attempted peek, she kept it that way, for a little while anyway.

"I'm looking, okay?" she breathed, ready...

But once she opened them, her entire world changed.

The man she'd grown close to was transforming before her very eyes. The hand he held in front began to change proportions, becoming longer and thicker, before the knuckles bent, and claws were visible where fingernails had been. His face projected outward at the nose + mouth, very subtly at first, expression never changing once-

Heart beating wildly, Hana just let out a little gasp.

-his eyes closed then, and fur began to grow at a remarkable pace, moving around his neck before going downward. Out from under his hair, wolf ears popped up-

She couldn't look away!

-still his transformation progressed, much of it out of sight now, thanks to the clothes. His fur color had two hues, one white, which covered his face, neck, and moved down his chest - the other was a dark-blue, which covered where his hair had been, with a narrow branch between his eyes. He looked at her then, eyes glinting with a touch of supernatural gold, before even that faded away... leaving him with his natural eye color.

Hana could only gasp again, transfixed!

He slowly sighed- his expressions were more broad now; she could see every tinge of fear, nervousness, and everything else he was feeling! "Look at me, Hana" he whispered, with the exact same voice! "Tell me- what do you see?"

She couldn't answer... yet as the long seconds passed, her first motion wasn't to step back... but forward.

He jolted, fixated on her steps- now he seemed transfixed.

Step-by-step, heart pounding the entire way, Hana walked toward him... her fingers trembled as she lifted them, reaching. His mouth opened slightly, as if to pant, showing his teeth in the process. She saw this, but didn't fear; his heart was still the same now, as it always had been. He would not hurt her... he had been brave enough to share his deepest secret, despite being scared. Bit-by-bit, her fingers touched his fur, a soft, warm trail that covered his body - she must have spent a full minute just threading through it, even as he trembled a little.

"What I- w-what I see..." Hana whispered, stammering from overwhelming emotion, but still she managed a teary smile. "The one... w-whom I'm in love with."

His eyes went completely wide, her words letting out a massive breath he'd built up - she felt it, hot against her face, but she didn't mind. Gently, Hana brought his muzzle down a little, allowing her to kiss his nose, and then to rest her head against him. It felt like minutes, but she felt two big arms slowly encircle her, taking extra care with their claws. She just smiled, tears falling, even as she moved her hands in little motions... she knew he'd been strong, but this fur... it was proof of the gentle, soft side he had.

"You're... you're..." Hana whispered, completely soft.

A moment where his grip on her tightened, in the good way. "I think what I am is obvious" he slowly breathed, a reassuring thrum near her ear.

"And the legends?"

"Changing at the full moon... attacking people... spreading our 'curse' he answered, just as slow before making a sound. "Dusty old myths, bad movies - none of those are true, Hana."

Hana closed her eyes, tears still falling as she buried herself against his fur. "I knew I had nothing to fear."

"You were shocked. You still are" he suddenly breathed, but in disbelief- like things hadn't sunk in yet. "But you're- you're not going to leave me?"

She shook her head, holding onto him tight- she started to shake uncontrollably.

He slowly breathed out- "You're trembling" he whispered, faint, a hand delicately moving across her back.

"I-I"m happy" Hana mumbled, emotions starting to overflow. "P-Please... I m-might pass out soon..."

"What do you need?"

"T-Tell me... t-that you love me too..."

Her emotions were reaching a fever peak... her vision started to blur at the edges...

He moved closer, rubbing against her cheek, panting like a wolf.

"I love you, Hana."

Seconds after that, she passed out with a smile on her face, with happy tear streaks to match.

Gah, this movie, it hits right in the feels... it's not without a few flaws, but it's still a great one. As soon as I saw it, my brain was on overload, making up this retelling. Still, much as I'd like to say more about it, I won't - I'd rather let you all guess, and react on it's own merits.

That all being said, I hope you enjoy.