Chapter 8: Entering in the Competitive Sport

"Man! That was absolutely terrible!" whined Yoshiko, who she stretched after her test was completed. "And nerve-wracking! I thought for sure I was going to fail! Everyone was watching me and it felt like I was just under so much pressure!"

But at least that guy ended up finishing the test too. He seemed like the type to not study for anything and still makes good grades.

Yoshiko had finished the written exam just a few minutes after Tazuna and his friends exited the room. Because of her seat being in the furthest corner of the seating arrangement, she had a high vantage point and would casually take quick glances of Riku. She didn't know what it was that attracted so much attention for her (or anyone else for that matter). But if she was certain about one thing, that she was undoubtedly feeling a dangerous attraction towards him.

"He's so cool! I just can't get enough of his voice either! His eyes look so beautiful and they always look like they're staring right through me!" she squealed to herself, as she was in a smaller classroom by herself, but stopped when she sensed something going on outside. "What's going on now?"

Getting out of her seat, which was a traditional Qing Dynasty inspired writing desk and a padded floor cushion, the lovesick girl walked to the window from the fourth floor and peeked out. She could hardly contain her own excitement as he ducked down behind the window. Covering her mouth, she could feel her thumping heart banging against her ribcage, as if it was desperately trying to break free.

It's him! It's really him! Did he come here to see me?! Yoshiko thought absentmindedly, as her inner self was trying to talk some sense into her own subconscious. No he can't be! He just must be taking a walk or something!

When she eventually settled her heart down enough to not consider going to the infirmary, Yoshiko gathered all of her courage to quietly peer over the window sill. But her eyes and hands were met with a heart stopping surprise. As her eyes traveled from the pair of sleek boots and well sculpted legs, she felt as if she accidentally wandered into a predator's den and she could undoubtedly feel a set of angrily aggressive green eyes on her face.

It was Riku!

"Wh-What are you doing here?!" Yoshiko questioned immediately, completely taken aback by how silent Riku was.

How long was he there for?! Did I zone out so much that I wasn't paying attention?!

"Here." Riku replied, tossing a bag of sweet mango candies to Yoshiko, as he'd been asked to do so. "I was told to give these to you."

"How did you know I loved mango candies?! Well, I like you the most!"

Yoshiko picked up the candy bag and immediately hugged Riku as a result. She could immediately feel his muscles tighten and tense up, as his quiet breathing could be heard with a slight vibrato. A deep baritone type of sound. But it wasn't until she found herself on her tiptoes, did she realize something was wrong! Looking at her special delivery man, the perky student noticed they were both starting to fall out of the window!

Oh no! I completely forgot he was just sitting on the window sill! Yoshiko thought in a panic, as she quickly tried to get a secured grip on Riku, as she wanted to save him from falling from a great height.

"What the hell?!" Riku shouted, as he barked loudly at Yoshiko, completely distasteful at feeling a Human touching him. "Let go of me! I said let go!"

"Are you crazy?! I can't just let you fall from here! You'll get seriously injured!"

Yoshiko felt her grip slipping from Riku's wrists, as she couldn't fully get a decent grip on any article of his clothing, despite how large he was in size and height. Her desperation for wanting to save Riku's life was obvious, despite not knowing he was used to falling from even greater heights and still managed to stay alive long enough to avoid any serious damage. Yoshiko gasped breathlessly as she felt her feet starting to give out from the exhaustion she was experiencing; and Riku's stubbornness and lack of cooperation was only making the situation worse.

However, it wasn't until Riku ripped his arm from her was finally released from Yoshiko's grip. He maneuvered his body like that of a cat, using his hands to stabilize half of his weight within his shoulders and arms. His ears whistled from the wind that cruised over his face as he could no longer hear the desperate shouts from Yoshiko from above him.

However, his senses grew distracted by a sweetened fragrance of a lotus flower. A mild sweet fragrance. Something that wasn't too heavy on the nose and brought back memories of his birth home, where moonlight lotuses were abundantly blossoming and thriving in the fields and valleys. When the Wolf opened his eyes, he realized his feet never touched the warm ground. The warm lotus scent became stronger and more potent, as his eyes slowly grew accustomed to his surroundings around him.

"Where...am I?" Riku asked in a low voice, as he looked around slowly.

Looking around, Riku realized he was sitting in a field of pollen! His hands and clothing were completely colored with the yellowish powder, making him sneeze from the accumulation and from breathing in the spores. The sunlight filtered through the elongated petals that enclosed the Wolf within an otherwise beautiful silver white cocoon. However, just when he was starting to come to terms with what he was experiencing, his ears perked up at the sound of muffled voices.

'What the hell is going on?' Riku asked, as he reached into his pocket to withdraw his pocket knife.

As he did so, the disguised Wolf only just flicked out the blade when the petals began to move on their own. Riku's eyes narrowed as he immediately reverted back to his instinctual lifestyle. Time around him seemed to become slower as he took a breath through his nose and exhaled from his mouth. But as the sunlight exposed more of the outside world from within the lotus cocoon, Riku was faced with the face of Sakura! But it wasn't the Human herself that he was distracted by. If anything, the Human was the last thing he was thinking about.

No.

His attention had been given to the enormously large lotus flower she managed to summon from her fans! The flower itself was every bit of twenty feet tall from the tips of it's petals and to the tips of their roots. The glowing shimmer of the lotus made the flower glow even in the bright sunshine from above. The flower slightly tilted, bumping Riku as he regained his senses, making him remind himself he was still in the real world.

He stood up carefully and stepped out the flower and stared at Sakura, before he turned and walked away. Or at least, he tried to until he felt a smaller hand catch his own. Whirling around, the wildness reappeared as quickly as it went; the mysterious hand belonged to Sakura, who boldly met his gaze with her worried one.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked, her lips quivering as if she was about to cry. "I saw you were dangling from the window and rushed over to help! You didn't sustain any injuries did you?"

"Get off of me!" Riku growled with a venomous tone to his voice, as he viciously snatched his hand away from Sakura. "I didn't need your help. I won't ever need your help! Got that?!"

Riku turned his attention back to his presumed destination, which was the forest that spanned to the west side of Jùzàiyīqi City. He needed release. An escape. Anything to unleash the absolute madness that had been swelling up in the very depths of his soul from the moment Tazuna spoke about the plans of going to the city in the first place. Yet, he could still feel Sakura staring at his back as he grew the distance between them. But he didn't look back. Not now. Not ever.

'To hell with this place. Who needs to worry about those who can take care of themselves?'

Kira had been wandering around Jùzàiyīqi City's inner village known as Xi'an. He'd always found the fantastic world of the city. From the candy vendors and their addicting sweet confections and the bittersweet smell of melted chocolate and truffles; to the street performers with their dances and elegant movements as they attracted a crowd to enjoy the show. Even the integration of flowers and cascading foliage blanketing the buildings and open alleyways provided an oasis backdrop for the otherwise peaceful village.

"I don't know why Riku doesn't like this place," Kira sighed to himself, as he looked around the street and saw what the Human vendors and markets had to offer, "this place is amazing!"

Suddenly, he heard a short scream of a girl, making his ears suddenly flicker towards the direction of the sound. As he hurried through the city streets, he barely could see what was happening due to the large gathering of bystanders who were watching the commotion going on in front of them. Finally getting the chance to squeeze through the crowd, he saw a girl being attacked by a group of rusty looking thieves.

The girl was about his height with black wavy hair that stopped just above her shoulders. A black hair band that was once neatly placed on her head, was crooked and out of place; her eyes were heterochromia with her left eye being magenta and her right being plum purple in color. The girl's uniform resembled much like Kira's and according to the signia on her jacket, she appeared to be from the Southern Region. She appeared fragile and small when compared to the brutes who were trying to abduct her.

"L-Let me go!" she yelled, as she tried her best to pull away from the thief who was holding her wrist with an abnormally strong grip.

"And let you get away?!" the thief barked with a roughness to his voice. "And after you stole our artifact from us?! Not a chance!"

"Ah! I didn't steal anything!"

"We've got special places for thieves like yourself!" sneered another thief, who appeared to be the boss, as his subordinates kept those around them from getting too close. "And as for your fellow friends-"

"Hey!"

The thieves and passerby turned hostages looked towards the sudden voice that called out to stop the suspicious activity. The voice came from Kira, who managed to get through finally and was face-to-face with one of the thieves. The Red Wolf always made it his own personal vendetta to assist those who were weak and defenseless. Because of his background and unfortunate situation, he always had to fall upon the whispers and rumors of always being under the constant protection of Tazuna and Riku. He always hid away from the dangers of life, never helping. Never achieving even the smallest of feats.

'I've always depended on them. Now it's my turn for someone to depend on me!'

"Well. Look who decided to offer their life in exchange for another." the boss barked with a playful tone dancing on the tip of his tongue.

"Heh. Hey boss! I think this one here is with the girl! They're wearing a similar uniform!" notified a thief, before noticing Kira's overall look and appearance. "You'd make an even more attractive wife than our original target."

'Wife?! I'm a boy! Not a girl!'

"Well don't just stand there! Grab them both!"

"Sir!"

Kira took a step back and leapt out of the way, just as one of the thieves aggressively tried to grasp Kira's wrists. Barely managing to dodge them, the Wolf angrily but down on the nearest thief's hand, causing him to scream in pain and terror. The thief fell back as he grabbed a fistful of the child's hair and tried to pry him free. Unfortunately, the act only made him bite down even harder. It wasn't until he sensed another thief come behind with his knife drawn, did Kira let go and expertly dodge the attack, just as the knife was brought down and sliced his assistant's hand.

The girl was carelessly tossed to the side, as she tumbled into the dirt. Her arms shook with fear, as she looked up to witness Kira defending himself against the stubborn and offstandish men. However, just when she thought her savior was going to eventually win, Kira was struck in his right side with a powerful jab with the butt of the knife. The blow sent the Wolf down on the ground. The gang of thieves howled with laughter as they surrounded him, before the boss effortlessly grabbed Kira's chin with his large, stubby fingers.

"Heh. I'll admit you've got quite a lot of fight in you." the boss complimented, as he gripped Kira's chin harder, making him wince in pain. "Just the right amount of grit that I'm looking for."

'I need to do something! If I don't, the girl is going to die!' Kira frantically thought to himself, as his eyes glanced at the girl's.

It was at that very moment, a knife was thrown downward, striking one of the thieves in his back. His scream was cut short by the crowd's astonished yet confusing murmurs and loud chatter. The boss heard the commotion and turned around, only to get kicked in his jaw, as a trail of bloody saliva could be seen spewing from his mouth. Kira regained his senses and composure but just after he found himself being shaded by two large figures. Looking up, he saw the two figures belonging to Ace and Shun!

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" yelled one of the thieves, who managed to get away from the unintended attack.

"You ok, kid?" asked Ace, who had his guitar out and ready to be strummed.

"Ace…" Kira gasped breathlessly, as he was relieved to have been saved, despite feeling a bit upset that he wasn't able to save the girl on his own terms.

"What we're doing has nothing to do with you, you hear me?! Now scram!" yelled another thief, who wielded a battle ax.

"I'm afraid that ain't happenin' today." Ace sighed, as he scratched the back of his head, as he backhanded his response with a tease.

"You caused more than enough trouble." Shun added, as he casually plucked his knife out of the thief's back, before looking over at the gang.

"You damn bastards! Of all the nerve!" yelled the boss, before the gang rushed Ace and Shun, leaving Kira gasping in fear.

However, Ace had his movements and plan under control, as he coolly strummed several chords on his guitar, the sound created was at a much higher frequency than the crowds could hear; but Kira and the thieves were thoroughly affected, with them screaming and covering their ears! The gang of thieves were left stunned and preoccupied, as Shun seemed to teleport behind one of the men and with a high kick, drove the heel of his shoe into the man's head, causing him to get knocked unconscious!

Ace, on the other hand, took a more simpler approach and easily sidestepped, before tripping a thief, causing him to fall flat on his face. The redhead couldn't help but laugh as he felt proud of his victory. However, he was so busy gloating that he didn't notice a knife was being thrown in his direction.

"Look out!" Kira shouted, as he reached out his hand to save Ace.

But Shun moved faster than anyone's eyes could keep up and managed to catch the knife by the blade! He remained calm and collected, as he stared down the thief who threw it, before flicking it back towards him. The thief had turned to run but was struck in the back of his leg by his own weapon! Shun and Ace watched with triumph and amusement as they watched the remainder of the gang wobble and stumble away in a hurry.

'They...barely broke a sweat!' the Wolf gasped, as he held his chest out of desperation to keep himself from becoming lightheaded.

The crowd cheered and shouted with glee, as Ace proudly basked in his accomplishments, while Shun walked over to the shy and timid girl, who remained stationary and silent during the entire fight. The girl carefully took Shun's hand, while she thanked him and Ace for their hard work to save her. However, while her voice was meant for the two best friends, her eyes remained on Kira, who was being roughhoused by Ace.

'H-He saved me too! I have to thank him… somehow.' the girl suggested, before she walked to Kira, only to immediately stop when she caught his attention. 'He's... He's staring at me! He's actually staring at me!'

"Ah! I see you met my little sister, Kiara," Ace grinned, causing the timid girl to furiously blush as she visibly cowered back in retreat.

"O-Onii-san!" the girl named Kiara stammered, as she clutched her jacket to keep her heart from racing as much as it was.

The term, "Onii-san" is a term used by the Japanese to refer to their siblings. Or in this case, big brother.

"Kiara? Heh. That's a super cute name!" Kira complimented, as he smiled at the girl, completely unaware that she had suddenly fainted from being overheated.

"Hey! Kiara! Hey!" Ace called out to his sister, trying to get her attention, but with no such luck.

That evening was the initial setup for the celebration of the Academy and the students who were lucky and rewarded for being able to attend the school entirely. The entire student body, from the staff members to the students themselves were preparing the stadium for the spectacular event that awaited them. From the beautiful paper lanterns of reds, blues, and teal greens, to the confetti cannons being carefully calibrated and tested for a smooth finisher during the ceremony, there was no doubt that everyone felt the electricity in the air.

"And there!" Yoshiko sighed, as she fully put on the finishing touches on her moisturizer balm as she finished getting dressed in the mirror. "Ah! I look so pretty! And way better than Sakura! That's for sure!"

Yoshiko had volunteered during the ceremony meeting to actively take part in being the night's official make-up artist, due to her getting the news that a few students have decided to perform. Despite her overall bubbly and outgoing personality, the girl was a fantastic make-up artist. From applying the right amount of contour, foundation and highlighter, Yoshiko can create a brand new look for anyone who'd come for her assistance and never leave disappointed.

However, the more she admired her own look, the more her mind wandered back to earlier that afternoon when Sakura had managed to save Riku's life. The girl who Yoshiko once referred to as a "friend" made her even angrier than she usually was if she were to hear her name being said in close proximity. Sakura had always been the spotlight of their existence, ever since they were children. She was a straight A student, with high marks, was the initial captain of their debate club, and even participated in more than a few beauty pageant competitions.

But it wasn't just academics Sakura excelled in. She was also naturally gifted in physical sports like javelin and swimming. Yoshiko always found those around her praising Sakura for her talents and overall joyous and bright nature. So much so, that she actually became very close friends with the popular star athlete.

So where did it all go wrong?

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hm? Who could be coming out here at a time like this?" Yoshiko asked herself, as she crossed the small dressing room and unlocked the latch on the door.

Opening it, she saw Ace standing there with a large grin on his face. After Ace explained his situation to Yoshiko, the girl retaliated by smacking him in the head with a pillow! Ace completely wasn't prepared for it and was collobered, as feathers exploded from the pillow itself.

"Why the hell are you asking me that?!" she shouted, as she chastised her long-time friend for bothering her with the simple request for her to become Ace's wingman to help him get together with Sakura.

"It was only a question! I didn't think you'd actually murder me over it!" retorted Ace, who looked bewildered at Yoshiko, as he was blindsided by the sudden attack.

"Still." -Yoshiko sat back down in her stool in front of the medium sized backstage make-up styled mirror- "you know I don't like her, so why bother risking your life to ask? And what makes you so sure that she'd actually say yes?!"

"I'm not saying she won't! I'm just wanting to ask her if she's going to watch Shun and I perform during the ceremony. That's all."

"That girl is too popular to get herself caught up in the crowd. You're better off not wasting your time."

"And to think you two actually used to be friends at one point…"

Ace muttered that final remark to himself, forgetting that Yoshiko had very sharp ears and hearing in general. He heard his friend crack her knuckles, as if she was preparing to knock some sense into his head. The redhead immediately apologized, before changing the subject entirely.

'She's just as ruthless whenever that guy's name isn't mentioned! I really am doomed!"

"Which reminds me. Does this mean she has her sights set on those three boys who randomly showed up?" Ace asked with a hum, as he thought back to when he first saw Kira and Riku.

"What three boys? You mean Riku and his friends?" the girl asked, before grabbing a wooden bat from beside the workstation full of make-up, "Because if you badmouth Riku, I'm going to give this staff room a new coat of paint!"

"Put the damn bat away, woman!"

"Hmmmm?"

"What I'm saying is I can't help but feel strange around them." Ace concluded, after a few long minutes of silence passed between them. "Like the hairs on the back of my neck just stand up. It just...feels so strange to me."

"Like you're getting a bad feeling or something?"

"Not entirely but something very similar. Like I'm always being watched. Even whenever I know I'm not anywhere around them, it's like I can still feel like they're tracking me like an uncharted target."

'So I wasn't the only one who felt it.'

"So what are you saying? That Riku and his friends act more like wild animals than regular students?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. It's something about them that… just sends ice cold shivers along my spine."

"You're definitely overthinking this way too much, Ace." Yoshiko laughed, dismissing Ace's claims with a wave of her hand, as she'd been playing along the entire time.

"I'm completely serious, Yoshiko! I swear!"

"If we ever get put into a team together, I'll gladly bash you in the head with my hammer!"

"Hey! It's not my fault your little crush is making people around him feel nervous and terrified!"

'Would you mind saying that again?"

"And look at the time! It's time for me to go! Shun's probably wondering where I ran off to, so I'm going to go!"

Ace immediately hurried for the opened window and leaped out, but not before waving to Yoshiko with a flick of his wrist. Leaving the girl alone with her own thoughts and worries, she slowly sat down in her stool and contemplated everything Ace said and everything she witnessed and experienced first-hand. She couldn't deny anything that was said so far. Riku and his friends seemed to be vastly different from anyone else she'd come into contact with. Frankly, she only really interacted with Riku, but that did very little to keep herself from feeling a distinctive energy whenever he glared at her.

'Could Ace be right? I'll admit that they haven't interacted with many students since their arrival. If any at all. But even when they're by themselves, they would always have this overwhelming sense of power and that I've never felt before.'

"Ah! What am I saying?" Yoshiko laughed, as she burst out in a fit of fake laughter to keep herself from doubting the new students. "If I keep listening to Ace, I might just end up losing as many brain cells as I have whenever I see Sakura!"

'Still.' -she looks towards the window, as the strobe lights for the stadium could be seen in the distance, through a small cluster of trees- 'if what Ace is saying is actually true, then could that mean something dangerous just managed to slip onto campus grounds?'

Kira gasped breathlessly as his eyes sparkled with pure admiration. He could feel his Wolf form wag his tail constantly and excitedly. He'd never seen anyone look more fitting for the outfit he was seeing before him. And Sakura, who was smiling with absolute joy and happiness at the reaction the disguised Wolf was showing, couldn't have agreed more.

"You look so cool!" Kira complimented, as he continued to gawk at Tazuna, who just emerged from the dressing room only a few moments ago.

"He does look incredibly dashing, doesn't he?" Sakura added with a giggle of her own, as she couldn't conceal her own admiration for the young man standing before her.

Tazuna was standing before them both and Riku, looking calm and collected as usual. His unreadable expression remained fixated on his otherwise handsome face. His hair had been thoroughly scrubbed, washed, and dried with no scent conditioner and styled in a more noble way; with Sakura's help, Tazuna's hair was pulled up towards the top of his head and formed into a neatly tied bun, with either side braided and decorated with small flower clips. A hair decoration resembling a pair of dangling raindrops was pinned against the hair bun. Red eyeliner defined the corners of his eyes, while a thin layer of glitter shaded his eyelids. His outfit resembled that of a kimono, only shorter and with more flexibility to freely move around as much as he wanted. The outer clothing was red and heavily designed with cranes and waves while golden outlines glinted under the lights in the room. He wore a simple pair of pants, which were visible whenever Tazuna would move around, and a pair of black shoes, resembling her own.

"Riku. What do you think?" Tazuna asked, turning his attention to the brooding white haired man who stood off to the side.

"I don't get the appeal of wearing something so flashy." Riku ridiculed, as he glared at Sakura with a side glance, before turning his attention back to Tazuna. "But if it means to make this go by faster, then it'll work just fine."

"Do you ever say anything positive?" Kira asked Riku, under his breath, as he pouted, before giving Tazuna another compliment. "I think you look great! Just like a royal prince!"

"A royal prince?" Sakura asked, curious about Kira's strange choice of words, before giggling. "You silly boy. I think your friend will look great in anything."

"Definitely! But Tazuna really IS a prince! He's actually next in l-"

"Kira!" Riku shouted, his snarl becoming aggressive, as a warning to not continue with the sentence.

"R-Right… Sorry Riku."

"If Tazuna really is a prince, then I think he'd make an excellent one." Sakura admired openly, before turning to Riku, "wouldn't you agree?"

Riku turned his head, refusing to answer the question asked. Let alone look at the person asking the question. He could feel goosebumps creep up his arms as his nose had grown numb from all the various chemicals and heat appliances used for Tazuna's hair and makeup, as well as the cologne he was wearing. Shielding his face with his long hair, Riku's natural curiosity got the better of him and peered through the curtains, that was his hair, at Tazuna.

As crazy and as delusional as it may have appeared to be for him, Riku couldn't deny Tazuna was indeed very good-looking. Both as a Wolf and a Human. From his thick eyelashes, smooth skin, sharp nose, and full lips, Riku soon began to rediscover the little imperfections his close friend always had. From the tiny mole near Tazuna's left eye to a near microscopic scar on his cheek from where he wrestled with a groundhog.

'I've been so close to you ever since we were cubs.' Riku thought, as he continued to wonder how many other little things he noticed without even noticing, 'And yet you have things that I've never seen before.'

It was until after Riku refocused his eyes on Tazuna, did he catch Tazuna's whirling eyes stare back at him. An intense blue piercing straight through the very depths of his soul, as if hypnotizing him in an instant. A fiery passion could be felt from the Wolf's intense glare, much to Riku's dismay, as he coughed to break eye contact.

'What the hell was that?! What was that stare just now?!' Riku internally panicked, as he was completely caught off guard and wasn't expecting to receive such a powerful reaction from him.

"Riku?" Are you alright?" Sakura asked, as she looked at him worriedly.

"Quit asking about me!" Riku yelled, as he tried to redirect the attention away from him, as he didn't want to be the center of attention.

"Tazuna! Can we get one of those glowing stick thingies?" Kira asked, unintentionally diverting all of the attention back on him and the Arctic Wolf. "I saw them near the stadium and I really want one! Maybe two!"

"You mean a glow stick?" asked Sakura, who was already standing up and putting away her make-up supplies. "I'll be more than happy to get one for you."

"Really?! Tazuna! Should come with us! You too, Riku!"

Riku said nothing and refused to say anything more to either Sakura or Kira, who both decided to leave, alongside Tazuna. However, Sakura gently closed the door, as Kira was much too distracted with the idea of getting a glow stick that he didn't notice she wasn't following him. She quickly looked through her make-up box to look for her perfume she always had with her, completely unaware that Riku was still in the room with her!

Or so she thought.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sakura commanded teasingly, as she casted her eyes towards the mirror, seeing the flicker of Riku's pocket knife blade within her line of sight.

It was at that very moment, Riku stopped moving. His limbs, from his hands and arms to his legs and even vocal chords had suddenly seemed to become paralyzed! The Grey Wolf's eyes gazed absentmindedly through the mirror and straight at Sakura's, who was now bioluminescent blueish green in color. His limbs stuttered in a desperate attempt to move, as he opened his mouth to speak but only managed to create a series of squeaking noises.

'What's happening to me?! I...can't seem to move! Or speak!' Riku panicked, as he managed to just barely move his hands.'Those eyes. Why can't I look away from them?!'

Sakura said nothing when she closed her eyes, releasing Riku from his stronghold. He collapsed to the floor with a thud; his stomach turned to knots. His eyes were seeing stars and white spots, as he slowly began to regain the feeling in his arms and legs. His entire skin felt like he'd just acupunctured with pins and needles. He looked up with a wave of dizziness that washed over him; but just as he was just starting to feel better, he found his eyes staring at Sakura's face.

Her slender figure, porcelain skin, and shimmering tangerine hair seemed to captivate his senses from his eyes to his nose. The perfume smelled sweet and fruity, with a hint of cinnamon and juniper berry. The tantalizing smell made the Wolf turn slightly pink, as he felt the cold touch of the Human's hands on his cheek. The smoothness of her painted nails dragging across his skin, caused Riku to tremble subconsciously, before he grunted when she aggressively gripped his chin.

She giggled sinisterly, as she stared at Riku with a lustful expression on her beautifully sculpted face. Sakura sighed to herself, as her eyes bore into Riku's face, as she thoroughly examined every tiny detail on his handsome face. What seemed like painstakingly long minutes seemed to pass before she realized Riku was giving his best attempt to growl in anger. But when he opened his mouth, Sakura gripped his chin harder.

"You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" Sakura teased playfully, her lips glistening from the moisturizer balm she applied only a few minutes before. "Always stalking around and just being a tyrant to those around you. How disgraceful."

"You...don't know anything..about me." Riku wheezed, as he struggled to speak through tight lips, growling roughly as he exposed his wolfish fangs. "Or...Tazuna. Or Kira. N-Nothing!"

"I do wonder how much you THINK I don't know. But I understand why you like to be a private person. It's actually quite admiral."

"What...are you saying?"

Sakura leaned closer to him, her tantalizing smell of natural and floral scents made Riku dizzy, the longer he was forced to smell it. He tried his absolute hardest to move his lips away from hers, but realized he'd been caught in an illusion of her own creation! Echoes of voices bounced around the room; his ears rang loudly which counterbalanced the intense headache in his head, which started in his temples. However, the illusion ended as quickly as it started, when Sakura moved her hand from Riku's face.

'Stop!'

More echoes and conglomerated whispers.

'I said stop!'

The whispers and echoes only grew louder and more unstable than before.

"I SAID STOP IT!!!"

Riku snapped his eyes open, immediately taking in large mouthfuls of oxygen; his heart was beating against his breastplate, as he felt his skin become slick yet sticky with sweat. Icy chills creeped through his spine, Looking around frantically, he breathed shakily and heavily as he realized there wasn't anyone in front of him. Behind him. Or anywhere around him. Looking at his trembling hands, he couldn't understand exactly what happened nor did he want to.

He growled menacingly in complete frustration, before staggering to his feet and forcefully threw Sakura's make-up onto the floor with one fellow swoop. Breathing heavily, the Wolf gripped the edge of the desk, before grabbing the stool and knocked it over carelessly. His right hand slammed against the wall by the mirror and he took his time to examine his expression. Seeing his reflection made him repulsively want to vomit. He looked absolutely terrible with his eyes appearing on the verge of morphing into his Wolf's. A loud crack suddenly sounded in the room, just as Tazuna and Kira opened the door.

"Riku?! What happened?!" Kira barked with surprise and fear, as he quickly rushed over to see what was going on.

Tazuna only stared in silence as he witnessed the trashed room, from ripped bed sheets and pillows to the claw marks on the drapes and curtains that were once hanging neatly on the windows. Make-up containers and color palettes were strewn across the room, as broken glass from the large oval mirror was also overturned; shards and pieces of razor sharp glass pieces also littered the carpet. The desk mirror was also severely damaged as the middle of the mirror had been smashed. And there, in front of the mirror, was an angry and confused Riku. He slowly retracted his fist from the mirror, his hand bloody and bruised from the sudden aggression.

"Kira. Tazuna." Riku growled angrily, as he allowed his hand to drop to his side, ignoring the pain he received from his sudden tyrannical behavior. "Are you...really here? In this room?"

"We're right here Riku! I promise we are!" Kira encouraged, as tears accumulated in his large eyes, as he affectionately grabbed his guardian's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I don't know what...came over me all of a sudden."

It was at that moment, Riku fainted suddenly, his body instantly losing all sense of coordination. Tazuna was there in an instant to catch him, supporting his guard against his chest. As the blue eyed Wolf stared at his unconscious friend, he realized just how serious this situation turned out to be. Riku had always had a short temper; that much was evident due to his position in the Royal Family and his rough cubhood he and his father shared before he and Tazuna met. However, his temper had never flared this explosively or this often.

Was it because of Tazuna's willingness to abandon all sense of formality, to help the Human race?

The festival was finally in full swing. Lively music and dance could be heard throughout the city and Xi'an Village. Brightly lit paper lanterns abundantly lined the roads and streets, while large furry puppet creatures such as lions, dragons, and the variant stylization of the Bi'xi, elephants, and tigers danced and playful mingled with the citizens.

Playful colors of reds, yellows, greens, oranges, blacks, and greys toyed against the pleasant and bustling streets, while the students of the academy were all given an allowance and were fully free to thoroughly enjoy the festival to their heart's content.

Although the citizens were attendants of the festival, they were all given the choice to wear their own signature clothing, in correspondence to their own Nation. While the citizens of the Eastern Nation wore their sari garments and bangles in pride, the citizens of the Northern Nation prioritized their own appearance with their luxurious long hair and youthful looking faces, including the men who even took their time to make sure even their facial hair was combed and looking uniform.

The Southern and Eastern Nations were equally attractive with either large sleeves, wide shoulders, and gorgeously decorated robes with dazzling images of flowers, cranes, waves, and gold flakes. Their hair was also a proud staple of their exquisitely beautiful looks from their wisdom induced eyes and youthful smiles.

Ace and Shun had been playing games with their friends, who all were either carrying around their own prizes from stuffed animals to playful toys, to delicious food like barbecue covered in spicy mayo and green onion to candied fruit like strawberries, mangos and chicken samosas with tangy and sweet brown sauce. As they enjoyed their night hanging out with each other and laughing in the midst of comfortable company, Kira on the other hand, was enjoying his own quality time among the solitude of the forest. The world around the Wolf was quiet and calming with the leaves and treetops providing a silhouette cover against the moonlit skies. Dancing fireflies fluttered and swirled among the underbrush, casting their lights as they resembled the same intense euphoric atmosphere as the stars.

Kira had been more than prepared to enjoy the festivities; that was until Riku had to remain in the infirmary until he'd awaken. Wearing a retro Song Dynasty inspired hanfu outer jacket; a gorgeous red in color with white flying cranes and blush pink petals. The overall color was a snow white in color as it delicately draped over a black strapless, black short shirt and mini skirt; the shirt was decorated with the same crane and petal print and was held together by a wide belt with a blood red colored cord. The Wolf even wore his hair styled in an innocently cute updo complete with a peach blossom hair stick with wavy dangling tassels on the left side.

As Kira walked through the forest, his shoes taking delicate steps as he took his time to familiarize himself with his surroundings. As much as the Red Wolf was overjoyed with being amongst the Humans and their harmonious activities and laughter, he just couldn't bring himself to participate in the festival. He just couldn't bring himself to enjoy the fun when Riku was out of commission, until he was able to awaken from his slumber. So taking his time to relieve himself of all of his hidden emotions, Kira continued to walk.

It was then, he felt his heart spread an unseen warmth throughout his body. The type of warmth one would feel when one would receive a special gift from someone they deeply cared about. Instinctively, the Wolf casted his eyes upward, past the fireflies; past the treetops. Past the clouds. The moonlight reflected in his eyes, clearly mirroring the moon and it's gloriously radiant silver hue. It was in that tender moment of spiritual connection between the animal and the orbital sphere, a glint of light flickered.

'Was that?' Kira asked, as he blinked, his pupils rapidly maneuvering through the skies in search of the source.

The light flickered again, this time a rainbow of neon green and blue; bioluminescence lights appeared and disappeared in delicate, almost see through, wisps as if they were thin clouds of thin smoke. Kira gasped breathlessly, as he felt his body feel a sudden urge of emotions begin to take over his tiny body out of nowhere. Taking in short gasps of crisp forest air, the Red Wolf relished in the spectacular light show he'd been too hypnotized to remember why he'd ventured into the forest to begin with. However, not wanting to miss the opportunity to witness the lights that'd been so beautiful, Kira trekked through the forest, to get a closer look.

'It's the Spirits! They've...returned! They really returned!' Kira cheered merrily as he eventually made it to the very edge of the forest, resulting in him stepping out onto a cliff. Before him, stretched the endless miles of forest and shrubbery, the full abundance of stars and stardust collectively accumulated in the darkened blueish black sky above him. As the moon bathed the earth with it's marvelous light, the Red Wolf looked up and saw the sky burst into an exhilarating rainbow of exotic colors from bright greens to shifting blues and purples. As the colors weaved in, out, and through the clouds, it was there the Wolf could see the Spirits venturing through the lights themselves.

As Wolves grew and developed their own sense of identity, they were told unique and lesson riddled stories and folklore through the eyes of the Spirit Lights, which is what Humans would see as the Northern and Southern Lights. According to one such folklore story, 'The Recreation of the Earthly Being' the Wolf Spirit, Ok'u, gave her fellow children the Song of Praises. The special voice of the Wolves were used to bring solidarity and haunting beauty to their songs, which the Wolves called Av'ry. To Humans, their Av'ry songs merely resembled collective howling through different pitches.

However, this "howling" they were known for, was in fact their singing of praises for Ok'u, as she was the one who gave them their voices.

Kira laughed with the purest of joy as he felt the swelling warmth of the Spirits surrounding his entire body. When he reached out with his outstretched hand, the Red Wolf could practically feel the Spirits reaching for his own soul; something that only Wolves could truly understand. The young animal couldn't have ever believed that something so magnificent and mystical could ever happen in his lifetime.

But it was also during his heart pounding experience, Kira stumbled over a lump and tumbled into the grass. Groaning slightly, due to his embarrassing feat, the Red Wolf rubbed his head and shook the dizziness to clear his vision. Reaching down towards his legs, he touched his legs and ankles to check for any cuts or gashes on the rocks and hardened ground. But it was during the examination, did he feel a sticky substance on his fingertips; the substance was the rotten stench of copper, iron, and zinc. Frantically thinking something was wrong with his legs, the Wolf's hands flew at high speed only to grab a fleshy and rubbery piece of skin!

And not just any skin. It was an entire severed Human arm!