Chapter 15: An Alchemist's Curse (Part 2)

"What?! Hmph!" Lan Yu and Yoshiko shrieked, before having their mouths covered by Wei Zhan and Riku respectfully.

According to Ning Yuan's explanation, the Snake of which the Wolves referred to as a "Feral" was, in fact, a form of Yao, named the Black Foot Rockwell. This Snake in particular was named so, due to its black underbelly and its natural habitat being the dark mountainous caves of Yunmeng City. Its unfathomable size and girth also gave it the nickname, "Elephant Tamer" which its main source of food were indeed Elephants. But its diet also included other Snakes, Crocodiles, and Hippopotamus. But their diet also wasn't restricted to Animals, since the Rockwell gained an infamous reputation for hunting down and devouring Humans and destroying entire villages.

Tazuna and Riku tensed up immediately after hearing the Human talk about the Snake's discriminative appetite of devouring Elephants, who the Animals of the Five Great Nations saw as Earth Mothers and On-Earth Deities and were therefore treated with the greatest amount of respect.

"However," Ning Yuan continued, sensing and noticing the darkened expression on Tazuna and Riku's faces, "the creature is more accustomed to the darkness of the forest and the caves, so it's hypersensitive to the sunlight. And because of that, it's hearing is hypersensitive as well."

"So you're suggesting that we create some type of artificial sunlight or something?" Lan Yu asked confusingly, unintentionally using his brain to come up with a solution for luring the creature into the Array.

"That plan is so idiotic it just might work!" Wei Zhan encouraged, blindly agreeing to the idea, making the other disciples murmur and whisper.

"What should we do, Ning-xiong?" Tazuna asked respectfully, causing the teenager to abruptly flush a small tint of pink.

With Ning Yuan's given directions and using Tazuna's original plan, the disciples sectioned themselves off into their respective groups.

The Eastern Regional juniors had always been equipped with a supply of shamisen strings. Although, it wasn't to replace their instruments. These strings were coated with a special Ghost-Attraction Energy that when used as a weapon could cause immense pain and possible decapitations. They were also strong enough to uphold the human body and many other uses.

With the help of a junior named Akko Yujimaru, and his five other regional members, they strung up and neatly wove together a domed-shaped net over the Array.

Down below, were the Southern Regional juniors, led by Jun Min-Seong, who were tasked with keeping the Formation Cultivation Flags activated and stabilized. Because their group was composed of inventing meditation practices and coining the renounced Yang Purity Core, Ning Yuan promoted him to that responsibility.

Surrounding them were the Northern and Western Regional juniors. Because they had nearly an equal number of juniors attending and three of them having Earthbound abilities, they acted as radars for the others and were tasked with giving signals and relaying information. This group's leader was Lan Yu.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Lan Yu asked, as he was carefully holding his arrow taunt as he kept his bow at the ready. "You could've been better live bait if you would've tied me to a tree."

"What a lady-like temper." taunted Wei Zhan, who gave a look of annoyance and disgust at Lan Yu's words. "Tying you to a tree would give the forest the lack of respect it deserves."

"Ahhh. Why are we arguing like this?" Zhong Lui asked, clearly fed up with his two friends arguing, despite his sect having the most political influence. "Can't we just talk it out?"

Wei Zhan and Lan Yu didn't say anything afterwards. If anyone knew pride and being short-tempered, it was definitely those two. Because of their opposing views and lack of perceiving the world in their own eyes, one would automatically assume they just didn't like each other.

However, neither one of them were chosen to be used as live bait. Standing in the middle of the Array were Tazuna and Riku. They knew better than their peers that regardless of what type of Animal was lingering in the dark forest, whether it was an angry Snake or a Feral, their appetite for bloodlust grew with such speed. Against everyone's better judgement, Tazuna had already come up with a back up plan, in case Ning Yuan's plan fell through.

"Here it comes!" Lan Yu shouted, giving the signal as he kept his arrow taunt, prepared to fight at any given moment.

The earth began to slowly shift under their feet. The sudden approach of such a beast produced endless tension and immense fear that swept through each disciple like a wave- except Tazuna and Riku- everyone else slightly staggered back a bit.

Jun Min-Seong and his group had parted slightly, to create a gap within their unit, just big enough for the Rockwell to travel into. Holding steady with their plan, Ning Yuan immediately gave the signal.

"Now! Open the canopy!"

The Rockwell screamed and nearly bulldozed Jun Min-Seong's and Lan Yu's teams right over, as it made it's main priority to target Tazuna and Riku. However, it wasn't because the Array and the Formation Cultivation Flags had marked them as live bait.

The Rockwell were targeting the Wolves from the very beginning.

From the moment the Akko Yujimaru and his group of disciples pulled the shamisen strings, the canopy of the forest revealed itself to be woven in an intricate pattern of hexagons and squares, causing Lan Yu to click his tongue in annoyance for he didn't see any need to get fancy with their job.

But the action proved to work just fine, as the glaring sunlight poured into the forest, blinding the Rockwell, now unable to move due to being caught in the Array. The provoked beast released ear-piercing sounds, its ivory fangs now covered with a thin film of highly toxic poison.

Akko Yujimaru gave the second signal and all at once, the disciples dropped from the treetops and swung their legs out in front of them. Like the effects of a kaleidoscope, the opening that was once used for the canopy was now used as a snare for the Rockwell. The disciples yanked on the strings, and within a split second, they managed to trap the Snake by its neck.

However, this was only short lived when the Rockwell released another visible ripple of screams, only this one was accompanied by shards of poison darts! However, Jun Min-Seong predicted as such would happen and slamming his palm in the ground, he and disciples quickly made use of their Fire Element and sat the outer ring of the Array ablaze, creating a protective barrier for the others and therefore cancelling out the Rockwell's attack.

"Fire!" Riku called above the roar of the flames.

Lan Yu and his team followed suit and released the tension they once had in their bows and arrows. Arrows began to rain clicking as they hit the protective armor of the beast's body. Although the battle appeared to be quite powerful and intense, the truth of it was there was use in winning the battle. Not a single arrow made their mark. Instead, the arrows only made the Rockwell angrier, as it waved its giant side to side, as it tried to free itself from the snare.

'If this thing keeps up, those strings won't last much longer! Wait…! That's it!' Tazuna gasped mentally, before clenching his teeth.

"Drop the Array!"

"What?! Have you lost your damn mind!" Wei Zhan hollered, over the roars of the Rockwell. "You really are a goddamn lunatic!"

However, the dark expression that was now displayed on Tazuna's face, immediately dismissed any further arguments and slowly, Jun Min-Seong and his team dropped the Array, forcing it to shrink and fade away. It was then, Akko Yujimaru realized the plan that Tazuna had concocted and called out to his team.

"Treat the strings in the way they're meant to!" he called out, before striking his hand across the taut string, creating an ear-piercing screech.

The vibrations from the string traveled along the entire length and began to crack the armor of the Rockwell. The other disciples murmured and they began to recognize their efforts and sheathing their own individual weapons, began to strum the strings as well. The collected vibrations and the initial strangling of the Rockwell, the strings cut and sliced into the heart of the beast inch by inch. As the cuts deepened, blackish, foul smelling blood pooled from its injuries nearly causing the disciples' faces to go from pale to green.

As the disciples worked diligently, Tazuna and Riku had already begun to secretly react uncharacteristically against the resentful energy that had been sealed within its blood. If it hadn't been for the Rockwell's overwhelming energy, the Wolves' would've overshadowed them with their own wild and belligerent energy. Soon, the Wolves covered their mouths as they dropped to their knees, bodies trembling visibly, their eyes dilated to only mere slits.

'I need to…get them out of here!' Tazuna spoke through strained gasps, as he felt his body suddenly become a scorched mass of heat and fire.

However, the pressure that had built up between Riku and Tazuna began to become too great and in an heated explosion, both Wolves released a near atomic bomb levels of unfathomable dark energy, causing the Rockwell to catch fire, the strings to snap with a crackling echo, and the disciples were immediately thrown to the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" Zhong Lui asked, as he waited on the ground for the shockwave to pass.

"Tazuna-xiong! Riku-xiong!" Ning Yuan called out, noticing immediately that the sudden energy spike was coming from them.

"Riku!" Yoshiko called out, before being held back by Zhong Lui, who couldn't stand to see a woman in such distress.

"Don't go! It's too dangerous!"

("Unleash us.")

'No! I can't!'

("Let us free!")

'Go to hell!'

("You never savored those snacks. You're starving for their flesh!")

'Leave us alone!'

("EMBRACE YOURSELVES!!!")

The Wolves were subconsciously still trying to convince their Wolf forms to stay hidden. It'd only been a handful of times where the two of them were allowed the freedom to be their true selves without the need to worry about who was watching them.

However, this wasn't enough to quench their overwhelming sense of instinctual hunger that slowly tormented their minds and bodies. The Wolves felt their chests burn and ache, as they dropped to their knees as their skin felt like it'd been set on fire. However, it wasn't their faces contorted with anguish and disgust, did they lurch violently and vomited blackish blood from their mouths.

"Wh-What's happening to them?!" Yoshiko asked, as she was still trying to pull away from Zhong Lui, who held fast on keeping her away from them.

"I'm…fine." Tazuna remarked, once he finished expelling his tainted qi from his system and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Don't worry about…me."

"Tazuna-xiong! Riku-xiong!" Ning Yuan shouted, forgetting the protocol entirely, and rushed over to help his two friends, despite not knowing the consequences or anything relating to their current situation.

Wei Zhan and Lan Yu were just as frightened and worried, their brows stiffened and furrowing, clearly wanting to help but were at a loss of knowing exactly what to do. But seeing their peers in danger, Ning Yuan sacrificed his own better judgement to protect the lives of the two ill stricken disciples, they immediately followed suit and jumped into action.

It'd only been a few minutes before Tazuna and Riku were put out of commission, their bodies overexerted from their stressful situation. The smell of burnt snake flesh had filled the air, causing the remaining disciples to cover their mouths and noses with their sleeves. Zhong Lui reached into his pocket and pulled out his fan. Only this one in particular wasn't just an average fan. Closing his eyes, he infused his qi into the Elemental infused material of the fan, causing it to glow a glowing sky blue in color. With a simple wave, Zhong Lui produced a high energy wind gust and managed to clear the air free of the burnt flesh scent.

"What's going to happen to them?" Wei Zhan asked, his mouth ticking with worry, as he kept his hand on Tazuna's wrist, which was often used to check for a pulse.

"We still have a mission to complete with this woman." Lan Yu argued as he folded his arms over his chest. "Just have someone watch them, while the rest of us go to Yunmeng City."

"I don't see an issue with that." Wei Zhan answered, as he gently placed Tazuna's and Riku's arms by their sides.

"Wait a minute! This wasn't a part of the plan!" Lan Yu wailed with anger, as he was ultimately forced to stay behind, as the others walked through the forest to attend to the more urgent situation.

'Just my rotten luck. I have to babysit THESE two.' the rich boy spat in disgust, before huffing in anger, sitting down beside Riku.

"Do you two idiots know what you did? Because of your negligence, I have to stay behind and watch you!

As the silence of the forest began to fill in the empty void where Lan Yu's anger couldn't reach, the hot-blooded disciple merely sighed and laid down on his back, shielding his hand from the blaring sun. It wasn't until the young disciple's hairs on his arm started standing up. Sensing an overwhelming sense of dread and the unfathomable amount of energy coming from Tazuna, he immediately got to his feet, only to be repelled back!

Lan Yu slammed into a tree, feeling his vision double and crossover.

'What is this?!' he asked himself, as he squinted to see past the swirling silver and ice blue winds. 'Where is all this energy coming from?!'

"!"

Ae're awoken to the faintest sound of whistling wind. Despite not knowing the source, he could feel the tension he never thought he felt. Although, the energy was nowhere near as strong as his father's, Ae're could still tell how impressive as it was. Getting up, he shook his head, ruffling his white fur as he tried to still his racing heart. However, all his suspensions for investigation were dashed when he felt his father's presence come from beside him from within the den.

"Father." Ae're spoke, only to be hushed when he felt his father's tail wrap around his jaw softly.

"Don't fret, son." his father spoke with a softened authority, as he stood beside Ae're, removing his tail. "It is only just a minor setback in our plans."

"And what setback is this?"

"A nuisance of a setback that will need my immediate attention."

Ha'ta appeared from behind Ae're's father, bowing to him immediately. The two Wolves spoke not a word to each other at first, but Ae're looked at his father, wondering what the nuisance was that had gotten his attention. He knew it wasn't in his right to dwell too far into his father's work, but because he was his father's most prized creation, he knew it was best to keep to his goal and follow his father's words.

"Ae're, I will be gone for a few months." he spoke suddenly, walking to his son, his mismatched eyes staring at him with a hard yet softened stare. "Until I return, I will have you carry on with your task."

"I won't let you down, Father." Ae're agreed, knowing he had been prepared to carry on his task, if the day would've came to where his father would have to leave.

And today was the day.

"Perform your task discretely. I will put Ha'ta in charge of this operation in my stead."

"Sir." Ha'ta spoke finally, nodding to the king and looking over at Ae're. "Let's prepare and be on our way."

"Hm. Let's." Ae're spoke, his eyes casting to the mouth of the cave, his mind prepared fully to his task set before him.

Lan Yu fell to the ground and struggled to catch his footing. His entire body felt heavy as if he'd been struck by another Grounded talisman. The disciple even struggled to lift his head fully. But what he saw standing before him caused his nerves and blood to run as ice cold as Yukinokuni, or the Land of Snow, where the Nation was made a separate section from the mainland and only those with specific training levels could be granted permission to travel to.

The winds that had been swirling around the two disguised Wolves, fused together. Tazuna and Riku were no longer in control of their own bodies, as they remained in their unconscious state. However, from the winds, grew a visible tail of what appeared to be a fox. The tail was very large, standing at a staggering thirty-three point nine feet tall and was adorned with a single black stripe that ran vertically in length. However, this black line wasn't for decoration, for this visible line was in fact its qi system!

'What the hell is that?!' Lan Yu gasped, before his eyes saw what appeared to be a second tail!

Then a third. And a fourth!

With each tail that grew, the energy increased by an indescribable amount. Lan Yu could feel his own qi being depleted from his own body! Or so that's what it seemed like to him. As he helplessly watched the devastating sight unfold before him, his pupils dilated at the horrific sight which he couldn't form the words or mental space to gather his thoughts. Its body took up the entire empty space of the forest, as its tails whipped and slashed out, destroying the trees surrounding it. The trees snapped and cracked on contact, uprooting from the very foundation they grew in. Dust and debris rained from the air, as its aura seemed to corrupt the magnetic field in the air, forcing those who were outside the forest to remain at a distance. While those unfortunate enough to come close would be shredded alive until there were no traces left.

From this sheer size alone, the creature began to grow other distinguishable appendages including ears, arms and legs. The limbs were muscular and well defined despite the fur that accumulated on its body. Its eyes were bigger than the tallest of humans, dwarfing them in size and were so glossy that one could see their reflection like a freshly clean mirror. The creature weighed every bit of 1,104 pounds, as it focused its gaze on Lan Yu, who was much too terrified to speak and move.

'That's… the Spirit of the Kyuubi-Inu!' he thought with shock, his body involuntarily trembling and shaking visibly. 'But why-?!'

The Kyuubi-Inu was known by many names throughout the Five Great Nations: The Monster of the Heavens. Dark Entity of the Nations. Tailed Beast of the Forgotten Dead.

No matter what name the creature was referred to as, they all had the very same thing in common.

The creature was a corrupted, twisted monster.

Eons into the past where the emptiness of space was being created by the main Celestial Beings, Ok'u and Sk'u, the world was plunged into darkness seemingly overnight by the sudden rise of this monstrosity creature that was conveniently named the Kyuubi-Inu. Once considered as a protection charm and gained the title of Deity, it's only purpose of absorbing negative exposures of qi within the natural world and releasing positive qi in return for its actions, the Kyuubi-Inu was in fact revered as a benevolent Spirit and was give a special mountain temple within the mountain range which would later be called Seven Pillars Mountain. But because of the course of history, the Beast gained a fearsome reputation of hatred and destruction, the Kyuubi-Inu was denounced it Deity title and sent to a punishment of a Thousand Year Lock Bound. However, because of the hatred the creature absorbed within its own body, the Kyuubi-Inu managed to create various abilities and broke free from its prison.

Only to disappear from obscurity, then reappear to wreck unforeseen havoc on the world he once called home.

"Well. Isn't this a surprise." spoke a voice from the depths of the swirling winds.

("!")

The winds diminished as it was controlled by a separate entity entirely. The winds could be felt by a slightly weakened energy but could still be powerful enough for the accumulated energy of the Kyuubi-Inu to be all but wiped out. From the amalgamation of nothingness, was a tall man with an exquisitely handsome face and midnight black hair with a dark blue tint to it. Half of his face was covered with an eye patch and a metallic, decorated mask. His narrow eyes held thick black eyelashes that contrasted sharply against his pale skin. Walking into the clearing, amidst the destruction he was there, the slightest hint of a smile cracked his face.

("That energy! It can't be-!") the Kyuubi-Inu gasped angrily, it's nostrils flared, crinkling its nose and bared its incredibly large fangs.

The strange man said nothing but only casted Lan Yu a look, a bright red light could be seen through his eye patch. Before the young man could even open his mouth, his body fell limp and collapsed to the ground, rendering him unconscious. Turning back to the Kyuubi-Inu spirit, he silently marveled at its girth and immense potential, wondering if it still had the destructive capabilities it had, before its untimely demise.

"To be released from the Thousand Year Lock Bound to consuming the life essence of your host." the man spoke coldly, almost triumphantly, as he'd been silently awaiting to see such a manifestation to occur. "Such insolence."

("You dare bark in my presence?! How about I silence you!")

Opening its mouth, the black qi system that could clearly be seen through the Spirit's transparent tails flashed rapidly, forcing the dark energy to redirect itself backwards and materialize in the creature's opened jaws. From there, the qi collected itself into a massive ball of pure energy and launched it straight at the unknown man.

The blast from the massive energy ball, blasted a path of earthly destruction through, creating a fissure in its wake. Unfortunately, the overall potential damage the ball could've caused was merely diminished to the size of a golf ball, and absorbed within the man's own being with just a gesture of a closed fist.

("!")

"Life's not far, is it? You were once destined for greatness, a peacemaker of the forgotten world of Heavenly Lands, only to be demoted to less than half of the impressive beast you once were." the man spoke diligently, his eyes never leaving the soulless black eyes of the Kyuubi-Inu. "Such an opportunity. One should reach out and take it in an instant."

'An opportunity, you say. This man, who has caused the same outcome of my fall from grace, now seeks for salvation.' the Kyuubi-Inu snarled subconsciously, only to gasp openly when it saw the same man appear directly in front of his mental prison.

Within Kyuubi-Inu's subconscious mind, he longed for the taste of freedom. The itchiness it felt through its paws began to weigh on its calculated mind, he was tucked away under the intense pressure of the chains that had bound him within his host's own subconsciousness. This space was only accessible through means of spiritual awareness and awakening, both things which would've required a lot of meditation and mental breakthroughs to achieve while also being spiritual sound in the physical world.

All practices and comprehension of the sudden visitor's arrival seemed to throw all sense of knowledge of spiritual practice right out the window.

"A proposition you say? Enlighten me of your pathetic views of a wasteful human life you've been given." spoke the beast from beyond its bounded chains, his eyes still ablaze with hatred that seeped from the chains in the form of blackened smoky wisps.

"As you are aware, this world is a land of a fake reality. A reality that had been altered to confuse the greatness this world missed out on experiencing. Nothing in this world ever goes according to the proper plan. For as long as you have lived, you have realized you've been living in a world of pain. Such a futile existence merely rotting away in suffering."

"You speak wisely of reform and strength unforeseen by those who have come before you. And after you." the Kyuubi-Inu replied with a nonchalant behavior, its large mouth curling up, resembling a sinister smile.

With the contract complete over a few indistinguishable words passed from the two beings, the man raised his hand to the golden seal which was used to establish the bearings and imprison the mental state of the Kyuubi-Inu, and began to crack under the immense pressure from the man's infused energy. However, striking such a deal with the Kyuubi-Inu and withstanding the influx of millions of years' worth of hatred and negative exposures of the Earthly World, had taken a toll on the man, who was now violently branded with a fiery spiral signia engraved on his right palm.

The man gave no signs of pain or anguish, as he continued to absorb the remaining of the darkened qi within himself, diminishing the once heavenly equipped chains into mere bondings that were well beyond their limit of usage. Taking a satisfying breath, the Kyuubi-Inu popped the chains that tied its movements, preventing it from moving freely. As the chains crumbled into mere dust and sand, the raw power of the beast was only manageable from the use of a secondary magic seal, which was casted upon its captor that was placed on the beast many eons ago.

The man knew this all too well, for the next phase of his plan would need a further breakthrough and years of patience and many more years of alchemy to accomplish without a hitch.

"How…do you feel…being able to..breathe?" the man asked breathlessly, as he could feel his own qi being quietly depleted from his body.

"Yes. The holes within my subconscious are starting to fill in. There's so much more room for freedom." the Kyuubi-Inu snarled, as it sensed the fading essence of its savior on the ground in front of him.

The man's once beautifully chiseled face had now begun to visibly chip and crack, as if his entire being was made of hardened clay. Holes began to become more visible, as the shell of the man's body deteriorated into dust. Seeing this, the man had preplanned the next phase. Which involved his own consciousness within the Kyuubi-Inu, in turn causing two very important yet destructive things to happen:

One, the physical manifestation of the Kyuubi-Inu could fully be controlled by the host, only to slowly deplete the host's mental state, causing great destruction in a physical space outside of the host's subconscious.

And two, the man's spiritual essence would pass through the host, giving him silent access to the overall qi system and give a more visual awareness within the host's physie.

With the contract now complete, the Kyuubi-Inu absorbed the remaining of the man's essence, infusing it with his own, before plotting his return in the mere future many years later. But unbeknownst to the man, the Kyuubi-Inu had plans of its own, and the needed plot it had prepared fell directly into place.

By the time the other disciples appeared back in the clearing, they all found the destruction created by the Kyuubi-Inu reverted back to its original state, as if it never happened. And as such, Lan Yu was asleep underneath one of the trees, only to awaken from his slumber when he heard twigs snapping around him.

"Tazuna! Tazuna-xiong! Riku-xiong! You're awake!" were the words Lan Yu heard faintly through his grogginess.

As his eyes grew accustomed to the brightness of the forest, the golden cladded man could see that Tazuna and Riku were indeed awake and surrounded by the worried disciples. As they hovered around them, Lan Yu walked over with a disgruntled face and stared down at his friends.

"Forget about trying to concern yourselves with me. You're all so selfish!" Lan Yu yelled, as he gave them a look of jealous hatred.

"If you were awake and performing your assigned task like you were supposed, I'd probably give a fraction of concern." Wei Zhan shot back without a pause, as he and Lan Yu stared with electricity in their eyes.

"How is the woman's son?" Tazuna asked suddenly, focusing the group back on himself. "Is he alright?"

"We made the unfortunate mistake of losing him." Ning Yuan apologized with a simple bow, before Tazuna stopped him.

"You did what you could. There's no need to apologize."

"Well, now that that's over with, can we go? All this talk of spiritual awareness is making me nauseated?" barked Riku, as he violently glared at the others, who could already feel the tension within them.

"Are you going to be alright?" Jun Min-Seong asked, only to be waved off by Wei Zhan.

"They'll be fine. If anything, I'd say they're way stronger than all of us put together! We'll be going ahead."

"Childe Lan. Are you coming with us?" Ning Yuan asked, as he walked up to the still grumpy man.

"Does it look like I want to stay here?!" Lan Yu spewed suddenly, before walking ahead of Ning Yuan, who merely sighed and followed his friends and fellow disciples back through the forest.

With the two Wolves now alone within the quiet space of the forest, the two Animals sat beside each other, neither opening their mouths to break the silence. Riku narrowed his eyes and stared at Tazuna's physical appearance, wondering if there was something wrong with him emotionally, which would've triggered the reaction he saw earlier in the Recovery Spring.

"What are you doing?" Tazuna asked, almost immediately, sensing he was being stared at from the left of him.

'Why is he staring at me so closely?!' Tazuna asked mentally, as he felt his inner self react with a flushed face.

"Your passiveness annoys me. You don't show any type of outward emotions." Riku huffed, clicking his tongue as he laid back down in the scorched grass and hardened clay dirt. "Would it kill you to be more expressive?"

'If only I could! I'll show you all sides of my emotions to you, Riku! I want you to see them!'

"You…want me to be more expressive?" Tazuna asked, basically rephrasing Riku's previous statement, causing the Grey Wolf to growl.

"Like you did at the Recovery Spring! You were blushing! And it wasn't because of your pollen allergy to hybrid fuchsia flowers!"

An awkward point of time passed, as Tazuna tilted his head in oblivious confusion to Riku's words.

"Damnit Tazuna! Say something, you bastard!"

This only made Riku even more frustrated, causing the Grey Wolf to immediately jump up and before he knew it, had pinned Tazuna to the ground. Such an action had caused Tazuna's face to become frozen in surprise. His mechanical eyes whirled and whizzed as they focused on his companion's features. From his sharp almond eyes, illuminous green eyes, well sculpted jaws and straight nose that was at a perfect angle. His velvety softened porcelain skin and toughness of his muscles which flexed and contracted underneath the bulky robes they were wearing.

All of which had attracted the Arctic Wolf physically.

'What is he doing?!' Tazuna asked himself, through the distraction of his rapidly beating heart. 'Is he getting a misinterpretation of what he wants me to do?!'

"Riku, I-" he spoke, before he saw the look in his guard's eyes.

"Shut up. Just shut up already! You may act innocent but you can't fool me!" Riku growled, his hands squeezing Tazuna's shoulders. "I know what I saw. You can't fool me when it comes to that moment. And here you are, pretending like I saw was nothing but a joke to you!"

'He…wants me to..be more open to him? Oh Riku…'

"It wasn't a joke, Riku." Tazuna explained to his long-time friend, before he involuntarily swallowed a lump in his throat, before he gently tucked a few stray hands behind his ear. "What you saw was real. All of it."

Riku could sense Tazuna's heart beating loudly within his robes, as his own ears grew hot and painfully red, as he felt the warmth of Tazuna's breath lingering on his face. It wasn't until he opened his eyes did the Grey Wolf realize just how close they actually were! His gaze seemed to pierce through the glass exterior of Tazuna's bionic eyes. The wires. The gears. Sensory motherboards, and tiny wireless pin light cameras. All of which came together to create a pair of beautifully crafted set of eyes. His gaze unexpectedly traveled down to the disguised Wolf's perfectly shaped lips, pink and luscious like a gorgeous mixture of bubblegum rouge.

"AH!" came a shout from Riku, who scurried back so quickly his boots picked up dust.

Riku felt his back hit a tree and instinctively clutched it, his heart almost leaping through his throat. Taking in large intakes of air, the Grey Wolf tried his best to settle himself down. Getting himself back under control, he realized he'd been hallucinating the entire ordeal!

Tazuna was still relaxing on the ground, his large snow white body glistening in the early afternoon sun, despite him having to battle an enormous Snake. His eyes were closed while his ears and tail twitched and flapped, keeping himself cool underneath the intensity of the blazing white orb in the sky.

Riku reached up and covered his mouth with his sleeve, his body breaking out into a cold sweat.

'No way! What the hell was that?! There's no way that was an illusion. It…felt way too real!'

"Riku." Tazuna spoke right after, his eyes opening to see Riku having a mental crisis far away from him. "Are you alright?"

'What's wrong with me?! Why can't I speak?!'

"I'm fine! Come on! I'm already sick of lingering around!" the Grey Wolf barked loudly, reverting back to his usual hot-blooded temperament.

But as Tazuna watched Riku walk away from him, he sensed his guard's emotions flow through him, as he secretly smiled a bit, before casting a soft gaze at him. Before his face turned to surprise, he caught a small glimpse of Riku's earlobes.

'He's blushing! Are…my eyes playing tricks on me! No. They can't be! They never do!'

"Let's go, Tazuna!" came another aggressive command, snapping the Arctic Wolf from his shocked state.

"I'm coming." Tazuna replied simply, reverting back to his typical emotionally aloof self, as he trailed behind his guard, as they made the trip back to the Five Gated Sects.

However, as he walked, Tazuna made no mind to the darkened aura that seemed to seep through his clothing, indiscreetly burning away the cultivation threads that were sewn into the fabric of his robes. From there, the wispy aura of a large Wolf's tail materialized, but it chose to slowly fade into obscurity. Leaving no traces of it being there behind.