"One must achieve harmony in order to coexist with the monster within."
Ears flat against her head, Shizuka bared her fangs at Hikaru. She didn't like this creature, and it didn't help from their previous encounter that she wanted nothing more than to destroy him. He had forced her, her to submit and that was something that struck a deep cord to her pride. Not only as a beast, but as a creature always asserting their dominance over others. To have been dominated in such a way, it was like something had cut deep into her bones and caused her such excruciating pain. It wasn't something she was used to, and definitely not willing to repeat. Her eyes remained locked on his form as he began talking. She, as a creature, understood nothing he spoke. It all came out as grunts and snarls to her. Although they were not, to her, they sounded like challenges being made, and she stood her ground until his aura flared.
She bared her fangs, tongue swiping over her canines as she took a step back, all four paws digging into the ground. Her breathing evened out as she remained locked in a heated gaze with the male in front of her. She hated the feeling of whatever this was. The feeling of wanting to dominate the creature that had dominated her so easily. She wanted to prove that she and not he, was the superior creature, however; there was something that clicked in the back of her mind as her eyes glazed over slightly, her instinct to fight receding temporarily. Shizuka opened her mahogany eyes, floating in a deep abyss as a fraction of light pierced through the veil. She squinted her eyes, trying to adjust to the light that blinded her so.
"Shizuka," there was that voice again. She managed to adjust her eyes in time to see a woman, beautiful golden locks flowing gently behind her with piercing blue eyes that felt as if they would peel off Shizuka's skin. She was wrapped in a white cloth that Shizuka couldn't quite pin what it was. "Shizuka, you must not fight it. It isn't a contest of who is the dominate one. It is to come to an understanding that you need each other," the woman spoke, hand reaching out to caress Shizuka's face. The woman smiled at the confused look upon Shizuka's face and merely shook her head.
"What are talking about? If I am not the one in control, then the beast will be let loose upon everyone. I can't afford that," Shizuka retorted as her eyes hardened. The woman shook her head, a sad sigh leaving her lips. She was confused. How could she need something so...vile? She didn't ask to be born with this curse. She didn't ask to be born at all. The woman's eyes saddened greatly at that thought, causing Shizuka to frown. Could she hear her thoughts? The woman floated closer to Shizuka, taking her arms in her hands before pulling her into a warm embrace.
"It is a gift, Shizuka. It is not a curse. It is a gift that will allow you to protect those you love, to protect those you must," the woman whispered softly against Shizuka's hair. Something warm fell against Shizuka's cheek as it ran down her face. "I couldn't, but you can. But you must also learn that it is a great responsibility, one you cannot share alone. Let him help. Do not fight him," she stated, causing Shizuka to tilt her head in confusion. Let who help? It was then that she heard her name being called, and she turned towards the source. Through golden eyes, she could see Hikaru, talking and keeping eye contact with her. She turned to face the woman, however; the woman was gone. In her place sat her beast.
Shizuka glared at the creature as its fangs were gleaming, bared in a stance of challenge. She merely kept it's gaze, a chill crawling down her spine in the process. The wolf stood, it's paws digging into the black veil as it walked towards her, baring it's fangs still in a challenging manner. There was only one thing Shizuka truly wanted. She wanted him dead, the one who was responsible for the mark on her neck, the deaths of the students at the festival, and attacking her friends. She could feel the wolf's hot breath against her face as it stood merely centimeters away. Her hand reached out to the wolf, grasping it's nose in a surprising gentle manner. The wolf merely growled loudly, it's lips twitching as Shizuka scratched the bridge.
"I do not need you. You are the one who needs me. Without me, you would not be here. You would cease to exist until the next unfortunate soul inherits you, however; who knows how long before you are reborn again," she stated, hand still gliding over the bridge of the wolf's nose. The wolf growled as if to disagree with that statement. "You have killed my family, those vampires, and have scarred countless others. You will not do so again, but," she paused, glancing back through the golden veil of the wolf's eyes. She could see Hikaru take a step towards her as he demanded that she return, to him. She scoffed before returning her attention towards the beast once more.
"Give me Esaias," the wolf stipulated. "Give me Esaias and I will be at your whim, however; fail to deliver him to me shall result in the annihilation of those you love," it continued as Shizuka's gaze hardened once more. She couldn't deny the boiling feeling in her blood at the mention of that man's name. It was he who marked her with his mark, and the wolf in her had loathed it. She loathed the thought of belonging to anyone but him, her precious Judai, but even then that thought seemed wrong. The wolf laughed at that thought. "You poor child. You do not know do you? Even if you had loved him, he was not yours. Esaias was right about one thing, a wolf only chooses one mate for the rest of its life. Esaias believes it to be you, however; you are not his," the wolf mocked her as Shizuka shook her head.
"You forget. I belong to no one, but I will comply with your demand. Esaias will pay for what he has done," Shizuka retorted as the wolf smiled a wolfish grin. She could feel her bones snapping back into place as her frame shifted, however; her eyes remained the golden hue and her hair the snow-white sheen it once retained. "What makes you think I would ever return to you," she stated to Hikaru, however; it was stated in a mocking tone as a smirk played on her lips.
"Lies are told to protect those we love, but in the end, they only end up hurting them."
Sora couldn't explain the clenching feeling of his heart nor why it hurt so much. With the events that came to pass, there was a lot weighing on his mind. The first was the first incident with Shizuka, when she first appeared within the classroom before Hikaru had intervened. How could he have not known that she was that creature. Looking back on it, the scent of cinnamon had filled the room almost as strongly as the scent of blood. But then again, he wasn't focused on the scents littering the room, but the vampires that were being torn to pieces. There was nothing he could have done. If he had learned anything from Hikaru, it was that the wolf's blood wouldn't allow his own ability, nor the others, to be used to subdue her. There was literally nothing he could have done, but that did not change the fact that he should have done something.
The next was the festival, when the third one appeared. How many werewolves were there in the world? Hikaru did not count amongst them for he was not a werewolf but he was neither vampire. He was a creature stuck in between. The third creature had shifted fully like Shizuka had, however; it was evident that he was much stronger than she. More-so that he had managed to stand toe-to-toe with Hikaru. That alone caused Sora to worry. If that creature was as strong as his brother, then what exactly was it? Hikaru had shown just how much stronger he was than Shizuka, she being a pure-blooded werewolf, or as far as he could tell. Was the third one like Hikaru? Sora shook his head of the thoughts as they traveled back to Nikki and what had happened.
She had lost her sister. Her sister tried to commit suicide during the attack, and would have succeeded had she not been a pure-blood. It was why he had dealt the final blow to the young girl. Sora glanced at his hand as he reached towards the ceiling. His hands were clean, but they still felt so dirty. He could smell her blood still lingering on them, mixing in with Sebastian's. His eyes narrowed at the thought of the older Edyta pure-blood. There was no doubt in his mind that Sebastian would be informing his father of Nicole being disowned. He frowned at that thought. His father had never been a key factor in his life, and it wasn't until recently, when he announced the engagement to the Edyta pure-blood's daughter, that Sora even saw his father.
Heisuke was never one to be part of the family, however; if Sebastian told Heisuke that he no longer had heir's, then Heisuke would call of the engagement and shove Sora to another. He frowned at that thought. He wasn't a bargaining chip to be placed wherever his father saw accordingly. He was a pure-blood vampire, one who wanted to see much more of the world than he had with his mother and brother. He wanted to see that world with her, his current fiance. He wanted to share that with Nicole. He sighed, running a hand through his hair in the process. What had become of him in these last few days, weeks? He had never felt the desire to protect someone so much as he wanted to protect her, and having failed her twice, it only caused him to doubt if he'd be able to truly do so.
Perhaps, if the engagement is called off, she can find someone who was stronger than he was, someone who would be able to protect her. There was a soft knock on his door, causing him to sit up from his bed in the process. He could smell her through the door, and he debated whether or not he should answer it. Of course, it would be hypocritical of him not to answer it. He did, after all, state that he would be here for her once she made her decision. He took a deep breath and released it slowly. He stood from his bed and slowly made his way towards his door. There was a sense of anxiety running through his being, and it only intensified when he opened the door and ushered her inside. Once she was seated, her statement caught Sora off guard. He swallowed thickly before releasing the breath he wasn't aware he was holding.
"I didn't want to lie, but I had no choice. Hikaru and I were sworn to secrecy by our mother to never share what he was with others. But, I suppose there was no going passed you. I hope you can forgive me for lying to you, but honestly, I was trying to protect you. Fine job I'm doing so far," he stated, a bitter chuckle leaving his lips in the process. "I did not lie though when I said I didn't know the first one, but now I know her identity as are you I am sure," he stated, referring to Shizuka's transformation in front of the whole school. The Day Class wouldn't remember it, however; keeping the vampires of the Night Class in a hushed whisper about it was going to be difficult.
"I have no worries of those two, but it's the third one that...sends chills down my spine. I do not know who he is or what he wants," he continued, sitting cross-legged in front of Nicole. His golden gaze stared at where her wounds once were and a small smile of relief plagued his lips. At least she could heal properly now. He took in a slow breath, releasing it just as slowly as his gaze never left hers. "I can understand if you are upset with me though," he stated, his smile returning to his lips as it brightened.