chapter 2. The Shadow

Kouga fell to his knees as he watched the bloody masacer before him. He looked at the bodies of all his dead wolf compainions. Even Ginta and Hakaku lay dead, swimming in a puddle of their own blood.

"This can't be happening to me!" he yelled. He pounded the earth with his fists angrily. Tears found their way down his face and onto the ground before him. He looked up, blurry eyed to Sora. She had her bow loaded with an arrow and fired. She killed one of the demons. Soon, they all turned their attention, towards the holder of the sacred jewel of 4 souls.

She smirked evily, allowing her pearly fangs to show, she was half demon. Like her father. She fired another arrow and another. She soon ran out of them. She dropped her quiver but kept the bow held tightly in her clawed hands. She held it above her head. Her hand and the bow began to glow a soft pink.

She closed her eyes, as the light grew. When she reopened her eyes, thousands of arrows, made from pure energy itself shot at the birds of Paradise. Each one getting hit and dying, however, one remained. Even after getiing hit, it remained.

Sora gasped loudly. She fell down to her knees and began to scream in pain.

"A black jewel!" she yelled out painfully. Tears of pain welled up in her eyes and poured down her face quickly. She toppled over in pain. Her hands lay clasped onto the jewel around her neck. She let out another scream of pain. Kouga, couldn't bare to hear her scream. He ran at the last demon. His claws out in front of him as he charged.

His claws hit the flesh of the beast and made a large gash on it. Black blood began to pour down the wound. It splattered across his face and body as a smirk formed on his face. Then, something went wrong. The blood began to feel more like acid. He fell back in pain and was kicked by the demon, next to Sora.

He was facing her face. He looked at her and looked surprised. Her eyes were completely blank, as if she is a lifeless body. She lay unmoving and unbreathing. He moved his hand and arm to try and touch her face, but the pain was excrushiatingly aweful. He winced with pain as he screamed out in pain. Then, the pain left and he fell limp to the ground. He could see and hear things, but he couldn't move, nor speak.

He tried to look towards the Bird of Paradise, but it had vanished. The only trace of it ever being there, is all the dead demons, that lay on the blood stained ground. He soon found, that he had little. energy, to stay awake. His eyes closed as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

The sunlight poured into the room by a small window. Kouga lay in a bed. His body, bandaged and healed. Sora sat in a chair next to the window. She was looking out with her head in her hands. She sighed heavily once before being quiet once more.

Kouga looked up as his eyes opened. He felt stiff, almost like he could never move again. He didn't deserve to, as far as he is concerned. He let his fellow wolves die, while he was having a nice talk with old friends. What about Ayame. He had seen no sign of her, she must not have been there. He sighed with relief and pushed his into the pillow. He had never seen or heard of a pillow before, but he liked it.

He closed his eyes for a moment and reopended them to see Sora's violet eyes staring back at him. He practicaly jumped out of the bed with surprise. His heart began to pound more as she stayed where she was.

"You alright?" she asked lightly. Her eyes held a bright concern for him. He nodded slowly.

"I feel much better. What about you, you looked to be in so much pain before." he replied. She looked away angrily.

"Yes. I was in terrible pain, however, when you attacked the bird, his control fell." she said. Kouga tilted his head to the side confused.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Sora looked at him and smiled.

"Nothing." She replied. She smiled at him before leaving the room and going outside. Ronin, came in once Sora was gone. He walked up to Kouga's bed and looked at him

"Thanks, for saving sis, Mr. Wolfman." he said before turning around and running back out of the room. Kouga just stared at him as he left.

"Mr. Wolfman?" he repeated. He thought about it a moment before he began to laugh at it. He sat up and walked out the door of the room. He found himself outside intstantly. He covered his eyes with his hands, but his eyes soon adjusted to the light. Kouga looked up to the cloudless sky.

He heard children laughing suddenly. He turned around and saw Sora. Children were running and jumping around her. She was smiling brightly. She looked up and returned Kouga's gaze with a small blush. She quickly turned her attention back to the children.

'She acts so pure now, but, what about the girl I saw fighting. That girl had no limitations, no rules, and no boundries. She was free to fight her own way.' he thought. He felt someones hand on his shoulder. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was. However, in the trees across from him. A shadowy figure kept it's eyes cast on Sora.