"No!"

"Yes!" Another chorus of 'No's' resound off the walls of the hall as each of them bark in protest.

"Haruka," Tokiya rests a hand on my shoulder. "There is no way you are going with us on this."

I counter him with, "Yes, I am! And you're not going to stop me." They all groan at my response, but I continued. "This involves me just as much as it involves you all. I'm going with you." Our arguing has been on and off for the whole day, even when the sun has started to set and they were expected to leave in just a few minutes, but I refuse to give up here. I have to go. I have to.

Ren runs a hand through his hair. "Lady, we can't have you go with us. If something were to happen to you-"

"But nothing will. Besides, if I didn't go who would be there to reassure you again if you suddenly started doubting yourselves?" I sigh. "I know you all are only thinking about my well-being, but I think everything will turn out okay. After all, you all will be there, and we'll be together too." Flashing a look of determination, I tell them, "I promised the others that I would make sure you got back okay. I intend to keep my word."

"Haruka," Otoya starts. "I know you want to keep your promise, and that you want us to be together, but we can't let you go with a good conscience."

"He's right." Syo chimes in. "Even if something were to happen, it'd be entirely our fault."

Looking away, I sigh before quietly whispering, "You all said you'd protect me, right? I wouldn't be in any danger if you guys were there…"

They quickly shut their mouths, each of them quietly thinking to themselves. I knew well enough that danger would be waiting for me outside these walls. I knew they didn't want me to get hurt on their accounts. I knew all of that, but I can't be left behind. They have to let me go with them.

Masato hums softly, "Why do you want to go so badly?"

Unblinking, I respond, "To be honest, I don't want to because I know that whatever's waiting out there would hurt me. I need to go with you. Just...It's just a feeling in my heart; that if I don't go, something will go wrong." Masato nods at my response, though the others don't look so happy with it.

Tokiya smirks, "You're not giving up are you?" I shake my head. Tokiya turns to the others. Holding a steady gaze, they seem to have their own conversation, one without words. Tokiya sighs before turning to me. "Alright, you can come with us, but you have to listen to what we say. If we say hide, you hide. If we say run, you run. Okay?"

Smiling, I nod at them, "I understand."

Syo clasp his hands together and nods to us, "Now that that's settled, can we go? The sun had already set. We need to get going now."

"Of course." Masato nods. Gesturing to Ren, he says, "We'll lead the way to where we first found her."

And with that we set off. It was nightfall when we walked down the front steps, crickets chirped under the starlight as we wandered off the path and into the woods. At first glance, it seemed like we were just on a casual stroll through the night, but as the terrain became a bit more troubling to cross, it stopped feeling like a walk in the park. They would often lend me their hand when we crossed a stray rock of upturned root, and stuck close to me whenever a stray animal would wander by. At first I hadn't really noticed how on edge they were, until we kept getting closer to our destination. With every breeze, every leaf that fell, it caused them to jump back in surprise.

"It'll be fine." I told them for the umpteenth time.

"Maybe," Syo takes my hand as we come across a small ravine. "But it doesn't hurt to be careful, ya know?" Nodding to him, we continue our way into the forest. I'm sure we only walked for maybe a half hour or so, but it felt so much longer to me. My skin prickled at the thought of running into her too soon. The knot of anticipation in my stomach only became tighter as we kept walking. We must be getting close by now… She can't be that far away.

"We're almost there." Masato nods to me. Pointing in the distance he says, "Just beyond that line of trees. That's where we found her scent." I nod to him and we once again fall into a comfortable silence. We're so close now… What if we actually find her there?

"Haruka," Looking up I notice Natsuki smiling down at me. As if reading my mind, he says, "Don't worry too much over it. You'll be okay."

"Right…" As we make it to where Masato pointed to, Otoya shifts into a wolf and immediately starts sniffing the earth and trees. Syo and Cecil are quick to follow his lead, though Natsuki, Ren, Masato and Tokiya stayed with me. The shift through the area for a little bit, eventually moving deeper into the woods. We follow carefully, Tokiya and Masato sticking close to my side. When several minutes go by, as Otoya and the others continue their search, Ren calls them back.

"Anything yet?" He asks. The wolves whimper in response, shaking their heads. "Oh…" He looks to Masato, who simply shakes his head. "There's no way we went to wrong way. I'm sure this is where she is." Ren runs a hand through his hair with a sigh before shifting into a wolf and bounding ahead, loose clothes just barely staying on his body.

Syo and Cecil move to sit on the ground, hangs hanging low and ears laid back. Otoya yaps at the two of them, most likely saying something meant to encourage them. The wolves glance between each other before bounding after Ren, each taking a second try to find her scent.

"What will you do if she isn't here?" I ask.

Masato answers, "Then there isn't much we can do. None of us want to take the risk of putting you in danger, no matter what."

A long howl echoes in the night, one close by, and I stiffen at the thought of it being her, but Natsuki is quick to reassure me. "It's Otoya, he found her scent." We quickly rush after them, hoping that we were hot on her trail, though fearing for what may come for us.

Just a few short moments later, we were surrounding Otoya and the others, each of them taking a careful sniff of the area around them. Syo shifts back to his human form, as he wipes the dirt off of his hands and adjust his clothes. "She's really close to here. Her den might be within a few meters of where we're standing."

"That's good news, right?" I ask.

"If we can get a definite trail on her, it is. It's hard to explain, but her scent kind of disappears and reappears in different spots. None of them are connected as far as we can tell." Syo rubs the back of his neck as the other wolves continue their search. "Best to wait till we find out." He shifts back into his wolf and follows the others, each of them spreading out slowly from each other. Natsuki nods at his roommate and shifts as well, following his own trail. And with that, I was left alone with the two most stoic member s of the group. A quick glance in their direction told me they were really on edge tonight, judging by the way they continuously shifted their eyes in each direction.

"Um," I hum softly at the only two humans near me. "Not to be rude, but why aren't you two looking for her?"

Tokiya smiles softly at me. "Someone has to stay nearby and look after you, right?"

"As the saying goes," Masato nods at Tokiya. "'Two heads are better than one.'"

Our conversation is interrupted by a crack like thunder followed by the sound of collapsing earth and a sharp yelp of pain. Without hesitation, we all rush over to where we heard it, only to come up to a gaping hole in the ground, roughly two meters wide and more than five meters deep. I notice a flash of red fur at the bottom of the dark pit and try to lean closer for a better look. Someone grasp my arm, jolting my heart, and pulls me back.

Tokiya holds onto my shoulders tightly, "Don't get too close, or you'll fall in too." I nod sheepishly at him before turning back to the hole.

The others shift back to their human forms, as Cecil calls out, "Otoya, are you okay?" No response. Cecil moves to lean closer, only for a few rocks to collapse under his feet causing Ren to grab the back of his sweatshirt and yank him back.

A soft groan echoes from the hole. Leaning closer, Cecil calls out one more time, this time a bit farther from the edge. "I'm alright." The redhead calls back. "I'm just… Just a little sore, really. But…" He pauses. "I don't think I can so easily climb out of here."

Natsuki turns to Syo, "Do you think he fell into an animal's den?"

Syo shakes his head. "No animal den would be this deep into the ground or this wide." Syo looks back down and calls out, "Are you sure there's no way out?" No response.

We exchange glances with each other for a quick moment before Otoya's voice echoes from below. "Uh… You might want to come down here…"

Ren eyes go wide as he asks aloud, "Did you find her?"

"No." Otoya responds. "But her scent is all around here… Just hurry up and come down." Without hesitation, Cecil jumps down into the hole, just barely slipping himself. Syo and Natsuki follow quickly after, as I stand near the edge, Tokiya's hands still on my shoulders. Ren and Masato nods to us before jumping down into the darkness.

"Um… I'm not so su-" My words are cut off as Tokiya picks me up bridal style and slides down into the pit below us. I yelp as I wrap my arms around his neck, and quickly shut my eyes. The falling feeling in my stomach stops as Tokiya sets me down onto the ground, my arms and legs shook like leaves as I let out a sigh of relief.

I hadn't realized I had closed my eyes, but it did nothing in the pitch black hole. Whether they were open or not made no difference and I blindly reach out to grasp something. Someone takes my hand and holds it firmly as I mutter a 'Thank you' to them. I take a moment to look upwards, toward the sky, but I could just barely see the blanket of night from down here. A rock crumbles from above me, tumbling toward the ground and causing a faint echo.

"I...I can't see a thing…" I whisper.

"Ah," Syo hums softly. "Sorry. We probably should have realized that you can't see in the as well as us."

"Has your eyesight really gotten better?"

"Enough to see more in the dark than when we were human," Masato responds. "It's not perfect but we can just barely make out where we are."

"And where would that be?" I grasp the hand I'm holding onto as I raise my other hand close to my heart.

The grip on me tightens as Tokiya speaks softly, "There's a hallway here, like a tunnel almost. Look down there." He raises my hand directly in front of me. "Can't you see that faint glimmer of light at the end?"

Squinting my eyes, I look to where he's pointing only to see just a speck of light. "It's so far…" I tell him. "It almost looks like a star from here."

"We should be grateful," Natsuki says aloud. "It's a straight shot there."

"Then there's no point in standing around here." Masato tells us. "Let's start moving." Slowly, Tokiya pulls me forward as I blindly wander down the hallway. The rough earth below my feet quickly turns into smooth concrete as our steps start to echo more and more down the hall.

Being unable to see was bothersome to me, but I was grateful that someone was guiding me through the somewhat cramped hall. "Uh…" I mutter, furrowing my brow. "I was just wondering this earlier, but… What do you plan to do when you meet her?"

"Convince her to leave hopefully." Ren answers me. "Or if we're lucky; get a type of cure from her."

"And if she doesn't leave?"

"If push comes to shove," Syo responds. "We'll have to fight her off. I just hope she'll understand why she needs to leave in the first place…"

Humming in response, I ask, "I didn't know you all were hoping for a cure."

"I don't think we are," Tokiya mutters. "But if we do find some way to fix all this, we'd be wrong to turn it away."

Otoya adds, "If finding a cure will put you at ease, then we don't mind it." We fell into a comfortable air of silence, the only sound penetrating that silence was our own soft steps and our somewhat nervous breathing. Without even realizing it, the light was much closer than before and could only be a few minutes away from us.

My heart starts thumping hard against my chest. What if she's there? We'd be walking straight into a trap. She could already know we're here.

"Haruka," Cecil calls out to me. "You've nothing to worry over. Everything will turn out fine. We promise…"

"Right…"

Once again, we fall in another silence, none of us saying a word for what seemed like forever, until Natsuki asks out of nowhere, "Hey, Haruka…"

"Hm?"

"I've been meaning to ask, but how do you feel about all of this? All this werewolf stuff." Instantly, I can feel seven pairs of eyes on me as I try to organize my thoughts.

"Well…" Trying my best to ignore the stares, I continue, "In the beginning, I don't think I believed it for a moment. It felt like everything was just a far off dream to me…" My thoughts flash to the dreams I did have, the ones where the colored wolves would come and protect me from whatever that dark force was. It's been a long time since I've had a dream with them… "But when Masato and Ren first showed me, I was surprised yet also a bit relieved."

"Relieved?" They ask in unison.

"Yes, I was glad. It felt like I was being protected. It made me feel a little safer. I honestly don't know why I felt so calm in the beginning, but as time moved on; I started to feel fearful of… Well, everything. Every morning, I came downstairs hoping none of you got hurt. I often woke up hoping that that day would be the one where everything would feel normal again." I quiet down, as the light gets closer and closer to us. "I guess now, It still feels as if I'm being protected, but… I'm not sure, like something's just wrong with all of this… Like the smallest detail could have prevented everything…"

"The past is the past…" Cecil tells me. "We can only keep going forward…" As he says that, we stop, the light now directly in front of us. From a distance, it looked like a single speck in the inky black night, but up close, I realize the light was coming from under two doors, each leading to the room in front of us.

"I think we're here." Without another moment of hesitation, Tokiya pushes open the tall wooden doors, a long and irritable creak echoes down the hall as we slowly walk into a brightly lit room. I quickly shut my eyes from the overly bright light, before carefully opening them. We stared in awe at the grand display of it all. An exquisite chandelier hung from the ceiling as it loomed over blood red plush carpet. The room was circular with a lowered center and three small indents off to the sides, one to the right being a dusty unused fireplace; the center holding an old wooden upright piano, and the one to our left had an elegant table covered in thin white silk with several dead roses lying on top. Throughout the room were eight paintings on stands and surrounded by gold frames, each of a person in either a dress or a tuxedo. Under the paintings were black bows and a bouquet of flowers, each wilting in the underground air.

Slowly, we step into the room, both Natsuki and Syo sticking close by me. Though the piano, the fireplace, and the table we're covered in a thin layer of dust, the rest of the room was surprisingly clean, not a speck of dust was any of the paintings or the carpet. I walk closer the one of the paintings around the room to examine it. A man with spiked red hair stared off to my left, a fierce look in his fiery eyes, yet a gentle expression on his face. He was surprisingly familiar, like the face of a person you would see walk past you down the street, but I couldn't quite think of a name to match.

Natsuki moves away from me towards another painting, one of an older woman with long wavy blonde hair. She had the appearance of a loving mother and was fondly smiling toward something not seen in the portrait.

Syo nudges his shoulder. "Hey, Natsuki." The taller blonde hesitates before looking at the other. "Do you know her?"

He shakes his head. "She seems familiar, but I'm afraid I've never met her in my life." Syo nods in response as I hear Cecil hum softly from the other side of the room.

Glancing over, I see him staring intently at a portrait of another young man. Walking closer, I notice his prominent features. He had dark hair and skin, and would look like a very kind and upstanding man, if the several piercings in his face didn't gleam so threateningly. On the side of his neck was a very intricate tattoo design, not like Cecil's, but somewhat familiar.

Cecil suddenly states, "This man is a citizen of Agnapolis…" Looking up, I notice a distant look in his eyes.

"Was he a friend of yours?"

"No, but I may have noticed him before. Perhaps in my home or walking through the streets…" His trails off, obviously lost in thought over it.

I would've pressed more on the matter, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention; a painting of the girl who threatened my life. Almost immediately, I found myself standing in front of her portrait. Her hair was down, though much shorter, and was still as white as ever. She wore a light blue dress with white lace around the collar, and had a sapphire brooch around her neck. She looked incredibly elegant, and was smiling towards the painter. The beaming expression seemed unfamiliar on her as well as the short hair. Despite the joyful appearance and fancy clothing, her yellow eyes bored into my own and filled me with much uneasiness.

Tearing my eyes away, I move toward the abandoned fireplace. Besides the dust on the mantle, there were also a few group pictures, all of the pictures being of the girl and a few other people with her. Wiping away the dust on them, I take note of each portrait. They all looked incredibly happy in the first photo, but as I continued looking down the rest of them, they slowly grew more sorrowful. With each photo, the group of people grew wearier looking, as if they hadn't slept in ages.

"They're wolves…" Spinning around, I notice Tokiya standing by my side, staring down at the photos. "These people were a pack."

"How can you tell?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I'm not sure… Something in their eyes I think…" He moves to grasp one of the frames before bringing it closer to himself, clearly intrigued by it. Moving to the table on the other side of the room, I notice yet another familiar painting. It was of a young woman with a mischievous glint in her eye and a grin on her lips. Her long spiked hair was a dark blue color, as were her eyes, and she seemed to carry a 'rock' type aura around her, similar to Ranmaru.

All these people look so familiar to me. Even a few of the others seem to notice it too… Looking away, I continue my quest to the other side of the room and find myself gazing over the long dead roses. It looked as if even breathing in their direction would cause them to break, and I made no attempt to grab any of them. Because the wilted flowers and thick layer of dust laid upon them, it made it impossible to tell what they're original colors were so I opted to ignore them and make my way toward the piano.

Blowing the dust off the keys, I test each one as they reveal their joyous yet simple sounds. Surprisingly, the sounds showed the well-kept state of it, as the instrument was perfectly tuned despite the age it was. As I run my hands across the top, I notice the small scratches across its surface and specks of chipped paint from long before we arrived. The keys were well worn down; light shallow scratches where nails have hit them were clearly visible.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Ren voices as he runs a hand through his hair. "This room has her scent all over it, yet she made her den in a room without a bed or anything."

"We don't know for sure this is where she sleeps." Otoya moves away from a painting, the one of the red haired man. "We have a den of our own for our nights as wolves too. She could've slept outside like we used to."

"It's not just that," Tokiya pauses, sniffing the room as he inhaled the smells of it. "Our scents are here too."

"What?" I ask.

"This is our first time here." Syo comments. "It's impossible."

"That's not the only problem," Masato steps down toward the center of the room. "These painting are unsettling. These people look so familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen them before."

"And more importantly…" Ren looks between us. "She isn't here right now."

"So we'll wait?" I ask.

"No," Tokiya answers. "Waiting for her might put us at a disadvantage. She'll know we're here."

"Then we should leave?" Syo questions.

"Not quite, Munchkin." Ren shakes his head. "If we leave it will only make her more aggressive and suspicious of us. Not only that, but there's an even greater chance she'll go after Haruka."

Otoya nods. "So we'll-" Eyes widening, he stops and shifts his gaze to the double doors, mouth agape as he stood frozen in place. Quickly the others look in the same direction, shock written across their faces.

Without a moment's hesitation, Cecil quickly grabs my arm and brings me towards one of the indented walls of the room. Placing his finger to his lips, he whispers, "Stay here for now." gently pushing me towards a small corner, just barely out of sight from the doors. Before I can say anything else, the prince dashes back toward the others, shifting into his wolf form and taking an offensive stance in the center of the room. Following his lead, the others shift into their wolves as well each snarling at the wooden entrance.

With a crack like thunder, the doors burst from their hinges, falling to the floor, as a wolf with fur like snow lunges toward the center. Within moments, her jaws were aimed for the nearest wolf, that being Cecil. I sigh in relief when he successfully dodges her first attack, but gasp when he fails to dodge the next. Within mere milliseconds her teeth were dug into soft flesh and fur, Cecil yelps in pain as a few drops of blood splatter against the carpet. The drops of blood quickly blend in with the equally red carpet.

Otoya lunges for the wolf, effectively landing on her back and drives his fangs into her shoulder. Dropping Cecil, she pushes her paw into his throat before grabbing Otoya by the leg and throwing him as hard as she can, straight into Syo. Cecil yelps, struggling to get to the others but the white wolf doesn't stop there. Grabbing onto his scruff, she tosses him into Masato, who together crash into one of the paintings.

Ren and Tokiya pounce for her simultaneously, both aiming for her throat. She's quick to bound away from them, towards Natsuki, and as they pounce again, she pulls Natsuki in front of her. Without any time to move away they crash into each other, each of them yelping as two of the paintings land on them.

Otoya and Syo make a mad dash for her but she once again anticipates this. Tripping Syo, she grabs him by the leg, and swings him into Otoya before throwing him into another painting. She wastes no time in looking around the room before she spots me cowering in the corner. I'm sure she would've been on me within a second if not for Masato and Cecil, who were quick to push her back.

My eyes go wide as she once again grabs onto Cecil's throat and uses him as a shield against Masato. Each time Masato lunges for her, she forces the brown wolf into jaws as he yelps in pain. Once again, she throws the brown wolf into Masato before being tackled by Syo. He's successful in knocking her onto her back, but she quickly turns the tides in her favor. Placing her powerful hind legs onto his stomach, she forcefully pushes him towards the low hanging ceiling. Syo yelps as his back roughly slams against the all too delicate chandelier before falling back to the ground below, the white wolf just barely dodging him herself.

Syo slowly forces himself back onto his feet before he's quickly shoved out of the way by Natsuki. Like the crashing of icicles, the chandelier falls, right on top of him. Natsuki has no time to dodge it before bits of metal and glass lodged him into place onto the floor. With a yelp, Natsuki can do nothing but lay there under the piles of the once grand chandelier. He makes an effort to escape but whimpers when he can't find a way out. Syo rushes forward to help, but is once again thrown to the side by the white wolf

This can't be… Heart thumping and mind racing, I could do nothing but stand in horror of the scene in front of me. As the fight progressed each of them gained more and more scars and gashes over their bodies. In mere moments, the once luxurious room was in disarray as paintings shattered against the weight of seven wolves being thrown into them.

It took only a few minutes for Otoya and Natsuki to be knocked out cold by her force, while Cecil and Syo were just barely standing now. Ren, Masato, and Tokiya were still fighting to their last breath, though it was obvious by the ungraceful way they moved that they were in serious pain. The white wolf, however, looked as if she could fight forever, ignoring the few scratches and bites across her body. The only standing wolves lunge for her, as I look away out of fear.

I trusted in them, and I truly believed that everything would turn out right, but the single thought that continuously ran through my mind filled me to the brim with doubt. They're losing!

Terribly sorry for the late update but with my internet down and my online classes piling up, I've been unable to get on to upload the latest chapter.

Ah, but at least the story is almost over. Don't worry though, I have another story idea that I'm working on right now! I'll post the first chapter as soon as possible so please enjoy this one for now! (There's also a bonus fic in the works for this as well. So feel free to go to my profile and look it up. It's rated M for gore just to let you know before hand though.)

As usual, please leave a review for this story and tell me what you think! I hope you all enjoy the rest of it as well! See ya next time!