I know, he seemed like such a nice guy at first Koichi, cest le vive. That is a great guess on Knightman, I may just go through with it if my original idea seems to cliché. Anyway, welcome to another chapter of "The Dangers of Werewolves". Recap: In last chapter, we didn't see very much go on, Princess Pride finally makes her appearance, revealing she knows about Lycanthropes, and Hokori asks out Chaula, much to her delight. While they are out, Raika sends Searchman to keep an eye on her and he shows Pride around. He later invites her to stay with him and Chaula, even though Chaula is a little uncomfortable about it. Is Raika going to fall in love with Princess Pride? What is Hokori going to do with Chaula? When are Lannd his friends coming back? Let's get some answers.

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It had been a few weeks since Princess Pride had made a surprise visit to Sharo, since then she had been staying with Raika and Chaula, and you could feel the tension in the house. Chaula had been going out with Hokori in all this time so she was rarely seen during the day, and every time she went out with Hokori, Raika always sent Searchman or Bass after her to keep an eye on her, and they would report back to him every night to tell him how things went, since Chaula no longer did. In fact, she rarely spoke to Raika, or even saw him. And when she did, it was only a fleeting encounter for she would be out the door or off to bed. Raika spent a lot of nights with Pride, sharing meals with her and doing activities he might normally do with Chaula, and one night, she even sat in his room with him while he showed her Chaula's program.

"So I could make Knightman real with this?" Pride asked him.

"Yes, and you can even incorporate it into cross-fusion for really powerful attacks." He responded.

"I'll have to think about it, it would be great, but I'm not sure how much care I could put into him, I've never really had time for a pet." She said.

"Well, I have to talk to Chaula about it first anyway, it's her program so it's her call really."

"Ok, well, thank you." Pride said. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"It's getting late, perhaps you should go to bed." Raika suggested.

"You're right, goodnight Raika." She said, and when he turned away she leaned over and kissed his cheek before exiting the room. Raika held his cheek and blushed when he heard the front door open and close. He knew it was Chaula coming back from another date. She walked down the hall with a sluggish gait and went into her room. He heard her bed thump as she crashed on it. Bass came up the stairs and entered Raika's room, climbing on his bed and facing him. Raika sighed before turning to the griffin.

"So what did they do tonight?" Raika asked.

"Hokori took her to a movie and they went hunting afterwards. I managed to get close enough to hear what they were saying when they caught their prey."

"And?"

"He wants her to come over to his home tomorrow night for dinner. His parents are out of town and so he would like her to spend the night with him." Raika started sweating when he heard this.

"And what did she say?" Bass gulped and rubbed the back of his head, not sure of what to tell him. "Well Bass? What did she say? She told him no right?"

"Well…"

"Answer me!" Bass sighed and gulped, bracing himself for the rage he knew the weredeer would produce when he told him.

"She said yes. She is going to go over there tomorrow night and spend the night with him. I'm sorry Raika." Raika's eyes whirled in anger and he stood up, moving to the door. Bass panicked and moved to intercept him.

"Get out of my way Bass." Raika commanded.

"Raika, take it easy, let her sleep. You can talk to her about it tomorrow, she won't leave until the late-afternoon." Bass pleaded.

"Besides, sir, doesn't Chaula deserve to be with another wolf?" Searchman asked, materializing on his bedpost.

"No, she deserves better. I told her that werewolves are dangerous."

"Yeah, and remember where that got you?" Bass growled.

"I explained it further afterward. I don't trust other wolves, guys."

"But Hokori seems friendly enough, he hasn't done anything to hurt her." Searchman said.

"Neither did the wolf who attacked me and her when we first met, and you know how that turned out!" Raika spat at Bass. "I don't trust other wolves and I especially don't trust Hokori, he seems too friendly." Raika reeled from his emotions.

"Are you sure you aren't just jealous of Hokori for getting her attention instead of you Raika?" Searchman asked. Raika blushed and shook his head.

"No! Even if I did like her, she already made her choice, and so has the princess." Raika answered.

"What does Pride have to do with this?" Bass asked.

"She-she kissed me tonight, just on the cheek, but it was a kiss nonetheless."

"And do you feel the same way for her that she does for you, sir?" Searchman asked.

"I-I don't know. I just know that I am worried about Chaula, I don't want her to make a big mistake and end up getting hurt." Raika said, calming down just a little.

"Well, you can talk to her about it tomorrow. I'm tired, she's tired, and I can tell you are tired. Go to bed Raika, goodnight." Bass said, leaving the room. Raika sighed and followed Bass out the door. He noticed Bass went downstairs first, probably going to get something to eat before going to sleep. He went into Chaula's room and looked at her.

She was so tired, she didn't even change into her nightgown before going to sleep. Raika closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, walking over to the closet. He took out her nightgown and walked over to her. He carefully undressed her till she was in her underwear and put the nightgown over her before he tucked her into bed. He put her PET in the charger, noticing Protias was in sleep mode as well. He turned his attention back to Chaula and walked to her bed, sitting on the edge of it and gently petting her while she slept.

"Chaula, what are you getting yourself into?" He asked quietly. She breathed deeply and when he touched her face, she rubbed her head against his hand, trying to be closer to it. He smiled and leaned down, gently kissing her forehead.

"Raika…" She murmered. He was startled, thinking she was awake, but he noticed she didn't move or behave any differently, so he figured she was just dreaming.

'But why would she dream about me?' He wondered.

"She's confused you know." Raika turned to the door and saw Bass standing in the doorway. "She's struggling to find someone to love. Her heart and her instincts are fighting with each other. One is telling her who her true love is, and the other is telling her who she should love. She doesn't know which to listen to."

"But which is which?" Raika asked him. Bass walked to the bed and climbed on it carefully, trying not to wake her up. He lifted her head and laid it against him and moved a possessive wing over her.

"I don't know. But I do know this, seeing you with another girl is affecting the fight. Whether it's in the favor of her heart or her instincts is impossible to tell. But I do know that you can end the fight with a choice, and I have a feeling it is one you have to make soon. Now really, Raika, go to bed. Thank you for getting her in bed properly, now you should get some sleep. Goodnight." Bass said, laying his head by Chaula's and drifting off into a deep sleep.

"Goodnight Bass, goodnight Mary." Raika said, exiting the room. He walked back into his own room and changed into his pajamas and laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. He looked at the falcon at his headboard who was preparing to sleep.

"Searchman, what do I do? Do I like Chaula or do I like Pride? I don't know." Searchman opened one eye and stared at Raika.

"I can't tell you that sir, only you can tell yourself. All I can tell you is to look deep inside yourself and find the answer within you."

"Thank you Searchman, goodnight."

"Goodnight sir." Searchman said and he yawned, going back to sleep. Raika turned over onto his side and let out a shaky breath, drifting into an uneasy sleep.

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Raika was walking through the forest, in full deer form, and it was very snowy.

"Chaula?!" He cried out. Not getting an answer, he continued searching, calling out occasionally.

Suddenly, he found himself in a clearing. He looked around and saw nothing, as he continued, two wolves appeared in front of him, one a snowy white, the other a deep black with a white stripe.

"Chaula! There you are." Raika said, happily. He approached Chaula with a happy trot when she turned at him, her blazing-blue eyes dark and evil. Raika stopped and tilted his head. "What's going on?" He asked. She snapped at him and drove him back, then she turned to the wolf, nuzzling and cuddling him. Suddenly, the two wolves broke into a fight, the white wolf eventually pinning her down. "No!" Raika yelled and he tried to go help her, but he couldn't move, the white wolf mounted himself on her and she screamed.

"Raika! Raika!" She yelled as the wolf had his way with her.

"No! No, Chaula!" Raika called, trying to get free to help her.

"Raika! Raika! Can you hear me? Raika, please! Raika!"

Raika sat straight up, his eyes wild and his body drenched with sweat.

"Raika!" He looked to his right and saw Chaula, holding his arm and looking worriedly at him.

"Chaula?" He quietly asked. She nodded and pulled him into a hug. As he laid in her arms, he remembered where he was.

"It was just a dream Rai-Rai, that's all, it's ok." Chaula said comfortingly. Raika nodded and clutched her arm. Chaula laid her head on his and breathed slowly into his ear.

"Thank you Chaula." Raika said, not moving. Chaula nodded and tightened her grip on him.

"Raika, we need to have a talk. Can you send the Princess and your navi away? Just for a little while?" She asked him.

"Yes. I will Chaula." Raika responded. They sat there like that for a couple of minutes, then they separated and went their own ways to get dressed and wait for everyone to wake up.

TBC

Wow, long chapter. I like this, a lot of sentimentality going on here. Your thoughts on this chapter? Read and review.