The Summer Sun's Rays

[Tsukikage]

Tsuki snarled at the intruder, and his eyes and crest lit red. He seemed to take on a very dominant air -- as if he were speaking down upon a contemptible worm, rather than a dangerous opponent. "How dare you!?!" He barked. "You dare to enter our home and make threats that I assure you you cannot fulfill." His voice seemed to boom like the thunder itself, and the red light flared white. "You are no better to speak to Hitoban than a snake, much less look at her with those vile eyes! I see the evil in your soul, Ryuunosuke, and I swear to you that dragon or no, I will smite you if you take just one step nearer!"
The light faded, and Tsuki faltered. "W-wha-?" No, don't speak... but what was that? I couldn't sense Ryuunosuke because I was too distracted by Hitoban, and now this... I wonder...
Tsuki opened his dark gray eyes and stared at the intruder with as much resolve as he could muster, though his posture now made it clear that the two were on equal footing. "Now... if you wish to leave, I will not hinder it. Or maybe if you were to make peace, that would be acceptable, too. You don't have to do as your mother says all the time; if you have any good in you, I ask that you search your heart, and do what you believe is right. Otherwise..." He resumed his aggressive posture, and stepped between Hitoban and her half-brother.

Mar stood in absolute awe of his son's speech. Do I intervene? I am much larger and stronger than this guy, after all... He thought. No. This is Tsuki's land, and Little Miss Hitoban we're talking about, too. No, I should let them deal with this, and ask for my help... still... Mar reached a paw over to Shimo and pulled him behind himself. If anything does get nasty, I need to be ready.
Kage had also returned in time to see Tsuki's bold transformation, and at that moment, he became more afraid of his brother than of Hitoban's. Woah... How'd he...?
He quickly dropped the deer he'd caught and rushed to Dawn's side. You okay, bro?
Not now, Kage. Tsuki thought-spoke authoritatively, Be on guard. We'll discuss this later.

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban's glare never wavered from the vile toad, even when Tsuki changed so dramatically. She recognized the change, but she didn't say anything about it. It was surprising and a little scary, but she was too absorbed in wanting to kill this Ryuunosuke to pay attention to anything or anyone else. She stepped to the side so that her glare would not bore through Tsuki's skull. Her eyes were locked with the monster's-his one of amusement and gaiety, hers of hatred and loathing. He chuckled and spoke to the others, but he never broke his stare with Hitoban. He knew that to do so would mean certain doom.

"Well, well...I see you've found yourself a knight in shining armor. I personally find love and having a mate disgusting. When I wish to sire an heir, I shall choose the strongest, fastest, smartest female in my pack, and she will produce one for me. I think this display is ridiculous and laughable." For a half a second, his eyes flickered to Tsuki's, long enough to send a clear and threatening message: I will fulfill my orders whether you're in the way or not. Just try to stop me. In this time, Hitoban had lunged far enough to where she was now in front of Tsuki. However, as soon as his gaze flicked back to her eyes, Hitoban froze. Something about her father's eyes held her in place as fast as if she'd been nailed to the ground. Something in Ryuunosuke's gaze told her that he knew this. He was powerful-he knew it, she knew it, and no doubt the others knew it.

"I shan't have to step forward, little moon. Hitoban will come to me soon enough. Whether out of fury, stupidity, love, or my own means, she will come to me so that I might kill her."

At that moment, Hitoban curled back her lip and yelled a screech that had never been uttered by her before. It wasn't her voice. It was as if something had taken hold of her and put all of its rage and hatred into one feral snarl.

"Oh sister, don't be so! I only want to do what Mommie dearest wishes of me! You don't blame me for wanting to do whatever my mother asks me, do you? I mean, after all, you and I aren't really that different. You will go on a quest to kill my mother for your mother's sake, and I have come to kill you for my mother's sake. You and I have the same father; we were born in the same pack-true not the same territory, but that's only a small detail in the grand scheme of things. Oh and here's the kicker-you and I both have demons!"

Hitoban was momentarily shocked, and she fought Katashi for control. It was as if something was calling Katashi out, begging her to join it. It was animal in totality. There was no intelligence in Katashi's fight-only pure animal instinct. She didn't want to get out to kill, she wanted to get out to frolic.

"You see, my dearest one, there are two demons in you, as there are two demons in me. You got that trait from Father, as I did as well. Mother tried so hard to pick the one without the trait, but she failed in that category. She figured that they could be molded to do her bidding as well-they could, just as you've found yours can as well. I take it you've had little to no trouble with yours in the recent past? The only one that has trouble listening to me is my light demon. My dark demon is almost always in agreement. I know it is the opposite for you."

Hitoban's guard fell, but her eyes didn't. How did he know so much about her? How had he learned of Katashi and Kazumi, and how in the world did he have the slightest idea of what Tsuki's namesake meant. He shouldn't even know his name!

"How do you know all of this? You should not know of such things."

A wry smirk fell over his features. "Spies my dear." He laughed as her face contorted with rage. "Oh calm yourself, dear Sister. It was all Mother, not me. If it was up to me, I would not even be here at this time. You and I might even be friends. But you see, I love my mother too much to disobey her. It would mean my certain doom as well-Mommie dearest has a worse temper than you, Big Sister."

Hitoban stood at her full height, just a few yards away from her half-brother, and confused emotions ran across her features. It was only his mother's wishes that had him after her. It was not his choice. Still, nothing was changed. Her features abruptly halted on hatred once more, and she resumed her threatening stance.

"That doesn't change the fact that you killed Father! You killed him, Ryuunosuke, and I can never forgive you for that. It was your own decision, not your mother's, that killed him. Even being born to such a she-devil labels you Damien anyway. I have to kill you."

He shook his head, looking completely and honestly sad. "That is a pity, my dear, lovely Sister. I could perhaps convince Mother to spare your life, but if you won't forgive me past grievances, then I see no point. I shall just have to kill you anyway, to spare my own life."

"Then go on and try!"

A smirk flashed across his face, one small patch of disgusting yellow teeth showing. "Only if you wish it, dear sister."

In a second, Hitoban was on the ground, writhing in pain. Ryuunosuke had not moved. His gaze and hers remained locked, though she struggled through the pain that had seized her before. Katashi clawed at her insides and fought to get out, and even the black demon trembled. She couldn't think what for, but she knew the reason she shook-the force of Katashi pushing at her barriers. With every pulse of her heartbeat, Katashi grew stronger.

"Do you give, or will I have to call upon Rasputin?"

[Tsukikage]

The light of indignation returned to Tsuki's eyes, and his crest seemed to burst into flame. Inside the powerful alpha, Tsuki was shouting Don't do it, Hitoban!... but his cries could not leave his body. As the red flame turned to gold, it spread across his body, illuminating his fur like the sun itself. "Step away, cretinous wretch, or I shall have your hide as a throw-rug!" He boomed, "And you should not speak so arrogantly to me, spawn of twisted love, for I am Lars, Mar's son -- and even if we all perish here today, if you do not withdraw..."
A burst of golden fire mingled with green light, and suddenly both Tsuki and Kage held Ryuu's neck in there jaws.
"It'll be the last thing you do!"

Mar stared in awe, but Shimo smiled. He even looked directly at Tsuki. "So," he said, "this is his true heart-power." Mar blinked at Shimo in confusion, and Shimo provided an explanation, "Shimo heard that Master Tsuki grows strong when he creates bonds with others' hearts. Shimo thinks... that Tsuki's bond with Hitoban is the strongest of all, and that love-bond gives him incredible power." Shimo closed his eyes and sighed, "Kage, too. Kage is linked to Tsuki deeper. The brother-bond gives Kage strength-share when they are together. Though... Shimo doesn't know if even this power is enough to slay a demon..." The white wolf doubled over in pain, and his red markings flared like hot coals. His mind filled with memories of his encounter with Giga, and he cried out in pain and clawed sideways at the air...
Mar tried to comfort Shimo as best he could, but... He was able to understand so much... is the seal on his power weakening, or did he really figure it out himself?

[hitobannofokkusu]

Ryuunosuke didn't stop smiling, but Hitoban stopped writhing. He didn't cower in fear of the teeth on his throat, though they would mean impending death should they snap shut. He remained with his gaze on Hitoban as she struggled to her feet, and he smirked. Suddenly, though his mouth never moved, the clearing was filled with the monster's voice, mingled with another, deeper tone. It echoed off the trees as it said Rasputin, come out an play.

Then a lot of things happened very quickly. Ryuunosuke also burst into flame-a searing hot blue flame that engulfed the three of them quickly. Hitoban began to writhe again, this time from Katashi's eagerness to get out. Finally, Ryuunosuke exploded, the force terrifyingly strong. Standing there in his place was a monster of terrible proportions. It was a big as Mar, if not a few inches bigger, and with muscles like steel bars. It had a four tails, and leathery wings; two black horns grew out of his head. He had a shackle on his back left leg, and a link of chains around his neck and stomach. A mask of unknown material covered all of his face save his eyes, which were bright yellow. A deep, menacing laughter pervaded the air as Hitoban screamed with effort, trying to keep Katashi in. It was no use. Once Katashi had heard the voice of the demon, she forced herself out. Hitoban morphed into Katashi in a less violent way than Ryuunosuke, and Katashi stood where Hitoban had lay. She joined in the laughter.

Oh my goodness, you are yummy.

[Rynn]

Rin, Kaze, and Fallen all laid there wide eyed as the events took place around the clearing, Kaze and Fallen stood at the defensive in case anyone needed help, but mainly for the protection of their sisiter who probably wouldn't be able to cope with the stress of a fight at the moment.

(ooc: sorry for the crappy post...kinda out of it and sleepy, plus I really don't know what to say so yeah..)

[Tsukikage]

Tsuki and Kage were both knocked to the ground from the force of Rasputin's arrival, ripping out small patches of skin from the beast's neck in the process -- not enough to do damage, but enough to leave a bad taste in their mouths.
Tsuki struggled to get up until Kage came and assisted him. Tsuki stared helplessly at Katashi. "H-Hi... toban?" He gasped. Tears trickled down his face as his heart grew heavy with fear. What is Katashi doing here? I thought she only came out to kill... why... is she smiling? Why is she laughing? She... she wants that monster? Oh God, no! No!
Tsuki was completely paralyzed -- the strength from the holy fire had died down completely, and in its place came a darkness that seemed to envelop him. His fur glowed a sickly pale white, his crest and eyes became white, and the air around him grew heavy and blackened like a great shadow. He was scared.
Kage, on the other hand, had the resolve to act. He approached Katashi, and locked their gaze with his single eye, "What are you doing, Katashi?" He asked sternly, "This wolf is Missy's. From what Hitoban's told us, you couldn't possibly be considering joining that monster, could you?" He nodded in Tsuki's direction, "Look at my brother -- your mate. We need to be able to count on you, Katashi. Now, let's destroy this guy." He turned and faced Rasputin, "Alright, you bastard! I've taken on worse than you and survived -- come get some!"

Neo entered the arena, completely unphased by the spectacle. He drew his sword in his teeth, and nodded to Mar. Mar pulled Neo and Shimo aside. "Okay fellas, you're the magic experts -- what's the plan?"
Shimo stared directly into Mar's eyes, and said one word. "Hitoban."
Neo nodded, "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I'm not sure what's going on right now, but that beast seems to have something to do with Lady Hitoban. We need to keep her and Dawn safe -- that's our first priority. Kage can't be killed by that thing, so he can probably hold his own for a long time, and that glow around Tsuki smells like fear, so it's safe to assume that he's... um, scared. If we can get Hitoban back, I believe this will free Master Tsuki. After we get the girls to safety, we can focus on attacking the target."
Mar nodded. "Alright then. Shimo, I need you to get Rin out of here -- you know what I mean. Also, take Dawn. Neo, I need you to help Kage. I'll deal with Katashi."
The trio split up and went about their tasks immediately.
Shimo glided to Dawn's side. "We have to go. Now."
Neo drew his blade again, baring it towards the enemy, while Mar approached Katashi.
"Now's not the time for games, little one." He said.

The pieces are all in place... The voice echoed in Tsuki's head as tears continued to flow down his face, now frozen in an expression of sheer terror. I wonder what your opponent's move will be...

[hitobannofokkusu]

Katashi turned her gaze to Tsuki, not turning away from the other demon, and felt sorrow for him wash over her. The flow of power coming from Rasputin was entrancing, but Hitoban, Katashi, and her own love for Tsuki made her stop and think about it all. She raised an eyebrow at Kage and turned away. She practically snarled at him as she spoke. "Let me think about all of this! I've been pulled forcefully from Hitoban's mind by the sheer aura of this beast. You think I would be able to go back so easily? He is positively hypnotizing, and there's nothing I can do about that." She swiveled her head around the area, looking at all of the things subtly happening at once. Dawn stood aggressively, though Katashi knew she wouldn't be able to do anything. Kage would be a nice distraction, and Mar, Shimo, and Neo might provide some kind of fighting force. If Mar tried to take him on right now, however, he would die quickly. Rin and her family would be no help at all, and Tsuki would have to be pulled out of his stupor before he would be anything but in the way. Mar, Shimo, and Neo moved to their attack plan, Mar coming over to her. She smirked at his comment.

"I should say so! Just look at all of you! Complete wastes of space. Mortals cannot take on demons alone, and most of the time not even in groups. I suggest you take Rin and her family and Dawn away from here. If Shimo and Neo are able to use any kind of magic, tell them to use it, and as long as Kage can fight without getting winded or whatever happens to him, he should begin doing that now. It might provide a nice distraction for me. You shouldn't do anything until Rasputin has at least one tail down. I would suggest two, but one should be okay for your size. I'll talk to Tsuki."

All this time, Rasputin had stared at the little wolves around him, and the beautiful demoness Katashi. He wanted her, but it looked like she didn't feel the same. He could see the gears turning in her eyes, looking at her family and friends around the area, trying to find a way to defeat him. He shook his head, saddened that her heart was already stolen. For one brief moment, she reveled in his arrival as much as he had. Then her confused heart set her mind straight, and she remembered who it was she truly loved. His only hope was to kill that one. Tsuki, it was; he had to die.

He watched her beautiful lips move and heard her lovely voice. He watched her sketch out her battle plan. He laughed as she moved to the little wolf that was scared stiff. She turned and snarled at him, and he smiled. He thought spoke at her, a sonic boom to the rest, but a soft melody to her. Oh Katashi, you and I would be so good together. 'Tis a pity your tri-shared heart has been stolen by one so scrawny as him.

Katashi sat down over Tsuki, and smiled at him. "You look silly Tsuki. Snap out of it. I was confused for a second, but it's all okay now. So get up and get prepared for whatever you're going to do. Whether you're going to help me or leave, you can't be scared like this."

[Tsukikage]

"Ka...ta...shi?" Tsuki murmured. His eyes were the first to move, then his face contorted into a pained expression, like he was trying to lift a mountain on his shoulders. It almost looked like he was literally pulling himself out of the black air. He shook himself as the air faded, and he fell to the ground.
Mar and Kage were still poised for attack, but did not move.

When Tsuki rose to his feet again, his eyes had changed again. "Katashi... I wish it hadn't come to this... He was not talking to her, just... talking. "His heart is too close to the female's... now what are we going to do?"

Mar looked at Kage, questioningly. Kage didn't move, "I can't get inside his head; I don't know what's going on. Maybe it has to do with what happened to him a month ago, but I don't know."

[hitobannofokkusu]

Katashi smirked at Tsuki's wonderings, and she shrugged. To her, the answer was simple. "Then I'll just have to rip his heart to shreds then, won't I? I can't have a demon following me and my sisters around, can I? Definitely not."

Rasputin moved. His tails raised absolutely vertically, and he widened his stance. It was clear he was upset. His voice sonic boomed through the place, shaking the rose-covered walls. It sounded pleading and entrancing to Katashi.

Come now Katashi. Surely you don't want to protect a mortal?

"I protect my sister and the ones I love just as you protect your brother and your "Mommie Dearest." I know you are just like me-you feel whatever your cage feels. Ryuunosuke wants to kill Hitoban for his Mother, but he doesn't want to kill her because he is her sister. You want to kill me because of your mother-even if you don't admit it-just as you love me like a sister and not a mate. It is impossible for you to feel otherwise. Cut this strange facade and face me like you know you want to."

Clever child, you are correct. I might have thought you and I were different, but we are clearly not. I suppose that means you want to tear out my organs just as I want to tear out yours.

"You bet, Brother."

[Tsukikage]

"Then this banter is useless, and I grow tired of you, demon." Tsuki said nonchalantly. "Begone or die. It's that simple." Is it not, Tsuki?[/i]
Who are you?!? Tsuki shouted inside his mind. And what do you want from me?
The voice smiled. Not a visible smile, but there was this warm feeling that one normally associates with a smile. Silly pup. I'm you -- well, sort of, anyway... but now's not the time for explanations, mm? Let's do this.
Tsuki gasped. He...?!

With that, Tsuki's body leaped forward, landing between the demon and his family. "You've wasted enough of my time." He grinned, glowing brightly. He darted through Ryuunosuke's legs and rolled in the air, barely an inch off the ground. Before anyone could react, Tsuki was behind his opponent with one of the demon's tails clenched in his teeth. He then kicked Ryuunosuke's hind legs out from under him and swung him by the tail, dragging him across the ground, and hurling him into one of the stone walls. The light faded from him as soon as he had finished, and he simply passed out.

"Tsuki!" Kage gasped. He ran to Tsuki's side, making sure his brother was still breathing. This seems... familiar... He thought. Either way, Tsuki was clearly not waking up anytime soon, so if the demon got up from that attack, then...

[hitobannofokkusu]

Rasputin's smirk quickly turned into a look of surprise as he was flung into a wall. What the hell? Foolish pup! He stood, but one of his tails hung down the opposite direction of the other three. He glared at the now unconscious wolf and started toward him. Katashi walked menacingly in between Kage and Tsuki and Rasputin. She spoke softly, but she knew that despite her best efforts, Rasputin would be able to hear her. "At least he helped a bit. One of his tails is down-a sign that he's weakened. The more tails a demon has, the more power it has over its cage. That's what I've always been told. When a tail is disabled, it loses power. I can get down two on my own that I know of, but that leaves one more. I don't know that I would be able to defeat him totally."

Katashi, why don't you just join me? You and your pathetic band of mortals will never win on your own! It would take at least another demon to send me back to my cage.

"We shall see about that, Rasputin."

Oh my name sounds velvet in your voice.

Katashi broke away from Kage and Tsuki, flashing over to Rasputin and landing on his back in three seconds. He shook himself, jumping as well, but she kept her balance, biting into his fur and hanging on with her claws. He snarled at her, and tossed his horns as close to her neck as he could get. She was smaller than her, however, and she turned to bite one of his tails. She grabbed hold of one, and he howled, tossing it and flinging her across the courtyard. She hit the ground hard and took a while to stand again. When she looked to see the damage she'd done, she saw that his tail was drooping, about level with his body. She would need the same amount of power to get it all the way down.

[Tsukikage]

Kage saw Katashi's plan, but decided to take a direct approach. "Shut the hell up, you freak!" He shouted as he lunged at the demon's neck. Mar backed him up by grabbing hold of one leg. Shimo and Neo returned just in time, and crafted the rocks into bindings around Rasputin's hind legs. That left him with one free leg, and a wolf hanging from his throat.

[hitobannofokkusu]

Rasputin snarled at the wolves as they latched onto him. He wasn't as strong as he was before, but he was still stronger than a normal wolf. He flung his head toward the tallest wolf, hoping to grab him with his horns. Then he tried to grab the one on his neck and fling it into a wall. At the same time, Katashi ran up again, going to the side that Mar was on, and jumped back on his back. She grabbed his half-limp tail at the base and twisted her head, snapping it. It fell with the other one. She grabbed another and jumped off of his back, leaving all of her weight on the tail. It stayed parallel to his body, but he roared with rage.

He tried to pull his legs out of the bindings or break them, but he was too weak. He turned as much as he could to look at Katashi with a sad smile. We'll have to put this engagement off until another day, my dear.[/i] With that, he exploded again, leaving Ryuunosuke standing petrified where his demon had been. Katashi was knocked to the ground and hit her head. Hitoban took over so Katashi could rest.

[Tsukikage]

Kage flew through the air, landing on his skull. He landed in such a way, and with such great force, that his head snapped clean off, spraying blood everywhere. The next moment, both Kage and his blood vanished.
Mar stumbled back from the explosion, but no one else seemed seriously injured. That was the worst wound I've ever seen Kage take... I hope he's okay.

A few moments later, Tsuki woke up. "Ngh... what's... !!!" He gasped, and his blinking eyes shot open. "Where's Rasputin? Gah!" He doubled over for a moment, partly because of Kage's injury, and partly because he stood up too quickly. "Kage? I see... so... everything's okay now? Hitoban... where's Hitoban?" He quickly surveyed the scene, and dashed to Hitoban's side. He nuzzled her and held her very close. "C-crazy day, eh, Heets?" He said, laughing a bit nervously, "N-next time we have relatives over, how about we have lunch or something... less violent... eh? Hehe..."

Still... He thought, Who was that strange voice? Why did he call me 'Lars'? It's almost like when... Tsuki gasped, and looked at his father, who was resting and licking his wounds. Later... we'll talk later...

[hitobannofokkusu]

Ryuunosuke regained his composure quickly, since he saw that no one was to fight any more. He wasn't tired, but Rasputin was. He snarled like a caged beast in Ryuunosuke's ears. He sat down at the edge of the trees, utterly dejected, and looked out at his half-sister. He really didn't want to kill her. She looked happy, and she would be very nice if she wasn't being attacked, he was sure. Perhaps she could get over the fact that he had killed her father in time, and perhaps Mother would let go of her obsession with having Hitoban killed. Perhaps if Hitoban no longer wanted to kill her, she would leave her alone. Then they could be like a family. But no, that would never happen... Not after what happened to her mother...

Hitoban stood, slightly shaken, and waited for Ryuunosuke to re-appear. He had gone into the trees, but she knew he was still there. She could feel him watching her. Something told her that she was no longer hostile, but she was ready anyway. She heard the snap of Kage's head, but thankfully didn't see it. She pulled close into Tsuki, and tried to keep her eyes off of the trees while still watching them. She didn't want anyone to panic. She nodded, but couldn't manage a smile as she replied to Tsuki. "Yeah...Maybe I should dig a little deeper into my family and see how many siblings I really have. I thought I was the only one." She saw Dawn on the other side of the clearing, and she knew that she had seen what Hitoban had heard.

Dawn stared wide-eyed at where Kage's head had literally broken off of his body. She was shocked and horrified at what she'd witnessed, and wished that she could see him. Something stirred in her, and her mothering instincts kicked in. This was no place for unborn pups. She turned and disappeared into the trees, making sure to get out of earshot before she stopped and laid down on the grass. She took shaken breaths, trying to calm herself.

Meanwhile, Ryuunosuke had decided that he wasn't going to go back out there today. He would hang around for a while, unnoticed and undetectable, until they had calmed down a bit. He had meant to kill Hitoban and failed, and surely if he went back now-what with Rasputin in such a state-he would be killed himself. No, they needed time to collect themselves, and then he would be back to negotiate. He silently slipped into the forest, leaving Hitoban untroubled by his presence.

Hitoban heard Ryuunosuke leave, and no longer felt like someone was watching her. She sighed heavily and fell into Tsuki, leaning on him for support. It was all too much for one day. She had discovered not only that her father was dead, but that he was killed by her half-brother who'd been conceived by the late alpha and Missy, her sworn enemy, and that they both intended to have her killed one way or another. Also, she'd solved the mystery of where Katashi and Kazumi had come from-her father's fault also-and that Ryuunosuke had the same condition. She'd been attacked by a demon much stronger than anything they'd encountered before, and Kage would have died had he not been how he was. She closed her eyes and tried to think of happy things, but all she could see were one red and one yellow eye.