• Chapter 13
    At this point in the story, Amy helped Ruku finish it. Over the course of the next five years, Shadow trained with the Black Ops. He learned many different weapon styles, but decided on favoring the Katana the most out of them. Shadow dropped his vampire name and took Amy’s name for him. As Ruku, he now had a new life and a clean slate. Shade refused to return home until she had killed Ruku and as a result, took his name and made it feminine, though she was as feminine as she was a loving sister. Ruku and Raka both trained for the day when they crossed paths again. Amy helped train Ruku as he helped her. He had a deep debt to this village and would defend it with his life. Amy said she’d stand by him and protect the village as well. One time, Ruku asked her about his namesake. She grew sad versus her usual cheerful self. The original Ruku, Ruku Hayashi, had died protecting the village against bandits. Haku had been in the Black Ops. training HQ at the time. Ruku had single-handly rushed out of his house to take on the invaders with his Naginata in hand. He fought valiantly but was struck a fatal blow. He fell and Amy watched, tears falling. Haku came just in time to watch his beloved brother die. In a rage, he jumped headfirst in as the bandits were attempting to mutilate the body. Haku was eventually backed up by the Black Ops., but by that point, there was nothing to help him with. The bandits were dead and he was cradling his brother’s corpse, crying. Amy ran out to Haku and he embraced her and they both cried. Ruku’s funeral was held a week later. For the next year, Amy mourned, depressed, in her room. Then, one night, Ruku came to her in a dream. He told her that everything was going to be ok, that he was alright. He wanted her to be happy and not to dwell on the past. He wanted her to protect the village. She left her room the next morning, beaming, and hugged her greatly surprised mother. When Ruku was 17, his life was forever changed. One day, on patrol, he found a great black wolf, stumbling with massive wounds. He went to put the animal down and out of its misery when he stopped dead cold in his tracks. He looked into its all too human eyes. It was a Werewolf. He had an immediate urge to kill the abomination, but being a human for so long, his instinct was overridden and he picked it up and took it back to the village to care for it. It shifted back to its human form in his arms. He blushed deeply, as it was a naked girl. He closed his eyes and put her under some sheets. He would have summoned the doctor, but there was a problem. He would be bombarded with questions and she would be discovered to be a Werewolf and killed. Besides, she would regenerate. Then, the village alarm was rung. A pack of wolves were attacking! Ruku rushed, katana drawn. Amy was already at the breach point. There were nine of them, all snarling at Amy. Then they spun towards Ruku, smelling Vampire blood. They charged at him, snarling. Amy tried to blow them away with a Tornado, but to her much chagrin and surprise; they formed a moving earth wall. Ruku couldn’t hold it back any more; Shadow woke. Amy knew that half-crazed look and fell back. Shadow teleported out of the way, then he teleported above the wolf in the front and kicked it into the ground. The rest attacked and he rushed forward. Slipping past them, he went into the center and called Amy for a Tornado. She did so and he fused an Inferno with it, causing a massive Fire Pillar. Some of the Wolves were singed, the others dodged. The ones who were unharmed tackled Shadow and each grabbed a limb, leaving the chest for the last one. Amy cried out, unable to get there in time. The leader was about to crush Shadow, when the Werewolf that Ruku saved, lept in Wolf form and tackled the other Wolf in mid air. They fought while the others still held Shadow. The brown Wolf was killed and the black one then demanded they leave. They did. The black Wolf fell to the floor and proceeded to phase back to her human form, naked. Amy draped a robe on her and carried her on her back, back to Ruku’s hut. When the girl woke up, she saw Ruku, fast asleep and holding his katana close to him. She smiled and, wrapping the sheets around her, sat on the floor next to Ruku and wrapped her arms around him, head on shoulder, her breath faint on his neck. When Ruku woke up a couple hours later, he was more than surprised to see the Wolf girl cuddling with him. He gently tried to get her off of him. But she strengthened her grip and Ruku realized that she was stronger than him, even in human form. She smiled with her eyes close.
    “Good morning,” she said in a whisper. He blushed at her closeness.
    “Umm,” he started, “hiya. Why are you- ya know?” The girl opened her eyes and Ruku saw the most beautiful blue he ever laid his eyes on. When she grinned, her eyes shone like diamonds.
    “Well, whatever do you mean?” She stroked his cheek, causing him to flush even more.
    “You cuddling me and stroking my cheek. I don’t know where you’re from, but you sure are umm… friendly.” She giggled at this.
    “This is just my way of showing gratitude for rescuing me.”
    “But just yesterday, you returned the favor.” The girl smiled.
    “Ok, you got me. This is my way of showing you that I,” she laughed, “That I imprinted on you.” Ruku stared.
    “Huh?”
    “It’s what we Werewolves do when we fall in love and meet our life partner.” She smiled while Ruku panicked inside.
    “Yo-yo-you lo-lo-love m-m-me?” She giggled.
    “You’re cute when you’re shy, and yes,” She stole a kiss from him, “I do love you.” Ruku fainted. The girl laughed and layed him down. She took a shower and covered herself with the sheets. She then walked out to the forest where she found her backpack that had fallen off. She dressed herself in the woods and walked back to the hut. Ruku woke to find his arm around the Wolf girl. He tried to pull away, but she noticed.
    “Are you trying to sneak away from me again?” Ruku blushed and shook his head.
    “It’s just really awkward hearing that a girl I don’t even know is in love with me.”
    “Hmm, you got a point. My name’s Kayame Ayumi. I am seventeen. My favorite colors are black and green. I have one sister, Konata, who hates me and is bent on killing me.”
    “Oh, finally, we have something in common.”
    Over the next few weeks, Kayame and Ruku were seen together nearly every minute. Amy, of coursed, was heartbroken as she had fallen in love with Ruku, but she played the happy best friend, though she was dead on the inside. Finally, the day came when Ruku said goodbye to Amy and walked out of the village, hand in hand with Kayame. They were together for two years, until Ruku proposed and they were attacked by Konata. Then the schism and here they were two years later. Ruku sighed. His wound in his heart was reopened.
    “I’m going for walk,” he said as he stood up. Amy looked into the fire as did Kayame. Ruku walked away. He heard a rustle in the bushes and spun with katana in hand. Or rather, it would be in hand, if he had not left by the campsite. The Nightstalker jumped out of the bushes.
    “Hehe, there you are Ruki,” he said. He drew his Chakrams and threw one at Ruku. He dodged only to be pounded into the ground by the Nightstalker. This is it. The others are too far, even if they did here me, the Nightstalker would’ve finished me. Goodbye, world. Ruku closed his eyes when he heard a small voice shouting, “Shadow!” The weight on his chest was thrown off. He heard a struggle in the bushes, which ended with the Nightstalker screaming. Ruku was helped up. He looked down to see a 5” 6’ girl holding him. She had silver hair with a purplish tint. She had blue eyes, like Kayame’s but much more pale.
    “Are you all right,” her small, somewhat cute voice, asked.
    “Y-yeah,” he said surprised. Did she save him? She looked like a little girl. Then a big black and grey wolf came out of the bushes, with red smeared on his mouth. Ruku stood, protectively, in front of the girl. The wolf growled and tensed up.
    “No, mister, you have it all wrong!” the girl shouted, “Shadow is who saved you!”
    “What? No, he didn’t. Its still me; I would remember saving myself.” Ruku believed the Shadow she was telling him about was his vampiric self.
    “Huh? No, Shadow is his name.” To Ruku’s astonishment, the wolf transformed into a young man with black hair and gray tints.
    “Move away from her.” The girl ran into his arms.
    “Um, who are you?”
    “I’m Luna and this is the Werewolf, Shadow.”