A/N: Hello again. It was brought to my attention by a reviewer that I messed up the times in my last chapter. I specified that the Hyuuga had been subjected to wars / battles over fifty years ago and that Hinata had no part in any of it even though I also, indicated that she was 117 years old. I indicated that she had not "known" war. I suppose I should have been clearer in saying that even though she was alive during those times, her father pretty much kept her sheltered from the battlefield - as should surface in this chapter. Either way, as I was not clear enough, I plan to go back and amend it in the future at some point. I apologise for the delay (even though, two weeks is not too bad). I was waiting for my beta to finish correcting this chapter. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank d e l i n q u e n c y for all her hard work. She's like my human grammar / punctuation nazi. I'd also, like to thanks those that took the time to review my work, especially Miss Hydrangea who pointed out the issue I previously addressed. Reviews are always welcome. I'm always trying to improve my writing. I digress however, so without further ado, I present to you the next installment of Blood Diamonds.
Chapter One
The lycan have returned.
The words fell across his mind continuously that evening as he fought to contain the knowledge for the sake of face. But even as the evening gradually departed into the early hours of the morning and the Oto Coven departed on pleasant terms, it only served to make the Hyuuga leader uneasier, even though he did not demonstrate the latter to any of the members of the household. He maintained something of an indifferent composure, but the news was unnerving. So it wasn't until the lower family members proceeded to straighten up the household, that Hiashi summoned Neji, Hanabi and Tenten to the basement.
"Are you certain, father?" Hanabi queried as they proceeded towards the lower level. Neji had acquired the note.
"It has the Hyuuga sigma printed in the corner," Neji responded. "It's legitimate."
"Weren't they eliminated some fifty years ago?"
"It was believed," Hiashi responded as they reached the bottom of the stairs and proceeded into a broad silver corridor. Unlike the ones on the upper levels, these ones were plain, save for the lowly lit torches that were etched into the walls. "It seems that we did not account for all of them."
"What does this mean then?" Tenten queried, her heels clicking behind them in attempts to keep up. The brunette was not Hyuuga, but she was considerably loyal to the coven and to Neji. It was also, because of her ties into the north that he allowed her to stay amongst them.
Hiashi breathed. "It means," He stopped before a large grand opening, whereby the double doors had various abstract designs moulded into it. Removing a pendant from around his neck, he took the centrepiece and pressed it up against the only noticeable hole in the artefact; it mirrored the pendant outline itself. Immediately, the doors fell open gradually, granting them access into a large room. "That they have come for the Byakugan,"
This room mirrored the same dispositions of the corridor, however, there was something more ancient about it. In the middle of the floor, the Hyuuga emblem was crafted into the centre covering most of the latter. A large coffin was stationed at the far centre of the room and towards either side were two doors leading towards two additional sectors of the basement; one mahogany, one silver.
"The Byakugan?" He heard Tenten query.
"It's a family heirloom, but in the wrong hands, it could cause devastation," Hiashi explained as he broke towards the right of the room and unlocked the silver door. "When the lycan were great, they attempted to retrieve it before," He continued. "For now however, it is safe. They will not come here." He entered the abode firsthand and awaited the others to file in. This room was quite industrialised in its design, a direct contrast to the rest of the house. It had once been used as the Hyuuga medical bay, but had not really been needed to decades. As such, it had become somewhat forgotten and various cobwebs scaled the terrace. A plain white stretcher was positioned up against the wall nearby "That isn't to say however, that we mustn't prepare for them." On the far side of the room was a large cabinet that covered the entire southern region of the room. Hiashi approached the latter and ran a pale finger over each draw in order to wipe away the excess dust and determine the text beneath it.
"What do you propose we do?" Hanabi questioned once again. She was unnaturally calm.
"It seems that it has come to this," Hiashi stopped before one of the cabinets and wrenched it open. He retrieved a suitcase. It was made of black leather and unlike the room, it had virtually gone untouched. He positioned it on top of the stretcher and opened it up, turning it to face the others. "Silver bullets," He began and as implied, the abovementioned were lying inside the case in neat little rows. "It is their weakness. We already have weapons that utilise these here, but those of us outside do not. Neji," He turned to address his nephew. "I want you to form a unit and begin dispatching them come dusk tomorrow evening. It is imperative that all vampire are alerted."
"Understood, Hiashi-sama,"
"If there are no further questions, you are dismissed," Hiashi stated. All three members lowered their head respectively and proceeded to file out of the room. It was just what he needed. He was mere moments from sealing an alliance with the Oto Coven, who resided in the west, only to discover that the peace they had upheld for so many decades was about to be threatened. He had also, been mere moments away from disposing of his poor excuse for a Hyuuga daughter. A thought suddenly occurred.
"Neji." He called to his nephew just as he disappeared from the room. Needless to say, his sharp senses soon summoned him back into the abode.
"Take Hinata with you,"
The expression the younger vampire adorned was taken aback. "Are you sure, Hiashi-sama? Hinata is…"
"I'm certain," He confirmed. "Everyone is well aware that Hinata is much too soft. I believe a glimpse of the reality might eliminate that weakness."
"You're late," The pink-haired female situated a hand on her hip as the two characters entered the den well into the early evening the next day, an hour after they were initially supposed to arrive.
"Don't blame me," One of them spoke. He pointed his thumb at his associate. "Naruto insisted we stop off."
The named individual cocked an eyebrow. "Hey, you ate as much as I did, Kiba"
His retort was met with a yawn from his associate and an eye roll from the only female in the room. "Men," She breathed, before pressing her back up against one of the many craters of the abode. "So did you find out anything?"
"Nada," Kiba spoke. He propped himself up on one of the crates and hunched his back, arms draped casually over his legs. The structure within which they were located was an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It had been scheduled to be knocked down several years ago, but whoever, had never gotten around to it and so they – the lycanthrope – had decided to make it one of their places of residence. As the warehouse was easily broken into, they had established house beneath the surface, but primary used it as a meeting base more then anything else. "They're resistant. I'll give you that." Kiba continued.
"Were you detected?" The woman pressed.
"Of course,"
"Nothing that we couldn't handle though," Naruto prodded his chest triumphantly with his thumb. "Those vampires aren't so tough." His face was laden with a great sense of pride. Unfortunately, the pink-haired female did not share the same gratification.
"You were supposed to keep a low profile," She snapped. For many decades now, they had managed to keep their progress a secret from their nemeses, the vampire. As far as they had been concerned, the lycan, as a race had been eliminated many years ago. But such was not entirely true and in all the time that had passed, the lycan had been quietly plotting, rebuilding their army and preparing for the second uprising.
Kiba draped his torso across the crater, positioning his arms behind his head. "And we did," He continued. "Any vampire who figured us out was taken care of."
"So you basically left a trail for them to follow," The female lycan continued. "Dead vampires will only mean cause for concern."
"Even if we had continued to keep our existence a secret, it was inevitable that we would no longer be able to do so as soon as we'd surfaced," A fourth figure materialised in the doorway .
"Oh great; it's Sai," The blond huffed. He folded his arms indignantly.
"Hello Naruto, Kiba, Sakura," The stranger beamed back at them with that custom-made smile of his. "It's been a while, hasn't it? How are you keeping?"
"Oh, you know, the usual," Kiba intervened. "Slaying vampires, making progress."
"Did you find anything?" questioned Sakura.
"It is as I implied," Sai continued. The smile did not erase from his face. "It seems that the vampires are aware of our presence. They are on the move."
"Great," Sakura huffed. "And the Byakugan?"
Before Sai could respond, Naruto interrupted. "What's so great about this Byakugan anyway?" He pressed his back up against the wall and crossed his legs over one another, the long brown trench coat obscuring them from view.
"For once, I agree with knucklehead," Kiba's remark was met with a mild resistance from the blond. "We've nearly got a full scale army, why don't we just go down there and…"
"We'll die," Sai interjected. Though the statement was blunt, it was implied in an almost rosy fashion.
"According to Shikamaru, it has the power to end the vampire-lycan battle once and for all,"
"Where's Shikamaru anyway; and Chouji" Kiba piped up again. "Didn't Shikamaru call this meeting?"
A ringing noise was discernable by all and Sakura fumbled with something inside the back pocket of her denim skirt. She retrieved a cellphone and flipped the head upwards, positioning the receiver up against her ear. She listened before she spoke. "Shikamaru?"
Kiba inclined his head somewhat. Naruto acknowledged the circumstance with a head tilt. Sai remained indifferent.
"Yes, everyone's here," She continued. "…Nothing really, everyone's keeping tight-lipped…" She was interrupted. "Really?" Her face contorted. "…Okay, I'll let them know." The call ended and Sakura flipped the head downwards and replaced the phone back into her pocket.
"What's the situation?" Kiba lifted himself upright, using his hands to support his weight.
"Sai was right; the vampires are on the move," She explained. "We have to move out immediately."
Hinata was nervous. Why? Why was it that all of a sudden her father had requested she join Neji and Hanabi in one of their business ventures? News had spread around the household like wildfire. The lycans had returned. And Hinata had never been faced with one before, but she had heard the stories. After all, it had been her uncle, Hizashi, who had fallen at the hands of one. And worse, her own mother had also, succumbed to the violent creatures. Now, it seemed as if it was down to them to send the vampire world the message and prepare them for the worst. Hinata secretly hoped however, that the worst would not surface, but deep down, she understood that her hopes were childish; it was virtually inevitable.
Hanabi had insisted that she dress comfortably. In turn, Hinata had fashioned her hair into a ponytail and so for lack of anything more suitable to wear, Tenten had allowed her to borrow some of her belongings. The brunette however, possessed a thing for leather and the latter was slightly unusual against her skin.
Once dressed, she had joined the others in the main entrance hall, desiring not to be late, lest her father make an example of her. Bar Neji, Hanabi, Tenten and she, a few other Hyuuga relatives and loyal specimens were present, her father at the head of the room. Several black suitcases had been situated in a row across the floor. Tenten had already filled her in on their contents. Tiny gadgets, not nearly strong enough to take down a vampire and yet powerful enough to weaken a lycan and lead him to his demise. It sent another awkward chill along her spine. To be faced with death – even the death of somebody else – was unsettling.
"Negotiations have already been made," Hiashi spoke, his tone commanding. "You are to meet them at the Old Mill. Divide the cases between you and stop for no one." A chorus of "yes" and "understood" emerged from the masses. "Also," Her father continued. "Be sure to arm yourselves."
As each individual member of the gathering proceeded forwards in a queue to acquire a suitcase, Hinata fought the urge not to bite her lip. She had never laid her hands upon a weapon before; had never needed to. Werewolves. War. Weapons. It was all slightly apprehensive. Her hands fought to be together until she felt a hand settle on her shoulder. When she looked, Tenten had stationed herself next to her. There was something of an apologetic look on her face. In her hand, was a chrome revolver.
"I want you to take this," Her friend began. Hinata peered down at it in awe as Tenten took her juddering hand and snuck the device into her palm. "If anything happens…" She swallowed. "Use it."
The weapon was heavy in her hand, but she grasped it tight for fear that she might actually drop it and incidentally set it off. Again, her childlike hope wished that it would not come to that. Perhaps they would be fortunate enough to carry out the transaction and return unscathed. Needless to say, it appeared that the other vampire did not share her optimism. Most were cocking weapons of them own and tucking them into the insides of their jackets. Hinata copied the measure. Tenten, in the meantime, offered her a comforting smile before she grasped a hold of one of the suitcases and proceeded to file out of the room. Noticing that the masses were heading towards the main entrance, she decided to follow suit. In turn, she stepped forward and grasped a hold of the one remaining suitcase, immediately sensing her father's eyes scrutinising her intently. Her own gaze briefly met his – once again, his crystal hues were emotionless – to which she quickly averted her own gaze, finding her feet and disappearing through the front doors.
The cool air did nothing to reassure her, but all of this was short-lived as they crossed the Hyuuga grounds and approached the steel gates that had been opened electronically to grant them all exit. Three vehicles were stationed on the opposite side; their headlight dimmed significantly and one by one, the Hyuuga coven members proceeded to disappear inside them. Hinata entered into the backseat of a vehicle alongside Tenten and her sister and within moments, they had pulled away from the household.
The journey seemed to take forever and it didn't help that the cool metal bulge in the inside of her coat pocket continued to prod her chest like an ominous reminder. The car was silent. No one sparing each other conversation. Not even Tenten spoke a word, which further indicated the seriousness of the situation. To distract herself, Hinata glanced out of the tinted windows and into the streets that sailed by. The inner cities were animated, plagued with life, people heading to and from different locations, most likely preparing for the week ahead. Within moments, the cars seemed to leave the human world behind however, as the streets they steered across became less and less occupied and soon enough, the location – the Old Mill – swung into view.
The building was old and rickety; the windmill itself hadn't been mobile in what looked like eons. Beyond it, rested a quiet lake. Hinata's car stopped a mere few metres outside of it and the vampires stepped out into the open, individual suitcases to hand. A cool breeze swept across the air and Hinata stared about the vicinity. It was pretty desolate, save for a few stray buildings dotted here to there. The ambience was void of much plant-life and the locale was relatively quiet. She exhaled. Car doors slammed and the Hyuuga awaited instructions. Neji – heading the operation – soon gestured for them to follow and they once again proceeded towards the Old Mill.
The latter possessed no door – moreover a gaping hole in its place – and they were reliant on the natural lighting of the crescent moon and the surrounding area. Neji entered the abode first, followed by the others. Hinata, found herself in the midst of it all, her eyes displaying a slight concern. The abode was just as ancient as the outside appeared. Overgrowth had grown through the cracks in the ground, fractures decorated the discolouring of the stone walls. There was another gaping hole in the ceiling above, but most of the ambience was shielded in darkness. Neji stopped in the centre of the abode and the rest of the Hyuuga coven followed suit, as five figured seemingly emerged out of the darkness.
"It's just like the Hyuuga to be punctual," One spoke. When the natural lighting of the moon graced his skin, Hinata determined that the stranger was vampire. With the way he held himself in comparison to those that surrounded him, it was obvious that he maintained authority. "How are you all? I take it you had a safe journey." Neji received the stranger as her father had received Orochimaru – with a curt handshake.
"Of course,"
"It seems your uncle has the entire vampire community tolling alarm bells," The adjacent vampire withdrew his hand. "Can you be certain?"
"It had already been confirmed,"
"Aww, the lycan menace," The vampire ridiculed. "They were always…persistent."
Suitcase to hand, Neji held the suitcase horizontally in one palm and opened it up. The ally vampire's eye glinted as he surveyed the bullets situated inside the plus grey surfaced. He ran his fingers over them and retrieved one, peering at it in some form of awe. "Hopefully, we won't have as much trouble with them this time around." He replaced the bullet and Neji sealed the suitcase shut. Another cool breeze swept through the abode. The windmill creaked from the outside.
"You were not followed?" Neji questioned tentatively, as he held out the suitcase. The other received it.
"Of course not," Came the reply. The windmill creaked again and a few members of either coven proceeded to deviate their attention. Even Neji's gaze faltered. There had been no breeze to accompany the noise this time. "The question is however,". Another creaking noise. Hinata saw Tenten's hand hovering over her holster. "Were you?"
They fell from the air like meteors and at first all Hinata could see were shadows, figures, creatures falling atop her vampire brethren and crushing them beneath the force. The suitcase slid from her fingertips. One vampire suffered a collision heavily a mere few inches from her, he and the intruder rolling around on the floor in a huddle. Screams surfaced; roars bellowed; blood splattered and Hinata saw Neji leap out of harms way as a monster landed directly in place of where he had once been. Skilfully, her cousin retrieved his gun and fired it at the creature. An agonising bellow sounded as he doubled over and fell forwards cupping his stomach. To her left, Tenten was also, engaging in battle. One of the creatures had targeted her and while Tenten leapt up into the higher confines of the structure, her nemesis scouted the walls, clawing along the surface towards her. She fired a few rounds.
The sounds of shots coupled with cries of death caused Hinata to freeze in place. The voice in her mind was telling her to move, to flee, to do something, but it wasn't until a mighty force pushed her out of the way did the reality of it all sink in. Hanabi tumbled to the side after pushing her sister out of harms way. Her cloak flew overhead and she fired her gun at the seven-foot creature, who shied away like a bear from fire. No words could be exchanged as another creature tackled the youngest Hyuuga to the left and Hinata could only watch it awe as her sister fought with the beast, his snout mere inches from her face. A roar bellowed from behind her and Hinata's eyes widened as she felt the hot breath along the back of her neck. Another shot was fired however and she heard a small yelping as the creature disappeared from behind her.
"Hinata!" Her name was screamed. Hanabi was still struggling with the beast, but she propped her legs beneath it and struck outwards, sending the beast faltering backwards slightly. "Just get out of here!"
Her mouth opened, but much too shocked for words, she nodded stupidly, before locating the only exit. One of the creatures leapt from the shadows once again and sunk its teeth into the neck of a vampire, while one of the outstanding vampire specimens shot another beast in the head. In the meantime, Hinata breezed for the opening and took in a mouth of air to compensate for the heightened sense of blood she had left behind. In her stead however, she soon began to feel guilty and she stopped herself, panting heavily. How could she leave? Her sister, her cousin, her friend, her family. All of them were in there and some would never see twilight again. She was terrified. She had to admit. She had never seen such a massacre before. But she couldn't leave them. For then her father would be right about her. She would forever remain a disappointment; a disgrace, and she knew that she'd never forgive herself if she didn't at least try.
Turning on the heel of her boots, she found the gun that Tenten had given to her and peered at it. Her eyes furrowed somewhat and she gulped, before breaking away back in the direction of the screams. She was soon halted by an unfamiliar presence. A being of some sort leapt in her wake and landed rather chaotically in front of her. Now out in the open, she was able to determine the creature better and took note that he was half transformed. His eyes were a brutal yellow colour, canines sharp. His skin was a lightly tanned complexion with messy brown hair. The upper portion of his body was bare, the likelihood being that he had ripped his clothes during a transformation. His fingernails were pointed, all of which were stained with blood. And yet he stared at her with a hunger and it immediately caused her to take a step back.
"And here I thought you were leaving the party?" He sneered at her. His voice possessed a dangerous undertone.
The gun cupped in her hand, she held it forwards, clasping it with both hands. Unfortunately, it trembled in her grasp. The lycan sniggered as the yellow receded from his eyes.
"You're not like the others," He took a step close to her. "Your fear. I can smell it."
"Stay back!" She yelped, her voice had risen an octave. "Stay back…or I'll shoot."
The lycan seemed disbelieving. "So shoot already," He took another step forward. Hinata unconsciously took one back.
"I'm warning you!"
"Heh…I don't think you have the guts,"
Her breaths came about in short, sharp bursts. She didn't want to believe it; not now of all moments, but she couldn't help but know that he was right. For over a century, she had always been that pleasant natured girl, that humble woman. Any traits associated with a vampire, with a Hyuuga had skipped her entirely. And now, to be met with something so frightening, something so very real as staring death in the face.
"W…what is it you want exactly? Why are you d…doing this?" Her voice was drenched in panic.
The lycan seemed to take amusement in her statement. She saw his lips curl and an ominous chuckle pursed through them. "Why am I doing this?" His laughter ceased and the very same yellow from before enveloped his eyes. "Don't patronise me, vampire!" He suddenly barked. "Your kind started this war." Her blues widened and once again her heart settled in her throat. "Your kind brought this upon yourselves. And it will give me great pleasure to kill you all."
She saw him lean forward and in doing so, his body proceeded to alter. His face distorted, his muscles grew and his skin receded to bring about a hairy overtone that very much matched the same colour as his hair. A growl escaped from his partially developed snout as his body loomed above her and the gun trembled significantly in her grasp as she held it out at him. Without hesitation, he leapt forward and Hinata felt herself tumbling backwards in fear, her own scream resonating in her ears. But before the impact could be made however, a large figure seemingly sailed onto the scene from the right, halting the lycan from his pursuit. Both went flying in the opposite direction, Hinata landing on her rear, the gun toppling out of her reach. She saw the scuffle of lycan and intruder and soon caught a glimpse of her cousin's long brown hair. In turn, the creature cupped his hind legs beneath him and sent Neji hurtling upwards, but her cousin was swift and he used the latter to his advantage, cupping his weapon and firing a few rounds at the creature. The lycan spared no time, as he pawed himself out of harms way and Neji landed rather expertly a couple of metres away, his fingers clawing the earth to stop himself from sailing any further away.
In the distance, she heard her name. She turned and saw both Tenten and Hanabi and a few of the other Hyuuga coven members spiralling towards them.
"We have to leave! Now!" Neji commanded, as he united with the others and sprinted in the direction of their vehicles.
Hinata scrambled to a stand as Tenten reached her position, tugging her up hurriedly. Her steps were lopsidedly, but eventually, both girls followed the brunette towards the cars. Behind them however, a few stray lycan who were still alive and well into their transformed states, were galloping after them in a desperate fury. Hinata felt her heart beat furiously; breaths short, quick and anxious. She glanced behind her and soon wished she hadn't as one of the creatures leapt towards them, its roar petrifying. It was Hanabi however, who turned around and with pinpoint accuracy, planted a bullet it its forehead. The beast landed erratically at her feet. At the same time however, another leapt into the fray and she pulled the trigger and brought another to its knees. She did not however, account for the next two that were approaching her and while she significantly managed to counter one, the other tackled her rather painfully to the ground.
"Hanabi!" Her older sister screamed. Her cry must have alerted Neji, who in turn, swivelled around just in time to see his younger cousin drop to the floor beneath a looming lycan. The gun left her hand. He sought to go back for her, but within moments, several more lycan had appeared before the female Hyuuga's body, like a rising army and soon he could no longer see her.
"We have to go!" Somebody barked at him. "Come on!"
Neji's face was livid with subtle fury. Hinata was positively mortified, but within moments they had reached the car and Tenten was ushering her inside. The doors were slammed shut as they sped away from the scene and the last thing Hinata recalled seeing was the post-transformed eyes of the creature who had tried to dispose of her.
TBC