It had been a week. A full week. A week of unending training. A week of the moon and sun almost rolling into one. A restless week of burnt chakra, burning muscles, and an even hotter burning desire to master the moves given to her. A week Okami had been training beast mimicry techniques with the Inuzuka clan. Her lupine blood made her a natural...

The moon held its high and mighty place in the diamond scattered sky, the gibbous moon seemed to sing with the glory of the oncoming full moon just a few days away now. Okami envied it deep in her heart., oh how she wished she could be one with herself, if tonight was gibbous up in the heavens, then she was Konoha's half moon.

It was not without pity for her though, it lent her its pale light, making the deep gashes in the earth visible. Okami had her head skywards letting the light wash over her like it was a refreshing shower. The cold crisp night air aided to her rejuvenation, she always enjoyed night training.

"Gijyuu ninpou: Shikyaku no jutsu."

She sunk to all fours, her hair turning to fur where it fell on her face. Her jaw opened with a small click as her fangs started to grow. The lunar light started to gather at her finger tips like ethereal flames, she snarled at the rock standing just a few feet away from her like it was her worst enemy. It seemed to throw its shadow over her quietly defiantly in its resistance against her attacks.

But at the moment in time it was, she had to turn the lifeless stone into rubble by the morning or it would mean another week of training, another week away from her pack. No, Okami would not have that. The light from her lunar claws danced up her arms, like the way light would reflect off water.

The wind picked up in a howl that was the refashion of her soul, the moon hid behind a cloud like a frightened person hiding behind a tree, to avoid the eyes of a would be hunter. She made her move towards her lifeless foe, she knew that this attack had to do it, one week of training without rest, one week without being able to renew her unyielding spirit from its greatest source; even Chu wept at not being near her Alpha, and yet Okami still didn't understand it completely.

This was the last of her strength, leaping into the air she started to spin her body, she felt herself make contact with the stone, the spinning claws drilling though it, she did not know if minutes or seconds past. Wind wrapped itself around her body as she found herself stopping the attack, her vision fell onto the heavens that deep black velvet, the stars twinkling at her mockingly laughing at her attempts as the moon still hid itself behind its cloud. Her vision blurred as she hit the hard ground, a sharp crack echoed around the training area followed by a small boom as dust cloud drifted up into the sky, dulling the stars.

"Take that you bastards" she giggled weakly to herself.

The moon drifted out behind its cover, and she found her self squinting away from its light, going to sit up she found her body no longer responding to her will nor did any chakra come when summoned, she cursed but the sound of her voice was drowned out by the rustle of leaves, her head flopped to the side as her over exhausted body started to slip into slumber.

By the time she had finished up with the Inuzuka's and reported to the Hokage it was already evening. The sky had been backed by a golden hue, the last dieing fires of the sun. The roads of Konoha seemed to be longer this evening, she just had to see him again, she didn't know why, she cursed maybe thinking it was this damn jutsu he put on her and made a mental note to learn the dispel technique from Sakura.

She heard Chu mock her from the back of her mind, but Okami just shrugged it off. The she-wolf always seemed to know more about what she was feeling than she let on, years of being given drugs to suppress all her feelings had taken its toll on her. Now that the drugs have ran out of her system, it was like a flood gate had been opened and she was drowning. Chu had managed to keep her head above water and for that she was grateful to her other half.

"You know when wolves return to their pack you have to do it crawling on your belly" Chu growled when they reached Kakashi's door.

"He is human so that wont be necessary."

"Then why are you hesitating pup?"

She was right, she was hesitating. Part of her wanted to see him badly, or was that Chu? The line between them had been blurred over the past week, much to the silver wolf's amusement, but part of her was hoping he would be out. She went for the key in her pocket but stopped, if the door was unlocked, he was in, if it was locked he would be out, holding her breath her tried the door handle.

It was unlocked, he was in… sod it.

Slowly opening the door Okami pulled her tired body into the apartment, orange light flooded the room like it was liquid, he was sprawled out on the couch, catlike again, his eye fixed on his book. He waved to her lazily to show he acknowledged she was there.

"Yo"

"Hello Kakashi-sensei" it was clear from her voice she was tired.

"Back already? I thought they where not letting you go till you mastered two moves."

"I have," she said as she dropped the report onto his lap, "I'm going to take a shower sensei." She said it a bit too bluntly but Kakashi let it go.

A small crack of a smile crossed his face when he heard her go into the bathroom, she had to be the only genin alive to be able to get away with talking to him like that, if it was any of the others he would of tied them up at the least. He though himself was getting soft, he put down his book and picked up the report interested to see what his charge had been up to.

Okami caught a look at herself in the mirror as she adjusted the water, her arms and hare seemed to look like they had rusted. The hot water brought welcome relief to her muscles.

"Not the welcome I expected" Chu whimpered.

"I told you he is not a wolf, non of them are" Okami growled to her inner self.

"It's normal to nuzzle the Alpha, if they where a wolf pack you would have been nuzzled, maybe bitten."

"I can't believe I'm talking to myself in this way." She scowled trying to block Chu's voice out.

"Now now, don't be like that. I am you, remember? And I have a feeling that you would of liked him to..."

"Shut up Chu!" She froze when she realised she had shouted, but it had the desired effect, the small mocking voice in the back of her mind had been quieted.

Quickly getting dried and dressed she left the bathroom with ideas of apologising to Kakashi for being blunt with him, then going to sleep. She was surprised to see him standing by the couch, as though he was greeting her like it was the first time she walked in.

"I'm impressed." He said holding up the report.

The side of her mouth twitched trying to hold back a smile, she gave a nod in thanks.

"I hope you still have some energy left in you." He said with a mischievous grin on his masked face, as he dropped the report onto the couch.

Okami could feel Chu perk up.

She stared down at the glass of water on the table, seemingly lost in thought. Kakashi had taken her to one of the bars in Konoha to talk to her about training, but the talk between them never really started as Kakashi once again was involved in his book. Okami looked around the bar and was starting to feel a bit more out of place as all bar a few of the patrons were jounins.

She could tell that this was not what Chu had in mind, looking out the window she briefly glimpsed a full moon. The sight made her shiver on a primal level as though her inside where icing up. Her sight was distracted from the heavenly orb as two more people entered the tavern, she recognised them, a jounin and genin in green spandex.

"Ahh my eternal rival, I finally found you! Not planning to hide from our challenge today?"

"Oh, hi Gai."

"Your replay is so hip! As expected from my worthy rival!"

Okami drank down her water, wishing it was something stronger. She knew of Gai and his favorite genin Rock Lee, not well though. She only knew that Gai has a rivalry with her own sensei, even though it seemed more like a one sided rivalry, she heard her sensei close his book and sigh quietly.

"Ok, let's go."

Without another word the two parties left. The night air was crisp and cool. Looking up, Okami could tell the night was all most identical to last night, except for the full moon. Its silvery light seemed to pull at her blood, as though bidding her to come and rule the night with it, like almost every new feeling that came to her nowadays she pushed it to the back of her mind, to let Chu devour it.

Her eyes wondered back to the green ninjas in front of her.

"Kakashi-sensei," she whispered to the silver haired jounin next to her, "are thou two father and son?"

Laughter glimmered in his eye. "Nay, Okami." But he could understand why she would think that.

They arrived at one of the many training grounds and the two parties stood a few feet away from each other.

"Ok, what will it be this time? A Race? A-"

"I have a new one for us" Kakashi cut Gai off before the list got unbelievably long...and stupid.

He put his hand at the bottom of Okami's back and slowly pushed her forwards "Let's have our apprentices duel."

"Ohhh, I see it will be a great test to see with one of us has been able to fuel the flame of youth!"

"I will not let you down Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

The two stood there grinning at each other in the "nice guy pose". Okami and Kakashi looked at each other and shrugged, Okami was tired and feeling odd the last thing she wanted to do today was fight another Konoha ninja, but she would do so for her Sensei.

"Chu let me borrow some of your power" she asked, her voice partly a whisper.

"You need not ask pup, my power is your power, whether you believe it or not"

She stood not to far from Lee, with a jerk of her right arm a kunai slid out from a hidden holster into her grasp and slid into her fighting stance. She knew she was at a disadvantage. It had been days since she last got a good nights sleep, her chakra was low and she only had that hidden blade on her.

But Lee had his own disadvantage, it was night time and Okami had been noted as a night-time specialist. Using Chu's eyes the night was as light as day, along with her new high sense of hearing and smell, whilst her opponent who only had the pail moonlight to show him her movements, her arms where covered so there was no tell-tell gleam of light on metal.

"Well then, Rock Lee, let us fight," she said all most joyfully as she twirled the kunai around in her hand for the hell of it, "for our Sensei's!"

The two combatants charged at one another. Okami did not know how to defeat someone so skilled in Taijutsu as Lee was. Their disadvantages where clear to their Sensei's, due to the night Okami was able to keep up with Lee, but as she was showing sings of fatigue. She was not fast enough to counter attack, she wished that Sasuke or Naruto was here in her stead.

Questions were clawing at the back of her mind as she avoided another barrage of attacks it was not like her Sensei to take her out, even if it was just for a change of scenery to talk about training. A talk that never happened, even though Kakashi was late for just about everything under the sun and moon, he was not forgetful, so she knew that he was well aware that he was late for the challenge and that Gai would of come looking for him.

She could of kicked herself - no - she could of kicked him! He wanted her to be here in this fight, but the thing that bothered her the most is why? He knew that she was her weakest when fighting anyone from Konoha, maybe that was it. She knew she could not let her emotions distract her from the battle, a moment of hesitation is all it takes it decide the swift from the dead.

Lee had managed to grab hold of her right wrist, she was able to block his punch locking her steel fingers over his hand, neither combatant willing to let go. She could hear Gai-sensei cheering on Lee, even over the sound of the rapid beating of their hearts and their heavy breathing. Lee leaned in a bit.

"Why do you fight so passionately for someone who does not show their support for you?" he whispered to her.

Okami was then aware of the silence behind her, was he implying that Kakashi was a bad Sensei? She admitted that he did not show his care and support like the other Sensei's, but she knew better. He did not know what it was like, no support, no care, bleeding to death and they look over you like they just scraped you off the bottom of their boot, yes she knew all to well.

"He does not need to show it!" She growled at Lee.

Jumping up she landed both feet squarely on his chest, with a push she tore herself free of his grasp and knocked the wind from his lungs, she turned the motion in to a back flip and landed with a grace that surprised her. Lee went skidding along his back until he was stopped by Gai-sensei. Okami could feel her own Sensei's body behind her. After watching Lee all night she knew how long it would take him to get to her, she could not beat him with her Taijutsu skills but she knew of a way around that.

Throwing her kunai to the ground she saw Lee rise and prepare himself for another attack, gathering up her chakra she made a series of hand signals. Lee stopped his charge and looked around, now in the grip of her Genjutsu.

The moonlight got colder as Lee seemed to lose his train of thought. The world seemed to shimmer lightly around him, a leaf lazily drifted past his face on the light breeze and his gaze was compelled to follow. His mind was all most dreamlike, but what his eyes soon laid upon was anything but. It was a dark mass highlighted by the drifting rays of moonlight. Lee's eyes widened, all thought of the fight and others around where gone from his mind.

His heart was racing faster with each step as he made his way towards the shape, it gleamed wet in the silvery light, it was blood. The ground beneath Lee's feet was like mud, as he inched his way closer to the figure. Things started to become clear, it was a corpse, male and wearing a jounin vest covered in blood, his eyes went wide in horror.

"Gai-sensei?!" it was barley a whisper.

"Gai-sensei!!" he yelled it this time, his scream seemed to split the night.

Lee was clawing at the dirt screaming his sensei's name, Gai's own words where not able to get through to his student, a small pang of remorse for what she was doing to her fellow ninja tugged at her heart but she swallowed it down, she knew not to let her emotions get in the way of a fight.

"Let him go." Kakashi's breath was hot in the back of her neck.

Okami complied, releasing Lee from her jutsu, he slumped to the ground in tears. Gai went over to his student to comfort him. Lee responded by throwing is arms around his Sensei and weeping into his chest. Okami backed up and bumped into her own Sensei, she wondered if she had overstepped the mark, she felt Kakashi's hands on her shoulders.

"I guess this means I win." With out another word, he made some hand movements and the two of them disappeared in a wheel of smoke.

Okami had no idea where she was. Grass and trees were the only thing that greeted her eyes when the smoke cleared. She felt cold when Kakashi stepped away from her, dread gnawed in her gut, in all her life only this silver haired man could cause such gut retching fear in her, she knew why. It was one of the few things that Chu would tell her about - the wrath of the alpha.

She focused on her surroundings, trying to calm herself down from the high of fear she was teetering upon. The air between them was charged, she did not know if she should say something or let him have the first word, her heart was starting to slow down to its normal steady rhythm. The adrenalin in her body slowly washing out, leaving behind tiredness in its wake, fearing that her legs may give at any moment she sat down.

The grass felt damp under her from the cold night. She let herself fall back, almost ready to fall asleep then and there. Kakashi watched his student rest on the grass.

"I'm sorry Sensei if I went overboard back there on Lee."

He chuckled. "You did well Okami, do not worry about it." He sat down next to her. "He will get over it, and hopefully he will be better prepared for genjutsu attacks next time."

The two sat there, enjoying the moonlight and talking about ninjutsu, when the first golden rays of dawn started to spread beyond the horizon they started to head back.

Okami awoke shivering against the cold tiled floor, holding her breath and masking her chakra she looked around. "A hospital? No this is a lab!" Slowly rising to her feet she looked around, she could not sense anyone. The room was a mess, smashed containers littered the floor, mutely colluded liquid pooled around them, paper notes where scatted about the work areas stirred and crumpled, some soaked in liquid. There was a window looking out onto the hallway, it was smashed, the glass laying inside the room, she noted little crimson drops around the window and on the shattered glass.

It then hit her, she knew this room! She had stood guard by that window for about a year, a year that had nothing but pain and sadness like many before them, and many more after them. She went to the large metal door and pushed her body up against it. It was stiff but opened without a sound, it came to a stop when it hit something, looking down she could see the white of a lab coat but it was a corpse, whatever was here had butchered the lab attendants.

Blood was smeared along the walls and floor and stained the white uniforms of the lab works a sickly shade of red. She tried to pick up any tell tale scent, but it was no good. The only thing she could smell was blood and cleaning chemicals. Picking her way around bodies she followed the only path that was open to her. She knew this building, it was the R&D compound that she used to unwillingly work at. This was the place where they took her arms and mixed her blood with that of a wolf's.

Doors seemed twisted and merged with the walls and some corridors where blocked by rubble and other stuff. She did not know how long it was before she stood before a set of double doors she knew almost to well. The operating theater. This is where it all happened, where the changes to her body were made. The doors themselves where thickly covered with blood to the point that she could not see though the windows.

She carefully opened the doors, the blood looked wet though it was dry, but the sight inside froze her solid. On a steel operating table up against the far side of the room, was a giant grey wolf. It had to be the same size as a horse with what appeared to be I.V. tubes coming off it and going into the walls, it had a body under its right paw, but this one was different, it was dressed in black.

The wolf nuzzled the body lovingly. "It's nice of you to visit Okami."

"C-Chu?!"

The wolf continued nuzzling and licking the body under its paw, as though it was the most importing thing in the world.

"What is the meaning of all this?" Okami had managed to get her fear under control.

"I'm growing impatient, Okami" it growled.

Without another word Chu snapped the dark clad body in her jaws and flung it towards Okami like it was a rag doll. Her eyes never left Chu's but it was not long before her gaze was drawn down to the corpse now resting beside her. Her eyes went wide in horror and her hand grasped at her chest when it felt like her heart had exploded, it was Kakashi!

"It's to bad really, he was a fine male, but became unfit to lead the pack"

Okami fell to her knees beside her fallen Sensei, her eyes burning but the tears would not come, not yet. There was no doubt about it, he was not unconscious, no matter how much her heart hoped for it. He was dead. His skin was a sickly white, his chest neither raised nor fell and his eyes where glazed and lifeless. It looked like he had been crying blood.

"But don't worry pup, I will look after the pack."

She buried her head into his chest and had started to weep, not unlike they way Lee had cried when he had been in her jutsu.

"Okami! Okami wake up!"

The voice snapped her back to the wakening world, her eyes laid upon a very real, very alive and a very worried looking Kakashi. She was back in her room in his apartment, she slipped her arms around him and lent her head against his chest, she was in a cold sweat and shivering like mad.

"I heard you crying my name, what's wrong?" There was a hint of concern in his voice.

"I-I'm sorry sensei, I did not mean to wake you."

He chuckled. "I know, but I'm up now, so tell me, what got you so spooked?"

She tightened her grip on him, but remained silent trying to come to terms with what she saw herself.

"That bad huh?" He ruffed her hair, "I'll go make some tea, come in when your ready."

He got up and she let him go, when he had left the room she changed into some dry clothes, she did not know it was possible for someone to sweat to much and feel freezing cold, she left the room determind to tell him what she had seen.

She sat next to him on the couch, sipping at her hot drink wondering where to start, she was grateful that whilst she knew that he would not stop to find out what happened, he would not push.

"I saw Chu, we were back in the old complex I use to live… be kept at, she was tethered to the walls in the operating room" she said at length.

"Did she say or do anything?"

Okami nodded. "Everyone who worked there was butchered, but that was not it, I have seen enough of that to the point it does not effect me in the least," she took a mouthful of tea, "but Chu had a corpse under her paw, she was treating it like it meant the world to her."

The silver-hared jounin remained quite his mismatched eyes fixed on her.

"She said that she was growing impatient, then she threw the corpse at me."

"Who was it?"

She glanced at him even in the darkness he could feel her pain. "I-It was, you."

He froze, trying to take it in, she saw him? Dead? What was going on?

"Chu said something about you being unfit to lead the pack, then something about she was going to take over."

"I see." His voice was bland

"I'm sorry sensei, I have been deceived by her"

Kakashi went over the talk he had with the Hokage in his mind, the wolf known as Chu is what is known as a di-monster, a demon created in a persons subconscious. From what they knew of Okami's past, it was not to surprising that she had developed one, they had given her a chance to tame Chu, and if that failed Kakashi, as her sensei and caretaker knew what he had to do.

"Finish your drink and get ready to go, I have no choice but to seal Chu away."

A solemn nod was her only reply.

It did not take him long to set out the area, he was pleased that Okami did not need to be restrained and that her body did not shake with fear or cold.

"Sealing her away may have some effect on your abilities" his voice broke the heavy silent between them as he started drawing the last line of runes along her arm.

"I will just have to train harder if it does," she tried to smile at him, to show him that she was not afraid of what ever would happen, "at least now i'll be able to see where my abilities stop and Chu's start."

The silent fell over them once again. Okami felt Kakashi's finger travel over her shoulder blade heading to the point at the bottom of her neck where the other trail of runes had lead too.

"What will happen to Chu when the sealing is complete?" Her question seemed to hang in the air as he made the last few marks on her skin.

"She won't be able to control your body or even talk to your conscious mind anymore, but she will still grow in her own way."

Without another word he made the proper hand movements and placed his hand on the bottom of her neck. Okami hissed with the pain of the sealing jutsu, the trail of runes came alive and slivered serpent like along the ground and up her body coaling under her Sensei's hand. It felt like needles of fire where stabbing her where his hand lay intent on peeling away her skin bit by bit.

The pain swirled around at the point on her neck, then it started to lick onto the rest of her body burning hot like her blood was on fire. The pain stopped as suddenly as it started, leavening her weak and ready to vomit. Sinking closer to the ground the cold stone floor offered some relief from the burning ache in her body, with trembling arms she slipped her shirt back on.

"You could have told me it was going to feel like you where trying to burn my skin off" she said between laboured breaths.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly in the only way he could pull off going from serious ninja to the more friendly Kakashi-sensei that team 7 saw.

"Oh? Was it that bad? You see I have never had it used on me so I would not know."

She staggered to her feet, body trembling. Kakashi was partly surprised, he knew of other ninjas who would of passed out by now. "She has enough stamina to rival Naruto" he giggled to himself as he and his student walked off like nothing ever happened.

Okami seemed a bit slow during the next days training, but it was soon apparent that it was just tiredness from the sealing technique, as much to her sensei's relief she was back to normal in just a few days. And all but for the loss of her chakra claws her jutsu moves remained unchanged.

The change in her did not go unnoticed by the rest of the team. Without the burden of Chu breathing down her neck and trying to twist Okami to her inner monsters wishes she was able to be her self training and missions past uneventfully. Well uneventful being nothing happen to turn a D-Rank mission into a A-Rank. .

Until one day, a cry from a Hawk got Kakashi's attention.

"Aarrggh, I can't stand this anymore!" Naruto growled whilst ruffling his own hair.

The other three seemed to ignore their team-mates cry of distress, patiently waiting for their sensei at their pre-arranged post as always. Even though they had learned to take the time given to them about a hour earlier than they need to arrive at, but even today they had been waiting longer then normal.

"He said he had to go and pick up something." Okami shrugged to try and settle her friend.

Sasuke stood there, eyes closed trying to block out Naruto whilst Sakura gazed at him dreamy eyed, Naruto shifted restlessly grumbling.

"Think of this as training," Okami sighed, "timing is everything and without patience you cannot be sensitive to timing."

"So true" a deep voice interrupted.

"YOU'RE LATE!!" Naruto pointed at his sensei.

Forgoing his normal excuse Kakashi held up 4 slips of paper. "I have nominated you 4 for the chunnin exams."

"All right! Kakashi-sensei I love you!" An over existed Naruto threw his arms around the silver haired jounin, his frustration at his sensei completely forgotten.

"Get off!" Kakashi growled as he pushed the overly happy ninja away, he handed out the slips. "You will be taking the exam in groups of three."

"Okami," he continued, "will be partnered up with others who have been temporarily removed from their teams due to the size of the groups."

Okami looked over her team mates, Naruto was grinning like an idiot at his slip of paper, Sasuke's face was as plain as ever and Sakura was biting her bottom lip nervously eyeing the slip in her hand.

"You have a week to prepare." he said over his shoulder as he walked away.

They wandered off to their homes, Okami following her sensei as she was still lodging at his apartment. Kakashi had flipped out his orange book and started reading, she had mixed feelings about this exam.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you know who my new team-mates will be for this?"

"Hmm? Ah yes." he rummaged around in his pocket and handed her a small piece of paper.

She took the slip and unfolded it, it had a date, time, and place for a meeting, a meeting she realised she was already 40 minuets late for. Cursing to herself she darted off without a word to her sensei. Kakashi looked up from his book to see her disappear over a rooftop.

She slowed herself to a walk as she approached the area, she could see them though from where she was she could only make out the jounin who would be the sensei of this team for the exam. Okami knew him the senbon in his mouth was a dead giveaway.

"You're late" Genma smiled at her.

"Sorry, Genma-sensei, I have only just finished a meeting with Team 7" she said humbely to the jounin.

"That's fine, take a seat and we can now get started."

Okami sat on the end of the bench that her other team-mates were sat at, increasingly feeling uneasy about this.

"Ok, as you all know you have been teamed up in order to take the chunnin exams, this puts you at a disadvantage, but lets start out by introducing yourselves."

"I'm Kavor" the boy at the other end of the bench said, he had long green hair the same colour as Genma's vest, he wore baggy brown pants with a matching top. His headband was wrapped around the top of his left leg. "I'm a taijutsu user mostly." He crossed his arms over his chest, signalling that he was done talking.

"I'm Imairal" the boy next to Okami grinned, he had short hair a bit like Naruto. It was deep red tipped with orange making it look like fire, the fire theme ran through his appearance. His shirt was unbuttoned half way down with red and yellow flame print, it was the same for his pants. "I specialise in fire jutsu."

"I'm Okami," she sighed, "I use beast mimicry and some earth jutsu."

"I thought I knew you," the fire haired boy smiled, "you're the survivor of the outsiders that took down that demon over a year ago now. I have to say that accent of yours is no where as strong as it was."

"Err thanks… I think."

"Who have you been training under? Rumour is that you where stuck with a guardian."

"Kakashi-sensei." She did not really want to go into details, she did not even want to have this conversation.

"That does not surprise me," it was Kavor that spoke this time, "I feel sorry for you, having to be stuck with that Hatake bas-" he was cut off as he found himself skidding across the ground, Okami pining him down.

"If you know what's good for you, you will not finish that sentence!" she growled, eyes narrowed on her green haired team-mate.

Genma sighed as he watched Okami punish Kavor for insulting her sensei, it was going to be a long week.