Naruto surveyed the rag-tag group with a calculating look in his eyes.
"Okay, We have no idea when Gatou will strike again, so we should go out in patrols every hour." He said, thinking as he spoke.
"Uh, Gaki, who died and nominated you sensei?" Anko asked, with a raised etebrow.
"Sorry Anko-sensei, but you and Zabuza-san still have Chakra depletion from your fight." Naruto said apologetically.
"And you won't be fully recovered for a week." Said Ino authoritatively, shuffling through her med-nin pack.
"Damn." Zabuza muttered, glancing over at the room where his adopted daughter was undergoing her transformation to a demon.
"...Right, so, as I was saying, We'll go out in Two's. First Ino-chan and Gaara, then Hinata-chan and Yugito, Then Gaara and I, Then Yugito and Ino-chan. Then Hinata-chan and I, Then Yugito and I and then repeat. One sweep of the area, every hour."
There was a nod and Naruto checked his watch. "Alright, Ino-chan, Gaara, Head out in twenty-four minutes."
Ino and Gaara nodded again and went to make sure they had all their equipment.
"Everyone else, get some rest." Naruto said, dismissing them.
"You're a super taicho." Tazuna said from the doorway, nodding.
"Thank you Tazuna-san. Tomorrow the patrols will also be stationed with you for the rest of the hour, after the initial sweep. Each one will relieve the others." Naruto said.
Tazuna nodded, took a deep swallow of sake, then walked off.
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Naruto walked into the room Haku, Yugito, and Gaara were staying in.
Yugito was carefully wiping the sweat off of Haku's forehead with a damp rag. Naruto glanced at Gaara who was sitting at the head of Haku's mat and was carefully braiding her hair around her new tiger ears.
"So...She's your mate, huh?"
Two affirmative nods were his reply.
Naruto leaned against a wall and watched them.
The expression on Yugito's face was of pure devotion, a look she would also toss in Gaara's direction every couple of seconds. Her hands were gentle as she delicately swiped a damp cloth over Haku's newly developed whiskers in order to get the dewed sweat drops off.
Gaara was almost entirely fixated on Haku's chocolate hair, but occasionally he would glance at Haku's face with a look of pure happiness, and then he would drop his face back to Haku, look at Yugito from the corner of his eyes, and smile to himself before returning to his self appointed job.
Feeling like an intruder to a moment no eyes were meant to witness, Naruto slipped out of the room and went to tell his mates how much he loved and appreciated them.
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Haku woke to the feeling of being completely safe and happy.
"Three days." A familiar voice said next to her, "Gaara-kun and I were beginning to worry."
"Gomen." Haku said automatically, not wanting to lose the feelings she was experiencing.
"And you won't. You will never lose that feeling as long as Gaara-kun and I are near you." The familiar voice told her.
Haku opened her eyes slowly to see Nii Yugito's face hovering right over hers, a look of relief and unabashed love showing clearly.
"How-?" Haku began, but was interrupted by a low voice that eased the small amount of fear that had appeared in her mind.
"A demonic bond is a strange thing." Haku turned her head to see a crimson haired boy with sea-foam green eyes watching her tenderly, "It appears in a number of situations. Introductions to Fates intended, Gaining a tail of power, Coming to a certain age. Or fusing with a demon."
"What happens if a demonic bond is denied?" Haku, still half asleep, asked.
Yugito's face was still shining with devotion, "Then the Dominant in the Bond will die. A painful, slow, death. And his, or her, mates will remain. Until the pain of a loss of a mate kills them too."
Haku nodded, "I'm tired."
"We know." They both replied.
Later that night the young demons were gathered around talking and getting to know Haku. Hinata kept rubbing her eyes and frowning, drawing attention to herself.
"Are you alright Hinata-chan?" Yugito inquired curiously.
"I'm fine." Hinata assured her.
"Hinata-chan." Ino said sternly.
"I really am! Yonbi said that my chakra is messing with my bloodline a little is all." Hinata said defensively.
"Why?" Naruto asked worriedly, looking his mate over.
"Well, the Byakugan is an angelic bloodline, and it is having issues with my demonic chakra." Hinata explained.
"Angelic?" Yugito asked curiously her wings fluttering slightly.
"Not like yours Yugito-chan, sorry." Hinata apologized, "The Byakugan was created when an Angel and a human were mated, your bloodline comes from a fallen angel."
"I see." Yugito nodded.
"I'm tired." Haku admitted sheepishly.
Yugito scooped her still sore mate up and they and Gaara bid Naruto, Hinata, and Ino Goodnight before retiring.
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"How soon do you think Gatou will hire someone else to take out Tazuna-san?" Haku asked Zabuza.
Currently Anko, Zabuza, Hinata, Gaara, and Ino were sitting in the living room of Tazuna's home. Gaara was once again braiding Haku's hair, which was slowly becoming his favorite past-time. Ino had just finished checking up on Zabuza and Anko (Proclaiming them almost entirely healed, and telling them that tomorrow they could begin their shifts at the bridge with the rest of the team) and Hinata had Ino's head craddled in her lap, gently running a comb through her long blonde hair.
"He probably already has." Zabuza said.
"Although why he hasn't attacked yet..."
"Maybe he thought you were dead." Suggested Gaara quietly, tying off Haku's hair with a barely concealed smile.
"Hm." Zabuza murmured, "That, and it does take awhile to find a really strong missing nin."
There was another comfortable silence before all the demons in the room suddenly stiffened and looked at the door.
"What is it?" Anko asked quietly, pulling Dango skewered on a kunai out of her sleeve as she narrowed her eyes.
"Naruto-kun." Hinata answered.
"And Yugito-chan, but something's wrong." Haku seemed more worried that anyone else, being new to the feelings her bond was sending.
Hurried and undisguised footsteps came rushing at the house and Naruto barreled into the room with Yugito in his arms.
"She...just...collapsed..." He panted.
Ino jumped out of Hinata's reach and began scanning her. "I...I can't see anything wrong." She growled, forcing more chakra into her hands.
Naruto cursed and Hinata ran over and put her hands on Ino's shoulders, calming her and helping her maintain concentration.
Naruto, on the other hand, became very distracted at the behavior of Yugito's mates.
"What's wrong Gaara?" He asked, looking in the same direction they were, out the open door.
"It's another demon." Gaara whispered.
"Yugito-chan sensed the bond activating." Haku added in an equally muted tone.
The room went silent.
"...Did they deny the bond?" Asked Hinata.
"...No...not yet...but they won't acknowledge it..." Gaara said, turning to Yugito.
"How long until..." Ino bit her lip.
"Four days...a week at the most." Haku said standing and pulling Gaara up.
Gaara, without thinking, held out his hand and the spear of sand he had been attempting to master formed. Haku opened her other fist and a scimitar of ice slowly formed.
"What are you doing?" Naruto questioned.
"We're going to find them." Haku said.
"We can't lose her." Gaara began walking, Haku following quickly.
Their footsteps picked up and then they were gone.
Anko surveyed the room with a frown on her face as she pulled another stick of Dango out of her coat.
'Don't let her die...Don't you dare die Gaki'
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"Hinata." Her father regarded her angrily. "I've been hearing some disturbing things about you. And the de...Uzamaki boy, and The Yamanaka Heiress." Hinata paused and for a single second her mask slipped and Hyuuga Hiashi was surprised to see the fires of devotion that burned behind her Lavender eyes before the mask was once again in place, leaving a meek girl who bowed her head, "W-w-what have you h-heard Father?"
Hiashi scowled, 'I knew it wasn't real.' He thought. "I've heard that you are engaging in a relationship with them. Both of them."
Hinata didn't meet his eyes, and if she had Hiashi would have been surprised at the level of contempt they held. "And if it were true...Father?"
Hiashi scowled, "Impertinent Chit! You will not sully this family's name by being a Whore! I forbid you from seeing them"
Hinata's head whipped up and Hiashi was met by a look of sheer panic and terror, "You can't do that"
"I can. Now go. Train, or go to your room, I care not, Just stay away from those two." He snarled and nodded at two Branch members who quietly walked forward and took Hinata's arms and began to pull her out.
"No!" Hinata screamed, "You can't do this! You'll kill me! Just like you killed Mother!"
Hinata was gone...and Hyuuga Hiashi felt like his daughter had just stabbed him in the gut. 'I...I did not kill Sora...I did everything I could to make sure she survived' For some reason...He couldn't convince himself.
Hyuuga Hiashi shook himself out of his memories and looked at his youngest daughter in slight confusion, "Gomen Nasai Hanabi-chan, would you repeat that?"
Hanabi pouted cutely and Hiashi frowned as a little voice at the back of him mind noted that he would be chasing suitors away from his little girl sooner than he had hoped.
"Father, I asked when Hinata-Onee is coming back...I miss her"
Hiashi absentmindedly ruffled her hair, "I'm sure your Oneechan will be back soon"
Hanabi frowned and, in a huff, stomped off to her room to fix her hair.
"Soon..." The Hyuuga head mumbled to himself, mind still lost in contemplations of both daughters.
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Kin panted as she ran, tired from days of running but not daring to stop for fear that her former master might catch up and kill her. She did not realize she had run across most of fire country and the water expanse she was slowly coming to was the beginning of Water she stopped and flew into a taijutsu stance, scanning her surroundings.
"Where are you?" She yelled.
"Right here." Said a neutral voice behind gasped and spun, a Senbon appearing in her hand. Before her stood a red haired male whose eyes greatly resembled the water she had glimpsed ahead, beside him a girl with long brown hair surveyed her with equally brown eyes, but what made these two really stand out were the tails and animal ears that they bore, the females being Tora and the males Tankuki.
"Kai" Kin knelt and the two were surprised to see four falcon wings appear on her back, two on each side signifying her ranking of a two-tails in the biju world.
"I'm very sorry if I have trespassed on your territory, Tora-san, Tanuki-san, I am merely trying to escape." Kin said, following the directions of a voice in her mind. The two watched her for a moment before the girl nodded, "She's the one Gaara." She murmured.
"I know Haku...but she doesn't. Someone else is denying her access of the knowledge." Gaara said, staring intently at Kin.
"I, uh, I would like to be on my way..." Kin said warily, standing Gaara's hands flew up and ran through the ryuu and tora handseals, "Demon Forbidden Technique: Mind Meld"
Three bodies hit the ground..
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"What...What happened." Kin groaned.
"We entered your mind to see what was blocking you from realizing you were coming close to potential mates." Haku said, gently helping Kin to her feet. Gaara stood by her looking torn.
"B-but-" Kin protested.
"Let's go." Gaara said, taking Kin and Haku's hands before walking toward a large tunnel.