Choyo - dripping wet and with a dark scowl turning on her black lips - was pouting in the corner of the room. Harry was shivering on the couch, wrapped in a dark towel. Kakashi thought he was about to die laughing.
The silver haired man snorted (as silently as an impossibly entertained man can snort of course) his shoulders shaking violently.
"Did you really have to pull me in too?" Harry called, interrupting Kakashi's laughter. The elder man leaned forward - determined not to miss a second.
"You were enjoying my suffering!" Choyo growled back loudly, barring sharp newly cleaned white fangs. "You had to be punished."
The dark haired teen made a noise of sharp disagreement shifting in his towel bundle. "You're a paranoid git."
"Annoying child!"
"Narcissistic brat."
"Self-loathing idiot."
"Such a healthy relationship," a third, unfamiliar voice commented breathily.
Turning quickly on his perch and inwardly berating himself for allowing his mind to wander from his job, Kakashi spied a tall blond girl in blue robes much like those Parvati had worn. The girl - a pretty blond haired, blue-eyed woman - reminded him sharply of Ino and Kakashi found himself inwardly praying that the similarity stopped at the outer shell.
Harry let loose a wordless cry, abandoning his cocoon of warmth to tuck his small frame against the girl's. "Luna! What are you doing here?" The words were muffled by thick blue robes, but still easily heard.
Luna? Where had he heard that name?
"Visiting my favorite cousin of course." The blond - now identified as Luna - answered her voice still breathy sounding.
Ah. That's why he had heard the name.
"But I'm not allowed -"
"This isn't a strictly social visit." Luna interrupted, blue eyes softening down at Harry.
Harry instantly detached himself from the girl. "Oh - so you're here to do..."
"Yes."
"They're watching?"
"They are."
Green eyes closed slowly, Harry tilting his head down to frown at the floors - specifically the paw marks burnt into the floor in front of his couch. The silence stretched out longer and longer until -
"You shouldn't try that. Moody's here."
'What the hell?' Kakashi wondered silently, moving forward to better see the blond.
Harry remained silent, but after a moment, Luna spoke again - as if answering herself. "It doesn't matter that he's your friend - Moody's first priority is his job."
A single brown eyes narrowed, eyebrows scrunching. Was this girl insane?
"No!" The girl, Luna, burst fervidly twisting to look Kakashi right in the eyes.
Kakashi scrambled back quickly, eyes wide just as Luna turned her face back to Harry.
"What?"
"Holy shit!" The silver haired man muttered to himself, watching the blond woman keenly.
"Nothing Harry, I must have accidentally picked up someone from outside."
'Can she hear other peoples' thoughts?' The very idea flabbergasted Kakashi, but it was the only explanation he could summon.
"Are you okay Luna?"
"Yes." Kakashi knew the answer was directed more to him then towards Harry's softly murmured concerns and if he was truthful it terrified him as much if not more so then Parvati's 'talents'. This world, mostly hidden from the ninja villages, was full of such dangerous people with such dangerous talents. If any of the Leaf's enemies were to get a hold of Parvati or Luna... it would spell disaster.
Harry glanced at Luna from under his lashes before retreating to his couch where Choyo (who has apparently gotten over her pity party) stood waiting. When Harry sat heavily on the beaten and worn furniture, Choyo joined him laying her large head in his lap in an oddly affectionate manner.
The large fox, her fur glowing and sparkling like flame now that it was clean, looked over at Luna and apparently finding her trust worthy turned back to Harry.
"What will you do now, kit?" She prompted, pulling her head up to look Harry in the eyes.
Luna, who still stood silently in Harry's entranceway, looked completely unalarmed by the gigantic talking fox or by the ninja hiding in the rafters. In fact, her stunning features betrayed no emotion what so ever in a way eerily similar to most Uchiha.
"Well, I am a descendant of the Uchiha line," the girl reasoned without looking at him. Kakashi immediately panned his gaze over to Harry, afraid the boy would realize whom his slightly askew cousin was talking too.
"He's out," Luna said, still completely emotionless as she watched her cousin.
Such, Kakashi found, was true. Harry sat, still and blank eyed, staring unseeingly at the wall opposite his seat.
Luna dipped her head, tilting it far to the right in a way that looked extremely painful. Rubbing his own neck in sympathy, Kakashi was reminded of the birds used to deliver messages through out the hidden countries. Innocent looking at first, but with a terrifying vicious side.
"You have a talent for recognizing personalities," the blond girl spoke, unnerving Kakashi. He was not sure what bothered him more, the fact that the girl could hear (and was answering) his thoughts or the fact that she had just confirmed that she had a violent personality.
"But only to those who harm my own."
'So she was nice and innocent until someone hurt Harry in which case she would rip out and proceed to eat that someone's heart. Wonderful." Kakashi thought, not immediately realizing that Luna would hear this too.
The blonde woman finally looked up at him with purely black eyes, flashing a dark fanged grin. "Precisely." She answered voice no longer breathy - but rather raspy and harsh.
"What now?" Choyo called sharply from her place in Harry's lap - clearly annoyed that the demon boy's dangerous state was being more or less ignored by two of his most precious people.
Luna snapped her head quickly back in the fox's direction, eyes shifting from the sickening black to a sky blue.
"I have a few tests that must be performed," she answered, voice regaining it's breathiness as if nothing had transpired. "Most would be better done while Harry is still like this." Finally moving, Luna walked rather gracefully to Harry's side and dropped to her knees before him.
She carefully took the smaller, paler arm of her cousin into her grasp - turning it over to relieve the sickly looking underside. Pulling an empty syringe from the voluminous depths of her robes, Luna glanced up at Harry's slack expression then Choyo sitting tall and proud next to him. "Harry is not much a fan of needles." Luna supplied, removing the protective tip from the needle and plunging it into the pale arm.
Choyo snarled, drawing herself up to her full height and steadfastly ignoring the protests of Harry's couch. Luna was completely unaffected by the display, choosing instead to pocket the blood she had withdraw from Harry and fish out a small flashlight.
"I was not referring to the tests! What will we do now that my kit absolutely cannot leave? Can you not help him!?"
"No." Luna answered blankly, flashing the light in both Harry's eyes and frowning at the apparently bad results.
Both Kakashi and Choyo ruffled themselves in an oddly similar manner, glaring at the blond woman. "Are you saying you hold no affection for your 'favorite cousin'?" Choyo growled, pulling her black lips back to reveal as much of her fangs as she could.
"Not at all, I hold more affection for Harry than any other." Luna murmured, running her pale fingertips along Harry's strong cheekbones before drawing back. "I can not help because only the affection of the living can be consumed."
She stood, walking to a nearby window and leaving her two conscious companions in stunned silence.
"You're..." Choyo trailed off, momentarily stunned.
"A vampire." Luna confirmed, swinging the window open and whistling softly.
Kakashi stared, goose bumps running down his neck and arms. Vampire? Never mind Parvati's talents, if any enemy got a hold of Luna and her diseased blood the world would be in danger. He couldn't imagine what someone like Orochimaru would do with Luna.
At that moment an owl, pure white and ghost like, flew through the open window landing softly on Harry's stiff shoulder.
"Hello dinner." Choyo growled to the bird, glaring possessively. The bird glared back, golden eyes holding a look of intelligence as she nipped Choyo's sensitive nose.
The fox yipped, throwing large paws over her attacked appendage in a strange imitation of human behavior.
"You shouldn't attack her," Luna chided softly, causing Kakashi to snort. "Hedwig is Harry's first friend." With that single statement, all good humor left his body. What ort of childhood had his brunet had if his first friend was an owl?
"She'll be in my stomach if this rat with wings bites me again!" warned Choyo, staring down the owl that meet and returned the dangerous look full force.
Luna smiled, choosing to say nothing as she made her way to the door. "As far as Harry goes," here she paused, tossing a quick almost chaste look in Kakashi's direction to ensure he knew she was talking to him. Kakashi imagined that to anyone else it would seem as if the girl was simply thinking - but the message was not lost on him. "He will have to rely on his dreams."
She sent a final 'try not to kill each other' look to Choyo and Hedwig before leaving without another word.
The meaning of Luna's final words, however, was also not lost. The extremely protective vampire had practically given Kakashi permission - nay instructed him - to molest Harry in his sleep. Moreover, who was he to defy such instructions?
A.N. Hey there lovies - sorry for the uber wait on this one. I have a couple new stories (both one shot and multi chapter) so I really hope you enjoy them! Also - I love this new Reader Traffic thing! It's awesome. Would you believe I have readers all over the place? France, Japan, Singapore, even Croatia – I have no idea where Croatia even is! I feel so... global! It's a real confidence boost lemme tell you. Well... enjoy!
