A/N: Dear loyal readers. Please expect a delay between this chapter and the next one. I have just started back at university; I am in my final year, which means that my workload is going to be huge. As I've said on many occasions, I have every intention of finishing this story; it's all planned out. All my freetime, however, is going to be zapped for a while so please bare this in mind. With that said, thank you for the reviews, the praise and the dedication. I really appreciate it. Here's the latest chapter for you all.

Chapter Nine

"What did you find?" Chouji's voice was calm, while his tiny eyes focused through the darkness at the situation beneath them.

In the meantime, the recent arrival settled himself adjacent to the enquirer in question, perching himself on the edge of the rooftop, also peering down into the fray. "It was definitely the Hyuuga," came Sai's response. "I can smell them."

"Shikamaru won't be happy about this," the larger lycan shook his head. He was disappointed that their group had not arrived in time. After all, they had made quick work of crossing from the docks into the city, but by the time they had arrived upon the rooftop, the police had been everywhere – sirens had been glinting in the street; survivors had been fleeing, and bystanders were flocking to the scene to watch. It would seem that whatever had happened, had happened quickly. No doubt, the Hyuuga had caught everyone – human and lycan alike – off guard and massacred them mercilessly.

There was a small silence. It seemed that every member of their gathered group was glaring at the scene, all mutely paying tribute to the lives that had clearly been lost. The Full Moon had been something of a regular for them, and even though, they could not account for survivors, it had manifested like an immediate loss anyway. The vampires had significantly repaid them for their intrusion at the Old Mill.

"While I was down there, I also, detected a few foreign scents," Sai continued. "I don't think the Hyuuga were alone in their attack."

"Allies," Chouji responded. It would not be unusual. The lycans themselves had spent the better part of a few decades acquiring allegiances for such an uprising. Now that they had come out of hiding, it was to be expected that the vampires would be calling in all their favours as well.

The animation still fervent in the streets, Chouji rose to the full of his height. "We should head back," he spoke. The other lycans who they had assembled, nodded in understanding before one by one, they proceeded to scamper along the rooftops in the direction of the docks.

Sai spared Chouji a knowing look. His pallid features were drawn in seriousness, before both lycans joined the minority on their journey back towards their destination

"Nervous, vampire?" the coarse voice spoke to her. "Got something to hide?"

She averted her eyes almost immediately as the lycan's chestnut hues confidently bore into her own transparent ones the subsequent evening. She did not respond, certain that her expression – her mannerisms – were already giving her away, though she was sure she could hear the smugness in his tone and note the self-assurance in his stance.

The lycan – the very same lycan whom she had encountered on various occasions - was situated opposite her within the room. Not too long ago, he had come to acquire her from her cell and had incidentally ushered her along the corresponding corridors of their facility towards a room that was very much unlike the others. The room resembled the wheelhouse of a ship, however, there was no steering wheel present, any chairs were in disrepair and any buttons and nozzles that were present looked far too ancient to be in working order. She could see over the horizon through the large windows. They were fairly high up and she could see out across the ocean, but the skies were relatively pitch-black – the moon was almost nonexistent.

He had not taken the liberty of tying her to a chair this time, even though her body had been revitalised and thus her strength had returned. She was sure, however, that they did not trust her still, but were certain that she would not try to escape again. In a sense, they were correct. She had already offered to aid them in their conquest to retrieve the Byakugan. If it would stop the war and unite vampires and lycans alike, then she would keep her word.

At the same time, however, she realised that it was dangerous. To potentially go against her own family was blasphemy. If and when her father found out, he would surely hear no reason of her actions, nor would he even attempt to understand if she was given the opportunity to explain herself. She half wondered how her cousin and her best friend would take the news: Neji, who had always sought to protect her, and Tenten, who had stood at her side like a rock. Would they condemn her as well? She shivered at the thought. After all, what she was doing was almost treacherous. She should expect them to be disappointed in her. And what if it all went wrong again. She had allowed herself to be taken in place of her sister, only to be captured. Her sister was dead because of her. And the lycan were seemingly so desperate for this object – this Byakugan – that was somehow connected to her family. What if them obtaining it would not stop the violence – stop the war – as she had hoped, but spawn even more of the sort…or worse?

Her hand immediately flew to her chest and beneath her clothing, she could feel the solid sphere that was her mother's necklace. She cast her gaze at the ground ahead of her, mind reminiscent of the woman she had come to love and respect – the woman who's memory had contributed to her inner desire to put an end to it all. Because surely she was doing the right thing. She was still alive after all – if not barely - which meant that there was still hope in her cause, wasn't there? Perhaps if she continued to push to the surface, she might be able to cause a change – make both sides see that the fighting was pointless. Maybe her being with the lycan was the start of this inaugurated revolution. For as long as she was determined: as long as she had hope…

But the moment her eyes manoeuvred from the ground towards the being that was stationed ahead of her, was the moment the hope proceeded to wane. She knew that it would be brave of her to meet his gaze for gaze – to show the lycan that she was not afraid of him - but there was something within his eyes that made her feel inferior. It was clear that the lycan were not fond of her kind – she had seen firsthand that the werewolves were not averse to showing their hatred by ripping her kind apart. But there was something more about this particular lycanthrope; it was as if the vampire-lycan battle was personal for him.

She gripped onto the object beneath her clothing and gulped; her throat had run dry, but she was keen to ask. Her mouth parted – her lips quivered – and she chose her words carefully. "Why…?" she inhaled silently, forcing herself to meet his gravitational gaze. "Why do…your kind…hate vampires so much?"

She heard the low growl within his throat, but his stare did not falter. "You're trying my patience, vampire," came the response. "Don't pretend that you don't know."

"But I…" she gasped as the throaty growl intensified. She could tell that it was taking him virtually all of his inner strength not to rip her apart. Because of that, she wondered what it was that was so terrible that her kind could have done to them. In all her life, she had only known the surface of the vampire world, where the Hyuuga were almost like a royal family, honoured by many. It was difficult to perceive them as any different, however, she had been to the Old Mill and she had seen what her family were really capable of. Clearly, they too were at fault. Her brows softened. "I'm…sorry." She continued, timidly. "…I'm sorry if…"

"I don't want your pity, vampire!" the lycan snapped his interruption. "You're lucky to be alive."

Hinata inhaled again. Her hand fell from her chest and found solace in the after one. "Sorry…" she muttered and then gasped again at her own words, sure that the lycan would retaliate. He did not, but she could still feel him looking at her. She decided to try again. "…I just thought that…considering we'd be…working together…I…"

"Working together?" There was disbelief in his tone, shortly coupled with contempt. "I think you're confused, vampire. We're not working together at all. You're still a prisoner…and that's only until you wear out your usefulness. Whether your useful, though, has yet to be seen."

She lowered her head at his words, closing her mouth in order to silence any more questions or comments that would contribute to the lycan's anger. It had been rather bold of her to suggest that she had become somewhat favourable within the lycan stronghold. She suspected that they'd sooner tear her to pieces had she not appeared to be of some use, but she knew – beneath all her fear and anxiety – that she had to try. She had come this far.

She sensed an additional presence as it slid into the doorway of the room and lifted her head up to sight another lycan whom she had never seen before. "Shikamaru and the others have gone ahead to the warehouse," the stranger spoke. "He said we're to meet him there."

For the first time since he'd brought her there, her prison guard glanced away from her and towards the doorway. "What about the van?" he queried.

"It's ready," came the response.

The next thing she knew, she was being ushered from the room by the two lycans and along yet another adjoining corridor; this one sloped downwards slightly, however. She had been half tempted to ask where they were taking her, but thought better of it. She was sure that she would find out soon enough.

She felt the cool breeze before they led her through a doorway into what resembled a cave-like tunnel. It had been a while since she'd tasted fresh air, but it was not at all welcoming. The area was virtually dark, but the sloshing of the sea was close by, and it wasn't long at all before the very waters themselves sailed into view and the city docks fell into fruition. Her feet manoeuvred from gravel to wood and shortly, they began the ascent along the docks to higher ground. No one was about. This was to be expected – these docks in question were not renowned for attracting attention, but were more or less used by local fisherman or lone seamen looking for a quiet port to set sail from. On the hill overhead, however, she took note of a few stragglers standing around what appeared to be a large black van. She was lead right to them.

The journey was swift considering that the vehicle in question was carrying six passengers – two in front and four in the back; Kiba was amongst the latter. During the trip, no one spoke with anyone else. He supposed it was in order to prohibit the prisoner from finding out anything more about them than she already would: anything that she might be able to use against them later if and when the time arose. It did not mean he didn't catch them glancing in her general direction, however – because though he could not physically read their minds, he could almost sense their thoughts through their expressions. They were all curious, perhaps all attempting to make sense of Shikamaru's sudden interest in the vampire, and whether she could be trusted or not. Kiba, nevertheless, stood firmly with his beliefs. There wasn't a vampire alive that could be trusted. They were all better off dead.

But as his thoughts wondered to the night's event, he could not help but ponder over their prisoner. It had already been established that she was unlike the others. She was timid and void of bloodlust, seemingly soft of heart and of voice. She was a nervous character, demonstrating qualities that one might associate with a human woman more than anything else. And she had even attempted to offer sympathy. Kiba's face tightened at the thought. Her apology had been patronising; it had been enough to send an awkward tremor along his spine – one saturated in fury. Because he was convinced that the prisoner was up to something. Vampires were not compassionate individuals; they were merciless – built for battle. He had seen it time and time again. This was why he was so adamant and refused to believe that any good could come of using this vampire. For now, however, the only thing he could trust was Shikamaru's judgement. Because the moment the vampire betrayed them, was the moment that he would take her life himself.

They arrived within a half hour and Kiba made sure that he was the last one to depart from the vehicle, directly behind the vampiress. As per usual, the surrounding area was vacant and quiet, excluding the soft hum of the van as the engine had yet to fall silent. No sooner were five of them on solid ground once again, they momentarily watched as the vehicle pulled away and sailed towards the end of the road, before turning towards the large metal fence that bordered the warehouse.

They moved in an unintended military fashion – the prisoner situated in the middle of their herd. Kiba, himself, made sure to keep himself at the rear, his eyes firmly fixed on the smaller form that was the vampire, as they meandered towards the building. Though he could not see her facial expression, he listened for her reactions as they entered into the warehouse. Her breathing had somewhat intensified – similar to her behaviour when they had first interrogated her. Every once in a while, she would attempt to ease it, but he was already aware of her nerves; they all were.

Bypassing their hideout's surface image, they progressed towards the only door within the building that was still intact, before beginning the descent down the familiar staircase. Kiba's ears pricked at the sounds that were apparent beneath; he could already sense that a gathering was present. No sooner had they entered into the basement area, however, was no sooner that the gathered individuals in question seemingly all fell quiet. Their eyes immediately fell towards the five new characters, but Kiba could tell that the silence wasn't in acknowledgement of their fellow lycan brethren, but of the creature with whom they had arrived with. He heard the vampire gulp as they stopped in the doorway, but it was Shikamaru, alongside Naruto, who came to greet them.

"Good! You're here," spoke the brown-haired lycan, as some of the congregation proceeded to whisper amongst themselves. "Sakura's running late, but we'll have to begin without her." He did not need to beckon, as he crossed towards the head of the room.

The vampire took a step back; he wondered if the prospect of being surrounded by so many lycan was positively mortifying for her. In turn, he pressed the back of his hand into her back and ushered her forwards. She stumbled somewhat and seemingly shrunk under the gaze of some of their smirking brethren. Incidentally, however, she motioned forwards and followed Shikamaru.

As Kiba proceeded to manoeuvre after her, he caught Naruto's troubled expression. He was glancing over the masses. "You haven't seen Konohamaru, have you?" he whispered to the brunette. "I told him about the vampire and then later, he kinda disappeared."

Kiba rolled his eyes. He understood the relationship between Naruto and Konohamaru. They had a friendship very similar, though not as powerful as Shikamaru and Chouji – the big lug had situated himself on a crater towards the front of the room. In a sense, the blond almost felt responsible for the other, but Kiba also, knew that the younger lycan had trouble following orders. If he was absent without a reason, he imagined Sakura would give him a rollicking tomorrow. Fortunately, for the younger lycan, however, she was not here yet either, and currently, the actual meeting itself took priority. Shikamaru glanced towards the prisoner and as if there were words in his expression, she halted where she stood; Kiba situated himself next to her. Before Shikamaru could officially begin the meeting, nonetheless, a member of the audience took the opportunity to speak.

"Why is she not on a leash?" the character spoke. The lycan in question was a rather muscular individual with dangerous eyes.

"She is not a threat to us right now," Shikamaru responded, coolly.

"Awww, and here I thought we were gonna see some bloodshed." There was genuine disappointment in his tone. A few of the surrounding lycans murmured in amusement.

"This isn't about that," Shikamaru responded. "This meeting was called for something completely different. I need you all to be open minded."

This caused a few murmurs of confusion.

"You are all correct in what you've heard," the brown-haired lycan continued. "We have captured this vampire, but it seems that she is not like the others." Kiba snorted silently as Shikamaru continued. "For she has agreed to help us locate the Byakugan."

As expected, the entire room lapsed into chatter. Kiba side-glanced the vampire; as expected, she looked absolutely horrified.

"A vampire?"

"Help us?"

"How do you know she can be trusted?"

"Obviously we can't be sure of that, but she had proved to be useful…" Shikamaru started, but was swiftly interrupted by another barrage of sceptical chatter.

"Lies!"

"Vampires are only useful dead,"

"I refuse to believe…"

"Believe it!" Chouji's voice was louder than usual; his voice caused the room to fall into a gradual silence; he had slid off of his crate. It was slightly unnerving to hear the larger lycan speak so passionately, but his loyalty to his comrade was unrivalled. Though his face sported resilience – as if he had more to say – it was Sai's calm tenor that continued.

"She predicted that her kind would attack the Full Moon club," the pale-faced lycan spoke. "Myself and Chouji witnessed the aftermath."

The room progressed into a milder form of chatter this time; the vampire shuddered briefly on the spot.

"It was probably a trap."

"It's likely they planned this from the beginning."

"You're a fool, Shikamaru; you've damned us all."

"Come now!" Chouji intercepted once more. "We should all try to look outside the box!"

This caused the talk of uncertainties to escalate. Kiba located the brief onset of irritation on Shikamaru's face. The lycan in question eventually spoke up, however.

"I agree!" he began, his own voice much louder this time; the crowds proceeded to settle somewhat, curious as to what he had to say for himself. "It is risky; this entire uprising is risky". His voice settled into its usual pitch. "But what you need to understand is that this war was born of free will, just like this vampire initially came to us of her own free will. We have detained her for several days now and she has not had any contact with her kind whatsoever. I'm not trying to justify her actions – we are still suspicious of her and she will be closely monitored – but while she has agreed to help us, we will accept that aid until further notice."

A few lycans shook their heads in disbelief; some turned to their neighbours and proceeded to speak in hushed tones once again; none were really too thrilled at the news. Once again, Kiba's eyes slanted towards the vampire. She had long since stopped juddering, but with the way she was rooted on the spot, he could tell that she was tense. Her eyes were once again cast at the floor; her hands were held together over her lower torso; her face was a characteristic white – even more-so than Sai – and it looked as if she was willing herself to mentally disappear from the scenario.

Kiba wanted to be smug. Every bone in his body was telling him that seeing a vampire like that should be self-gratifying and yet he could not seem to enjoy it. The vampire looked pathetic; it should have been amusing. And yet…

"…So what if…this vampire…did predict the Full Moon massacre," the interjection of another lycan interrupted his thoughts. This lycan was smaller than the others and looked as if he'd have no trouble at all disappearing in a crowd. "Did she mention a motive?"

"According to the vampire, the Hyuuga are a prideful coven," explained Shikamaru. A disturbance in the air soon alerted Kiba's attention and when he glanced in the designated direction, he saw that Sakura had finally arrived and was proceeding to slink through the crowd towards the front.

Shikamaru continued. "It's likely it was a retaliation to our ambush at the Old Mill. But it could also, be a response to the abduction of this vampire and her sibling. I wanted to test the Hyuuga – see whether they had loyalties." He folded his arms; his expression was pensive. "Now I'm not so sure."

"A massacre is a massacre whatever the motive," another individual spoke up. "I wanna know where we're gonna strike next!"

There was a loud cheer amongst the masses; the vampire flinched again. In amongst the noise, Sakura had managed to breech the front of the room where Shikamaru was stationed. Most of the lycan gathering were wrapped up in joyous appraisals that none seemed to pay attention to the pink-haired female as she positioned her lips close to Shikamaru's ear. Kiba's ears were keen, however – sharp enough to hear the sentence through the noise.

"I've located Gaara," she uttered.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a pasty finger and thumb, keen to alleviate the oncoming migraine that had been threatening elevation since the start of the evening. It had been a few days since their attack on the lycan stronghold and there had been no disturbances or retaliations so far. This should have been pleasing news, but the coven leader had many concerns. He was well-accomplished at keeping a straight face in the presence of others; to them it would seem as if nothing bothered him. But during those small moments, when he'd find himself alone, he would often drop that steel barrier that was his guard and allow the stress of the moment to momentarily consume him – allow his thoughts to wonder towards the demons that would not allow his mind to rest.

For Hiashi was well aware that there were things to come. It pained him to think it, but their enemies were not at all that different from the Hyuuga in that respect – their pride was gratuitous; they would find a way to attack them at some point; he expected that their attack would be indirect this time – neither side wanted to lose anymore members. What was more, was that they had yet to receive any word on the shipment of silver bullets that they were expecting. He suspected, however, that they would have to be patient. Hiashi had ordered over ten thousand bullets this time around and realised that compiling a shipment at such short notice would take time. Lastly, he had also, had Neji, personally assemble a unit to search for his daughters as a side mission; to find out anything he could possibly find on the status or even the location of either daughter. He suspected that they were already dead, but each night, Neji had returned with nothing. The elder Hyuuga simply hated when things did not run smoothly.

There was a rap upon the door of the parlour and Hiashi dropped his hand from his nose immediately and tilted his head in the direction of the doorway. Without his say so, the door was opened anyway and a nervous looking Branch member slid into the room.

"What is it?" he tone was abrupt.

She kept her eyes on the ground beneath her as she lowered her head momentarily. "My apologies, Hiashi-sama, but Sasuke-sama has returned with something that you might find of interest; they are waiting in the main hall."

Though his interest piqued, his expression remained neutral. "Very well," he excused the female with a wave of his hand and slowly began the process of manoeuvring from the parlour and into the hallway.

Ever since he had welcomed them into his house, the members of the Oto Coven had taken the opportunity to come and go as they pleased. If times hadn't been so dyer, he might have considered it to be rude, but he understood that considering their old residence was now overrun with lycan, it would be crucial for them to acquire any necessary information that might help them to take it bsck. They were all fighting the same war, but there were many battles within it. To know, however, that they had returned with something that might contribute to the Hyuuga's own battle, however, dictated to Hiashi that while they were devoted to themselves, they also, possessed avid loyalties to the Hyuuga as had been figuratively written when they had formed their alliance.

The doors to the main hall were already open when he'd arrived. He crossed into the large room in question – it had previously served as the stage for the recent engagement event – and came to find that several individuals – including the manor's recently acquired allies - were situated within. A few Hyuuga members – Branch and Main - were dotted around the room, sporting both curious and yet tense glances towards the centre where Sasuke – naturally stoic - stood with his arms folded: his profile apparent; the fiery haired vampiress stood beside him with her back facing towards the coven leader and opposite, Sasuke was his silver-haired comrade, who was violently kicking at something, whice Hiashi eventually realised was an individual huddled on the ground in a heap. The vampire seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, even as the whimpers escaped the victim on the floor.

It was Sasuke's acknowledgement of the elder Hyuuga that ceased the violent antics, however.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hiashi asked; he approached the threesome, but halted somewhat as he sensed the foreign presence that was situated amongst them. The female altered her position so that he could see clearly who it was that was crippled on the floor. He nearly hissed at the sight.

The being in question was a physical wreck. Every ounce of skin that was visible seemed to be covered in the entity's own blood with various cuts and gashes decorated in a disorganised chaos. The clothes he had adorned were in tatters; what was left of a t-shirt barely had one of its arms intact and his trousers almost barely covered his shame; all of it was also, covered in his own blood. There was a nasty wound etched across his forehead, which disappeared into an array of tangled brow locks; it looked as if a few clumps of hair had been ripped out in the process. And one of his legs looked positively mangled; it was likely that the bone had been shattered; any shoes that may have once been were missing. He met Hiashi's eyes with a look riddled with many emotions; agony, anticipation, fear, loathing. His breathing was erratic and he seemed to be clutching a wound in his shoulder where a few ounces of blood had leaked already. The coven leader glared down at him intently, for the being in question was clearly a lycan.

"He was found him scouting rooftops not to far from here," Sasuke explained.

"It's very rare that lycans travel alone so we decided to intercept," continued the redhead.

"Damn fool!" The marine-eyed vampire kicked the creature again; the lycan whimpered. "Walked right into our trap."

"Why would you bring it here?" Hiashi asked neutrally, lifting his gaze towards the others as if the lycan's presence had completely disappeared.

"We pitted him against Karin at first in anticipation that he might drop his guard," Sasuke explained; Hiashi heard a tiniest hiss escape the redhead's lips as she glanced towards the lycan.

"This one seemed pretty sure of himself," Karin progressed. "Started asking questions about the Hyuuga and the Byakugan."

"Didn't even seem to sense that we were waiting in the wings," the silver-haired vampire sneered.

"Needless to say, he was easily detained," continued Sasuke, calmly. "We thought you might want to interrogate him personally." Hiashi hadn't noticed it until now, but there was a gun wedged neatly in his grasp beneath a folded arm.

Hiashi's gaze motioned from the vampires towards the lycan. His eyes lingered for a short while before he gestured with his hands towards the Hyuuga members of the accord. All, very much used to their master's mannerisms, proceeded to head towards the entrance of the room. No sooner had the last few members disappeared through them, was when the doors themselves fell to a close also; Hiashi expected, however, that a few would remain outside as a precautionary measure, but the coven leader highly doubted that the creature would make much trouble for them. All that remained were the five of them.

Hiashi began. "You there!" he addressed the lycan. "I'm not a compassionate individual – least of all to your kind – but if you tell me everything you know, I might just allow your death to be swift."

Though his breathing was still uneven, his brows lowered and his face sported disbelief. "I'll never tell you anything!" the lycan retorted.

Hiashi slanted his gaze towards the marine-hued vampire; he seemed to take it as a directive and he instantly, took it upon himself to drum his foot on the fractured leg of the lycan. The creature howled in agony, his eyes spiralling briefly into the back of his head. Hiashi detected the onset of a transformation, but the momentary ripples across his flesh dematerialised. It seemed as if the pain of his circumstance was hindering any chances of him transforming fully.

"I already know that you're after the Byakugan," Hiashi continued, impassively. "I even believe I'm aware of your motives. It would be interesting to know where you comrades plan to strike next."

The lycan's eyes bore angrily into the coven leader - a throaty growl fell between his teeth – but he said nothing. This time, the silver-haired vampire decided by himself to deliver him pain by planting his foot on the lycan's wounded shoulder where he pressed it into both his hand and the wound beneath it. The creature's cry was agonising.

"Take it easy, Suigetsu!" barked Karin. "We need him alive!"

"Ah, these guys can take a beating," the named vampire responded, shrugging off the comment.

"I…don't care…what you…do to me…," the lycan managed between gasps. "I won't…ever…tell you…what we're…planning…but you'll find out…soon enough." He then chuckled between pants and as Hiashi glared down at him, he felt his own anger heighten. Because, in actuality, as he stared down at the smirking lycan, he couldn't help but believe him. The lycan loyalties were strong, it would seem; they would get nowhere with him.

"It's staining my floor," Hiashi turned his back on the lycan, proceeding towards the entrance. "Get rid of it. I think you wasted your time with this one."

"As you wish…" the one name Suigetsu seemed rather keen. He had retrieved a gun from a hostler that he had fashioned inside of his jacket.

"…Don't you…wanna even…," the lycan panted. "…Know about…the vampires…we kidnapped?"

Hiashi stopped and he heard the lycan chuckle, triumphantly.

"So you guys…do feel…huh?" The remark was followed by another yelp.

Suigetsu had kicked him again. "Get on with it!"

His breathing was harsher. "They were…so weak…," the lycan began. Hiashi's eyes narrowed, but he held himself well and allowed the lycan to continue. "Couldn't even…attempt an escape." The lycan chuckled between breaths; it seemed that to do so was painful for him. "I heard that…they nearly…ripped one…of them to…pieces: that she was so…desperate…to escape." Another pause. "In the end…," he half chuckled again. "She killed…h…herself…stupid vampire…didn't expect the…daylight." Hiashi gritted his teeth in his mouth. "And the other one…hehe…no one was expecting…what she had…to offer. Promised to…join us." For the first time in many years, Hiashi's expression faltered; there was prominent rage interlinked with disbelief written on his face.

"Ha! Probably…scared to die." The lycan muttered. "That's probably…why she's so…willing to help us."

"What was her name, lycan?" It was Sasuke who spoke.

"Tch…how am I 'spose to…,"

"I already know," Hiashi spoke aloud; he'd turned his head and gaze back towards the doors, his back facing the audience. "Kill it! It no longer has any use for us."

"As you wish," Suigetsu spoke eagerly. Hiashi heard a slight click and imagined that the vampire in question had just cocked his weapon. "Any last words lycan?"

There was a smile in the creature's tone. "Heh…imagine that…Sarutobi Konohamaru…actually found…the Hyuuga…household…" he said. "I'll be…a legend."

"Not for long," the sentence was followed by a loud bang as the bullet left the gun and sailed into the flesh of the victim. He heard the body fall to the ground with a thud and a foul smell even greater than a lycan filled the air. Hiashi did not flinch.

"So who is it?" Sasuke's cool tone queried again.

Hiashi exhaled silently. "It's Hinata." He spoke in confirmation. "It seems that she has defected." Though his tone registered a businesslike conduct, his mind was ablaze with many things – disbelief, confusion, horror, disappointment. For it had to be Hinata. Only Hanabi would fight her way to freedom. He suspected that any methods of torture they may have used on her had done nothing to sway her – to weaken her. But the way, she had died: subjected to daylight. He supposed that if she had had to die, then he would have preferred that as oppose to perishing at the hands of the lycan scum. But Hinata? He was appalled at her – even moreover than usual. She had always been the family's black sheep – the family's shame – and now through her disloyalty – of joining up with the lycan to potentially save herself – she had become a disgrace.

"What do you propose?" Sasuke spoke again.

His lips thinned. There was every chance that it was a ploy, of course. She could have been dead as well, but the lycan seemed insistent on telling him what had become of his daughters – as if that tiny bit of information would be enough to unsettle him. It had worked, and his eyebrows lowered at the thought; his jaw tightened. Because he knew his daughter; Hinata had always been compliant – never one to speak out of turn and always doing as she was told. It would not surprise him that the intimidating factors of many lycan might force her to submit. But to save herself and go against her own kind – her own family – was almost unthinkable. Had locking her away from the truth for so long omitted her loyalties or was this just a rebellion? Whatever the case, she had made her choice and therefore, he would make his.

"I want you to send the word out," his voice was neutral. "Hinata and any lycan are to be killed on sight."

TBC