Well someone was prolific over break. Not prolific enough to ensure ownership of Naruto or anything affiliated with it... but I'm assured that his people will be in touch with my people. What they have to say to me is no one's business. I'll be over in that corner over there if anyone needs me. The walls have interesting stories.

Shades of Grey 10: Graphite

"Not even in the city?" Orochimaru hissed. Two weren't even in the city; there had been no way to collect that bit of information from the decaying piles of flesh. Having no sense of self made physical barriers like walls and distance irrelevant to the trackers, but as was evidenced by the disintegrating forms, they weren't very sturdy. And now that he had real hunters to spare, he didn't know where his prey was. The werewolf hybrids possessed enough will to want to survive as best they could, which made them very dedicated to him, but incapable of transcending the physical realm. You could threaten a person to try harder, but you couldn't make them do something they were never capable of. Unfortunately there was no jack of all trades among the supernatural, none that took orders well at any rate.

"How many were they tracking?"

"As far as we can tell, three. One scent is freshest at the airport, and that's several days old. Add that to the large number of people and the activity, there's no way to tell any more about it. Another we assume to be with a Guardian in the woods. The last is within the city limits, but it hasn't left the building. A building under the watch of the Guardian Hatake Kakashi."

"The brat isn't making things easy." Orochimaru wondered how long before the demon got too impatient and decided to forget the deal. "Watch the building, see if the girl appears, and with whom. They can't be so overconfident to let her go into town without a watcher.

"Hunting? What would be hunting her?" Hinata's quiet whispers might have been carefully ignored by Sasuke, but the couch she was sitting in was more than the average finite shape capable of holding an infinite space. In fact, the couch had often postulated that gamers modeled their bags of holding after their living room couches. Certainly wallets were not capable of keeping a small fortune in change, a pyramid of film rolls, a lighter and a collapsible umbrella. But unlike bags of holding and wallets, this couch could take in information as well as mascara tubes.

"Cousin mine, how would I know if anything has been looking for me? I have very carefully not done anything you told me not to, even though I still think you're overreacting but I appreciated the sentiment." Idle fingers traced patterns on the cushion.

"Neji! If you won't allow me to do anything reckless, dangerous, stupid or foolhardy, you're not allowed to either. I would think it's obvious they want the Heiress, and thus anyone close to her is at risk. I think that includes you. You… what do you mean you're five minutes away? Neji? Hanabi!"

"I take it we're going to have guests."

"I apologize for their high-handedness. They're used to getting what they want."

"Comes with the territory." Human senses heightened to compensate, no matter how far they were adapted, did not compare to animal or supernatural abilities, and so only Sasuke heard the sarcastic comment. Mouthy, misshapen pile of rubble.

They had been very good about staying safe, staying within the well protected confines of the Hyuuga estates. But now, now the little girl and her shadow were in the city, in their territory. Between the sounds of the city, the cars and the people, most of the conversation in the car of interest was incomprehensible. But whoever was on the other line had screamed before the call was ended, and it had yelled a name that could be used.

If anyone noticed the rather tall muscular man with the overlarge hat concealing most of his face and his rather odd looking ears, having difficulty with his cell phone because his nails were too long, they were smart enough to know rumors were rumors, urban legends were stories for children, and if, a very big dubious skeptical if, nightstalkers existed, their counterparts took care of them. Besides, it was a bright sunny morning, and what blood sucking nasty was awake during the day?

"Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto fought back a yawn, he'd been up far too long. "One of the hunters called in. The Heiress is in the city, and she has with her a Hyuuga Neji. I can look into him, I just thought you might like to know—"

"Deal with it!"

"Of course, sir."

"So that's why we think you're best protection is to appear valueless. Which means you can not come back to the estate until this is dealt with."

"There's no 'we' in that statement, Neji." Hanabi seemed to be examining the couch with keen interest. There was a gargoyle perched on the window ledge, Neji privately wondered who had slipped what into the architect's drink, especially since this gargoyle seemed to be staring straight into the apartment with what could be curiosity etched on its stone face.

"Fine, Hanabi. The Elders think, I play messenger, and you decided to tag along to annoy me. Are we done sorting technicalities?"

Hanabi was still staring at the couch. The couch was getting kind of nervous, really. Clarence dearly wanted to just mute that particular channel, because the CoLS had a tendency to babble at very high velocities but he could still listen in on the conversation in the room through it, so…

The girl made a sharp gesture, and suddenly Clarence's conscious mind was echoingly silent.

"Hanabi?" Hinata's question lingered in the air. She had felt the sharp motion, since her sister was leaning on her arm, threading ribbons through her hair, but had no idea what it could mean.

"Sorry. Taking care of a well meaning eavesdropper. Anyway. Since it was decided, we had this made for you." She rummaged in a pocket and produced a small black onyx pendant. Carved into one side was a complex array of sinuous characters Sasuke couldn't identify in the brief glimpse. She began sorting through her many lengths of ribbon to find one that pleased her. "It looks cheap, like the Hyuuga are only making a gesture. There's nothing to imply you're close family, we think the only thing marking you as important is that you've had contact with me, as a person, not a walking bank of blood and heredity and tradition. If we can brush you off as being of secondary importance, they'll probably leave you alone."

"So you should go out and let them scent you at least once a week. The superficial spells on that stone are strong but very general. Hopefully they're not doing more than a cursory glance. The deeper ones are keyed specifically to hide everything that puts you in danger, and of course, we'll know when you are."

Hanabi had finally settled on a greyish white that was almost the exact color of her sister's skin and was trying to thread the ribbon through the little silver ring. While the couch on a physical level couldn't move or protest, Hanabi could feel it squirming under the magical ear plugs, blindfold and gag she'd slapped on it. Hear, see and speak no evil.

-

If Clarence were able to get past the protections guarding his building, he might have been able to hear what they were saying without the couch's help, and he might have been able to advise very strongly against that course of action. But he didn't know what they were saying, he didn't know who they were, and they didn't know that they were being sought out to be brought within the heart of darkness itself.

-

"And why exactly is it so important that Hinata be kept intact, beyond the obvious and personal?" Sasuke didn't really mean to sound like a heartless bastard, but old habits die hard.

All Hyuuga capable of it fixed him with a piercing stare. The girl was mildly affronted but he could read something that might have been grudging respect, or it might just have been grudging. The other was… assessing, as if weighing out exactly how much information to give him.

"Hinata is important to us, to the Hyuuga. She will become even more important if Orochimaru gets his hands on her, in a destructive and apocalyptic kind of way. So it's in everyone's best interests that she stays in one piece." Neji paused, remembering that Sasuke had his own dealings with Orochimaru. "Make sure none of her blood is spilled in an unprotected area, at all would be ideal. That would cause many, many problems."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at that, but was having trouble focusing the full weight of his gaze on the overprotective man. The girl had finished fiddling, and now the soft smooth line of Hinata's neck was accented by the soft smooth line of unmarred black stone.

Those all seeing eyes noted his wavering attention, and while one pair crinkled ever so slightly in amusement, the other narrowed suspicion.

"No blood." Neji repeated, as if he could warn off all the darkness, including the mix in front of him.

"Understood. Hanabi." He turned to the suddenly wary teenager. "If you could… help me with a shopping list. I think you'll agree that instant ramen isn't something you can live on for more than an hour."

"You needn't bother on my account—" Hinata's protests were ignored by one and all present.

"You are a fast learner." Hanabi admitted freely, snapping her fingers sharply as she stood. Clarence's head was filled with the wailing of a distraught piece of furniture, effectively keeping him too busy to remember to listen in further.

"And you," Neji growled, "have no finesse. If that was your idea of subtle, you will be practicing more. And if you weren't trying to be subtle, you will be practicing much more."

"Yes, drill master. At ease."

"Really, it's very kind of you, but you needn't go through all this effort—"

"Hinata."

She wasn't sure what she was hearing, but it spoke of infinitely more patience and experience. Maybe it wasn't such a good thing she closed her ears and eyes to the duties of heiress. Information was a precious resource, and curiosity was a slow burn. But she doubted there was anything in the House of Hyuuga that would explain the hot tingling feeling whispering against her skin when he touched her. No one to ask what it meant when someone's soul was tugging plaintively at yours, despite being dark and dangerous and disturbing in distracting ways. No way to decode the nuances in his voice and manner that made eyelids flutter instinctively at the shivers lilting up her spine.

"I want to do this, so let me."

"I-it's your decision ultimately." It was surrender, but not one she was completely unhappy with. It was after all, very kind of him to insist on taking care of her. She wasn't even sure why.

Blond hair shimmered in the stark light of the bath room. Naruto was paying more attention to his toothbrush than the woman doing up her ponytail. Really. One was much more health conscious than the other. She didn't seem to have lost any sleep over their little tiff. More than could be said for him. She didn't understand why he had a problem and so it was no concern of hers. He wished he were so laid back about it. He needed to stop thinking about it.

She said it was a family technique. So she'd always had someone there to help her with her problems, mundane or not. And he… he'd only ever had his teacher, and then Sasuke. But they weren't the best people to talk to about being a normal person. Maybe that was what was bothering him. He couldn't think of anything else it would be.

Ino had grown up perfectly fine with who and what she was. She hadn't been annoyed or apologetic over him or her own actions. She could understand his life, and she could understand him, and he hadn't even known her that long. It was not a once in a lifetime kind of event, but it was pretty damn close. And maybe it was kind of frightening.

"Are we feeling like a mature adult now?"

"You could say that."

"'Bout time. Today's agenda has us sitting through four intro photojournalism sessions. Shall we?"