A/N: The very chappie you've all been itching to read! It's finally done! This chappie is extra-long since I love you all so much and the support I've gained reviews and messages have kept me going-thank you! Anywho, go and read!

Summary: Tadashii Hoshi, a royal Vampire was in debt to Akatsuki, instead of money, he gave them his granddaughter, begging them to take her away for her safety. Now, 4 years later, Shinko is a subordinate to the criminal organisation, but, something isn't right, as the past of her grandfather and her real parentage catch up to her, who can she turn to for help?

Part Eleven: Arrival of the 'Youchi' Clan

It'd been two days since she had left the base, she'd been scouting in the a huge circle about five mile-radius around the base, making sure nothing was left unnoticed.

With her incredible speed she was able to do all that within an hour, being able to vary her pace was something short of a gift, though, she was beginning to feel the effects weighing herself down slightly, running around like this at such a pace was necessary, but, she needed to be careful, she didn't want to tire herself out too soon, for when the Demon Hunters make their move, they won't be so lenient, they'd go 'all-out' on her and kill her, no matter what the price.

Thinking back now, she realised that she hadn't had blood in nearly four days, her eyes narrowed as she stared at nothing in particular and knew that she definitely had to be cautious now.

She'd need to be at full power when faced with the Demon Hunters and she wouldn't be able to do that if she kept running around like this, she was getting nowhere and she knew that running around in circles wasn't the answer.

She had a feeling there'd be more than at least three hunting her, running around like she was, was getting her nowhere, she needed to be calm about the whole situation.

Taking a deep breath, she thought over what to do.

Her hearing was excellent and could hear anything for just over two miles all round herself from where she was currently resting in the tree, it'd take her no more than a few minutes to race towards them, no matter where they were.

Problem was, the Demon Hunter's were known as soundless killers, they may be human's themselves, but, their abilities go beyond a mere mortal, their strength was enhanced enough to leave a decent-sized dent in a thick tree, their senses were more accute than the average human, their speed was quite good as well and they had some jutsu that was out of this world-most of their jutsu were merged with weapons, mostly swords, daggers or arrows.

They'll be prepared for a fight, she knew this and it made her thoughtful, she'd heard from her grandfather that she was never to get involved with them, for they were known to hold grudges and their prides were almost as big as their ego which was about the same size as a two-story house.

Shinko rested her hand against the stem of the tree, closing her eyes briefly, she hoped there would be no more than ten, she was weakening slowly and knew that if they came now, she'd certainly not win, but...if there were say about four, then she may have a good chance at winning.

Shinko frowned a little to herself, she had yet to tell Hidan and Kakuzu of her other ability to see things far across lands, pieces of the future, things that others are doing, people that she doesn't remember seeing dying in front of her very eyes, not that she'd been bothered by it, since she'd done her own fair share of killing, it still didn't make it any less annoying.

But, she'd seen them, all of them, the 'Youchi' clan, they were all in their small village that was surrounded by a wooden fence that was as tall as a Hokage tower itself, the buildings inside were made from stone, wood-anything eco-friendly and usable, was used.

It weren't a huge compound, but, big enough for maybe a hundred or more of them to live there, what was more they all had a shade of red hair, maybe a dark pink or auburn here-and-there, but mainly all red hair and they all had different shades of green eyes.

There were three main types of clans; Hoshi-which means; Star, this was the Vampire clan's birth name, Gekkou-which means; Moon, this was the Werewolf clan's birth name and then there were the Youchi-which means; Earth, this name belonged to all Demon Hunters.

The 'Hoshi' clan were spread out amongst the Void country, much like the 'Gekkou' clan, this caused much friction between the two clans, never the less, they managed to stay out of each others' ways, despite the fact that the Vampire's and Werewolves clashed often and there'd been quite a few deaths afterwards, mainly over territory, it weren't unusual to have a Vampire run into a Werewolve's territory whilst hunting, this was often the case.

However, the 'Youchi' clan lived in the Demon country, they secluded themselves from the other two clans, simply because it weren't a safe environment for any children born from the Demon Hunter's.

But, seeing them...it set everything into prespective.

They were serious about their skills, so much so that when she'd seen them, they'd been battling against each other in their training, blades clashing, arrows flew, sparks lit from where their weapons clashed together, cries of frustration and victory rang through the damp air that was heated from their body heat and sweat that clung to them.

Most of them were men, dressed in green, black and bits of red, it were them that wielded the heavier weapons, their bodies toned and healthy so that they could handle their weapons without faltering to catch their breath and they were tall, most of them being at over six foot and it was obvious that they were skilled.

Shinko noticed at the time, that there were only about four maybe even five females-that held an air of masculinity about themselves and were also Demon Hunters, of course there were many women in their clan, but they weren't blood-relatives, the select five females were daughters of pure-blood Demon Hunter's, the other women were probably from different towns or villages and had married into the clan.

The women wielded much lighter weapons, this was to fit their frame-size and strength, the women were also seen to be more flexible than the men during their fights and they all were rather cunning, surprising their opponents with sudden moves that weren't expected, maybe a kick here-and-there in a sword-fight.

One thing was certain; they were all highly skilled, most of them at the top of their abilities, some could possibly even match her own judging by how some of them fought against each other.

Her vision of them was not a mere fabrication.

It was reality, she'd seen them, she knew they were coming for her, it would only take a matter of time before they found her and depending on how many were there were, would be the judge of her outcome.

Shinko lowered her gaze to stare at the muddy ground below, sighing sadly, she thought back two nights ago.

/*\*/*\

It was only half-way through reading the story, that Shinko had fallen asleep against Hidan's right arm, her hands still curled round it, sleeping soundlessly.

Hidan had stopped after he noticed this, his other placed the book down on his lap, he leaned back into the sofa, trying to get more comfortable, he glanced down at the Dhampir, realising he was succesful in not waking her up and instead, chose to watch her sleeping next to him, he seemed to be watching her for hours, but was really only twenty minutes, before his eyes began drooping slowly, sleep overcoming him, despite the scare he'd had earlier.

But, he was still alive and he weren't complaining.

How could he?

He had Shinko laid next to him sleeping, like she used too, it was obvious that she weren't bothered since she was the one to curl up to him and hold onto his arm, as if she were worried that once she woke-up, he'd be gone from her sights.

She looked so innocent in her sleep, you wouldn't have guessed that she's a half-Vampire, drank the blood of her victims and often enjoyed in killing her prey, she looked like an average young woman should, minus the white hair, the fangs, the Gothic clothing and those eyes of hers that shone more often than a lightbulb.

After another five minutes, he too was asleep, snoring to himself.

Kakuzu returned to the 'living area' later that evening, having talked with Leader once more about money, he was looking forward to laying in his bed and getting some sleep.

Though, he was very surprised to see Shinko curled up next to Hidan, both of them sleeping and what's more, a book was in Hidan's lap.

'Holy shit! He can read!' Kakuzu eyes bulged wide at that, the shock so terrible that he rendered speechless and left them quietly to retire to his room, not even curious or bothered at the thought that Shinko and Hidan were sleeping together on the sofa, oh no, he was more shocked that the Jashinist could read!

The next morning had been a little surprising to say the least, for when Shinko woke up, she was rather speechless when she found herself so close to someone else and who else but the very man she was having trouble controlling her urges against?

Hidan's head was laid over the back of the sofa, he was snoring softly, which made her curious to what time it was, she saw the clock and it read; 8:45am.

She weren't up too early, she also had a distinct feeling that Hidan wouldn't wake up for at least another hour or so, but was proven wrong when she saw him stir, his magenta eyes opened, squinting at the ceiling as he moved to sit forward, it was obvious his neck was stiff from how he slept the night before.

She smiled a little at him, waiting patiently for him to acknowledge that she was there, still holding onto his arm and staring at him with interest.

When he did see her, he merely raised a white eyebrow at her, wondering why she was smiling at him, oh no...he didn't say anything in his sleep did he?!

He blushed a little at this, it was very well-known among the Akatsuki that Hidan often spoke/shouted/sung the various truths that no one knew about him during his sleep or something totally unrelated to anything he'd ever done.

He knew that Tobi, Deidara and even Kakuzu loved to point this out often, relishing at the idea that they could embarass him to the point where he looked as though he'd eaten the most hot pepper in his whole life.

Shinko noticed this, she didn't bother reading his mind, it was too early to start bickering, instead, she murmured "Something wrong, Hidan?"

He glanced at her, sighing, he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and answered "Nah, nothing's wrong...did I say anything?"

Her confused expression annoyed him a little and he took a deep breath, reminding him to stay calm and he asked again "Did I say any shit in my sleep? Y'know? Like I usually do?"

She smiled, shaking her head side-to-side and answered "Nope, only your snoring, it seems that you didn't say anything this time, I wonder why that was...?"

Hidan didn't wonder, he knew why that was and he knew he didn't like the answer, for it meant that he might have to sleep next to Shinko every night from now on if that was the only thing to stop his commentating during his sleep.

"It's still early." Shinko muttered, seeing his discomfort, she quickly changed topic, glancing over at the wall where the clock was, as if to prove a valuable point.

He also looked at the clock and frowned to himself, before he sighed loudly and moved along the sofa, gaining a curious glance from the girl, he murmured "I'm fucking sleepy and I can't be arsed to get up go to bed now, what about you?"

She thought about her answer and quickly came to a conclusion, she shrugged one shoulder a little and answered "I suppose I am still a little tired-" she was cut off as his arms latched onto hers, her grip on his right arm breaking, Hidan laid down onto the sofa, pulling the now silent Dhampir over him, he leaned his head back into the cushion, sighing in contentment, he stated "Then there's no fucking point in getting up."

He didn't know how uncomfortable she felt at that moment, it was the first time since she'd laid upon a man's body and enjoyed it, still, it was harmless-right?

Just taking a nap with a male friend-right?

She snorted mentally 'Believe that, then you'll believe anything', instead she rested her head upon his chest, hearing his heartbeat slow, she closed her eyes, exhaling softly, deciding just to relax, he knew not to try anything, if he did, then he'd feel her wrath...and that wouldn't be pretty.

Soon after they'd fallen asleep once more, wanting to have a lie-in as long as possible.

/*\*/*\

Shinko sighed to herself, if anything she was bonding again with Hidan and Kakuzu very well, theyd become close like they used to be, talking and just spending time in each others' company, no matter how annoying it was to listen to Kakuzu count his earnings and Hidan praying to his God every single day.

It was only at that moment she realized how much she'd missed them, their company and being able to open up to them, she'd shut herself away and for good reason, since-

A branch snapped upon the ground, about fifty metres away from herself, her head swished round and with her extremely keen eyes she looked into the distance through the trees, she saw them coming, with her hand on the branch to her side-holding her upright, she felt their vibrations through the tree she was resting in, even from the distance they were from herself, she could hear their breathing coming in gasps for air, their blood rushing through their veins from the adrenaline of a possible fight.

There weren't no 'possible' about it, she had to defeat them so that she could return back to the base and have a lovely hot shower to clean away the dirt that was in her hair, under her nails and clinging to her clothes and boots.

Her eyes changed to the familiar bright blue signifying her power was increased, readying herself for the onslaught, she turned herself invisible, waiting for them to come within her vision, before she would push herself off the branch and meet them with her abilities that were passed down to her from her grandfather and her father.

She almost gulped to herself, feeling barely nervous, though, she was uneasy, she could hear their feet, pounding against the thick tree branches, there were six of them, this wasn't going to be pretty.

With a type of grimace she didn't want to recognise, she knew now; they were finally here.

/*\*/*\

"Grandpa…?"

At the sound of this, the older man half-turned away from the gold-pained window and looked down at the young girl that had long white hair and bright blue eyes that shone in the darkness.

To say she looked adorable would be an understatement, she was the very definition of the word; 'cute'.

His eyes that were identical to hers also shone through the darkness, his white hair sort of sagged over his forehead and eyes, he hadn't groomed it until earlier that evening and already it was a mess, but nothing ever stopped him from gazing up at the full-moon as he did every night.

"What is it, Shinko?"

The little girl hugged her worn teddy bear closer to her, as if she was suddenly nervous, she took a few shy steps towards Tadashii and stopped a little away, staring down at her small toes that were pointing out from underneath her long cream nightgown.

"Can you read me a story? Please-I promise to go to sleep right after!"

The older Vampire lifted his arm up in her direction, Shinko winced immediately, thinking that perhaps he might strike her since she hadn't done as she was told and had gotten up from bed, she closed her eyes tightly and ducked her head into the fur of her mangled bear.

A couple of minutes passed, instead of feeling pain she felt a gentle pat upon her head, the reaction was something she hadn't expected and quickly now, she looked up with wide eyes at her grandfather.

"Which story did you want me to read?" He asked wearing a warm smile that made her smile automatically in return and in her excitement, she grabbed his other hand at his side and pulled him along with her, back to her room to choose a book for him to read to her, all the while, his deep chuckle met her ears and she felt safe instantly.

/*\*/*\

Shinko remained hidden in the trees above, watching about herself and listening to the 'Youchi' clan members moving through the trees in remarkable speed, their feet seeming to barely touch the thick branches, though they didn't go unheard of by Shinko's keen ears and they weren't merely as fast as she was.

She prepared herself for the onslaught of the Demon Hunters, knowing there was no way back this time, once targeted they never gave up, this was proven by the many years her clan had to suffer in remaining discreet about their movements, she ground her teeth at the memories.

One by one they moved through the trees, swift and silent, though not too silent for any Vampire, Werewolf or Demon, despite being something close to a super-human, their presence could never go unnoticed.

The first one to come into view of an open clearing was a woman, one of only five females in the whole of the 'Youchi' clan that'd sold their lives to Demon Hunting, she had long, fuschia-coloured hair, tied up into a high ponytail with a thin, yellow ribbon and like all the members of the clan, her eyes were some shade of green, she had deep emerald eyes.

She was rather small in height, though wore a black leather costume that stopped at mid-thigh and just above the elbow, it clung to her body and showed off her rather big bust and the heavy-looking sword attached to her side didn't go unnoticed either, she looked about...perhaps early twenties, though, it was hard to tell with the Demon Hunters, since all their woman used their bodies to manipulate their enemies, drawing them in with their promise of paradise and then before their opponent could even touch them, their opponent would be dead.

The small woman was followed by four others, another one of them being female and the last three being men.

They all were much older than the helpless Niiro Youchi, whom was probably no older than seventeen.

The other taller and more slender woman that followed right behind the smaller and curvy woman, had short, layered, flame-coloured hair, bright green eyes to match and an eye-catching outfit ranging from metal guards on her lower-arms, chest and her boots-obviously for protection, she also wore white and pale orange airy material that hung loosely about her figure, underneath she also wore black leather that came to mid-thigh and stopped on her upper-arm.

She too had a rather huge bust and she had a large bow crossed over her chest and hung upon her back-along with a bag of arrows upon her back.

The men however were dressed more discreetly, one of them, the tallest of the three men, was clad in black all over, he wore a black mask around half his face, his spikey auburn hair hung over on one side, he had very deep green eyes that were barely notcieable, he wore a black leather outfit the same as the women, underneath black trousers that hung a little loose, a black open top that was tied in the middle with a black sash and his feet were also covered in black boots and upon his back was a large, five-spiked boomerang, it was a lethal weapon to use and was something Shinko would have to keep an eye out for.

The man that stood next to the one clad in black, had long spikey aurburn hair that hung over a red bandana, he had light green eyes, he too wore the black leather underneath loose black trousers, red boots, a red scarf that was wound round his neck and a sort of shield-like top, either way it was black and had gold engraving swirls on it and he also had a large sword, this one upon his back.

And the last man, with sort of short spikey ginger-red hair and mid-moss coloured eyes, he too wore the black leather underneath a zip-up leather jacket, black trousers, deep green boots, deep green fingerless gloves and he also had a deep green dragon tattoo that started on the left-side of his neck, went round the back and finished on the right-side of his neck, he had a long katana strapped to his side.

They stopped immediately when the smaller auburn-haired man with the sword outstretched his arm, they al immediately tensed and straightened their postures.

"What is it, Mogoi?" The man clad in all-black turned his head to look at what Shinko presumed was the leader of their small group for this hunt.

Mogoi was in deep-thought or appeared to be, his eyes lowered, closing briefly, he inhaled a deep whiff of air through his nose and Shinko knew instantly that she was at a disadvantage, even more so when the wind blew from behind her and towards them, thus, her scent was floating upon the wind.

Mogoi's eyes snapped open, seeming to have caught onto the scent, he looked towards the small woman, giving her a brief nod, she blinked and nodding in return, she crouched her form then pushed herself off into the sky, gliding down upon the wind, she drew her sword high above her head, Shinko saw the girl coming towards her, but her eyes had narrowed upon the woman's sword, since it'd started to glow an ominous white.

Shinko quickly pushed herself from the branch she was currently resting in and jumped across to another, only to see moments later a bright flash of light and the very tree she had crouched in was blown away and pieces of wood fell to the ground with a dull thump within a matter of seconds.

Though, Shinko knew she couldn't feel safe at this moment, even more so when the small woman had seemed to have disappeared.

'That's strange, she was there a moment ago...' Shinko thought to herself solemnly.

Light reflected off what could be metal, it was then that Shinko's eyes darted towards the sky, and there she was, gliding down towards her upon the wind, having already to have caught onto where Shinko had retreated too, the woman's sword high above her head once more, the blade shining that eerie white glow that made Shinko curious enough to put her own saftey at risk.

"You can't hide from us-Demon!" The woman snarled.

Shinko bared her fangs, despite her enemies not being able to see her.

Everything seemed to go in slow-motion from there, she realised at that moment that her very existence was on the line, she couldn't afford to mess around, with her teeth bared, hissing sounds emitting lows within her throat, she thrust her left hand outwards, her muscles began tingling and slowly, her lower-arm began changing shape into what looked to be like some sort of onyx-coloured metal, only this time, her fingers were replaced with sharp claws, quickly now, she jumped forward into the air to meet the onslaught of the older womans' blade.

Metal claws met shining blade and immediately a flash of such a bright light exteneded around their bodies, making them invisible, the light was so blinding that the other 'Youchi' clan members watching on had to cover their eyes with their hands.

Everything stopped at that moment, the other 'Youchi' clan members were stood in the trees five metres away, staring at the scene in 'awe', with their arms raised to protect their eyes.

"Hiebei!" The man clad in all-black called out, he seemed rather anxious for the woman's safety.

It was only when the light dispersed, that they lowered their arms to their sides, blinking a few times in order to regain their normal sight, only to see that Hiebei had disappeared from their sights completely.

A small moan was heard and soon their gazes fell down to the forest floor below, their eyes widening as they saw their team member huddled on the ground in pain, deep cuts were pouring heavily with blood, she looked barely recognisable because of how injured she was, though it could be clearly seen that she was unconscious.

"Oh God, Hiebei!" The man dressed in all black moved forward to proceed down to the smaller and most likely younger woman, his expression was clear with worry, when the other woman gripped his right arm hard preventing him from going to Hiebei and held him back.

"No, Henshin, you can't do anything for her now, wait until we get this Dhampir out in the open-then you can see to your younger sister."

Henshin stared at the other woman with eyes full of emotion for a few moments, though, the other woman merely stared at him with calm eyes, it was obvious by just glancing at them that they were lovers, such affectionate expressions didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

The man clad in all black stepped back, taking in deep breaths, trying to calm himself, his lover stepped forward tossing her flame-red hair out of her eyes, she wore a serious expression and called out to Shinko "Might as well come out now, I can smell you and I know where you are, you're in that tree."

The woman pointed directly in front of herself, to the tree about seven metres from where they were all stood, minus Hiebei and a small silence ensued, the wind blew through the trees, making Shinko's scent more obvious to her where-abouts.

Sighing out loud, Shinko decided to show herself, she'd have to face them sooner or later and she'd prefer it sooner.

She made herself become visible again, straightening up, she walked out from behind a cluster of branches and leaves and into their view, when she did so, she could see their eyes widen slightly, even a small gasp hadn't gone unnoticed from Henshin.

Shinko however held a very tight expression upon her features, obviously seeing this in no way as 'fun', she merely stared at them with those eyes of hers.

"So, you finally came out of hiding, Shinko Hoshi, I must say, your beauty belies what a monster and a freak you really are!" The red-haired woman sneered at the Dhampir, allowing her eyes to cast over Shinko's form, they seemed to gleam when she saw that Shinko appeared to be bleeding from an unseen wound, blood was slowing dripping down across her left-side, over her black skirt and down her leg.

"How rude. You know my name, however, I don't know yours…enlighten me." Shinko murmured, made a mock bow to them, her lips curling into a smirk, before straightening, she closed her eyes slowly, her tongue flickered out from her mouth and began licking the small dabs of blood from around her lips that had so far gone unnoticed by the Demon Hunters.

'That's Hiebei's blood!' Henshin nearly choked on his anger, suddenly feeling sick that it was his younger sister's blood that the half-Vamp was licking away from her pale skin, he really did have the terrible urge to kill the Dhampir now.

"I don't see why I should give my name to such a revolting monster like yourself! You are nothing more than scum that should've been wiped out with some of your clan members years ago!" The red-haired woman hissed, her eyes suddenly bright with anger that almost flashed green sparks at the Dhampir.

'Good, they don't know my age, that means I have some hope of tricking them and it seems that woman is very hot-headed...rather like Hidan, expect she's more spiteful with her words...I wonder what her blood would taste like?' Shinko wondered off into her own thoughts for a few moments, though her eyes narrowed slightly at the scorn she'd received.

"W-what happened? How did Hiebei get so badly injured? And how is it possible for the Vampire-bitch to still be standing there?!" Henshin cried in confusion, once again staring down at his younger sister with a tortured expression.

"Well..." Shinko began to explain how she survived...

/*\*/*\

It was at the moment that metal claws met shining blade, that Shinko smirked loudly to herself, now raising her other hand, that one too, melded into metal-like claws within a mere second.

Shinko's left hand had a firm-grip on Hiebei's shining white blade that now produced the light, in this moment, Shinko raised her right fist towards Hiebei and sent a lightning-type jutsu at the smaller woman.

"Chidori Senbon!" Shinko hissed, almost loving the panic and shock written upon Hiebei's face and before anything was registered, Hiebei's body was covered in many deep cuts and her blood had splattered upon Shinko's face, before Hiebei fell down to the forest floor below; unconscious.

Meanwhile, the power of Hiebei's sword technique blasted Shinko away from the smaller woman and she soon found herself flying backwards through the air, had it not been for her momentary blindness, she wouldn't have smacked into a tree and had a sharp piece of wood cut right through her left-side from behind.

This was where the wound had come from and if anything, it had certainly surprised and had done it's job of weakening Shinko.

For wood with a Vampire-even a half-Vamp, did never bode well...

/*\*/*\

The others stared in surprise, amazed that the Dhampir had reacted in mere seconds, it was even enough to save her from Hiebei's sword technique, though, judging by the blood trickling down Shinko's side, it was obvious that it held high consequences for the Dhampir as well.

"Yes…it is very warm and very tasty…" Shinko muttered sensually as she deliberately licked the last remnants of Hiebei's blood from around her mouth, she opened her eyes when she heard the thrust of Henshin's arm and the sound of air brushing against metal.

A cold stare surfaced on Shinko's face, glaring at them, though mainly focusing her gaze on Henshin, before she flipped herself away from the weapons path and into a tree further away, the five-bladed boomerang returned to Henshin at once.

Shinko jumped high into the air, twisting her body round to land further away from the Demon Hunters' sights as she was met with a barrage of kunai thrown at her by Mogoi, she managed to twist herself around them, but couldn't get away from one scratch that along her upper right arm, before she fell back into the trees; retreating.

"Dammit-Henshin! We could've taken her!" The flame-haired woman hissed coolly, Henshin stepped back as his lover thrusted her fist outwards and punching the tree to her right where Henshin was originally stood, leaving a rather large indent in it-for a Humans' power.

Whether she'd actually aimed to hit him, would remain a mistery, however, Henshin rested a hand over his lover's, closing it around hers, their fingers wove inbetween each others and for a few moments they stared at each other, such a look of love passed between them, that Hiebei was almost forgotten, until Mogoi mentioned her.

"We'd better collect Hiebei and place her somewhere she will be safe until we have finished this here." Mogoi muttered on a sigh, turning away from Henshin and his lover as they went to retreive the smaller woman, Mogoi and his very silent comrade both glanced out to where Shinko had disappeared.

To be continued...

A/N: *Girly-Gasp!* Oh no! Poor Shinko-don't die! . I have to admit, is was pretty hard to introduce the Demon Hunters and NOT get you guys confused, explaining their looks, clothes and weapons was almost impossible and I also threw in some names there, so you all don't get confused! ^^'

Review with questions if you're ever confused about something, I will happily explain! ^^

!Reviews are appreciated!