HI, i want to thank everyone for following/favoriting and I sincerely hope you continue to follow the story as we continue along. I have no idea how long this book will continue but rest assure we will one day reach book two and after that book 3. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

NOTE:
Bold & Italic = modern demonic.
Bold = ancient demonic.
Bold & Underline = Pissed off Oretzi.
Underline = wolf.
Italics = demon talking in human language

Chapter 54

Tsuki tilted her head at her partner who was sitting at the edge of their selected clearing - her posture tensed as if she expect to spring into action within seconds if she has to. It was a stark contrast to the girl she had grown up with and as such she didn't know what to do in response to it.

Oretzi was often light hearted - with the occasional bouts of broodiness that came with the job - or so Tsuki could rationalize. It was a bit hard, at time, to see the girl inside and sometimes she's not sure if the girl actually existed.

She could only vaguely remember the girl she met all those years ago - less than twenty four months ago if she could trust herself on that - and how she was young but not quite naïve. Patient and willing to teach her the world until she killed for the first time.

There was a part of Tsuki who wanted to say that killing for the first time killed a part of the wolf hanyou but sometimes she's not even sure if there was an innocence in her in the first place.

She doubted that Oretzi would actually become one of the Fallen Ones - she had too much to going on for her. But… what actually cause a demon to become a fallen? The stories say that it's those who have lost their sanity and given in to their rages but was there more to the story?

Tsuki didn't know and somehow bringing it up to Oretzi didn't seem like it would be a good idea. The one and only time she ever brought it up had been that morning after the new moon - when she had viciously maimed the men who were going to hurt Anko-san and Hoshi-chan and had hurt her.

She had believed that Oretzi would never become one of the Fallens - she still doesn't believe that it could happen - but there was something about the hanyou that spoke to her. Suggesting that there's a part of her that believed that a cold run would be best.

"Nee-chan?" she finally decides to speak up, settling down beside her partner and companion.

"Hai?"

"What are we going to do?"

"About?"

"This mission," Tsuki concluded simply. "It's gotten… a bit…"

"Twisted?"

"Hai."

Oretzi looks down towards her and Tsuki could see her calculating - thinking deeply before she answered. Tsuki has seen her get like this during missions when one false step could spell the end. Has been seeing it since that slavery ring mission. The mission did something to her deep inside, as much as she tried to hide it, and much of the girl she had been prior that mission is gone or buried under a lot of guilt. Guilt she's not entirely sure if Oretzi has ever forgiven herself for.

"Nee-chan?" Tsuki called, trying to snap her out of her thoughts and have her rejoin the conversation.

"Mm… I dunno Tsuki," the wolf hanyou mutters quietly. "This mission is probably something we should've stayed behind on."

"Really?"

"Well… I say it but I don't really believe it," Oretzi sighed as she rubbed her face. "This whole area is dangerous for hanyous in general and we got a group of humans trying to make their way through."

"What do you think we should do?"

"I think we should've gone East. We knew that there was a war brewing out to the West and we overestimated our ability to move."

"But are we able to double back?"

"I don't know. I like to think so but it's not me who makes the decisions for the group."

"But you are the resident expert on demons," she reminds the hanyou.

"No, I think Reo has the title on that one."

"I think Anko-chan would listen to you more than the lion."

Oretzi chuckled as she looked at Tsuki. "'The lion'? You really don't like him."

"He's a big overgrown cat."

Oretzi laughed outright this time and scratched Tsuki behind the ear this time. It didn't escape Tsuki's attention that the hanyou didn't agree or disagree with her on this - keeping the peace even when only the two of them could understand the language.

"Gaki," Anko calls over to the hanyou, gesturing for her to join her. She had what looked to be a map in her hand and Oretzi got up to heed her call. Tsuki sighed as she shifted out of her partner's way and went to go sit next to Hoshi, her size nearly dwarfing the petite chunin.

"What were you and Oretzi-chan talking about?" Hoshi asks.

"Nothing," Tsuki answers after a yawn caused her to open her maw as wide as it could go - affording the group of chunins a look at her pearly white teeth.

"It didn't seem like nothing," Tamashii notes. "I honestly can't remember when was the last time you two spoke only in wolf when we're around."

"You mean when we're not sparring with each other?" the twins chirp up together.

"Other than that," Tamashii conceded.

"Nee-chan and I have had conversations - just doesn't mean that you were around to hear us."

"That's your excuse?" the Hyuuga boy questioned with something like a laugh.

"It is a statement," Tsuki retorts before looking towards Anko and Oretzi, their voices pitched down low with the forest's natural noises preventing the wolf demon from overhearing their conversations. She couldn't quite see her partner's tails - since she still had the henge up - she could only imagine that the hanyou's tails were still. "What do you think Mita-chan wanted from nee-chan?"

"I don't know," Hoshi mutters, glancing up towards them. "Whatever it is I hope it finishes up soon. There's something oddly creepy about this forest…"

"You felt that too?" the twins exclaimed together before looking at each other. "You too?!"

"You two are still weird," Tsuki declared with a head shake - getting a protest from the twins.

Tsuki tilts her head slightly as she studied their client. He was a tall skinny man with a gaunt appearance to his features. There was something about him that unnerved the wolf hanyou - and the wolf demon couldn't figure out what it was. She thought it might be something scent related - except he smelled like he doused himself in the exotic spices he sells.

A little too much - in Tsuki's opinion. It was like he never showered. It gave her the impression that the guy had something to hide. It's probably not too bad of an impression. She had a feeling that whatever it was that bothered Oretzi it's probably something that shouldn't be ignored.

She could only vaguely remember the demon hunter from a year ago. She remembered that it was the first time her partner had killed someone - it was the first time she killed someone too. But the most important thing she remembered was the fact that Oretzi had not liked the man from the get go.

Tsuki studied Kano Shinji for a long time. He had his hair tied back in a top knot with a small patch of hair on his chin. His skin was somewhat tanned - possibly from being out in the sun. In addition to the odd hair he also wore a kimono outfit that looked like it was something a noble would wear.

Certainly not someone who is expecting to be traveling for a few weeks at the very least.

"Tsuki," she hears Oretzi calls out for her, snapping the wolf demon out of her thoughts and prompting her to look towards her partner. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" she asked as she stood up, trotting over to her partner.

"We're going to need to scout around."

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes. The others are going to stay and keep guard."

Tsuki sighed and looked at the hanyou. "Is it a good idea to go out on our own?"

"Maybe, maybe not," the hanyou answered as she readjusted her armor to make sure that the plates were where they should be. "We can hear better than them, for one. We have an advantage when it comes to tracking."

"But Tamashii can see all around him," Tsuki argued. "He does have that all seeing eye of us." She looked at her partner. "So why are we the only one going out?"

"How about the fact that we have a better chance surviving an ambush if a demon attacks us."

"Wouldn't it make more sense if one of us stayed with the others?"

"There's four of them - their odds are better together than out in the woods by themselves. Not to mention Reo is there in case something happens," Oretzi states simply. The hanyou looks down towards her partner. "We've trained to work together. We haven't really… been working together lately."

Tsuki turned her head away under the pretense of keeping an eye on their surroundings. In a vague way she knew that Oretzi was speaking the truth. They're supposed to be able to fight together - to coordinate their moves. But they've been going to opposite sides of the field or separating instead of staying together.

"What are you thinking?" Oretzi asked.

"I… I didn't mean to not…" Tsuki stops herself for her thoughts could spill out in the ancient demonic language. "Are we really supposed to work together?"

Oretzi tilts her head, thinking - probably noticing the fact that Tsuki switched languages to avoid talking about what was really bothering her. "It is not necessary that we work together. It is not necessary that you fight by my side," she spoke honestly. "You are not obligated to fight with me. You are not obligated to be my partner."

Tsuki looked down at Oretzi's words.

"But I would like for you to be my partner. I would like for you to fight alongside with me. I would like for us to achieve greatness together," the hanyou continued. Tsuki looked to her and saw knew that Oretzi meant every word.

She knew that it was very hard to lie in the ancient language - a skill she still hasn't quite mastered - and knew that one look into the hanyou's eyes was enough to confirm that she meant every single word.

"I'm sorry," Tsuki muttered in a soft voice.

"Just promise me that we'll make a difference from now on."

"Hai."

"Great. Now let's get to work. We need to find out if there's an alternate path to the peninsula."

"If there isn't another path, what are we going to do?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Oretzi sighed before she pulled out the compass she had been given by Izabera. She opens it to find the arrow spinning around like it had when she first gotten it. Vaguely remembering the instructions she was given when she gotten it she focused on one thing. When she opens her eyes to look at the compass she found that it was still spinning. "That's bad," she sighed, tucking the compass back into a pocket.

"Nani?"

"I was thinking of a safe path and… the compass is supposed to show you the way to what you desire."

"Are you sure you were using it right?"

"No, I'm not sure… but considering that we're in a hostile zone I'm not surprised by the lack of safe paths," Oretzi sighed before she decided to pick a direction for them to scout out before the night was over.

Tsuki looked down the other path they could've chosen - what little there was of a path anyway - and found that neither was exactly appealing. The paths were mostly overgrown - looking something more like the trails animals use and create as they go about with their lives. The trees had gown close with one another, the branches nearly interlocked as it blocks out what little light there is available.

Though with the sun having already set Tsuki didn't know if there was any real light left to be shown. She vaguely remembers that the moon should be in its' waxing stage and recalls that the mission was estimated to take roughly two months to complete. Which meant that Oretzi is going to experience her werewolf and human shifts out in the middle of nowhere and in hostile territories. And Oretzi's human form had actually avoided active combat so far- making Tsuki was nervous about her partner's well-being.

She wouldn't be surprised if Oretzi's moon weakness had become somewhat known in the South Continent. It had been her former childhood home.

With the Gorilla demons likely spreading news of Oretzi's 'betrayal' of demon kind for the humans it's likely that demons from all kinds will come out of the woodworks to try their luck in taking her down.

Oretzi had a point about this place being dangerous but somehow she had a feeling that it was a lot more dangerous than how the hanyou puts it. That the severity of the situation is a lot worse.

Whatever it was - she didn't like it.

She hadn't been a good partner for Oretzi lately but somehow she knew that this whole area is not safe for either of them.

"Tsuki,"

She heard Oretzi call back towards her, "Come here."

Drawn out of her thoughts she moves closer to the hanyou who was crouching in the shadows of a tree and the thick undergrowth. "What is it?"

"Tell me what you see over that way?" the hanyou gestured slightly with her hand, keeping her movements to a minimum and reducing the amount of noise she makes.

Curious as to what the hanyou had seen she looked into the direction as indicated and found that there was a… group of large boars traveling through the forest. The wolf demon remembered hunting boars outside of Konoha - with Oretzi showing her how it was done - but she most certainly did not remember them being that size.

It was like they were easily three times the height and weight of those back at home. "How much do you think they can feed?" she asked, curious.

"I think it can feed the two of us with some leftovers for the others," Oretzi answered without thinking about it. "Er, wait, that isn't what I wanted you to observe."

"Then what?"

"They're Inoshishi, Tsuki," Oretzi mumbles. "They're days away from their territory."

"How am I supposed to know that?"

"Didn't you study the map?"

"No…?" She smiled sheepishly at her peeved partner.

"Study the map when we get back to camp."

"Hai…" she grumbles in a low voice before focusing on the boars again. "So…?" she looks at the hanyou. "Where do they normally live?"

"In the far, far West. At least five days to the West and South of where we're planning on heading."

"Oh… so they're far off the beaten path."

"More than a bit," Oretzi agrees before she started to follow the boars - she wanted to find out where they were headed and why it seemed like all the Inoshishi demons were gathered.

Tsuki looked at her partner in confusion before she settled for following her - wondering if she should do something to darken her white fur.

They moved parallel to the group - keeping to the shadows and halting whenever it seemed like they ran the risk of being noticed. She wasn't sure how long they followed the boars but just when she was thinking that it was time they returned back to camp Oretzi brought her hand up - a puzzled look covering her face.

Curious as to what had gotten her partner's attention Tsuki focused, peering around at their surroundings. Nothing was amiss - from what she could see - so she instead listened.

At first she thought she heard nothing only to realize that itself was a problem. A silent forest was usually a sign that something big was stalking the woods nearby. Moving her body so that it nearly hugs the ground Tsuki stalks forward, her ears twitching in every direction as she listened.

It wasn't completely quiet, she realizes, there was a low steady beat - not too different from a heartbeat. That's why it had been so easy to miss earlier.

"What's happening?"

"I'm not sure," Oretzi mutters as they made their way carefully through the woods. "But, whatever it is, I doubt it's good."

"Where are we in relation to the camp?"

Oretzi made a noise which Tsuki took as a 'I don't know' or 'Don't worry about that now'.

Neither was a good thing in the wolf demon's opinion so she decides to focus on the task at hand.

They snuck closer the sound - careful to avoid stepping on twigs and dry leaves.

"Does that sound like chanting?" Tsuki asks hesitantly.

"… How is it that we're so close to them?" Oretzi mutters distractedly as she peers around a tree.

Tsuki mirrors her and found that they were not too far from a cliff and had a good view of a large clearing - it looked too perfectly circular to be natural. Frowning she narrows her eyes to try and focus a bit better. "What are they?"

"Onis," Oretzi answers. "It looks like all eleven tribes are there."

Tsuki tilts her head before looking up towards the hanyou. "Is that the Inoshishi demons?" she inquires, gesturing towards the movements in the trees. Oretzi frowned and looked in the direction she had gestured in.

"Oh no… The Inoshishi demons are joining forces with the Onis?"

The wolf demon wasn't quite sure what this meant but she had an impression that it wasn't good for them at all.

~Kazama~

Upon returning to the camp Oretzi made a beeline for the map, muttering to herself as she marked the area where they had seen the eleven Oni tribes and the Inoshishi demons - what is the name of a group of boars?

Tsuki figured that her presence wasn't needed over by the maps so she decided to settle down for the night. She found a comfortable enough spot to curl up in and kept her eyes and ears open for any kinds of trouble. From where she was laying she had a good view of Oretzi talking with her sensei - her gestures just barely restrained as she spoke. Tsuki didn't need an elaborate imagination to conclude that the meeting between the tribes and the boars were something to be extremely stressed out about.

She may not understand the world she found herself in but she trusted her partner, recognizing Oretzi's concern as something she should take heed of.

She rests her head on her paws and was considering the state of the demon world when she sensed the approach of someone. A quick inhalation told her that that the person was a demon and someone she's has associated with before.

"What do you want?" she intoned in a low flat voice without lifting her head.

"What did you find?"

"… Why not bring it up with Oretzi?"

"Because she is busy with the short purple haired one."

"There's two short purple haired ones," Tsuki retorts without looking up.

"The crazy one then."

"No one's sane after being in this team."

"That's the official opinion?"

Tsuki sighed and finally lifts her head from her paws to look at the white lion - idly noting that he's in his human form. "If you plan on sticking around for a long time you will see for yourself."

Reo chuckles at her statement, his teeth flashing slightly in the low lighting as she watched. "I might just do that," he remarks, getting an eyeroll from Tsuki as a result. "Still, what did you find that has Oretzi riled up?"

"… Explain something to me first."

"What?"

"Are the Oni tribes something to be worried about?"

"It depends on their color," Reo starts, his eyebrow arched as his blue eyes studies her. "No one has seen a Gold in several generations but they were rumored to have been the leaders of the Oni Kingdom that ruled the South for more than five centuries."

"That's a long time."

"It was. They fell before or during the rampage of the No-Name."

"No-Name?"

"It's the being Oretzi spoke of."

"Oh… no one ever named it?"

"No one ever wanted to. To name it was to give it an identity… And any name in our language gives a type of power to the one bestowed with it."

"… It's like how Oretzi's name means two different things depending on the pronunciation?"

"Correct. Oretzi's name is from the Ancient Demonic language."

"That's…" She didn't know what to make of it.

"All of the Bijuu Lords speak primarily in the ancient language. Their names correlates with the role they are expected to maintain. The current Hokou's name is said to be Morotzi."

"Forest Guardian?"

"Close. 'Guardian of the Forest' would be more accurate."

"Why does Oretzi's name seem so simple in comparison to her mother's name?"

"The first part of her name, depending on the pronunciation, can mean liberate or eradicate. The second part means soul. And the last part, which has always been part of the name of the Hokou, means defend."

"I don't follow."

"Mm… I think it basically means Defender of Souls. The first part is mostly the actions possible: Liberate or Eradicate."

"Savior or Destroyer…" Tsuki mutters in understanding.

"Exactly."

"Her mother must have really seen something in Oretzi to give her such a name."

"I'm sure she did. Unfortunately no one can find her to ask her about it." Reo shook his head and looked at Tsuki. "Anyway, you were asking about the Oni tribes." Tsuki nodded her head slightly, subtly encouraging him to continue. "The Silver Onis are known as the elites. They rarely fight but when they do, they tend to not leave any survivors.

"The Violet and Indigo Onis are practically twins, they never do anything without the other. The Blue Onis tend to ally with the Indigo tribe but there's a history of bad blood between the Violet and the Blue tribes. Green is known as the neutral. They're fighters but I believe they are more defensive than offensive. Yellow tend to clash with everyone and the Red occasionally ally with the Orange whenever Yellow goes on a rampage. The White and Black tribes are the most violent of all of the tribes and the largest - in both sizes and amount."

"So… if they were to unite?"

"It wouldn't be possible. They haven't united since before the days of No-Name."

Tsuki tilts her head, thinking about what she had seen with her partner. "I do not think it would be wise to dismiss the possibility of the tribes uniting."

"If it happens," Reo starts, looking at her with his eyes dead serious, "It could spell the end of life as we know it."

Tsuki frowns before she got to her paws. Without another word she heads to where Oretzi and Anko were studying the map. "Nee-chan," she spoke up once she was by her partner's side.

"Hai? What is it?"

"Reo and I were discussing the tribes," she starts out evenly, maneuvering to place her front paws onto the barrels where they've set the maps. "He says that the tribes' uniting could mean the beginning of the end."

The hanyou looked sharply at her partner as the slight crunch of leaves signified the approach of someone. A quick glance told Tsuki that it was Reo joining them. "So… it's as bad as I thought."

She taps her finger on the country they were currently in - Jakkaru no Kuni - and frowned as she studied the best way to maneuver. They were just inside the borders of Jakkaru no Kuni, having just left Oni no Kuni behind them earlier that day and she was somewhat positive they were close to the Southern borders. Directly south of Jakkaru was the Saru no Kuni - home of the monkey tribes and possibly home to the tribe whom the Hokage has a contract with. To the South Western borders of Jakkaru was Anaguma no Kuni - home to the fierce badger tribes. Although 'tribe' is something she would use loosely when it comes to the badgers seeing that they're supposedly the solitary types. To the North Western borders was the Haiena no Kuni.

In her opinion she would rather go through Anaguma no Kuni due to the fact that she had encountered a few Haiena demons when she was younger and on those occasions it was a touch and go on who would win the skirmishes - the pack or the Haiena demons.

"Reo, which way do you think we should go?" she finally asks, looking at her friend. "We have to go through Jakkaru no Kuni to reach any of the countries so which way do you believe will take us around the conflicts?"

The lion hummed as he studied the map, thinking. "Do you know if the conflicts extend to any direction other than what we've seen so far?"

"No. Nothing has indicated that the whole country will be embroiled in the war. However… Tsuki and I have seen a group of Inoshishi demons join up with the Oni tribes."

Reo looked at her in shock.