Kyuu was dreaming, she was experiencing one of those rare times where her brain decided to delve into her memory and have her dream of her past. Kyuu grew up by living all over the place. She went from village to village, never staying for too long. She had lived that life ever since her father died. When she was four she witnessed a vampire hunter ambush and murder her father. Not realizing what she was, the hunter spared her life and fled the scene. He had hidden his identity, so Kyuu never knew who he was, but as she gazed at the ashes that once were her father; she vowed revenge. She grew up in the wild. Nature taught her how to survive and endure, animals taught her to hunt and fight, humans who stumbled across her perished. The night her father died she gave into the creature that she was and natural instincts ruled her.

That was how she lived out the first few years on her own, an evil child of the forests. She never forgot the death of her father though and when hunters came in search of this "evil creature that lived in the woods" she slaughtered them all. She'd act out the weak lost child role until their guard was down and then she'd strike. If she found one in a village she preyed on them in their sleep. Because she didn't know the face of her father's murderer she settled for killing all vampire hunters she could.

Then one day, when she was close to seven she met her match and a boy who left a great impact on her. She was lurking in the forests of some country when a tall man wielding a huge sword approached her. He wasn't a hunter, but she knew he was powerful. The man could tell she wasn't an ordinary child either. Kyuu viewed him as a threat for her safety and attempted to slay him like she had to others before him. However, she hadn't expected him to be a ninja. Before that date she never fought anyone who used such strange powers. The man made short work of her, but didn't kill her.

"You're no ordinary child." He spoke as he looked down at her blazing red eyes and fangs. "Yet you're clearly not as dangerous as you look." He added.

"I've killed plenty of humans and the beasts that live in the forest." She snapped at him.

"No doubt slaying the humans through trickery like you attempted with me. You can't overpower a skillful ninja however. But, you have potential to be strong, very strong…" He replied.

"What are you getting at?" She demanded and stood up, clutching her injured arm.

"Have you grown tired of living like a wild child in the woods yet?" He asked.

"The wilderness is my home." She responded shortly.

"If you come with us, you can have a real home. I can teach you to be strong, stronger than you can imagine.

"Us?" She asked confused, only slightly considering what he was saying.

"Haku, come out now." The man spoke and a young boy emerged from the bushes behind him. He looked only to be a few years older than Kyuu and carried a bunny in his arms.

Kyuu scowled, she hadn't sensed him or his rabbit. "He looks like a girl." She commented.

"I am a boy!" He spoke up, insulted yet hiding his face behind the rabbit. He was timid.

"This is Haku, another child that I am training into a powerful weapon." The man spoke while gesturing to the boy.

"He looks weak." Kyuu retorted.

"Show her." The man ordered.

Kyuu watched the forest around her suddenly turn to ice and watched ice spikes shoot out from the ground and trees around them, all directed at her but not touching her. She was amazed; the boy did that without even moving.

"If you join us, I can turn you into an even greater weapon." He offered again.

Kyuu studied him. She could be stronger? Strong like this icy girl-boy? Strong like the man who defeated her with ease? She was half vampire, yet her power was nowhere near theirs. They could train her; she could be strong, powerful enough to kill any hunter.

"I'll join you." She decided hesitantly.

"Good. What is your name girl?" The man spoke.

"Kyuuketsuki." She replied and the boy, Haku, tilted his head to the side.

"That means vampire doesn't it?" He asked.

"Yes it does, is that what you are?" The man asked her.

"I am a dhampir." She explained.

"What?" Haku asked.

"A child born from a vampire." The man explained.

"How does that work?" Haku asked curiously.

"My father was a noble and great vampire, my mother a human. She died giving birth to me. My father was slain…" Kyuu answered.

"Kyuuketsuki, I am Zabuza, I will be your master now. Come." The man stated and gestured with his hand for her to come over to him and Haku.

For several years after that Kyuu lived with the two. Zabuza trained her and raised her as a tool just like Haku. Though at the time she didn't accept it, Haku became her very first friend. He looked out for her since she was the youngest and on some days she imagined he was what an older brother was like. They were trained and taught not to be attached to anything or anyone and her heart was too dark to fully let him in, but a small part of her accepted him as an older sibling. He was the first to show her any act of kindness. It wasn't till later that she truly appreciated this though.

Haku turned his whole existence into serving Zabuza, his life revolved around him and Kyuu believed Zabuza was Haku's only reason for living. She couldn't dedicate herself to him like that. Her loyalty wasn't nearly as strong. She was with them for strength and although she obeyed Zabuza and followed any of his orders, she didn't revere him like Haku. Haku's purpose in life was serving Zabuza, Kyuu's was serving herself.

By the time Kyuu was ten Zabuza decided she needed to be dealt with. He had turned her into a powerful tool indeed, but he could tell she had no intention of being his tool. It was then that he developed a plan; he had to make sure he would only loose one tool and not both. Haku's loyalty needed to be put to the test. He ordered Haku to lure her away and kill her for disloyalty. Return to him with proof of her death and he would know he could trust Haku with anything, even his life.

Haku was torn by that request. Kyuu was a little sister to him, he couldn't kill her. Zabuza was his master though; he listened without question, obeyed without a second thought. He was his tool and tools are one hundred percent obedient. So what should he do?

Kyuu decided to tell her brain that was enough reminiscing in the past and snapped herself awake. When she awoke she tried to comprehend where she was. She was lying on a mat in a strange room she didn't recognize. She was also alone. Where was her team? She sat up and looked about, there was evidence of others being in this room too. A few mats lay out around her and then she noticed the packs that belonged to her teammates. So where was everyone? The house she was in was quiet, in fact there was no sound at all, just dead silence. She got up and walked to a window. She saw a town through the window but there was nobody. No one walking by, no sounds of people far off out of her vision. Just silence. She turned away from the window and that's when she noticed two things.

First, she was somehow in her pajamas and had no idea how she got in them. The second thing she noticed was a note stuck to her pack. She walked back over to it and snatched up the note.

Kyuu,

We're at the bridge. You've been sleeping for a really long time and we've been worried about you. Naruto took care of you and said you'd be fine. He apparently knew what was wrong with you, but wouldn't say what it is. Come to the unfinished bridge after reading this note.

Kakashi

P.S. Sakura changed you into your pjs so don't abuse Naruto if you thought it was him.

Kyuu quickly dug her clothes out of her pack and changed. She had a very uneasy feeling. She finished getting ready and strapped her swords onto her back. Making her way through the town did little to relax her nerves. There was not a single villager; it was like a ghost town. What was going on here? Where was everyone? She decided to move faster and ran towards where she knew her team would be. When she arrived at the bridge her nervous feeling turned into a dead weight in her stomach. The bridge was engulfed in mist; she recognized this mist too…

Kyuu crept closer to the center of the bridge, making her way through the mist. She was able to see clearly though, her heightened senses helped greatly with that and she was familiar with this technique. When she reached the center she stopped dead in her tracks and a gasp escaped her lips. She saw Sakura standing defensively in front of that old guy from before and Kakashi fighting a man she distinctly recognized. That was not what caused her shock and now fear though. Kakashi was strong, he could handle him. What concerned her was something that was closer to her than they were. She stared at the dome of crystal ice mirrors and looked on in horror at the two boys trapped inside. She knew Haku's technique all too well and had been trapped in it herself before. If Haku was serious, Naruto and Sasuke were screwed.

She moved closer to get a better look at them to assess their damage, but froze when she did so. Naruto appeared to be unconscious on the ground and Sasuke was still standing, but just barely by the looks of it. The two of them had senbon needles sticking out of them from all over. Haku was taking this fight very seriously.

The next thing that happened seemed to happen in slow motion. Though covered by the mask Kyuu could tell by his body language, Haku was ready to end their fight and going for a final attack. He went after Naruto's unconscious form and Sasuke moved to shield Naruto with his own body, falling right into Haku's plan.

"NO!" Kyuu cried out and vanished, she reappeared directly in front of Sasuke; shielding his body with her own just in time.

Not a second later did the Senbon, aimed at Sasuke, pierce into Kyuu's chest and throat. Every Senbon that buried themselves into her chest hit directly over her heart and the others pierced deep into her throat or collarbone.

The world seemed to stand still. Haku and Sasuke stared in horror at the sight in front of them. Kyuu emitted a gurgling sound from her throat, blood trickled out of her mouth, and then she staggered backwards and fell. Sasuke, though numb with shock quickly caught her. Carefully he lowered her to the ground, trying to contain his emotions. Kyuu's eyes were still wide open, but glazed over and glossy; he was thinking the worst.

"Kyuu, what the hell were you thinking?" He demanded.

What Sasuke and Haku didn't realize though, was that Kyuu was still alive. The pain was overwhelming, but a metal senbon was no wooden stake nor made from silver, so she still lived. Yet she couldn't move or speak from the pain, however she could still see. She was shocked to find Sasuke so distraught; he looked like he might cry.

She was placed beside Naruto and her head fell to the side, giving her a view of Haku. Haku stared at Kyuu's form, right into her "dead" eyes. What had he done? Why was she here? How was she here? Why did she get in the way?

His concern over her "death" was cut short however as Sasuke stood up and glared at Haku. He got ready for another attack and this time around, blinded by fury Sasuke charged at him head on. Haku's senbon hit Sasuke dead on, but he grabbed Haku and threw him, slamming him into one of his own ice mirrors. Kyuu watched on, furious she couldn't move. A stir of movement beside her however revealed that Naruto was awake now.

"You did it Sasuke!" Naruto cheered happily before fully taking in his surroundings. His eyes widened in horror as he saw Kyuu lying still beside him and his fear got worse as Sasuke staggered in front of him, senbon sticking out of his chest, neck, and everywhere else.

They spoke a few words, but what they were saying didn't register in Kyuu's brain. She was just staring at Sasuke, terrified he was dying. Sasuke fell backwards and Naruto was quick to catch him. Sasuke continued to speak a few more words. His last few words brought tears to both Kyuu's and Naruto's eyes. He reached his hand out, but didn't have the strength and it fell as his eyes closed and his head fell to the side. Silent tears fell from Kyuu's eyes and Naruto shed tears for both Sasuke and her.

"Is this the first time you've seen a friend die in battle?" Haku spoke to him, recovering from Sasuke's last attack.

The atmosphere suddenly changed. From the angle of her head, Kyuu only had a small view of Naruto, but suddenly power was radiating off of him in insane amounts.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Naruto snarled out, shooting his head up to glare at Haku with slitted red eyes.

Red-orange chakra flowed from him and swirled around him. It was an overwhelming amount of chakra and power. In the midst of the chakra Kyuu could see the form of a fox take shape. This was bad.

The senbon suddenly started flying out of Naruto, his injuries healing instantly right before their eyes. His hair began to turn wilder, nails turned to claws, fangs forming in his mouth. As he glared at Haku bloodlust filled his eyes.

Naruto charged at Haku and as they fought, Kyuu could tell he was no match for Naruto like this. Naruto suddenly gripped Haku's arm and punched him so hard that he flew through his ice mirrors and went tumbling away from them. The mirrors crumbled around Naruto before he rushed after Haku and into the mist.

Kyuu wasn't sure what happened next, they were out of her line of sight. However after a short while the mist started to leave and she heard footsteps running toward her. Sakura (followed by the old man) came running up to Sasuke and Kyuu. She collapsed to the ground in front of Sasuke, stroking his face before falling onto his chest and crying her eyes out.

Kyuu closed her eyes in sorrow at Sakura's sobs and she felt her finger twitch. Her strength was coming back. She reopened her eyes and as she did so the mist completely disappeared. When it cleared, what she saw was enough of a shock to kick start her body into gear again. Haku lay dead on the ground in front of Kakashi.

"Haku!" The words left her lips and Kyuu was up and moving. She ripped the senbon out of her chest and neck and rushed to where he lay. She was completely oblivious to everyone's shocked faces. As far as they were concerned she just sprung up from the dead.

"Haku..." She muttered and fell to her knees beside him. "No..." She muttered once more in sorrow and laid her hand over his bloody chest.

"Kyuu!? You're supposed to be dead." A voice exclaimed behind her.

Kyuu turned to look at Zabuza and glared. "You ordered him to kill me!" She snapped at him, she had long gotten over what happened, the fury she felt was for what he put Haku through on that day, not for herself.

"Which he clearly didn't do." He muttered, eyes narrowing.

"I was like a sister to him! How could you try to make him do that? Make him do something that would hurt him so much?" She hissed.

"A test of loyalty, which I can see now, he failed." He answered simply.

"Uhh, you guys know each other?" Naruto spoke up, severally confused as to what was going on.

"Yeah…" Kyuu answered and turned her gaze back to Haku.

What proceeded afterwards was all a blur to Kyuu. Naruto dealt with Zabuza by talking to him, Zabuza dealt with the arrival of some goons, the villagers made their appearance and took care of the remaining goons, and Sasuke was up and (slowly) moving as well. Kyuu didn't pay attention to any of this; her mind was occupied on Haku and her memories of the years they spent together.

She was snapped out of her memories when Kakashi set Zabuza's body next to Haku's. His hand touched Haku's face before he passed on. Kyuu let a few tears fall before leaning over and pulling Haku's body closer to hers, giving him one final hug goodbye. Naruto and Kakashi stood behind her in silence, not wanting to disturb her just yet.

Kyuu started to release Haku, ready to let him go when she noticed something. With how closely she held him she could sense it. There was a tiny bit of life energy still in him. The very last of his life about to slip away. Her eyes widened in realization and without stopping to think about it, she bit into her own wrist.

"A life for a life." She muttered and placed her bleeding wrist over his mouth. She forced his mouth open and let her blood run down his throat.

Kakashi's and Naruto's eyes both widened and they shielded her with their bodies so the villagers couldn't see what she was doing. Kakashi, like most of the adults knew what she was and he quickly figured out why she was giving him her blood...

"Please work…." She begged; praying it was not too late.

"Kyuu what are you doing?" Naruto asked, he didn't understand why she was giving him her blood.

"Vampire blood will heal him." She answered.

"But he's dead." Naruto replied confused.

"He is now." She spoke, feeling the last of his life force leave. "When a human dies with vampire blood in them, they'll turn. They'll also turn if they just drink enough of our blood and can skip the dying phase. If their body doesn't reject it, that is." She explained.

"So you're turning him?" Naruto asked surprised.

"What happens if the body rejects it?" Kakashi asked concerned.

"They'll turn into a ghoul. In this case though, if the body rejects it, they just remain dead. Or if I gave it to him too late, it wouldn't matter and he'll stay dead." She answered.

All three of them watched on in waiting. Soon however, the wound on his chest started to heal rapidly. "It worked." Kyuu sighed in relief.

"So he's a vampire now?" Naruto asked concerned.

"When he awakes he will be." She replied.

"Which will be?"

"It will be awhile."

Sakura, Sasuke, and the old man wandered over to the group, wondering what the holdup was. The rest of the villagers were busy cleaning things up.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Kyuu-

"I healed Haku, there was still a small bit of life left in him so I saved him." Kyuu cut in, not letting Naruto finish with that strange old man right there.

"What for?" Sasuke demanded.

"A life debt for starters." Kyuu answered.

"Alright, he'll be unconscious for awhile so let's get him out of here." Kakashi stated, figuring it was best to get him out of here and handle this conversation at a later date. Kyuu and Naruto picked him up since Kakashi looked too worn out to carry him.

They took Haku back to the house they were staying in (which Kyuu now knew to be the old man's), laid Haku down, bandaged themselves up, and rested.

"So how do you know each other?" Kakashi asked Kyuu, once again stuck on bed rest. Because of the amount of people now staying in, they decided to split up the group into two rooms. Sasuke was resting in the other room (with Sakura happily doting on him), Naruto's stuff was in there too, but he remained in the room with Kyuu, Kakashi, and Haku.

"You said Zabuza ordered him to kill you and you were like his sister?" Naruto added.

Kyuu looked at them both. She sat beside Haku's unconscious form with blood bags at the ready. His first thoughts would be to feed as soon as he awoke. "I spent several years living with them." She answered.

"Really?" Naruto asked surprised.

"When I was roughly about seven, Zabuza took me in to train me and try to turn me into a weapon like Haku. I guess, before you, Haku was my first true friend… I never let him in, or told him how much he truly meant to me, but I think he knew anyway." She began to explain before pausing and looking down at Haku.

"When I was about ten, shortly before coming to the leaf, Zabuza knew I wasn't going to be controlled and used like Haku was. He ordered Haku to kill me and bring back proof of my death to prove he was loyal to him. Haku and I fought, but in the end, he couldn't bring himself to kill me. He saved my life and let me go. We faked my death, Haku returned to Zabuza with the heart of an animal, claiming it to be mine, and I fled. That's how I arrived at the leaf village, trying to find some new place to go." She finished explaining.

"So that's what you meant by a life debt." Kakashi spoke.

"Yeah. He always looked out for me like an older brother and even defied Zabuza for me. He could have killed me that day, but he didn't. I owe him my life and this; it seemed the only way to repay my debt." She answered, gesturing towards Haku's comatose form.

As she gestured to him she caught some movement. Haku began to stir and suddenly snapped his eyes open. He started gasping, eyes blazing red. Kyuu quickly restrained him as he tried to get up. She forced him to lay still and ripped a blood pack open with her teeth. "Drink." She ordered, shoving it into his mouth.

Naruto and Kakashi watched the scene carefully, wondering if there would be any trouble. Naruto was a little apprehensive, the blood thing freaked him out and this turning process made him uneasy. Kakashi just gazed on in interest and sat at the ready if Kyuu needed his help.

Haku greedily drank three whole packets and reached for a fourth, but Kyuu held it out of his reach. "Easy there brother, moderation is key." She spoke sternly.

Haku slowly calmed down and stared at her, finally recognizing her and returning to himself. "Kyuu..?" He spoke confused.

"Welcome back." She greeted with a tiny smile.

"What happened? How am I alive? I feel… different." He asked, looking down at himself. His eyes then caught sight of the blood packets in front of him. "Did you…?"

"I turned you. I'm sorry. I wouldn't want to put this on anyone, but you were dying. I had to save you. You saved my life years ago, I had to repay my dept and this was the only way." She explained, slightly ashamed of her selfishness. She kept him alive because she wanted him to live, not because he wanted this, he wanted to die for Zabuza.

"I'm a vampire?" He asked bewildered.

"Yes, one just like me. You have my blood so you'll have my traits; a day-walker and such." She explained.

Haku was at a loss for words. He couldn't say he was happy about his new life. Yet, he couldn't be angry at Kyuu. She saved him from death. How could he be angry at such an act? He was given a second chance. What would this new life be like though? He wasn't human anymore. His emotions were confusing, but one thought struck out in his mind. Zabuza was gone and with him so was his purpose for living.

"I am grateful for you saving me Kyuu, but without Zabuza...he was my reason to live, he gave me a purpose. I... I don't have that anymore." He spoke softly.

"You'll find a new purpose. You can live your own life now, and fill it with your own dreams." Naruto chipped in helpfully.

Haku looked at him and comprehended what he was saying. "Haku, I know Zabuza meant so much to you, but you're not alone now. You have me again. We can take care of each other again and maybe that can help you find some purpose." Kyuu stated encouragingly. "You treated me like a little sister when we were young, I could still use an older brother..." She added.

Haku stared at her and processed it all. He could do that; he could focus on taking care of Kyuu again. She looked much better than how he remembered her, she had changed greatly, yet she still looked lonely. She was still his little sister. It was just the kind of person he was to devote himself to someone. He'd devoted himself to Kyuu; perhaps that would be enough for now.

"I could still use a little sister." He agreed with a tiny smile.

"Good, but for now, you're going to have to obey your little sister. You're a vampire noob. I gotta teach you the ropes." She began and paused to move the blood packets he was eyeing out of his line of sight. "And teach you self control." She finished.

It was close to a month later that everyone was completely healed and the bridge was finally finished. Within that time, Kyuu took Haku out regularly to help him adapt to his new lifestyle. He caught on quick enough. Haku naturally had a gentle personality. He was kind and gentle and that played a big part in his adapting, he didn't have it in him to become a "blood thirsty monster" and his new animalistic instincts weren't that overbearing. Kyuu explained to him that in some cases a new vampire will be in frenzy and have to be forced into submission, but because of his personality and pure spirit they didn't have to worry.

The month also brought Kyuu closer to her other teammates. They never spoke of what happened on the bridge, but she and Sasuke both hated each other a little less after that. Sakura too, made an effort to improve things with Kyuu. She had been worried about Kyuu that day too and this mission showed her a kinder side of Kyuu she didn't know. She was more willing to give her a chance now. Her teammates also got to know Haku and they easily liked him. Kakashi agreed to explain what had happened to the Hokage and arrange for Haku to stay and possibly become a leaf ninja.

Their return to the village was an uneventful one and aside from Naruto, most were pretty quiet. Everyone was off in their own world a bit. When they did return to the village, they all went together to give their report. Sasuke and Sakura went home when they were dismissed, but Naruto and Kyuu hung back while Kakashi and Haku dealt with the Hokage. They waited outside of his office for hours before Kakashi and Haku finally stepped out.

"Well?" Kyuu asked hopefully.

"He has permission to live here." Kakashi began.

"What about being a ninja?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"He has to undergo an investigation to prove he is not a threat, and then he'll be given a test. If he passes all of that, the Hokage will make him Genin. He will also find a new team to put him and Kyuu on as ours would be too big." Kakashi explained.

"That's great." Kyuu beamed.

"I don't want you to leave our team Kyuu!" Naruto complained.

"It's to keep things even Naruto." Kakashi spoke.

"It's not like we don't see each other every day when we're not out as a team anyway." Kyuu commented.

"But still…." Naruto sulked.

"The Hokage was very understanding." Haku chipped in, changing the subject a bit. "I think I'll like it here." He added with a smile.

"Woohoo!" Kyuu and Naruto both cheered.

"I have a spare bedroom in my apartment; from now on you live with me brother." Kyuu stated happily as they all left the Hokage building.

"It's just an empty room though." Naruto commented.

"Well we'll have to fill it." Kyuu responded.

"I don't have any money." Haku muttered.

"Leave it to us!" Naruto and Kyuu both declared and dragged him off to buy things for his new home and new clothes to wear. Kakashi just shook his head and wandered off.

A few weeks later and Haku was officially made a Shinobi of the Leaf and accepted by all the rookie teams as well. Kyuu hooked him up with his own blood supply, he learned the ropes of the city fairly quickly, and he felt comfortable with his new life.

At the moment he and Kyuu were on their way to the Hokage, he had found a new team for them to join. Apparently they had just recently lost two of their members. Kyuu and Haku entered his office with slight unease. Two women stood beside him, one adult and one girl their age.

The woman looked a tad intimidating. She had short spiky black hair that framed her face and messy in the back. Her eyes were a dark color and her skin only slightly tanned. She wore very little armor, or clothes in general. On one arm she had a chainmail armband that went from her wrist to the top of her arm, on the other she had a metal bracer, above that she had her headband tied around her bicep. She wore a purple and maroon tube top, and black pants tucked into her sandals. Around her torso was strapped a holster that held at least a dozen kunai and on her hip she had a sword strapped to her. She looked dangerous and powerful, but not necessarily mean.

The girl looked a great deal nicer. She had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail with bangs framing her face and just slightly hanging in her deep brown eyes. She had a few Sakura blossoms in her hair and she looked very young and gentle. Yet her eyes also held mischief and a playful nature. Her clothes weren't anything like that of a ninja. She wore more tradition, simple looking robes that looked like a cross between what a shrine maiden would wear and a warrior.

"These are your new teammates, your sensei Kaji and your teammate Tsuki Kuragari." He introduced. "Kaji, Tsuki, these are Kyuu and Haku." He added.

"Nice to meet you." Haku greeted.

"Are you a boy or a girl?" Kaji asked bluntly as she stared at him.

Kyuu burst out laughing and Tsuki giggled a little while Haku frowned. "I'm a boy." He answered in slight annoyance.

"Oh. You could use a haircut." Kaji laughed.

"I think he looks beautiful." Tsuki spoke up with a sweet smile. "Prettier than most girls I know." She added with small laugh.

Kyuu howled with laughter. "Oh god, I'm going to love you guys I know it." She laughed before patting Haku on the shoulder. "Be strong man, be strong." She spoke encouragingly. "And maybe get a haircut..." She added with a laugh.