A/N-Thanks to those who reviewed chapter 18 and 19-Kyiri Makrono who was my 60th reviewer…GLOMP. As well as efay and ReiKai101. Read and Review!

Disclaimer-Paprika doesn't own.

Chapter 20

Once Mrs. Lenzi had gotten over her crying, she had gotten up and began to pace the room, anxiously awaiting her daughter's return, Mrs. Fields Waiting with her. Even though, her daughter had calmly explained about the fact that she was a ninja and, yes, would be in constant danger and peril…

Experience…was a whole other matter.

She hated not knowing if her daughter was injured or safe…dead or alive…and how did she know she could trust the man her daughter was struggling to protect? But…everyone else seemed to trust him so she that was all she could do as well…

But she hated waiting.

Her wait came to an abrupt end, however, when voices were heard downstairs. Mika was up and out the door before Seyann's mother could get up, mostly because she used her chakra. Mrs. Lenzi made it to the door of Mika's room, just in time to see Sasuke and Gaara come up the stairs supporting an almost unconscious Kakashi between them and Mika and Michelle just behind them…

With an unconscious Seyann being carried bridal style by Mika.

Letting out a high-pitched shriek, the woman flew to Mika's side and took her daughter's hand, brushing some brown strands out of her eyes. She started asking questions at the speed of light until Mika said "I wasn't there…and the one who was needs to be looked at by a medical nin before we bombard him with questions." While she had been saying this, she had reached her room and had set Seyann down on her bed. "Gaara will you take Mrs. Lenzi out?" Gaara nodded wordlessly and escorted the panicked woman out of the room to allow Sakura with Mika's help to examine Seyann.

After Sakura had healed and bandaged her cousin's arm, Mika took off her clothes and put a pair of her own pink pajamas on her friend. 'She'd better not wake up…' thought Mika wearily. It was as she was doing this that she noticed… "Sakura…what are these scratches?" Said Mika, showing her the little half moon cuts on her friend's hands.

Once Sakura set her eyes on those cuts, she gasped and her face went white as a sheet. "Let me see her hand…" Sakura picked up her cousin's hand and examined it closely. Seyann's fingernails were still slightly pointed, like claws and, beneath one of the claws, Sakura detected blood.

"Mika…Help me. Look for any markings that are on her body that weren't there before. Like…let me give you a hint. Naruto's is on his stomach…Gaara's is on his forehead…"

In a second Mika caught on. "Sealing marks…does that mean…" "I should've told you guys sooner. The cousin who went missing all those years ago was the vessel of a Neko demon." Mika was in shock but she complied with Sakura's wishes and helped her. It wasn't long until they found what they were looking for and when they did, Mika and Sakura could only stare. "That's…" the Kanji… was the same as Gaara's.

Sakura explained, in an uncertain voice, a theory. "While each demon vessel has their own distinct sealing mark, it is possible, for vessels who are related, to have the same marking. But…I don't understand the connection. If Seyann is related to Gaara, she doesn't look a thing like him. We never knew her father…so who could it be?"

The fact that her friend was related to her boyfriend in itself cowed Mika-she was unable to process who her father might be-the only one who really knew was sealed inside Seyann.

Mika was in the process of tucking her friend in when it happened. Seyann shot up and, with newly reformed claws, left three scratches on Mika's arm. Mika leapt to her feet and fell back, while Sakura lunged forward and wrapped chakra ropes around her cousin's wrist before she could move. While she was doing this, she saw Sey's eyes and noted how they were almond shaped now, and red with cat-like pupils.

The thing that was now controlling Seyann relaxed when she realized she was trapped, hissed and said, in a silky, sly voice "What do you want with me." When the struggle had ensued, everyone else who wasn't in an induced sleep (everyone except Kakashi) had rushed into the room, all surprised to see Seyann's new look.

"Name. I knew it at one time but it escapes me." "My name…is Celina." Purred the Neko in Seyann's body. "Why is that voice coming out of my daughter?" "Because, Mrs. Lenzi, your daughter is the vessel of a demon. She still has her personality, this is just an unfortunate…kind of add on to her new life."

"Celina." 'You know her Shukaku?' "An old friend of mine. She was sealed at around the same time Kyuubi was." As Gaara looked down at his girlfriend's arm, he though, rather ticked off 'Well she hurt Mika.' At this Shukaku started to growl.

"Shukaku just informed me that he's a friend of Celina. Apparently she was sealed at around the same time the Kyuubi was." "Shukaku is here?" Said Seyann/Celina incredulously. "Where?" "Sealed inside of Gaara."

Sakura grabbed the chakra rope and dragged her cousin's body up so that she could look her in the eye. "Don't hurt her Sakura!" exclaimed Mika. "That's still Seyann…" Sakura relented on her dragging and changed tactics. "I know my aunt was her mother but…who was her father?"

"Well I know her mother was a Haruno…" "I just said that Celina." "Will you let me finish? Her mother was that and her father….Yasha something…Yashamaru. The uncle of Shukaku's vessel."

Gaara's eyes shot open and he stared at the person on the bed in disbelief. Mika slid her eyes to Gaara before back to the figure on the bed. "She's my cousin?" he said. He narrowed his eyes at the mention of his traitorous uncle. 'What if…like father like daughter…' he thought, a panic rising in his gut. 'How can I trust her?' "Let me out. Just my spirit. I need to talk to Celina." 'Sure, completely ignore my personal strife.' Gaara, however, obliged and a small amount of chakra exploded as his eyes turned gold.

No one noticed this, however, as Mika and Michelle stepped forward simultaneously and Mika said "Celina. We, Seyann's friends, don't want you to even think about playing any mind games with her or tormenting her. We, in fact, don't want to see you unless Seyann is in danger. If you do anything like that, we will find a way to extract you and we will kill you." "Relax. That's more along the lines of Kyuubi or Shukaku to do that." At this, a scratchy, evil sounding voice spoke up. "Celina. I have a stipulation of my own to put in…if you lay a hand on my lifemate again, I will kill you myself." "Shukaku?" "You heard me. Now respect this please." Celina/Seyann inclined her head slightly and said, "Of course…you love her?" Gaara/Shukaku nodded. "With everything I am."

Gaara blinked and his eyes went jade again. Everyone in the room was caught slightly off guard at the fact that even Shukaku loved Mika and said Mika was blushing brightly but attention was soon turned back to Celina.

"Shukaku you're no fun…you've gone and grown up." Said Celina slyly. "Fine. I will adhere to your wishes and only surface, should her life be in danger."

Abruptly, Celina's chakra pattern vanished and Seyann slumped down to the bed. Mika, after giving her boyfriend a peck on the cheek, went over and knelt at the bed side. Seyann sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Where…am I…the last thing I remember is that nin stabbing me…"

"You're at my house…you're safe, we can only assume that the enemy is dead…he didn't follow you. On a different note, we found out why the Akatsuki have been pursuing you… you have a demoness sealed inside you. A Neko." Mika laughed anxiously and said "I guess you could say when we made fun of you about being demon-like…it wasn't that far off of the mark."

Seyann processed this and as she did, she looked down and happened to catch a glimpse of her current outfit. When she looked back up, her eyes were an orange, signifying annoyance. "Mika…" She said, cracking her knuckles. "Yes…" asked Mika nervously.

"Am I wearing Pink?" Asked Seyann, saying pink like it was a swear word.

"Well it depends on how you look at it…it could be called an off red…"

"Answer the question." "Yes…yes you are wearing pink."

"When I can get up…I swear I am going to kill you."

A/N-Well there you go, an update. Read and Review!