A/N: I just want to thank each and every one of you still reading this fic, it means a lot to me. The storyline is going to be tying up in a few more chapters, though I'm not sure exactly how many I'll fit it into yet!

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

The Dominant and Recessive

Of course, Kiba had no actual intention of obeying his mother's orders, even after the fury she'd displayed. His incredible tracking ability was all he needed to locate the Hihanta's holding place, ironically being in the very cell Luna had been held in, not 24 hours earlier.

And while the Anbu guard system was considerably more intense than when it'd been her in his place, the Inuzuka was positive they would allow him through, given the circumstances.

Luna had insisted on going with him, either for her own peace of mind, or to ease the trouble that he would undoubtedly be in once his mother found out.

"You ready for this?" He asked, noticing her tense up as the Kage tower came into view.

"Are you?" She countered.

Mouth pressed into a thin line, he reached for her hand in response. They were as ready as they could ever be.

"Halt, Kiba Inuzuka. We are under strict orders not to let you or the hybrid anywhere near this prisoner." A guard stated robotically as they approached. Luna bristled a little at being referred to as 'the hybrid', but there were bigger issues on the table at the moment.

Like Kiba's increasing temper. "Strict orders?! By who?"

"By me."

The pair turned, finding themselves face to face with Tsunade, fifth Hokage of the leaf.

"My ma got to you first, didn't she?" Kiba grumbled, his hand tightening around Luna's. Tsunade, thankfully, chose not to comment on that little detail.

"Actually, it was by my suggestion that she ordered you to stay away. Do you have any idea how bad this could get if he got hold of her again?" They both knew who she was talking about. Whistle or not, they really didn't know what else the Hihanta was capable of.

"And you!" The blonde address the she-wolf, who had been staring at the floor. Her head snapped up at the attention. "This is the man responsible for all that pain you're feeling right now. And maybe even the deaths of your entire family. Do you really want to face such an evil?"

The girl gulped. It was difficult hearing it all spelled out like that. However, whether it was Kiba's reassuring grip on her hand, or her pride as a wolf, Luna's head rose to look Tsunade square in the eye.

"I do." The leaf ninja blinked, surprised by her boldness. "I want to know why."

Kiba gave her hand a squeeze, turning to face Tsunade alongside the hybrid girl.

Tsunade assessed their determination quietly, pondering the consequences. She knew in her heart of hearts that this visit would only serve to bring them more pain and sorrow than either had already experienced, and she knew that they were both unprepared for it. But, they had an equal right to face this prisoner, and the Hokage realised that one way or another, they would. It might as well be with her permission.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, Tsunade stepped aside.

"Lady Hokage?" One of the guards asked, confused by his leader's decision.

"Let them pass, Kazuwa."

"Y-yes, Milady."

Luna inclined her head towards the village Kage. She was thankful to the woman for understanding, but her nerves would not allow for her to express her gratitude verbally.

"Thank you," Kiba breathed as they passed, his voice sounding slightly shaky.

The cell was darker than Luna remembered, and much more ominous. Admittedly, the leaf ninja had been trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible, but still. It was like entering an underground alternate reality. Their Anbu guard who had been guiding them to the room paused outside the door, before unlocking it and allowing them through. When they were in, he locked it again behind them. An extra precaution, he'd said.

Inside there were two other guards either side of the barred wall, who exchanged unidentified glances at their arrival.

Luna's heart pounded, her vision blurring as she panicked and wondered if they should turn back. Sensing her unease, Kiba stepped forward bravely, nose twitching as he released her hand and approached the cage.

His expression twisted at the odour, not only smelling blood, but damp and sweat and grime, too. Kiba felt his pulse quicken when his eyes finally came to rest on the one he had once called father. He was truly a disgraceful sight.

His brown hair was matted and tufty, his breathing ragged as his chest heaved with every exhale against the chains wrapped securely around his torso. His dark eyes were cold and blank, staring at the floor not having seemed to even notice his visitors. Kiba suspected the chains were blocking his chakra flow, as there were several angry red marks marring the skin around his bare upper arms where sleeves had been torn from his shoulders.

The young Inuzuka suspected some amount of torture had already ensued, and judging from the pools of dried blood across the cell floor, it was pretty obvious he had not been very forthcoming with his answers.

The prisoner finally appeared to notice him, eyes flickering up darkly, lips morphing into a smirk.

"So, you're here. I knew you'd come, Kiba."

"Teiru." Kiba spat the name, his fists clenching at the haunting voice he had missed so much as a child.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, son?"

Finally something in Kiba snapped, as he lurched for the bars with a loud clank. "Don't you dare, don't you dare call me that!"

"If you're here about the Hangestu wolves, I'm happy to indulge on every little gory detail. For a price of course…" His cruel eyes flicked over to where Luna stood, quivering.

Her tail drooped as she retreated a little, her back hitting the locked prison door where a guard stood watch on the other side. She wanted the ground to swallow her, to squeeze her eyes shut and never have to open them again. The prisoner's smirk widened, the unspoken threat lingering between them until Kiba broke the silence.

"So it's true then. It was you."

Luna knew he was referring to the murder of her family, but neither of them wanted to say it in so many words.

The monster debated his answer for a minute, licking his lips. "Technically, they did it to themselves."

"What?" Kiba snarled, in no mood for games.

"The wolves tore themselves apart. The whole, disgusting pack, ripped each other into pieces right before me… Well, all except the one that got away…"

"You bastard…"

Ignoring her flattened ears and his son's warning growl, the Hihanta beckoned the hybrid forward. Luna inched forward a few steps, then paused. After a quick glance at Kiba, she finally crossed the rest of the space, halting just close enough to feel the ragged breathing of her attacker through the bars of his cell.

When Teiru was sure he had her attention, he rasped, "I want you to kill me."

The unexpected statement threw her off enough to find her voice.

"…You can't be serious." The she-wolf pulled a disbelieving face, one eyebrow raised, but Teiru remained completely expressionless. Luna let out a strangled laugh. "I thought you were supposed to be killing me? I mean, that's what all the legends say."

The Hihanta shrugged casually, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I failed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba cut in, joining Luna in front of the bars.

"It means that I failed. And the Diurnal Council have no interest in failures. They'll come for me soon, I imagine. It won't be long now."

"I highly doubt they'll get through Leaf security, Teiru."

Teiru scoffed, a little disappointed that Kiba refused to call him 'father'. "You'd be a fool to under-estimate them, son."

"I said don't call me that!" The Inu nin snarled, a furious shudder rattling through his body at the familiar term.

The pair stared each other down, Kiba becoming more and more agitated the longer it went on, until finally the chained hunter dipped his head slightly in a slight sign of submission. That was probably the only thing that stopped Kiba from killing his father in that moment himself.

"Why would we show you mercy, when all you've done is ruin our lives repeatedly?"

"Because, so–" Teiru stopped short at the sight of Kiba's briefly bared fangs. "Because, Kiba, the Diurnal Council are ruthless. They will kill me in one of the worst ways known to man, in order to ease their ancestors disappointment at another failed attempt to fulfil their last wishes. Then they will replace me, with someone far worse and far more dangerous. And whether you like it or not, I am still your father. My blood runs through your veins. I may have been away a while, but I know the Leaf would not condemn such a fate on anyone."

Luna and Kiba exchanged glances, his in suspicion, hers in fear.

"If you won't kill me, then my death may as well be on your hands anyway. You lose either way."

"You really know how to make an argument." The dog trainer muttered sarcastically, both unimpressed and unconvinced.

"Kiba…" Luna started, her voice scarcely a whisper. "Maybe we should step back a bit? Take some time to think things through?"

In his anger, Kiba rounded on her. "You're not actually considering giving in to him, are you? This is insanity!"

She flinched at the harsh tone, tail flickering nervously between her legs.

He noticed. "Sorry. But no one can get through this much Leaf security. Especially not a bunch of crooked old dinosaurs way past their expiry date!"

Teiru snorted loudly. "If that's what you're picturing, then I'm not surprised you doubt me. But I assure you, Kiba, they are nothing of the sort."

"Why warn us now then? Why the hell should we believe anything you have to say?" The Inuzuka heir ground out through grit teeth grit.

The prisoners mouth curled into a cruel sneer. "Because if you want to protect her, you have no choice."

The Inu and the Okami exchanged glances, one nervous, one defensive, and again, Teiru smirked. "You think I'm stupid, boy? I may have my chakra bound, but I am still an Inuzuka. I could smell that scent link the second you entered the holding cells."

"That's none of your damn business!" Kiba bristled at the personal invasion, disgusted and outraged that such a low-life could read them so easily.

Desperately wanting to change the subject, Luna tried to interject. "W-what do you mean, they aren't what we're expecting?"

"I've said too much already. But consider yourselves warned. Should you happen to re-evaluate your answer to putting me out of my misery, perhaps I shall be more forth-coming."

"Why you–"

"Forget it, Kiba." Luna said hurriedly, tugging on his arm before his could slam his hands around the man's throat. "Let's just go, for now."

Ebony irises snapped back to her ruby ones, glaring in debate with himself as she silently pleaded with him. After a few long seconds, he sighed in resignation. "Fine."

The pair didn't bother offering the prisoner any further words or glances, simply turned from the scene and left, side by side. The Hihanta had to smile at the sight. My, how his son had grown since he'd last seen him. If it weren't for the firm teachings and beliefs drilled into him by the Diurnals, he might have felt remorse for all he'd put them through.

But he didn't. He felt nothing.

It took around an hour of wandering aimlessly around Konoha before Kiba felt calm enough to leave her alone, muttering something about checking up on Akamaru. And when Luna's feet carried her on autopilot back to the outside of the Hokage building, she supressed a shudder and forced herself to enter once again.

There were still things she wanted to know, she realised. Needed to know.

When she re-entered the cell, Kiba's father didn't seem surprised to see her. In fact, he barely even acknowledged her. If anything, he looked bored, and completely ignored the first few words she spoke until she cleared her throat, and tried again.

"If the Diurnal council really are 'all that', why didn't they just come to kill me themselves in the first place?" It seemed the more logical of explanations, supposing that Teiru hasn't exaggerated their strength.

The male let out a ragged breath, as though her mere presence was a bore. "They may be powerful, but they're all about tradition and protocol. And as the legend demands, the last of the Hangetsu clan must be wiped out from the one they call Hihanta. It's a counter-productive rule, I agree, but a strict one nonetheless."

"Then what's stopping them from becoming the Hihanta themselves? As individuals?"

"To become the Hihanta, one must know true pain. My pain was losing Omaru."

"Oh. I'm sorry… Was he your ninken?" Luna asked, suddenly feeling a burst of sympathy. Perhaps he wasn't always so inhuman then, after all.

But Teiru was out to prove her wrong. "I killed Omaru with my own two hands. I murdered my partner and most trusted friend, in cold blood. See this, right here?"

Ignoring how increasingly disturbed the she-wolf was becoming, the prisoner lifted a hand to gesture casually and almost proudly at his one slashed cheek marking. "From when we fought." He said, by way of explanation.

She shook her head violently as though to clear the horrors of his tale from her memory. "How could you do that to your… Why would you?!"

The Hihanta shrugged coldly, raising his eyebrows and sticking out his lower lip, in an expression that could only be described as unfazed. "Omaru was the final test to becoming the Hihanta. And I passed."

"You're sick." The wolf girl spat, far beyond disgusted.

"Then kill me."

"And spare you the regret? Never."

The Hihanta chuckled eerily. "If you think I feel regretful, you are mistaken, Hangetsu."

"You said killing Omaru caused you true pain."

"Pain, yes. Guilt, perhaps. But not regret."

"Is there a difference?"

"Guilt is feeling remorseful of an act purposely committed. Regret is wishing things had turned out differently. I do not wish such a thing."

A beat of silence passed between them, and a cold shiver tinged from the top of Luna's spine down to her toes. Had Luna believed in the supernatural, she might have run screaming from the prison cell there and then.

"So, what if one of the council members had experienced true pain?" She asked, wanting the conversation to be done with as soon as possible.

"It still wouldn't work. Besides, they can only select someone of Hitaiyo descent with their dominant genes."

"Hitaiyo descent… So that means you're…" Stopping her statement short, scarlet irises began to widen.

His eyes narrowed maliciously as he watched her agonisingly slow realisation come to pass, uttering only the words, "You heard me."

If Teiru was of Hitaiyo decent, then what of the rest of the Inuzukas? And what about…

The Hihanta was relishing her revulsion sickeningly so, but Luna could barely hold back the horror as it seeped onto her face. "But that means… Their next Hihanta could be…"

"Actually, I know what you're thinking, and that's not entirely true. Despite being a liable candidate genetically, I'm pretty certain that little scent link would prevent Kiba or any other member of his pack from harming you for now. And his inheritance of the Hitaiyo bloodline might be recessive."

"Pretty certain? Might be? So you have no idea?" She demanded, patience waning at his enjoyment of the situation. How could someone like Kiba ever come from someone like that?

"No, I guess I don't. But I dare say, it would be most interesting to find what held the strongest ability to compel someone's mind in such a way… A thousand generation long tradition, or a new-fangled juvenile attraction."

His voice broke into cackles that seemed to bounce off the cell bars, shattering the fragile glass walls of trust Luna had been working to build since she arrived in the Leaf. Unable to take his menacing stare for any longer, she turned on swift heels and fled, not once pausing to glance over her shoulder. Why would she need to, when she could still feel the intensity of his gaze on her back as her figure retreated into the adjourning corridor.

"You did what?!" Tsume snarled, furious at the duo as they broke the news of their unauthorised prison trip to the Inuzuka Alpha.

"Yeah, yeah, we're sorry and all but just listen a sec," Kiba hushed her, ignoring the daggers his mother's eyes were shooting out in response. "He said they'll send more, and that they're much stronger what we imagine them to be."

"Watch your tone, brat. And don't you listen to a word that low-life criminal has to say. It's all lies and desperate fabrications."

"But ma, what if it's not? What if there's someone else, something else out there that still poses a threat? We can't just let it slide as a 'fabrication'."

Luna couldn't help but wonder what had happened between their visit to the Hokage jail and now to change Kiba's mind so drastically. He had been strangely quiet throughout the return journey, but she'd put it down to understandable distress. Besides, it wasn't unusual for him to take longer than most to let things go.

The argument raged on between mother and son for longer than Luna cared to note, but she patiently and smartly stayed out of the heated debate until Tsume addressed her personally.

"And you. What do you make of the situation?"

"She agrees with me! Luna's the one who's in danger here so–"

"Wow, Luna. You just said all that without once moving your mouth!" Tsume imitated surprise. Kiba growled in response, but kept shut for once, realising fighting his mother on this really would be completely pointless.

"I do agree with Kiba…" The girl began, her forehead creasing as she expressed her concern. "And I actually have a confession to make…"

"Oh great, not another one." The alpha female groaned, face depicting only dread for whatever Luna was about to admit.

"I… I went back again… On my own."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" This time, both mother and son rounded on her in perfect harmony.

"I'm sorry! I know it was stupid, but I wanted to know more about the Diurnal council and their restrictions, why they couldn't just come after me themselves! I'll admit, it was surprising enough to find that The Legend of Hihanta was true, so I wouldn't want to rule out the possibility that something more still lurks in the shadows. If the Diurnal Council have been around all this time, plotting and conspiring against my family over some ridiculous historic feud, who's to say they wouldn't take it further?"

"…Alright, I do see your point." The terrifying woman before them nodded, and seemed to consider this momentarily.

Seizing the opportunity to share her newfound knowledge, Luna hurried to fill the pair in, carefully avoiding the brutal treacherous tale of one of their trusted ninken.

When she finished, Tsume looked slightly more understanding of the hybrid's return trip to the cell.

"Very well. I will notify the Hokage, but in the meantime, not a word of this to anyone. And under no circumstances will either of you return to within thirty feet of that traitorous rat. Is. That. Clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Fine, whatever."

"Good. Now, go get some sleep. I shall report this immediately."

As Luna lay awake that night, a million and one thoughts jumbled in her mind in one big tangled mess. An ache pounded in her head as her fingers ran soft circles against her temples, but the motion was doing nothing to soothe it. There was just too much information, too many things to think about and to question.

Her heart beat steadily as she focused chakra to her ears, listening to the quiet sounds of the night in an attempt to quell the ache, but nothing seemed to be working.

After a few more minutes of agony, there was a gentle knock against her door.

"Come in." She murmured, having recognised the sound of his footsteps before he could even announce who he was.

The Inuzuka heir looked as bad as she felt. His unruly brown hair looking messier than usual, as though it had been repeatedly raked by frustrated fingers.

"Can't sleep either?"

She shook her head and patted the side of her bed. He fell back against the sheets next to her, mirroring her pose and lying still as they stared at the ceiling together. Silent moments ticked by, with nothing but the sound of crickets singing just outside the window.

There were so many unspoken words that longed to escape each of their mouths, but the hesitance outweighed every one of them until finally, some of Kiba's broke through.

"Hey, you don't… actually think I could be the next…"

"No. I mean, I don't know. But, no…" She hesitated, wondering how much she could give away without angering or upsetting him further. "I did think though, its a little odd that of all people to have found me that day in the woods two months ago, an ancestor of my clans enemy is a bit of a coincidence."

"…You think I'd tracked you somehow?"

"…I don't know" Luna sighed heavily, throwing an arm over her eyes. "I don't know anything anymore!"

Kiba rolled his head back on the pillow, rubbing the base of his neck. There was nothing either of them could say to ease the other, they'd reached a wall made of stone that was proving impossible to shift, despite how desperately they were trying.

The hybrid pressed her arm more firmly onto her eyes as she felt a heated prickling sensation began to burn in the corners of her eyes. She would not cry. She would not. Luna concentrated on breathing deeply until she felt confident enough to hold back the tears, and that her voice would not break.

"Kiba?"

"Hm?"

"What do we do, now?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard it loud and clear. It was the same question he'd been moments from voicing himself. What did they do about Teiru? What did they do about Luna?

"Now…" He started, disappointed by how defeated he sounded. "We just have to wait."

A/N: This is the last of my pre-written chapters so I'm back to live updates, but hopefully I can get some more writing done soon. :) Have a nice day!