A/N: Happy belated Halloween. Sorry for the long wait, lots of stuff has happened to keep me from writing. So for your wait here is an extra long chapter of vampiric goodness. LOTS of flash backs to give you a more in depth history of Zukiyo. The usual: I don't own Naruto or the Naruto characters. Everything else though is MINE. Read and Review or message with comments. I love hearing from people.

Chapter 5: Royalty, Loyalty, & Lies

As Gaara sat there examining her, Zukiyo sat back and let him do so as she played their conversation so far over in her head. So far it seemed as if he was only trying to figure out who she was, but Zu understood that there was a hidden meaning behind the questions she just didn't know exactly what it was. She could guess that what he really wanted to know was what her "rank" was and was for once grateful at that moment that her existence this far outside her clan was largely unknown.

Zukiyo had always been treated as the unneeded one in the eyes of her clan's Elders. In fact there were only two or three of the dozens of them that even acknowledged her as a princess let alone that she even existed. The only times that the others did was when they saw fit to bring up any trouble she caused to her parents or the council itself. She knew why, too: They couldn't dare deny her existence or title in front of her parents, especially her father. It was no secret that Zukiyo was the king's favorite. As a father he loved both of his children but still favored his youngest. As such it was disastrous for anyone to deny her existence or title in front of him. Still once he was out of ear shot they went back to pretending she was invisible. Outside of the clan's inner sanctum she was known, as was her title, but only within a certain range.

That must have been one of the reasons Hinata and Neji decided to bring her here. It was practically on the other side of the world from her clan, her reputation, and her "status" making it so that she was virtually an unknown here. Here Zukiyo would be just a regular, female, pureblood vampire. While that kind of appealed to her in a way it also set off warning bells in her mind.

That must be the reason Neji is so upset with her room location and why Naruto gave her those rooms in the first place. Gaara was a single, male pureblood and she was a single, female pureblood. Someone was trying to play match maker it seemed. Zukiyo opened her eyes as soon as she felt the presence of the male move.

Gaara froze as he started to stand as soon as he saw her eyes open. Her light grey eyes searched him as if trying to determine his intentions. When he picked up the glass she had been drinking from and took it to the sink to wash it she relaxed. After a minute or so, Zukiyo stood up with the intent to return to her room, which she had no idea how to return to, and once again found Gaara staring intently at her. She coolly raised an eyebrow at him when she did only to see his stare drop down into an almost flat glare that was seemingly almost a bored expression. Still underneath that façade of indifference lay the same thing as before: pure and simple curiosity. Zukiyo internally smiled. It amused her that this man, who was by far more powerful than she was, was nothing more than a curious cat.

"Lions and tigers are cats, Zu. With sharp claws and really big teeth." Her inner self stated cautiously.

"Uh huh. Yeah, I know. I lived around them as you well know, I'm sure I can handle this one." She told her inner self the same way she usually did when it tried to err on the side of caution then spoke to the red head in front of her, "I wish to return to my room, but honestly I have no idea of how to get back to it."

The only thing he cold really do at this point, since he wished to return to his own room, was lead her back. Which he did silently, something that did not bother the exiled princess one bit. She was starting to feel her eyelids succumb to the seductive pull of sleep once more. Upon reaching her bedroom door all she could manage was a short and rather curt sounding thank you before walking in and shutting the door almost in Gaara's face. However, instead of this offending him or reigniting his temper, the red head found it a little…amusing.

The next morning Naruto woke to find himself still on his newest guest's couch with Neji propped up on the other arm of the couch still asleep. This surprised him a bit. Whenever Neji and Hinata would visit it was Neji who was always up first, never Naruto. It didn't take him long to determine the reason behind his waking. Through the door to the adjoining bedroom Naruto could hear pacing and hushed voices. The footsteps did not belong to his vixen; they were lighter and much quicker than Hinata's, but one of the voices were most definitely hers.

"Zu, let me go get you a glass. Please. Just until Nii-san wakes up." Hinata pleaded to her friend, who was already dressed and ready to go, a testament to how hungry she must be since Zukiyo was not an early riser by nature.

"No. I need to hunt. I need a full meal." The exiled one stated, pacing back and forth, eager to get out and feed but there was one problem: Kamitsuyo Zukiyo hunted alone these days.

She would of course go out to hunt accompanied by Neji and Hinata if not other people, but when it came to the actual hunting she would do so alone. It wasn't always so, but her father's death changed everything. Yukiko stated that she had stripped Zukiyo of her title, an impossible feat since even the queen did not have the power to strip the title of a princess of the clan let alone the Heir Apparent, before they left but the fact was that Zu hadn't been a princess for decades. Some would argue that she never was and of course be wrong. There used to be a time in which she accepted her title and position, but those days were long past. The day that her father died was the day she abandoned her title, her position, and everything that went with the station of Princess, or rather she tried. No matter what she tried to do there were some that still went after her because of her title in the vampiric world. She was a heavily sought after target for vampire hunters…regardless of where she went.

"Zu, you cannot just go. You don't know the city at all. You'll get lost and you know that no city is without hunters. This one has only a few but they're still here. Wait for Neji to wake up." Hinata pleaded once again, "He should be up soon."

"Very well." Zukiyo stated waving her hand irritably and walked into her closet to finish getting dressed.

It wasn't too long after that Gaara watched as Neji escorted Zukiyo out of the house to go feed. If he was to find out more about this newcomer, the red head was going to have to get her away from the Hyuga male. The only question was how.

The exiled princess knew he was watching her as they left but the only thing she was concerned with at that moment was hunting and feeding. So much so that she wasn't even cognizant of having gotten in the car until they were half way down the mountain. In Zukiyo's mind the drive into the city took an eternity. She knew he was going as fast as legally allowed just as well as she knew that Hinata was right to make her wait. It wasn't safe for Zukiyo to be out on her own in some foreign city. Zukiyo, deep down, understood this as she stared out the window at the passing world and once again let her thoughts and memories drift back to a moment in time where she knew she was safe…

February 27th, 1807

"Papa! Papa!" the little princess called out, running as fast as her little legs could carry her through the dimly lit halls of the ancestral Kamitsuyo Manor, "PAPA!"

The king stepped out of a doorway, his steps quickening to the urgency in his youngest's voice, and glared down two of the clan's council members as they stalked after her with an obvious anger. As he did so, the young Zukiyo hid behind her father's legs while clinging to them.

"What do you want?" the king asked bluntly, not pleased with whatever had caused his little girl to come running for him.

"Kenzo-heika, Zukiyo…hime has once again utterly refused to sit and study with Yukiko-hime and the tutor. Instead she was caught trying to sneak out of the manor to head down to that blasted…gypsy carnival…I did not mean it like that!" the council member stated, once again forgetting that that "blasted gypsy carnival" was very dear to the king.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Sight…Now." The king growled out curtly and the two council members hastily bowed and left.

"I only wanted to go see ShuShu and Bampa. They said yesterday that Mi-tan was gonna be home today from her trip." Zukiyo stated, looking up at her beloved father with large silver colored eyes filled with nothing but confusion and innocence as he picked her up.

"Little Princess, you have to finish your studies before you can go see them." He stated while walking down the hallway with her and she pouted in disappointment, "That and it's February. There's snow on the ground and you cannot go out without warmer clothes on. Too much cold can kill us little angel."

"It can't kill Mother and Sister." The little princess stated rather defiantly.

"No, it can't kill Mother and Sister, but they are different from the two of us."

"How?" she asked, all curious innocence now.

"I'll tell you when you're older, but for now it's time to get you dressed up all nice and warm if we're going to go see your grandparents." The king stated which caused his little curly haired angel's eyes to light up as a smile burst across her face.

"REALLY?" she asked and he nodded which caused her to excitedly start putting on any warm clothes she could find before suddenly hugging him tightly, "I love you, Papa."

Minutes later found father and daughter making the trip into the encampment where a troupe of gypsies had set up what seemed to be a carnival of sorts. The king carried his daughter past most of the diversions, deep into the back of the carnival where a campfire was blazing. Three figures sat around it, three people that both father and daughter held dear to them.

"Our little gypsy princess has returned." A woman's voice called out and Zukiyo giggled happily as she ran over to her grandmother.

There was nothing that Zukiyo loved more than being with her family, her father's family. They were different from the clan; wild, untamable, exotic, and free. Her father's family was a family of oddballs, he being an oddball among them. Where he was quiet, calm, and stern they were loud, unpredictable, and easygoing…most of them at least. Even in physical appearance they were oddballs…most of them.

"Ma, let her breathe." The king stated as his mother proceeded to hug his daughter tightly.

"Su…SU…SUMIRE! Let her down." the king's father stated to his wife.

Ryouma Hiryu, or Bampa as his granddaughter tended to call him, had dark eyes much like the king's except their warmth was right on the surface and usually were shining with a permanent, though rather wicked, amusement. Although he appeared no older than 30, his hair was a light silver grey, long and pulled back very much like Neji's usually was, which made him stand out rather loudly in a crowd.

"Fine." The woman in question, Sumire, stated and set her giggling granddaughter down.

Sumire, or ShuShu as she was dubbed by Zukiyo after shooing away a small group of kids one day, was a seemingly normal young woman in her late twenties with hair much like the princess's: a near black curly brown, until you looked at her eyes. The king's mother had the strangest color eyes, they were a light purple that darkened or lightened with her mood. Zukiyo loved them as whenever they were set on the little princess, they were shining with a deep and unending love and adoration…if not a constant worry that she was much too skinny.

"I swear she hasn't been eating enough though…she's so small and skinny."

"She is not, Ma. I was just as small and skinny at her age." The king's younger sister stated.

Misora, or Mi-tan, was the exotic beauty of the family and the Head Oddball. That was something that no one could deny since, where her brother had inherited the more "normal" features of their parents, she had inherited the "abnormal" ones: long silver grey hair with a light curl to it, and light purple eyes. As with Sumire, Zu loved her aunt's eyes, but she loved them for an entirely different reason. Although they looked at her with love, they also looked at her with a profound need to protect the little princess. Zukiyo loved them for that, because, although she knew her aunt hid a deep and at times overwhelming grief from her, the princess knew that she was safe wherever her aunt was. Ryouma Misora would never willingly allow any harm come to her favorite, and in her eyes only, niece.

"Mi-tan! I missed you so much!" the little girl said excitedly while bouncing quite energetically then smiled brightly as her aunt picked her up.

"I missed you too, Zuzu. We're here now."

"Huh?

"We're here."

"Zu, we're here." Neji called out once again to her.

"Oh! Good." Zu said recovering quickly and listened to Neji explain the city while they approached their destination.

"The entire city and a few miles beyond the city limits is the territory of the Sabaku Siblings that live with Naruto. Gaara and his older brother Kankuro maintain it with extreme and rather forceful methods. Before you go on about how: 'No single family or whatever can hold a territory that big'; I'll tell you that the sole reason they can do it is, as you may have guessed, is because of Gaara. He is the single most powerful vampire on this half of the planet. Not as strong as Yukiko's husband…not even close, but he's strong enough by himself to hold down that much of an area." Neji went on to explain.

As he further explained the city itself was split into five sections: North, East, South, West, and Midtown. Each section was fairly distinct from the others and varied in size. The North Side was the smallest and was mostly the "upper class" housing, private schools, and the Millennium Mall among other higher end shopping options. The East Side was the third largest area and was made up mostly of theatres, clubs, and restaurants.

"Kankuro, he's the one with the brown hair, he runs a few of the clubs on the East Side. He'll tell you he got bored so just up and decided to start one and opened more as they got more popular. Get him behind the bar mixing something up and you'll know why."

The South was the largest section mostly since it was a more residential area and probably could have been considered a suburb of the city. The fairgrounds were located there as was a farmer's market. The West was the second largest and the oldest section of the city and the "bad side of town". Most of the city's abandoned buildings were located here and the crime rate was high in this section of the city, however it did have its good points. It housed some of the best little diners and pizza stands in the area, and, remarkably, the people there were fairly friendly once they knew you weren't going to rob them or something of the like.

"We don't normally hunt there. They have it hard enough as it is and they're good people. That and they know everything that goes on in this city. We need to know something, we go ask them." Neji added and got the reaction he expected: a flat uncaring stare from Zukiyo then continued to explain the city out of a pure necessity to do so, "Midtown is pretty much the center of all life in this city."

As Neji further explained Midtown was pretty much a mini Times Square. It had everything from big name brand stores and restaurants to little Mom & Pop stores and dives. Clubs, theatres, apartments…you could find just about a little of everything in Midtown. On top of all this each section of the city had its own park area or two.

However, Zukiyo did not really care about any of this at the time. All she cared about was feeding. Her male companion knew this by the look in her eyes. Neji could read her like a book by the look in her eyes when she wasn't guarding herself. Right now they were screaming two things: "I'm hungry," and "I miss them…"

The Hyuga knew who she was thinking about and couldn't help but remember them too as he escorted her to an area to hunt in. Zukiyo acted as expected as soon as he lead her somewhere he deemed safe enough and went off to hunt on her own. It didn't surprise him, it never did. He realized from the very first day in her company that Kamitsuyo Zukiyo lived her life separately from others like her.

Yukiko was a noble, a dementedly insane one yes, but still a noble. She was prim, proper, and stiff. Zukiyo was something else entirely. She was still a noble, a princess in ways her sister could never hope to be, but she was more a gypsy than anything…a gypsy princess. Zu lived her life separately from her sister and was raised separately as well most of the time. Yukiko was raised by the clan where as Zukiyo was raised by her father's family.

Neji clearly remembered the day he first met them…

December 30,1808

"Hime?" the young Hyuga asked as he heard the sound of sniffling in a secluded drawing room off the hallway he was exploring.

"No." a quiet voice that he recognized as Zukiyo's answered, although it amazed him that he could already tell the difference between the two twins' voices.

He stepped into the room more and saw her there curled up in a chair in the corner miserably as she wiped her eyes. He couldn't help but think at that moment that she looked trapped. Her eyes screaming a desperate plea of: "Please gods…take me away from this place."

He'd always heard Hinata quietly talk of stories of princesses trapped in towers by evil beings but he never thought he'd actually see something like that for real. He'd only known the youngest princess for less than two days at this time but he still couldn't help but feel for her. She was trapped in very much the same way he was it seemed, but she was still a princess...and yet when he called to her she said no. This confused his young mind.

"Zukiyo-hime?" He asked again…curious as to what had upset the princess so much.

"Stop calling me Hime." She sniffled again and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress, "Yuyu is Hime. I'm Zu. Just Zu. Not Hime."

"Yes you are. You're a princess just like she is…" Neji stated not quite understanding what was going on and wishing that Hinata was here to help with this as he sensed someone else enter the room.

"Zuzu, sweetheart, what happened?" a woman with very long, curly silver hair and purple eyes asked as Neji stared at her with a bit of amazement.

He'd never seen anyone quite like her. He knew who she was; she was Ryouma Misora, the king's sister and had been described to him by his uncle. However, having her described was no where near actually seeing her in person. Misora, to him, rivaled the queen in beauty. She was slightly taller than the queen was as well as having a more toned and filled out figure with much paler lips, being a light pink against her pale skin, much like her brother's in fact. She had many of his facial features, only much more feminine. However, in many ways she was like an opposite of the king. The king was a tall, very imposing, and slightly rough presence whereas his sister was much more welcoming and gentle. This woman walked with a practiced grace and ease towards the little princess and knelt beside her just as fluidly. Her eyes looked up at the little princess, two shining purple pools of love and adoration…and something else that Neji noticed.

There was something very sad hidden deep down in her light purple eyes. Neji wouldn't find out why it was there for many more years but it caused him to label her as something of a melancholy beauty.

"Yuyu pushed me again and told me I wasn't important enough to play with her. And then the tutor lady yelled at me 'cause I told her doilies were stupid…and sent me here to 'think about what I said'." The little princess sniffed again and Neji watched as her aunt gently wiped away her tears, "I don't want to be in here anymore."

Neji watched silently as Zukiyo was picked up by her aunt, who she clung to for dear life it seemed. It wasn't even that. It was more along the lines of a confused child clinging to one of the only people that understood them.

"Let's go to the carnival hmm?" Misora asked her niece and received a nod in response before she looked at Neji.

"That's Neji, Mi-tan. He and Hinata are staying here with us now."

"I know, Zuzu." Her aunt answered and smiled warmlyand with a slight motherly twist to it at the young Hyuga, "Would you like to come too?"

Neji blinked, unsure of how to answer. He was told to stay with the princess and keep her happy. So far he found that task nearly impossible to do with Yukiko, who he and Hinata had been semi-forced by most of the council to spend the majority of their time with. His young mind felt about ready to explode from all the politics and injustices he'd seen since his arrival here. To him, Zukiyo was also a princess, and yet he was only told to stay with the one. His uncle told him that his cousin and he were supposed to be companions for both the princesses but the majority of the council told him and Hinata there was only one. Hyuga Neji was raised to follow rules and protocol above all else but there were so many conflicting ones here that his head felt like it was spinning.

"Forget what you were told to do child. Forget all that and relax. I know it's hard for you to do…you're a Hyuga." Misora stated a bit teasingly and smiled at him in a way that he would always find caused him to smile, just a little bit, back, "If you want to come with us you can. Forget what the council tells you to do. You're not going to be committing treason by coming along with us. No matter what those simpletons say, Zukiyo is a princess too."

"I know that." He stated finally, "Where is Hinata-sama?"

"I believe she is hiding in the kitchens." Misora stated, a slightly sad and angry light flashing over her eyes for a second, "If you would like, we'll go get her and bring her along too."

"I'm supposed to keep an eye on her." Neji stated and the woman nodded knowingly.

"Let's go get her then."

A half an hour or so later, after Misora reassured Hinata that Yukiko wouldn't be coming, they set out to exit the manor. They were almost to the door when they were stopped by a few select members of the council.

"Where are you going?" a woman asked, slim, tall, dark and with facial features that could probably cut through glass.

"Aya, it is of no concern to you where I am going." Misora stated as she walked.

"Of course it is. You are carrying the princess's sister and are in the company of the princess's playmates."

Misora stopped and turned to stare down the woman as Hinata hid behind her, clinging to the top layer of the gypsy's many layered black skirt.

"I am carrying my niece, who…is also a princess…as you've been told many, many times by my brother as well as the queen. As for the 'playmates'…they are free to go where they choose. They do not belong to Yukiko. Now, you will move out of my way or I will bring this matter to my sister-in-law." Misora stated, her usually melodic voice gaining a hard and commanding edge to it.

The woman of course moved. She very well couldn't disobey what was clearly an order from her superior, which Misora was. Neji soon learned afterwards that Ryouma Misora held the head council seat as well as was the king's personal advisor.

Not too long after Neji and Hinata followed Misora deep into the carnival, after getting distracted many times by various things, and came face to face with what Neji considered the happiest argumentative married couple in the world.

"HIRYU! PUT ME DOWN!" a woman with a bit of an olive-like complexion that looked a bit like Misora, sharing her ears, nose, and eyes with her daughter, yelled at the man that was carrying her.

"Make me." The man stated, a playfully wicked smile on his face as he carried his wife over his shoulder while she pounded at his back.

"Hiryu…put me down this instant you scruffy, old, kidnapping…PIRATE!" she yelled again, although her own purple eyes glinted with pure amusement and mirth even as he tossed her down onto her rear and she glared at him.

"I am not old and scruffy." He stated rather matter-of-factly and they both laughed as he helped his wife up and Misora shook her head at them…apparently this was a daily occurrence.

"Ma…Pa…we have company." The princess's aunt stated and the two, who Neji finally recognized were Ryouma Hiryu and Sumire.

Neji watched with a slight happiness as the little princess immediately lit up as her grandmother picked her up and hugged her before turning to the two newcomers and smiling at them.

"That is Neji and Hinata, ShuShu." Zukiyo stated brightly to her beloved grandmother who smiled as she nodded.

"Hello, I'm Sumire. Zuzu's grandmother. That scruffy, old pirate over there is my husband, Hiryu."

"I am not scruffy and old." Hiryu stated once again and they glared at each other for a moment before Misora cleared her throat.

"How would you two dears like a cookie?" was the next thing that she said and made Zukiyo bounce rather energetically.

"What's the point?" Neji asked rather confused; they were vampires…why bother with human food?

Zukiyo then walked up to him with a rather large cookie and shoved it in his mouth playfully.

"They taste good." She said and handed Hinata an equally large cookie before working at her own and Neji had to admit…she was right, "Come on. I'll show you around."

Next thing Neji or Hinata knew they were being dragged around by what they both knew as their new best friend. It was later as the three of them sat down and Neji watched as both Zukiyo and Hinata fell asleep curled up against each other that the young Hyuga boy realized a number of things…

Neji was brought out of his reminiscing by the scent of someone he really did not want there at that moment. He knew why they were there…but that didn't mean he wanted this particular person there at that very moment. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Gaara." Neji stated in a curt greeting as the red headed appeared after turning the corner, "She's hunting. Leave. Her. Alone."

"I intend to…" the stronger pureblood stated in a tone that made Neji's defensive instinct kick in.

"What the fuck do you want then?" he asked Gaara, knowing that there had to be some reason for this usually antisocial vampire to seek him out…and he was right.

"Who is she?" Gaara asked bluntly as it was not in his nature to waste time getting to what he really wanted.

Neji remembered right then and there what he realized so long ago: That he would protect Zukiyo no matter what. He would fight for her, kill for her, die for her…and even if it was against his own nature…he would lie for her as well if he needed to.

"Kamitsuyo Zukiyo. You know that." He stated…not a lie.

"Hn. Why is she here?" The red head asked.

"It's as far away as she can get from the person that wants her dead." Not a lie.

"Why here?"

"It's the only place we could go where we knew she was safe." Not a lie.

"What is she…her standing with the clan?"

"She's an outcast." Not technically a lie.

"What is she to the clan?"

"A gypsy." Bordering on it.

"…" obviously Gaara sensed that as his next question was much, much more direct, "Does she have a title?"

"No…she has no titles." Neji lied.

A/N: There you go. The long awaited update. Sorry it took so long I got distracted and caught up with stuff. I try not to let it happen but it does. Well I hoped you enjoyed it so Review and/or message. I love hearing from you all.