Chapter 3: Secrets Revealed: Hidden

Wild Demons

Kiba and Sasuke walked along the outskirts of town, between the forest and the buildings. They were both quiet and the moon was just about full. The village was quiet except for the occasional yelling of a drunken man being thrown out of a pub. Finally, the silence was broken.

"So, they seem…Nice." Kiba said awkwardly, scratching Akamaru's ear.

"Yeah, I guess…" Sasuke answered quietly, staring ahead.

Suddenly, there was a loud snap in the bushes to the ninjas left and just ahead.

"Did you hear that?" Kiba whispered quietly, his eyes flickering over to the sound.

"What was it?" Sasuke whispered back, his hand moving down to his shuriken holster.

"I'm not sure…" Kiba strained to hear anything else.

Suddenly, a large deer leapt out of the bushes ahead. It stopped and its tail shot up as it stared for a moment at the two relieved boys.

"It's just a deer. Probably from the Nara's ranch. It probably escaped or something." Sasuke said in relief.

Suddenly, there was a flurry of paw steps and a loud growl. Out of the bushes leapt a large golden lioness, followed by a large brown wolf. The deer bleated out in terror and jolted forward into an alley, but the lioness' front paw shot out and hooked the deer's hind leg, causing it to trip and fall, the wolf was on it instantaneously.

"What the hell was that?!" Kiba exclaimed.

"Come on!" Sasuke called, running into the alley. "Let's check it out!"
The Konoha ninja ran around the corner and paused in the alley entrance. The animals were scuffling around; there was growling and bleating-from the deer. Akamaru whimpered slightly-the animals sounded unusually ferocious.

"Get away, you animals!" A man came out of the building to the right and smashed a glass bottle that he held in his hand on the wolf's right front flank.

The wolf yowled in pain and whirled around and snarled viciously at the man. The man yelled for help and jumped back into the building just in time. The wolf lashed out and scored deep claw marks on the door, barking in fury.

"We gotta' do something, Sasuke!" Kiba yelled, taking out some shuriken. "Take that, you animals!"

Kiba tossed the shuriken at the wolf and the lion, but they were too quick. They leapt out of the way just in time, and landed facing their assailants the light from the gibbous moon shadowed over the attackers, and the animals advanced menacingly towards the silhouette of Kiba.

"FIREBALL JUTSU!" Came a booming voice from above.

Flames shot from the sky and rained down like hells fire on the two animals. The screeched out in surprise and tried to avoid the fire, and they were singed in the process. They toppled over onto their sides and looked around in confusion. A figure pounced through the smoke, kunai in hand, and lunged straight for the wolf; his piercing red sharingan visible homed in on their target. The person landed next to the wolf and swiftly raised the kunai above his head. The wolf looked up with terror as the weapon began its fatal plunge.

"Sasuke, NO!" A familiar voice rang out. The kunai stopped dead in its path, just inches from its mark, and Sasuke looked up trembling, as Kyotas green eyes stared pleadingly back at him. Kiba ran up to Sasuke and his eyes trailed over the burned alley, and over Kyotas singed body. In a puff of smoke, the wolf disappeared and left Akira lying there, terrified and relieved. Sasuke gasped and dropped his kunai as if it were made from hot coals. Kiba ran over to Kyota.

"Wha-? How did you-?" Kiba stuttered, unable to ask a question that would befit the situation.

"I'm sorry about all this." Kyota stammered. "No one was supposed to know about us."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked in a daze, thinking about what he almost did.

"You guys aren't human, are you?" Kiba said softly to Kyota.

"N-no, Kiba." Kyota sighed. "Those animals you saw, they were us. We're not humans- we're demons."

"D-demons!?" the Konoha ninjas gasped. "But, why didn't you tell us?"

"Because if we told people, they would judge us before they even knew us." Akira said, sitting up. "That's just the way you humans are. And you guys don't exactly think highly of us, either. We were afraid that if people found out, we would be hunted down like the animals that we are."

"So go ahead, tell everyone, hunt us down- hate us." Kyota said sadly but defiantly, awaiting the worst.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Kiba shouted, throwing his arms around Kyota, while Akamaru jumped into her lap.

"Me too." Sasuke said to Akira, carefully resting his hand on her shoulder. "I don't think I could have lived with myself if I had hurt you."

"Thanks Sasuke," Akira said back, hugging him weakly. "for not judging us for what we are."

"I wouldn't even think about it. I'm glad I met you." Sasuke whispered soothingly in Akira's ear.

"Me too." Akira said back.

"Well, let's get you guys back to the hotel." Kiba said, gently taking Kyotas arm and helping her to her feet. Sasuke did the same.

A few minutes later the door swung open to the hotel and the ninja walked. The place was dark and there was apparently no one there. Kazuhiro had said that he was going shopping after Sasuke and Kiba had left and that the girls should go release some energy.

Kiba helped Kyota to her bed and Sasuke followed with Akira, to her bed. Kyota sat down and looked up at Kiba. He looked back down on her and smiled.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

"Yeah, just a little singed and in shock, that's all." Kyota replied.

"But, uh, we need to get some uncharred clothes on, so…" Akira hinted. The Konoha ninja just stood there cluelessly. "Uh, we need to change?"

Kiba and Sasuke scrambled out, blushing ferociously and waited outside the hotel room while Akira and Kyota changed quickly. They let the boys back in and flopped down on the beds.

"Boy, what a night!" Akira grinned. "We fought in a restaurant and in an alley! Maybe you guys should stay away from us; you'll kill us some day!"

"Yeah!" Kyota agreed, stroking Taza, who had fallen asleep on the bed after the guys had left and not moved since. "And me and Kiba met in a fight!"

"Er, yeah." Kiba blushed, remembering the awkward experience he'd had with the young kunoichi earlier. He laid next to Kyota on the bed and put his arms behind his head and sighed.

"That was pretty funny, Kiba." Sasuke said, recalling the event as well. "Not to mention awkward!"

Sasuke lay down next to Akira and closed his eyes. He could lay there forever, he felt. After all, there was no one waiting for him at home, and this was the first time since the massacre that he'd actually felt at home with other people. This was the first time he'd actually felt any friendship between him and another person. Any girl that was around him was always pushing to date him, and it got annoying. But Akira didn't care, had she not met him that day, they could have been enemies, not friends. This was the first time he could ever call anyone, let alone a girl, his friend.

Kiba knew that his mother wouldn't be that worried about him, and he felt an odd sensation lying there next to the demon kunoichi. It wasn't fear, but compassion. He felt safe and happy next to her. He had been truly concerned that she had been hurt. He had only just met her, but somehow he felt a strange attraction to her. She was different. He, having a strong sense of smell, had taken her scent as a pleasantly intoxicating smell, he enjoyed it. Her sister had a similar scent, but something about Kyota made him happy to just be around her.

Akira knew that her father would be home soon, but she didn't care. She noticed that Sasuke had gotten very close to her, and he was warm in the cool room. She took a deep breath, taking in the moment, taking in the felling that she may actually have a new friend in this place, the feeling that he may become more, in time. The only thing she worried about now was her sister. She glanced over at her sister for a moment, and an alarm shot through her that her sister may fall in love with the dog boy. That wasn't good. It just couldn't happen. She looked at how happy her sister was, lying next to the Konoha ninja. Kiba suddenly rolled over and put his arm around Kyotas waist. That was it. Her Akira had to do something. Before she had the chance, she felt Sasukes head in her neck. Her spine tingled and she forgot all about her sister. She savored the smell of his hair, his warmth and his comfort and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Kyota opened her eyes in surprise. Was that Kiba's arm around her waist? She closed her eyes again and drew in a deep breath. His scent was strong, but wonderful. She rolled aver and pulled Kiba closer, taking in his scent. Was she actually falling for him? Surely not; she'd only met him that day. And yet, there was something about him that drew her to him like a magnet. A terrifying thought burned in the back of her mind. She was a medical student in her village, and that meant no partners. No loving a boy. It was a strange rule, but it had been around since the creation of the village. Medical ninjas couldn't fall in love. It was only a distraction to their work, and such a worldly attachment could disrupt her communications with the Senzo, their deceased ancestors. There was a terrible consequence for committing the crime. The Kitoushi (Medicine men/women) that fell in love somehow always turned up dead. They were killed by the Senzo Assassin, a man that killed in the name of the Senzo: that was the punishment. And that's how their mother had died. Kyota felt Kiba's cool breath on her neck and all her thoughts were erased as she too drifted off into sleep.

"Girls, we're home!" Kazuhiro's voice rang out.

All the ninja bolted up and off the beds; they hoped they hadn't been seen. They walked out nonchalantly and Kazuhiros eyes narrowed.

"Kiba? Sasuke? What are you two doing here?" He asked.

Akira drew her father in to the bedroom and explained while Eorroe eyed them warily.

"What were you guys up to?" he asked.

Kazuhiro stepped out of the room and confronted the two boys. "So, you two know, then?"

"Y-yes, sir." They answered, dropping their gaze.

"I suppose you'll want to tell the world now, huh?" Kazuhiro asked seriously.

"No, sir."

"Then you keep your mouths shut?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

"Well then," Kazuhiro said, his voice back into a friendly tone, "You guys should get home, your families will be missing you."

Kiba turned to say good bye to Kyota, and leaned forward to-no. He stopped himself and walked quickly out the door. Sasuke followed slowly and muttered to himself.

"…I have no family…" He said, and closed the door.

"Dad!" Akira yelled, tossing the T.V. remote at her father and hit him square in the nose.

Kazuhiro covered his nose and bellowed out a-grizzly roar- and doubled over in pain.

MEANWHILE……………………………

Akamaru, who had climbed up into Kiba's hood, jumped up in terror at the loud roar. Sasuke and Kiba whirled around in fear. The noise had come from the hotel. Who could that have been?

"What- who was that?" Sasuke asked.

"Well considering what they are, it was probably one of them, no big deal." Kiba shrugged and kept walking.

"Yeah, but it sounded like- never mind." Sasuke shrugged the thought that it sounded like a bear away and caught up to Kiba and talked about the nights events.

BACK TO…………………………………

"WHAT THE HELLWAS THAT FOR?!" Kazuhiro screamed out loud.

"Dad, the Massacre of the Uchiha clan?! Does that ring a bell?!" Akira shouted back.

"I wasn't meaning it offensively!" Kazuhiro defended.

"Well now you've upset him!" Akira yelled.

"Great Senzo, Akira, he didn't mean it!" Eorroe yelled, trying to end the feud.

"Stay out of this you MUTT!" Akira shouted at her brother in fury.

Immediately she covered her mouth. She'd just insulted her brother terribly. Eorroe was the only human child ever born in Arasugakure that had two demon parents. He was forever disgraced because of it, and he had a three-headed dog called Cerberus sealed inside him as a demon substitute. Calling him a mutt was a terrible thing to say to him. And she didn't mean it.

Eorroe stood there for a moment, and then stormed out in anger.

"Eorroe wait!" Akira called, wanted so bad to take it back, but he slammed the door behind him.

"He'll be back." Kazuhiro said softly. "He just needs some alone time, that's all."

"I'm a horrible sister…" Akira muttered, plopping herself miserably down in a chair, and putting her head in her hands.