what up my playas! found some motivation, i think. please pardon the long chapter, but enjoy anyway

"No!" She cried out. "It can't be!"

"We just found her," Kyuubi stated.

"Believe us, we had nothing to do with this," Kiba said.

"Then who did?" Minato asked cautiously, staring at the she-wolf Hikari was kneeling over.

Gaara looked at him. "The Akatsuki."

**Recap**

"No no no! It can't be!" Hikari shouted, kneeling beside the broken body of the she-wolf. "Minako," she choked out.

The wolf seemed dead, except for the very slight rise and fall of her sides. She was covered in deep gashes from nose to tail, but the biggest wound circled her throat around to her stomach under her paws. Her black fur was matted down with dried blood, more gushing from the wounds across her body. Her sudden cough surprised the crowd.

"H-Hikari," Minako spluttered. "F-Fugaku."

Fugaku ran over and kneeled beside the she-wolf. "Minako. Minako, who did this to you?"

Minako closed her eyes. Her breathing had quickened to an alarming rate, the blood seeping out of her mouth. "I-Itachi..." She coughed again. The action caused small spazzams to overtake her body.

Fugaku turned her over delicately, watching as his daughter hit the pressure point on Minako's collar bone. The werewolf leader picked up the small girl in his arms and stood, careful not to aggravate her wounds. He turned to his daughter and said, "Run ahead and alert the hospital. I have to take her to the emergency room now."

Hikari nodded and raced into the woods.

"All of you," Fugaku growled to his tribe, "spread out, I'll need cover. Watch for the Akatsuki. Yotama, return to the Manor. Go now!"

His tribe did as they were told. The vampires looked at each other and followed them. Minato and his sons followed Fugaku through the woods. They tried to keep pace with the werewolf leader, but he outran them all, and finally, after what seemed like ages, he stood at the rear of the Konoha hospital. Breathing heavily he walked in. The nurses already had a room ready, where he placed his niece down on the bed and was ushered out. Fugaku growled, but turned the other way and walked into the waiting room and sat down. Hikari and Daisuke were sitting next to him, staring at the floor, each with a blank expression on their faces.

"If she dies I'll be the only she-wolf left," Hikari muttered half to herself.

"She won't die!" Daisuke exclaimed, shocked at his sisters attitude. "Why would you say that?!"

"Look at the facts Daisuke!" Hikari said loudly. "The Akatsuki have been targeting us ever since Itachi joined them." She hung her head in her hands. "They don't want anymore pure-bred werewolves," she added quietly.

She looked up at the arm around her shoulder. It was only Naruto. "Calm down," he whispered into her ear. "She'll be fine."

Hikari shook her head. "The Akatsuki always get what they want." She looked up at Naruto. "That day, when we first met in the woods, didn't you notice? His scent was all over me."

"Who's?" Fugaku asked.

"Deidara," Naruto replied. "I know. The only reason he didn't follow you all the way through was because I was there."

"He smelled you?" Shino asked.

Naruto smiled and shook his head. "Even if he did he wouldn't have ran. No, I stopped him. Literally."

Hikari looked up at him wearily and laid her head on his shoulder. "Well then thanks for that." She sighed. "But I'm still worried about Minako. That was Deidara's scent on her."

Fugaku hummed. "Minako is strong. She'll pull through."

"Another tragedy eh?"

They all looked around at the voice. It was only the witch Chiyo. She walked over and whacked Fugaku on the head.

"What was that for?" He growled, rubbing his head where he was hit.

"You should've taken my warning to heart. I thought you would've had more sense than to ignore me Fugaku. I've given you the freedom you need in this town to survive and live normal lives as humans, and I can easily take it away. Next time I suggest you listen to me." She looked at Hikari and Naruto. "Apparently you haven't done anything about them yet. At least they're trying," she added in a lower voice.

Fugaku looked back and forth between the witch and his daughter. "How did you know we were here?"

She looked at him. "News carries fast on the wind. How can you expect me not to know?" She laughed. Then her gaze became serious. "Hikari!"

The she-wolf jumped at the sudden call and looked up. "Y-Yes?"

"The moment you leave this hospital, go straight home. Do not take any detours."

"Um, s-sure," Hikari stuttered.

"Better yet," Chiyo continued, "Naruto, you take her home now."

"Sure," he nodded. He helped her stand and walked her out of the room.

"I feel like a pup again," Hikari muttered under her breath as she followed her boyfriend out.

Fugaku turned to his son. "Daisuke, Shino. Follow them."

The two nodded and walked out.

*

They walked in silence, Hikari hanging her head as she stepped out into the sunlight. She sighed and stretched her arms above her head. She giggled when Naruto poked her side. Taking her hand he led her through the woods towards her home. She ran ahead of him a bit and only stopped when his arms caught her waist.

"Naruto!" She laughed. "Let go!"

He laughed and kissed her lightly. "Make me."

She laughed and went limp. He grunted in surprise and picked her up. "Made ya," she laughed kissing his cheek.

He only smiled and kept walking until he reached her manor, and set her down on the ledge that bordered the house. "What am I gonna do with you?" he sighed.

She laughed again and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You mean what are you going to do to me?"

"Pervert," he said lightly.

She leaned over and caught his lips. Strange sounds and images began racing through her head.

"What do we do with her?" One shadowy figure asked.

"Do you even know who she is?" Another one asked.

"No," the taller one replied. He seemed to be the leader of the few that stood around him. "We leave her here for the Akatsuki to deal with. This was their kill, we only helped lure her in."

The cry of a wolf sounded from deep within the forest that lay in front of them. One of the figures that looked youngest stepped forward. He looked down upon the broken body of the wolf.

"This wolf," he began.

"What is it son?" the leader asked turning to him with high hopes.

"That's Mikoto," the son began again. "We killed Fugaku's wife."

His father looked shocked. "Are you serious?"

The son nodded and swallowed. "We have to get out of here now. The Akatsuki planned this. They wanted to start another feud between us!"

Before any of the small group could say a word a large wolf pack burst from the trees, barking savagely. But the group that had previously been there were already gone. The largest wolf looked around, eyes widening as he spotted the dead body in front of his paws. Three small wolf pups peered out from behind him.

"No no! Mikoto!"

Hikari pulled back in shock, gasping for air. What had seemed like an eternity to her was only a few heartbeats.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked, seeing the horrified look on his girlfriends face.

She slowed her breathing and looked at him, eyes glazed over with fear and pain. "You were there..." She whispered.

"I was where?" He asked, turning to their families as they walked up behind him.

Fugaku stepped closer. "All of you, come inside. We can talk there."

They all followed him into the manor, casting confused glances at Naruto as they passed. Without a second look at him Hikari pushed herself off the ledge and followed her tribe. Naruto sighed and followed her.

Once they all fit into the large kitchen Fugaku slipped his shirt over his head and cleared his throat. "We have much to discuss. So much has happened here in these past few days." He turned to his youngest son. "Yotama was unlucky enough to be seen shape-shifting. Minako was unlucky enough to fall into the Akatsuki's grasp, and my own daughter is having nightmares concerning the past and future."

There was silence. The vampires exchanged uneasy glances with each other, though none said a word.

"Nightmares, daydreams, they all seem the same to me," Hikari muttered, rubbing her neck.

"Daydreams?" Minato asked.

Naruto nodded. "She just flipped out on me, right before all of you showed up."

Minato was silent. Fugaku thought he saw a flicker of guilt on the vampires face, but it disappeared as soon as it came.

"Would you mind speaking of it?" Kakashi asked.

Hikari only blinked. "It. . . it was the night. . . that our mother was killed."

Fugaku narrowed his eyes. "Go on."

She looked up at him. "They were there. . ."

"Who were?" Shibi question.

Hikari looked down at the floor. "The Akatsuki weren't alone in targeting her. They had help."

"Who? Who helped them?" Shibi pushed.

The room was suddenly filled with tension. Hikari swallowed nervously. "I-I could be wrong." She turned her head.

"Who?" Her father repeated impatiently.

She turned her gaze back to the floor, then looked up at Minato. "Them."

There was silence. Fugaku looked shocked. "You can't be serious!"

Several of the vampires disappeared right then. Minato and his sons stood rigid. "Please, let me explain," Minato pleaded.

Fugaku growled and narrowed his eyes at him. "Talk. I'm waiting."

Minato huffed. "Had we known who it was, at that time, we wouldn't have-"

"What? You wouldn't have what? Killed our mother?" Hikari snapped.

"Kari please-" Naruto began.

"No! You lied to me Naruto!" She shouted. "I always knew you were hiding something, but this.." She shook her head, voice beginning to crack.

Before the vampire could react she dashed past him and ran out of the house.

"Hikari!" Fugaku called after her. He snarled at the vampires and pushed his way past them, his sons following him.

She ran, ran as fast as she could go. But her strength was waning, legs burning with the desire to stop. But Hikari pushed on, determined to get as far away as possible from the vampires. She pushed herself even further when she heard the rampaging footsteps of her pursuers.

Hikari's pursuers panicked when she disappeared from view at the top of the hill. They stopped and looked over from there. The sound of ravage dogs caught up to them, but instead of stopping, raced past them after Hikari.

A shot rang through the air. Shibi clamped his hand over Fugaku's mouth to keep him quiet. It all happened so fast; within a single heartbeat, Hikari had leapt over one of the savage dogs, but in doing so had been shot in the shoulder with a tranquilizer dart. She fell and tripped over her own feet, yelping in horror as she fell on her side.

The hunters all gathered around her. One kicked Hikari in the ribs. "Is it dead?" He asked when Hikari didn't move.

"Well let's find out," another answered, raising his rifle into a comfortable position. He squeezed the trigger and shot Hikari in the shoulder above the dart. She yelped and growled weakly in response. "Yep, she's alive."

"How do you know it's a she?" Another asked as he watched his comrade picked up the wolf.

"It's smaller than the others we saw," he replied nonchalantly.

A few of them cheered. "Yeah we got one! Alright, party time!"

One by one they marched through the woods, the Uchiha's and Namikaze's watching with horrified looks on their faces.

"Hikari!"

Fugaku broke free from Shibi's grasp and stood gaping over where his daughter last stood. His legs shook. He collapsed and fell to his knees, dumbstruck, holding his head shamefully.

"I-I can't. . . What am I doing wrong?" He whispered to himself. "I'm the worst father that ever lived."

Minato walked over to him and pulled him up to eye level by his shirt. "Listen to me and listen closely Fugaku. You're not a bad parent." He released his shirt and let him fall back to his knees.

"No, you just need to learn to be more attentive to you're own kids!"

He turned his head just in time to see the witch Chiyo whack him on the head. "Pay attention to the witch Fugaku! I warned you didn't I!? Now this happened! I spoke of Hikari's fate! Now it has come true. Right the wrongs wolf, or you and your tribe are done for!"

Fugaku looked away briefly and turned back to her, eyes filled with despair. "What am I supposed to do?" He whined.

Chiyo snorted. "First of all stand up!" The wolf did as he was told. "You've been setting a bad example so far, Fugaku. Maybe if you listen to me your kids would have a fighting chance."

Daisuke and Yotama exchanged worried looks.

"You have until the full moon," Chiyo continued. "If she has not returned by then I will see to it your kind will never walk these streets or woodlands again."

Fugaku groaned. "Of course."

He watched as the witch pointedly turned her back and turned to his sons. She held her gaze with them for several moments before stalking off.

tee hee, how fun :P review?