Tai: Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! Happy birthday dear me~ Happy birthday to me!

Yes I'm weird, but if you're only just realising that then you need your head checked, neh? Anyway, 14th of March in NZ, so it's my birthday (yay!) and...damn I'm old. 20? I started writing this when I was like...17 or 16 or something. Thats a little sad; sorry it's taken me so long get close to finishing it. Ah well, two chapters so close to one another should be a nice present for all of you!

Anyways, quick apology for something that's not in the chapter; I was intending to put a nice little lemon in here but I found a good point to end it at before the lemon came along. However, next chapter is much long and definitely includes a lmeon; not sure when I'll post it up. Probably when I'm finished writing chapter 11 :P

Disclaimer: Despite it being my birthday I still doesn't own anything.

Chapter Nine: Attraction

Kiba followed his mother home in a semi-drugged but happy state, dawdling behind her as they headed out of the Hyuuga compound. He stopped suddenly at the gate to the compound and sniffed the air briefly, looking back toward the main house more alert than he had been a moment ago. 'Neji's awake…he was doing that consciously…and I think he got turned on by the feelings I was sending back…'

"Kiba lets go; I have things to discuss with the clan elders." Tsume growled, grabbing the boy's arm. The teen let out his own growl at the touch and tried to rip his arm free, attention not leaving the Hyuuga main house. 'Ah, so that's what was making him so happy earlier. This is going to be very problematic...'

The two Inuzukas began snarling at one another, the older attempting to drag the younger back to their clan compound, the younger attempting to escape back into the Hyuuga compound. "Kiba, we need to go, now!" the woman snarled, snaring both of the teen's wrists.

His response was only a low growl as he attempted to pull free of his mother's claws, inwardly sending his desires through their bond to Neji. He hoped that, on some level, the Hyuuga wanted him as well. Continuing to try and pull free, the Inuzuka male let out a growl and spun suddenly, charging into his mother.

Surprised by the change in movements Tsume was knocked backward, releasing the boy so she could keep her own balance. It seemed that had been the boys plan as he soon darted off into the Hyuuga compound, ignoring the calls of his mother.

"Aww, I think our new lover is horny." Ookami smiled, making the Hyuuga sit upright suddenly.

'What makes you say that?' Neji frowned, holding onto the blanket as he moved over to his window.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you can't feel that. Those waves of desire and promises of pleasure that feel like they're coming from nowhere. I'd bet my very existence that Kiba's the source of them." The wolf sighed, a tingle going through Neji's forehead.

'Strange, I thought you were causing them. I'm not entirely sure I want to see him right now though.'

"I'm sure you do; after all he did get you all hot and turned on just a short while ago, hell your body seems like it still wants him." She smirked, almost teasing the boy.

"Kiba get back here!" Tsume growled, chasing after the boy as he darted through the crowd of Hyuugas in the compound, his nose leading him straight to Neji. "Dammit boy, no wonder you have yourself a mate already! You're too easily driven by your damned sex drive!" She was gaining on the boy somewhat, although thankfully Hiashi had head her yelling at the male also and had moved ahead to cut the boy off.

Kiba meanwhile was continuing to ignore her, blindly charging towards his mate with no idea another Hyuuga was preparing to stop him very soon. 'Neji, I'm coming. I know you need me as badly as I need you right now; I'll be there soon!' he mentally called to the older teen, letting out a loud whine as he was slammed sideways into a wall.

Unable to see his attacker he began to flail wildly in an attempt to hit them, snarling loudly as he did so. "I don't really want to hurt your boy Tsume, but I might have to if he doesn't keep still." Hiashi growled, forcing all his weight against the teen.

"Just go ahead and hurt him; I would." Tsume growled, hooking her arms around the boy to immobilize him. "Just take out enough of his chakra points to stop him from running away anymore."

"Let me go you bastards! NEJI!" Kiba snarled, thrashing against the grip the woman had on him. He failed to notice as the Hyuuga Clan Leader activated his Byakugan, though he certainly realised it when the male struck the first of his chakra points, making him hiss in pain. "Let me go! Neji!" he yelled, his left arm going limp as the Hyuuga continued to strike him. "What are you doing with him? Let me go! Nej-"

He went limp suddenly as Hiashi struck a 48th point, though the small whimper he let out indicated it wasn't the only reason the male had stopped struggling. With his byakugan activated Hiashi became aware quickly that Neji was above them watching the scene, one hand on his neck. Combining that with the unusual way the Inuzuka's chakra was acting, the clan leader didn't have to think hard to guess what was going on.

"Neji's using that bond to placate him for the time being I believe; I suggest you get him home and locked up before Neji gets tired. If you require it I can assist you." The Hyuuga stated, earning a small smile from the Inuzuka woman.

"I'm sure I can carry my pup home on my own, but the offer is appreciated, Hiashi." Easily throwing the boy over one shoulder, ignoring his gentle whimpers of complaint, she turned to leave. "Oh and take care of that nephew of yours; my boy's life depends on his now; remember that."

"Ngh…Neji…please…" the Inuzuka teen mumbled, although he was still unable to move from his placement over his mother's shoulder.

Tsume let out a sigh and adjusted his position slightly before moving off, watching for any movement the boy might make. "Just relax Kiba; you'll see him again soon enough. He just needs some rest to recover from you marking him for now." She mumbled softly; glad to feel the teen relax.

Watching the Inuzuka duo until he was sure they were almost at their compound, he let out a small sigh, turning his attention back to his nephew. "What am I going to do with you Neji? The elders will want that demon gone in any way possible; preferably by your death. The Inuzuka's will do whatever they can to protect you to keep their own heir alive; and apparently that mark will mean you will be able to produce their next one.

"My brother sacrificed his life to protect mine, the least I can do is do everything in my power to keep you alive, and if giving you to the Inuzuka clan achieves that, then it may be my best option." Sighing, he headed inside to visit his nephew, checking what the teen was up to before knocking on the door. By that point the teen had returned to his bed, curled up on one side.

"Neji, I need to speak with you." The male stated, tapping on the door gently.

"Come in, uncle." The teen stated, sitting upright and ensuring his lower half was fully covered by the blanket. His hand absentmindedly continued to stroke the bite mark on his neck even as the older Hyuuga entered the room and sat at the end of the bed.

"Neji, I apologise that we haven't had an opportunity to talk about this…demon incident before now. And with this occurrence that's happened with the Inuzuka's, I suppose it's forced the issue." The older Hyuuga sighed, turning to the ebony haired teen. "Has anything…new happened since that demon showed itself?"

Neji blinked at his uncle, unsure how to respond to the male. "Well I now know it's a female demon. She…talks to me." He muttered, avoiding eye contact with the older Hyuuga. He knew it made him sound insane to say a demon was talking to him, but it was true.

"I could take over talking to your uncle if you like; it might be nice to meet a clan leader who wants me dead but wants the one I'm in left alive." Ookami stated, her smile evident in her tone.

'And make him panic because you can take over my body? No thanks.'

"Female? I can't say my grandfather ever mentioned that. Though there are a lot of things he opted to leave out when he informed me of this curse; several of which I found out by reading documentation of previous clan leaders. None of them mentioned the demon was female." He seemed to be struggling with some sort of question, and as the older Hyuuga closed his eyes it appeared he was simply going to bite the bullet. "Has she…taken control of your body at all?"

Neji froze at the comment, looking directly at Hiashi. 'Oh gods, so he does know she can do that.' His head began to swim as a slightly familiar sensation took hold. 'What the hell are you doing? Do you really think taking over my body in front of my uncle is the best idea?'

"He already knows I am capable of doing it, I may as well have a chat with him. Besides, it'll be nice to know what your family knows about me after all these years." Ookami stated, a wicked smirk forming on Neji's lips as she took control over the body.

"I've taken control a couple of times actually; I'm partly responsible for that gorgeous Inuzuka finding your nephew attractive. I sort of…initiated the romantic contact with him. That and if I wasn't in heat he probably wouldn't have found us so damned attractive." Ookami sighed, stretching slightly as she spoke.

Hiashi jumped at the change in tone from his nephew, taking a moment to digest that the wolf was currently in control of the teen. Shaking his head briefly, he looked at the teen for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I take it there's a reason you've taken control right now?"

"Well, yes. I'd like to know what your clan history has about me and hopefully fill in some of the gaps you may have in that knowledge. After all, there's no point in fearing something you don't fully understand." Ookami smiled.

"You have some serious issues, you know that?" Neji sighed, giving in to the wolf demon.

'I'm well aware of my issues; I'd just like to help your family and future generations with theirs.' The wolf replied, dropping back to lie on the bed. "So, where would you like to start Hiashi?"

Kiba awoke with a heavy head, feeling incredibly drugged and his body feeling heavier than normal. He felt cold and stiff, though the coldness appeared to be centred on his ankles, wrists and neck. He didn't notice why, however, until he lifted one hand to rub his eyes. The clanking of chains met his ears as he moved, and as his golden eyes finally glanced around the room his brain registered just where he was.

'Mom listened to that damned Hyuuga when he suggested locking me up.' The Inuzuka teen mentally snarled, pulling on the chains. "Dammit! I need to see him!" he howled, thrashing against the chains. "Let me see him!"

He let out a soft whine as a reassuring pet seemed to flow through his body, though no one was present to produce it. It soon continued and began to quell his frustrations, the boy curling up on a provided blanket to enjoy the soothing feeling. "…Neji…" he mumbled, gently pawing at the blanket as the soothing touch began putting him to sleep. It wasn't long before he gave up his struggle to stay awake and began drifting off; almost asleep by the time it stopped.

Tsume let out a small sigh as she watched the boy, glad that the Hyuuga was still providing some sort of comfort to him despite the undoubtedly painful ordeal the Inuzuka had forced him to endure. "I can't help but think you had something to do with this Hizashi." She mumbled, watching her son for a moment longer before turning to leave. She was unsurprised to see Akamaru sitting by the door watching his partner. He let out a small whine as she passed, clearly unhappy about the teen being chained up like some sort of animal.

"I know you don't like it, Akamaru. But I think Neji has been through enough for now." She stated, giving the canine a small pat. "I'll take them off when he's calmed down a bit and the Hyuuga's have had a chance to understand what's happening. Keep an eye on him for me."

"So how long do you plan to keep attempting revenge on the Hyuuga clan? Past leaders and groups of elders believed you would've given up long ago, but as you're back now clearly that isn't the case." The Hyuuga leader questioned, having finally grown accustomed to questioning his nephew about the wolf's intentions.

"How long? You know I hadn't actually thought about that. I always figured I'd wipe out the entire Hyuuga clan and then be able to rest in peace. Other than that i didn't really plan to give up on coming back for revenge." Ookami replied, focusing on the roof more than the male nearby.

"So there's no other reason you'd stop coming back? What about if you met a cute guy who completely fell for you or you got overly attached to a particular host?" Neji questioned, making the wolf sit upright suddenly.

'What a ridiculous and human notion. Your ancestors killed me and stole my eyes for their own selfish purposes! Why should I give up on my intended revenge before it's settled for something as petty and pathetic as love?' she snarled back, making Neji smile somewhat.

"You've considered it before haven't you? That or you fell for someone in a previous incarnation and they ended up betraying you and killing you." The Hyuuga prodigy stated, making the wolf wince.

'Humans are despicable and disgusting creatures; they care nothing for the feelings of other species or creatures, only their own kind. Hell some of your lot don't even care about your own species.' Ookami snarled at the boy, clearly not interested in discussing details with the Hyuuga.

"You can't hide it from me; you fell for a human who betray you to the clan leaders and was forced to kill you. It hasn't stopped you from latching on to Kiba through me though has it? Will you keep coming back even if we die of natural causes after a long and happy life with him?" the prodigy questioned, finding himself with some sort of physical presence within his mind and facing a large wolf, though it's form wasn't clearly discernable.

He stood watching the wolf for several moments before she finally looked up and he found what appeared to be his own eyes staring back at him. 'You think the Hyuuga Clan will allow such a thing of a beast like me? You think I would be allowed such an existence? I've lived more lifetimes than you could imagine, in more ways than you could think possible. Not one of them has ended with my host dying of natural causes after living a happy and long life.

'Of all my lifetimes the closest I've come to such a thing was falling for an Inuzuka. He ended up being the one to kill me. I've lived longer than most and yet there are hundreds of things I've never had the chance to do – I'm always killed before I can even try. A long and happy life with Kiba? Do you really think anyone will allow that, Neji? The elders of one of the clans will kill us before anything close to happiness occurs.'

Undeterred by the wolf's bitter attitude Neji persevered, holding her gaze. "What if by some oddity it happens? We're allowed to live, we stay with Kiba and we die twenty years from now or out on a mission, will you still come back and try to kill the descendants of the Hyuuga clan?"

'Dying at the hands of someone or something not controlled by the Hyuuga clan? I doubt it's possible.' She stated coldly, eyes narrowing into a glare.

"But if it was?"

'If it was? It's possible I would give up on my revenge, however I think I'd still much rather wipe out the entire Hyuuga clan. No more Hyuuga's means no more reincarnations.'

"You ever think that maybe we were thrown together to try and give one another something more to look forward to? I wanted the main branch dead and almost killed my cousin in the chuunin exams a few years ago. I then learnt my father had sacrificed his life for my uncle and had freed himself in a way other than killing those who lord power over us." The teen told the wolf, his gaze moving to a skyward direction. "Maybe you were born into my body to find another way of getting revenge; completing your life through a descendant of those responsible for your death sounds somewhat more satisfying than simply killing everyone."

'Enough of your opinions boy. If I want to kill the clan I will, regardless of your feelings on the matter. Once I'm at full strength neither you nor anyone else will be able to stop me if that is what I choose to do.' The wolf growled, although her tone on the matter had changed at least a little in Neji's opinion. 'Now wake up properly; I'm sick of talking to your uncle.'

His bodies eyes closed briefly and he felt the swimming sensation overtake him as he was given back control, taking a moment to reorient himself after the change in position the wolf had performed. Hiashi appeared ready to ask another question when Neji let out a small sigh.

"She's tired from having control for so long uncle; any other questions you had will probably have to wait until another time." He informed the older Hyuuga, who didn't appear at all concerned by the fact.

"She went quiet for quite a while there and stopped moving, any idea why?"

"We were discussing your question. She's adamant that she'll continue to come back and attempt to annihilate the Hyuuga clan for as long as she can." The prodigy supplied, deciding the wolf's personal thoughts and other options for her own happiness were better left unsaid with the clan leader.

"Thank you for at least respecting that small shred of my privacy boy."

'Don't tell me you're back to that immature level of civility with me; just when I was getting used to your perverted attitude towards the Inuzuka.'

"There is nothing different between you and your predecessors; in the end they will kill you to be rid of me; you may as well remove any thoughts that tell you another option is possible and accept the inevitable like a good Hyuuga."

Sighing, Neji gave up on trying to talk to the wolf; it was becoming increasingly more obvious she believed she already knew how things were going to end for the two of them. "Is there something else you needed to talk to me about uncle?" he asked the older Hyuuga, ignoring the growl of displeasure the wolf gave.

"With that mark on your neck…I'm afraid the elders no longer have the option to kill you unless they want to instigate a clan war. However, they won't want you remaining within the Hyuuga clan anymore, nor will the Inuzuka's. That mark makes you the…mate of the Inuzuka clan's heir, and as such you will be required to behave as such." Hiashi stated, clearly struggling with the idea somewhat. "I'm not entirely sure on the details, but in effect you'll be 'marrying' into the Inuzuka clan, and therefore the demon will become their problem."

Neji pushed the wolf's outraged howls to the back of his mind in an attempt to keep himself focused on the conversation with his uncle. "So even if the elders want me killed, doing so would outrage the Inuzuka clan because it would also kill Kiba now, and because I'm now Kiba's mate I'll have marry him and be his wife?" the prodigy surmised, realising for the first time just how bizarre the situation was.

"...yes, basically."

'Well my life is officially fucked up to the extreme. I'm going to be someone's wife.'

"I'm pissed I didn't find out until now that having the right Inuzuka bite me would let me live! Ah well at least it'll make killing the clan easier."

'That or you could live your life and have kids.'

"…well yes, there is that. But I am a woman and therefore I can multitask. There's no reason I can't do…wait, have kids? I'm not sure if you've noticed Neji but your body isn't exactly equipped for having children. You are still male after all."

'I have a really bad feeling that the Inuzuka's have evolved around that little problem with this damned mark…'

"Aww! I might get to be a mother! When I was alive and a fully-fledged demon that wasn't even a remote possibility for me."

'Clan war or not, I might just have to kill myself to avoid that…'

"Neji, I know this is probably a lot for you to go through, but please don't do anything….drastic to avoid what is probably your only chance to live to see another year. It isn't a preferable arrangement but it will keep you alive." Hiashi stated, standing to leave.

"I understand, uncle." Neji muttered, rolling onto one side and closing his eyes. He listened as Hiashi opened the door and waited until his footsteps had faded completely before he stood and walked over to the mirror, pulling the bandages away from his forehead.

"Ah, so you were listening when I told him that."

'When exactly did you do that? I would've thought I'd feel something when that damn seal was removed.'

"You probably would've if I hadn't been in control of your body. Last night after the Inuzuka had his way, you were mentally and physically exhausted and I still had all of my energy. It's also why you were snuggled into the Inuzuka up until he left in the morning, not that you noticed. Anyway, I can't remove the seal without touching it or performing handseals. Kinda need hands for that."

Looking at his reflection, Neji ran a hand across the pale skin of his forehead, his lilac eyes focused on what was missing rather than what was present. The pale green seal that he'd grown so accustomed to hiding beneath his Konoha forehead protector was gone, not a trace of the mark left.

"You did have the good fortune of feeling the after effect of the seal being removed; that's sort of why our head felt like it was going to split open. I thought you may as well have some sort of good news after what happened with the Inuzuka."

'Guess we're not a caged bird anymore are we, Ookami?'

"No, not anymore."

Tai: Review please! It'll make me happy ^^