Hi guys...don't have much to say this week, I'm afraid. Though I am sad to say I offered free spoilers last chapter, but no one gave me the password...*sniffsniff* Authors notes really do hold goodies on occassion...and I do mean more than virtual ramen and cookies.

Anyways...thank you to my reviewers: killing u with umbrellas, TrenchcoatMan and FallenHope-Angel.

I'm glad to see you three have stuck around, even with my reviews steadily decreasing. But as long as I've got one of you, I'll stick around. I'm stubborn like that.

Anyways...on with the chapter.

Shino slipped silently onto the castle grounds, both himself, and Lexi, still unconscious and bound, cloaked under a complex genjutsu. He moved swiftly across the grounds, a burst of kikai left him, forming a clone to find the others, if Naruto was calm, he could be of use. Shino was primarily a hunter-nin. He found his targets, and when necessary, he killed them; it was Naruto who had more experience with interrogation, and he knew the blond had jutsu to make the target more compliant.

The bug user debated for a minute, before deciding it was better not to risk actually entering the castle, there was no telling what an individual could do to see through his genjutsu. Instead, he opted to scale the castle wall quickly, intensely grateful for the use of his chakra. Within minutes, he'd found an empty classroom in one of the towers, blissfully free of portraits.

He set the girl in one of the chairs, untying her arms for a moment, before rebinding them, this time to the chair. He wouldn't go easy on her just because she'd become close to a friend, as far as he knew, she could snap at any moment upon waking, and kill them all.

Not that he thought she'd actually do that; but he'd learned early on that appearances were deceiving.

Kikai returned to him, flooding him with information, Naruto had calmed down, though the Kyuubi was still on edge. He and Sasuke were on the way, both fully prepared for the unexpected.

The moment the two boys were in the room, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Well? What happened"

"She attacked. Or rather, it did. Her skills are unrefined, she's had no proper training, her pathways are too underdeveloped for the demon to use them properly." He paused, "Her control is…decent."

"Define decent?" Naruto asked, looking over at the girl.

"She didn't try to attack me right away. She was still in control, and had enough of an idea of what she was dealing with to lie."

"But she's inexperienced?"

"Less than genin level skills, probably fourth year level taijutsu with the demon….and with how thin her pathways are…she'd only be capable of first or second year ninjutsu until she trained more….but without the demons chakra, I'd give her even less."[1] He replied

The blond nodded, "Good." He ran a hand through his hair, looking to Shino to reveal his eyes still shone the Kyuubi's bright crimson. "Now how're we doing this?"

"The easiest way possible," He replied, "I was thinking the Time Reversal Technique."[2]

The blond nodded, "That'd work, she wouldn't be able to lie under it, she'd remember anything she'd forget too….Let's just hope she actually pays attention to what we want to hear."

"She's a Ravenclaw…that's what they do." Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly at the other, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say…" She looked over to Lexi again, "Ready Shino?" The Aburame nodded, "Then let's get this show on the road." He walked over to the unconscious girl and formed a few quick hand signs. Chakra flowed from his hands, and they all watched as Lexi's eyes fluttered open for a moment, unfocused, before sliding shut once more.

Naruto nodded, pleased with his work, before looking to Shino, "You wanna do this thing, or do you mind if I do?" His only reply was a shrug of indifference, "Right then, to get this thing started off, let's check something out." He turned his full attention to the girl, "Just to be sure…what's your name?"

"Alexandra Rehlem."

"Is that the name you were born with?"

"No. I was born as Alexandra Johnson."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, shooting Sasuke a look, who nodded. It wasn't a lie.

"Why'd you change it?"

"I was no longer welcome in that family."

"Why?"

"Murder."

Naruto looked first to Sasuke who shrugged, then to Shino. "She told me she'd been accused," He murmured.

"Who'd she kill?" He demanded.

Shino merely shook his head, "She didn't specify."

"Well, girl? Who'd you kill?"

"I didn't." Her voice held a note of protest, and more importantly, fear. "She did. She killed my father…I think…I don't know! She says she did it"

"Who killed him?"

"She never gave me a name…But she's in my head. She's been there for years, since I almost got hit by a muggle car. She looks like a Nundu. But she has two tails, and she isn't wild. She doesn't hurt me."

"What the hell's a Nundu?" Naruto demanded

Sasuke shook his head, "Giant poisonous leopard, it's damn breathe is apparently disease filled, and they're seriously dangerous things."

Naruto shook his head, "Fucking magic and their monsters." He muttered, "When did she kill him?"

"I went to the library over the summer of my fourth year. It was my safe place, the owner knew I heard her voice and saw her. He didn't mind…but one of his employees mentioned it to him. He didn't mind it before, he thought it was an imaginary friend. But he said I was too old, that if I didn't stop it I'd get in trouble. He found out before I got home, he drew his wand on me, and she got mad." She stopped for a moment, fear crossing her features, "I don't know what happened then; I was me, but she was me. I knew what I was doing, but it wasn't me and I couldn't stop it. I….She….we….grabbed him, and then my hand felt funny, and then he fell, and he looked sick. But she didn't stop, and she grabbed his arm, and my hands had claws and she cut him and then the wound turned funny and then he was dying and I couldn't stop it." Her voice held a note of hysteria, and finally, Naruto took pity on her.

"You can stop now…" He reassured her, and she stopped instantly. Naruto turned to his companions, "Have you heard of any of this, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha shrugged still looking at Lexi, "Bits and pieces. I knew he died, I knew she found some wizard who adopted her and that was why she changed her name. But that's it, it was covered up really well. She's got a cousin in Ravenclaw though, our year, I think."

"What I want to know is how the demon took control like that…" Shino murmured, "It's never happened to you, has it Naruto?"

The blond shook his head, "Only in the past, and I had to go 4 tails to lose my control." He said, "And she definitely didn't sound like she did that….but that doesn't quite make sense."

"Yes, but you were used to manipulating your chakra by then….if she wasn't used to it though….she might have been unable to control the demon…" Shino pointed out. "I've been sensing her at least trying to use her chakra….would it shock you if that gave her the amount of control she has?"

Sasuke hummed, "Could be…" He looked to Lexi, "Why have you been concentrating your chakra anyways?" Her face remained blank, "Your energy? Possibly related to your Nundu friend?"

"She told me how to…she says it makes me better, she said it'd help against the death eaters, and it did. She does it when I meditate."

"What does she do, exactly?" Shino inquired.

"I don't know." She had lost her hysteria, her voice had taken on the monotone tone. "She does something and I feel different, and I'm faster and stronger for a while, then I go back to normal."

"Chakra concentration…" Shino murmured, "Trying to force her body to build chakra reserves without her knowing. It's clever…"

"So what was she doing in the woods?" Naruto asked.

"She wanted to do it where I wouldn't be seen."

"Why?" Sasuke pressed

"Naruto," Came the response, "She doesn't like him, he's too much like her, but he's not enough like her and it bothers her. He's dangerous."

The blond raised an eyebrow, "The Kitty-cat's got some common sense. She's so buried in there I didn't sense her….no reason to give a shit. But she's definitely in danger if we got in a fight…How'd your little buddy even get in you?" He asked

Confusion crossed the girls face, "I don't know."

And she truly didn't, that much was obvious. It also meant that for now at least, their work was over.

Shino nodded, looking briefly around, "Any more questions?" He inquired, only to be met by silence. "Then we're done for now. Naruto?"

The blond nodded, forming another quick series of hand seals; there was no visible change in Lexi, but he nodded after a moment. "The job's done. It'll mold her memories into her subconscious, she wasn't conscious to begin with, so there shouldn't have been much she actually remembers as happening…but if she does…it'll all be screwed up into a completely weirder out dream kind of thing. She won't know the details of anything that happened."

Shino nodded, looking out the window, "It'll be time for dinner soon." He reminded them, "You two head down, if it works, we might join you."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, "How do you know she's not going to attack again?"

"Aside from the fact if she does she won't land a hit on me? Her chakra levels will give her away, and I drained her enough that the demon will have a hard time replenishing them the more I drain them. I'll be fine. Trust me, I can handle it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Naruto sighed, "Just don't get killed, the gang back home would murder me."

The Aburame laughed quietly, but nodded, "Right. Of course." He quickly untied Lexi, picking her up, and recasting his genjutsu, before creating another bug clone. Naruto waited until his preparations were complete, before opening the door, and slipping outside.

The Room of Requirement was empty when Shino arrived, and for that, he was grateful. He set her lightly on a couch that had appeared, before taking a seat on a chair, one he noticed instantly, that was similar to one of his own from home. With a sigh, he began reviewing his plans for the night. His clone and another that had been transformed to look like Lexi had retreated to the Great Hall to keep off suspicion while he, for lack of a better word, hid out.

If left alone, Lexi could be dangerous, without being given an explanation, she was dangerous. And that meant Shino would be forced to wait around until she finally awoke. But, at the very least, it gave him time to think about what he would tell her.

It would be easy enough, he didn't really need to lie. Where he was from had plenty of people like her, demons. He'd been able to do what he had, because in the same way some people could work with and communicate with demons, he could do so with insects. If she asked about Naruto, it would be simple to just say that yes he knew, because he was from the same place, and that what he could do was for him alone to say.

It would be up to Naruto to tell her he hosted a demon as well. If the display from earlier was anything to go by, Lexi's demon was threatened by the Kyuubi, and if challenged, Shino had no doubt the Kyuubi would fight to defend his claim as superior. And it would easily shatter any of the truce Naruto and the demon had. Because the only way to defend his claim would be to kill Lexi's demon, and in turn, her host.

Sasuke would be trickier to handle, but she would probably believe it if he said he was from the same place as he and Naruto was. But he'd had amnesia, and was unable to remember, Shino hadn't known him well before hand, but was still working with Naruto to get his memories back.

It would work, if just barely, but it left Shino with a small dilemma. Should they train her?

On one hand, a demon without the ability to truly use it's chakra would be weaker, easier to handle. But if it truly went rampant, it would completely destroy Lexi, she'd have no chance.

On the other hand, training would make her more dangerous, but also, more useful. She didn't seem like she'd enjoy killing, especially if she considered Sasuke a friend. She'd be able to survive if the demon attempted to manifest it's control in a demon chakra cloak.

It was a tough decision, and a dangerous one at that, but there would be shock, and boundaries would have to be rewritten. Time would be needed before he could consider offering anyways. Everything would have to fall into place first.

His attention was forced away from his thoughts as the girl stirred, slowly and groggily, before seeming to realize where she was, and shooting up, reaching for her wand, only to find she didn't have it.

He fought back a smirk, drawing her wand from his bag, and twirling it lightly between his fingers. "Terribly sorry, didn't want you hexing me when you woke up." He said, quietly and calmly.

Shock flashed through her features, and Shino could only imagine she was remembering the confrontation in the woods. And hopefully only that confrontation.

She stared at him for a moment, "What were you talking about? How do you know anything ? What did you do to me?" She demanded

"We both know what…and who I was talking about, Lexi." Shino reminded her, "And I know, because I know the signs, and I've dealt with situations similar before." Admittedly those situations happened to involve helping a certain blond shinobi deal with the fact he was fusing with a bloodthirsty demon, but the details didn't matter. "And I can assure you all I did to you was knock you out." It was Naruto that had done the basics of interrogation after all.

"What kind of situations? And how did you deal with them?" There was fear in her voice, the kind of fear he saw in genin shook from their first war. She'd been prosecuted for years, he reminded himself, she probably expected him to say they killed them, he needed to be gentle.

"I've helped some people deal with…creatures…we call them Bijuu. While not normal, it's not unheard of. Each person is helped in a different way, but in the end, it's normally for the best."

"Normally?"

"Not everyone adjusts well. I'm sure you're aware they can cause pain, after all. Some spend their lives fighting them."

"How'd you know I was one of these….Bijuu?"

He stifled a chuckle, "Jinchuuriki. That's what you are, the host of a Bijuu. And you could say I have a sixth sense for that kind of thing."

"What's your….sixth sense?"

"The Bijuu's ….energy…it's different than an average persons. I can tell when it's present because your energy changes."

"How long have you known?"

"I suspected for a while." Or at least it had been an option, though one he hadn't suspected strongly, "But you gave yourself away earlier."

She was taking this calmly, subconsciously at least, she might have suspected he was different, as different as she was. "What did you do to me earlier?"

"I knocked you out."

"But how? The last time someone touched me when my…Bijuu….was in control…they….regretted it."

"I knew you were dangerous like that…so I didn't touch your skin. Problem solved."

"Then how'd you knock me out?"

For a half second, he debated on lying, but that wouldn't be conductive to building a good relationship with her, or her Bijuu. "I used my…energy. What we call chakra."

"How do you have it?" She demanded, nervous and worried once more.

"It's common where I'm from. Far more so than Jinchuuriki."

She froze, "There are more people like you?"

"And more like you." He reminded her, "It's life, people are meant to make it more complex."

She frowned, "So….Naruto…is he?"

Shino nodded, "He possesses chakra as well."

"Then what are you doing here? How are you here?"

It was the million dollar question, and the one that still had no answer. Though it would be amusing to hear her thoughts on the subject.

"Well you see, Lexi. That's something that even we don't know." He smiled slightly, "But I'd love to hear your theories."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she shifted subtly away from him. There was the shock and fear he'd been expecting.

[1] This is on the basis that students start the academy at the age of six. There's six years of training normally, seeing as most graduate when they're twelve.

[2] This technique puts the target in a state of reverse hypnosis, allowing them to remember details that they otherwise would not. The target will comply with interrogation, but seems to retain his or her personality while under hypnosis.

Anyways....there's my chapter...which I'm proud to say was nearly 3,000 words long. I'm getting better. Keeping that resolution going strong.

Oh...and I feel I should say that this scene at one point included a near death situation, less of an interrogation and more of a beating, fun little jutsu, and other fun stuff. I honestly had it mentally written about....50 times. Oh well...this one works to...right?

Reviews get discount chocolate! (Those huge Reese's hearts that are like....as large as my hand, those gigantic hershey's kisses, or chocolate coins. Your choice.)

See ya in March!