Jinchuriki Bonds: A Life Beyond the Pain

by Toto Yoshio

Trapped in a collapsing cave, Naruto and Gaara escape when they find a mysterious portal. Consequently they wind up in a monster world. Stranded there, the two Jinchuriki are forced to enroll at Yokai Academy. How will they adapt to this new way of life? Chapter 10 has been posted!

8. Chapter 8: Identify Yourself!

So here we are. The long awaited chapter 8 has arrived and we finally cracked 100k words. Not to brag…But it took me two months to update instead of three so that's an improvement. Right? Just so you know this chapter is pretty dialogue heavy. In other words there's going to be a lot of talking so I hope you guys are okay with that. You should also know that no pairings have been written in stone. Yes there are couples that I have planned from the beginning and some of you even know them, but romance has a funny way of working sometimes, so don't just assume that a character is going to end up with someone because of the chapter.

Other than that, I don't have much else to say. As usual I would like to thank all you readers who took time to favorite, follow, or review this story. Finding inspiration would be hard without all your praises and demands for updates. A lot of them are detailed as well as amusing. Thanks guys it really kicks me in gear and gets me motivated to write. Oh and DeBob19 thanks for the jutsu suggestion. I gave it a shot in this chapter.

Author's note done. Let's get to the chapter!

R&R Guys.

Chapter 8: Identify Yourself!

"Slow down Moka!" Tsukune yelled from her rear. He was doing his best to keep up with her, but the pace she was moving at was ridiculous. Currently they were running through the yokai forest.

"I can't slow down! She's in danger!" Moka yelled back. She was far too distraught to even think about slowing down. Every second counted, she had to get to her before it was too late. Right now her adrenaline was pumping and her heart was racing.

Pushing himself as hard as he can, Tsukune began to pick up speed until he was running alongside her. "Are you sure it's her!?"

"I'm positive!" she replied without hesitation. There wasn't a doubt in her mind. "It's Kokoa! And if we don't get their soon she might-

"Don't think like that Moka!" Tsukune eyes narrowed. He didn't want her to have negative thoughts, she needed to be as optimistic as possible and she needed to be focused. "You have to have faith in her."

Swallowing the lump in her throat she nodded, "You're right Tsukune." She shouldn't be expecting the worst, she needed to remain positive.

It had only been five minutes ago that their group was returning to the campsite when they heard an echoing scream of agony. Alarmed the four of them stopped and turned around. They knew somebody was in trouble, but who could it be? Is what was running through their heads at that moment. Clearly it was a girl, but that's all they knew.

Whoever it was needed their help. Inner Moka, Tsukune, Mizore and Yukari all exchanged glances before nodding in unison and running back in the direction they had came. When they had first started sprinting they were all together, but only seconds later did the circumstances change.

Another loud scream was heard and this time Moka's heart cringed. She was positive now about who the voice belonged to. At first she didn't want to believe it, but when she gave it some thought, it made perfect sense. Kokoa was the only girl she knew who would always find trouble. She had been that way since they were kids.

Unconsciously she started to pick up speed distancing herself from the others. The only one who had been able to match speed with her was Tsukune. When he turned around, he didn't see Mizore or Yukari behind them. They weren't able to keep up, which is one of the reasons Tsukune wanted to slow down, but he understood Moka's desperation. If it were one of his relatives he'd do the same thing.

Eventually they had got within a close enough range for Moka to pick up her scent. "Tsukune do you smell that?"

Quickly he took an inhale so he could try and catch a whiff of her scent. Gulping the brunette nodded, "Yeah… it's definitely her!"

Moka's eyes narrowed, "Alright let's hurry! We don't have any time to waste!"

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Right now Kokoa was speechless. Not just because she wasn't in the position to speak, but what had just happened baffled her beyond belief. She had been rescued by one of the last people she would expect to come to her aid. The exchange student with the red hair had just saved her from becoming a giant plant's lunch. Usually this kind of thing only happened in the movies.

Now he was standing before her preparing to engage the creature in battle. He was either completely out of his mind or he was extremely powerful. With all her heart she was hoping it was the latter, because if it wasn't they didn't have a chance in hell of surviving this ordeal.

When his eyes focused on her injured form, her body tensed. His gaze was intimidating, she felt like an ant beneath his stare. She didn't know what he was doing here in the first place. Last time she saw him he was with the blonde and the succubus. Did he come alone? And what's with the sand?

Slowly she tried to sit up, but her body just wouldn't cooperate. With a grunt she fell back onto the sand cloud. Damn it, my body received too much damage. With nothing else to do she just lied there in the sand. She might have not been able to do anything, but she still had some questions that need answering. Why is he here? What made him come to this place?

Unfortunately for her, her savior didn't seem like the talking type. He might not have been talking, but his eyes were on her instead of the dorian. Is he crazy? He should be focusing on the dorian instead of worrying about me.

Right on cue, the monster plant lashed out at him with one of it's enormous tentacles. The heavy appendage was coming down on his head, but just as it got within reach a wall of sand automatically deflected the attack.

Kokoa's emerald eyes Bulged. What the fuck! Is what she wanted to scream, but didn't have the ability to. Did that really just happen? The sand had automatically come to his aid and the crazy thing was that his eyes were still on her.

The vampire wasn't the only one that was shocked. The gigantic dorian seemed to be confused as well, seeing as it wasn't moving. When it tried to pull it's tentacle out of the sand it wouldn't budge. It was as if the sand was holding onto the appendage. Frustrated, the dorian began to growl as it continued to try and pull away. After a while, the creature was finally able to retrieve it's tentacle from the wall of sand.

Her injuries are pretty bad, Gaara thought to himself. Her whole body was covered in bruises and he was positive that she had some broken bones, because she was struggling to move. She was also bleeding from her mouth.

"Stay still…" He told her in a low tone.

Kokoa's brow rose, "Huh?' she asked in a daze.

"Don't move, just stay there for now," with those words he turned to face the monster at hand. He could tell the plant was a little hesitant when it came to attacking him and it was wise to think twice. I'm going to have to end this quickly, she needs medical attention. Hopefully she'll be alright since she hasn't lost too much blood.

Interrupting his train of thought was an earsplitting roar.

Once again the brutish plant prepared to attack, but this time it's target wasn't Gaara. Furiously it's tentacles whipped toward Kokoa, who was completely defenseless. Before the organ could reach her, Gaara extended a hand in the vampire's direction. Instantly sand rose from the ground around her and trapped her in a defensive dome of sand. The tentacle hit the dome hard, but it couldn't even put a dent in the solid structure.

Now the beast was becoming even more agitated as it continued to pound the dome with all it's might. "It's no use," Gaara stated though he knew the dorians mind was too primitive to understand what he was saying. Looking up at the rampaging monster, the red head found the prize he was looking for. Atop it's head was a gigantic red fruit hanging from a thick vine that was connected to the beast's noggin. There it is…

Eventually the monster got sick of pounding the dome and switched it's attention back onto Gaara. Instead of attacking with one tentacle, this time the plant monster used all of them. Again Gaara's sand came to his defense in the form of a giant wall.

Going on the offensive, Gaara maneuvered his hand to attack. Springing up from the earth was a giant hand of sand. The hand continued to rise in the air until it got to the top of the beast's head. Shukaku's giant claws reached out and took hold of the enormous fruit that resided on the beast's cranium. Doing a squeezing motion with his hand, Shukaku's hand mimicked this action and successfully ripped the fruit off it's vine.

The hand then tossed the enormous fruit in Gaara's direction. The red produce landed on the ground and rolled till it stopped before his feet. Gaara looked down at the enormous fruit for only a second before returning his attention to the dorian.

"Now that I have this…I can end you…"

Suddenly the sand dome that was protecting Kokoa fell apart and the minerals retreated back into the earth. When she looked up the first thing she saw was something clinging to the plant monster. It looked like a giant hand was latched onto the dorians head. "What is that thing?" she asked in a whisper. It looks like a giant arm made from sand. Her head slowly turned to the left where the red head was standing. He's doing this…

Aware of his surroundings, his eyes briefly wondered over to the girl who was currently lying on his sand cloud. Curiously he raised an invisible brow, she's still conscious? After all the injuries she had sustained he would have thought she'd be knocked out by now. But there she was lying there still trying to sit up though her body was severely weakened. Her persistence is admirable...

Leaving the girl to her musings, Gaara refocused his attention back on the monster. He had already wasted enough time on the creature. While staring at the dorian he couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. He knew the monster was nowhere near powerful enough to challenge him, but he was hoping it would at least make things a little interesting. He had to face facts; it was going to be a while before he or Naruto came across a worthy foe. Oh well…Lifting both of his arms up in the air he prepared to finish the beast off.

"Sand Prison!" (Sabaku Ro!)

Emerging from the ground were four more of Shukaku's monstrous arms. In a flash, the claws of sand took hold of the giant plant. It struggled against the arms of sand. It roared and squirmed with all its might, but it's resistance was proving futile. "There's no escape," Gaara murmured in monotone. When the hands of minerals lost their form, the remaining sand encased the monster in a large shell easily trapping it within.

Now he began to steadily lift his right hand up into the air. Following his hands movements was the gigantic ball of sand that held the monster prisoner. Slowly the enormous ball of compacted sand elevated towards the skies of Yokai.

Kokoa watched in awe as the stranger controlled the immense ball of minerals. How the hell is he doing that? She wondered. She had been raised in a house full of S class monsters, but never in her life had she seen anything like this. He had completely dominated the dorian with little effort, while she was only seconds away from losing her life to the monster. What was even more crazy is he hadn't moved an inch since he first addressed her and decided to take over. He was standing in the exact same spot.

Gaara continued to raise the ball of sand until it eclipsed the sun. The eclipse that was created by the globe, had casted a shadow over the forest. Before finishing the attack he needed to create a shield so no one got affected by the attack. With his other hand he summoned the minerals from beneath the earth's surface. Once he gathered the necessary amount of sand from the earth, he added his own special sand to reinforce the barrier.

Kokoa gazed up at the massive sphere. What is he about to do?

With that out of the way, his green eyes went back to sphere of sand lingering in the sky. "Now Then…" he proceeded to clench his fist into a tight grip.

"Sand Burial!" (Sabaku Soso!)

Instantly the huge ball of sand imploded completely liquefying the monster. It's fluids dripped down from the sky as well as the blood mixed minerals. The monsters bodily fluids and acids landed on the sand barrier that Gaara had created before executing the jutsu.

In the back of his head, he couldn't but help but be amused by something. Four years ago during his darker years he would have probably toyed with the beast until he was bored, but since his sadistic personality was long gone he decided to end it quickly.

The orange haired girl watch with wide eyes as the monster's remains rained down. "H-He finished off that giant dorian…L-Like it was a toy that he had gotten bored with." That wasn't a battle in her eyes…It was a complete massacre. All three of her sisters were extremely powerful and she knew if it were them they could have defeated the giant plant with no problems. But…One question lingered in her mind.

Would they be capable of making it look that easy?

When she saw the red head leaned down to pick up the large dorian fruit she prepared to address him, but was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Kokoa!"

Hearing the familiar voice, the young vampire's heart jumped with excitement as well as nervousness. With all her strength she raised her back off the ground. It was her sister and she was running to her frantically. It had been a while since she had seen her big sis scared.

Behind her she could see Tsukune as well as the witch and snow woman who seemed to be out of breath. The hybrid didn't seem to be that tired, but the snow woman looked a little exhausted and the witch was completely tuckered out. Usually she would make a snide comment about weaker monsters having low stamina, but she was in no position to gloat.

Kokoa tried one more time to sit up and this time she was almost successful. Her back was already trembling, but as soon she reached a vertical angle she let out a cry of pain, before falling once again. Before her back could make contact with the sand cloud she felt delicate fingers supporting her. She turned her neck to the side to see her sister staring with those crimson orbs.

Moka's eyes narrowed, "What happened to you?"

Kokoa grinned sheepishly, "I…Got beat up."

The elder sister snorted irritably. "I can see that, but what the hell were you doing out here in the first place?"

Shit… Kokoa cursed inwardly. Now she was in a real pickle, if Moka found out she ditched school to come here she'd be in serious pain. Well she already was, but she'd be in even more pain! At times like this Kokoa actually preferred her sister's bubbly personality.

Nervously Kokoa's eye's shifted back in forth as she tried to think of a believable excuse. She was already in excruciating pain, so having her sister add anything additional would probably cause her body to crumble. "Uhh…I" She started while still trying to come up with a good answer. There was nothing she could say to justify her presence in the yokai forest.

Seeing her sister struggle to come up with an excuse, caused her to grin, "Never mind that's not important at the moment. Right now all that matters is that you're safe." Scolding her right now wouldn't do any good anyway. Her body had received a lot of punishment; the only thing that mattered was getting her back to the school so they can take her to the infirmary.

"How is she?"

Moka turned to see Tsukune approaching behind her. The expression on his face was one of shock and worry.

The stoic vampire frowned, "She has a lot of broken bones, but other than that she'll be fine since she didn't lose much blood."

"Good," Tsukune smiled while kneeling down next to her to get a better look at Kokoa's injuries. In his awakened form his vision was much more precise, so his eyes were able to catch things that would usually go unnoticed in his normal state. Moka's right. At least a quarter of the bones in her body have been completely broken.

The vampire turned to the red head with a focused stare. When their eyes met neither of them faltered which wasn't surprising considering their personalities. He has the power to manipulate sand at will. I've never seen a yokai with that ability. What's even stranger is the fact that he did all that in his human form.

She knew that he was powerful, but she didn't know he possessed that kind of ability. If they were to go head to head, she wouldn't stand a chance against him at her current level, which was all the more reason for her to find out what his true intentions were.

Though there were many questions going off in her head, there were more pressing matters to deal with at the moment. She needed her get her sister to a doctor and fast.

Carefully positioning one arm beneath her legs while the other delicately cradled her neck, Moka lifted her from the sand cloud. "We need to head back to camp and let Nekonome sensei know what happened here."

Kokoa wanted to disagree, but she really didn't feel like arguing with her sister at the moment. Though she didn't want to get in trouble with her sensei, she was in no position to debate. She ended up like this because she didn't follow orders. Right now she was just grateful to be alive.

As Moka carried her back towards the hill that lead them back into the forest, her eyes started to flutter. She couldn't deny her tiredness any longer. She had been fighting to stay awake for what seemed like forever, but she just couldn't hold out anymore. The cool breeze was affecting her senses causing her to feel even drowsier. Letting a well-deserved yawn escape her mouth, the vampire's eyes closed as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

As Moka reached the top of hill, she heard the sound of light snoring. Looking down she saw her younger sister sleeping peacefully. When she moaned something inaudible, the elder vampire smiled. Though her sister acted tough, beneath that hard exterior was a normal girl who just happened to be misunderstood.

Exhaling she turned to Mizore who eyes were opened wide in shock, while Yukari was next to her but still hunched over trying to catch her breath. Being a witch she didn't have the natural stamina that other monsters possessed.

"Come on…We're heading back," She told them as she moved past them with Tsukune walking beside her.

The snow woman didn't respond, her blue eyes continued to gaze toward the bottom of the hill where the red head stood staring back at her impassively. Did I really just see that or am I hallucinating?

She couldn't believe what she just witnessed, Gaara had fought what had to be the largest dorian in the entire world and won. Effortlessly! It just didn't make any sense at all. In her sixteen years of living she had come across many powerful beings and they were all S rank yokai, but she had never seen anything like this. No this was beyond incredible, it seemed unreal.

Eventually reality set in and she was able to snap out of her momentary shock. Finally her heart beat seemed like it began to slow and her eyes returned to their usual hollow forms.

So that's what he was hiding in that gourd? He has the power to control sand and earth minerals. Similar to the way I control the ice and snow.

As Yukari finally started to catch her breath, the petite witch was capable of standing up straight again. However her hair was sticking to her face and her pointy hat was tilted. When she looked up she noticed Mizore gaze lingering downward toward the dry region below. She didn't have to ask what she was looking at.

"That was insane," the witch mumbled breathlessly. "Wasn't it?"

Mizore nodded, "He crushed that dorian with little to no effort." Not to mention he was able to keep Kokoa safe in the process.

Yukari turned to face Mizore; her violet eyes bore into her blue ones. "So what do you think? What should we do?" she asked. Right now the witch was being consumed with uncertainty. Unlike Kurumu and Mizore who had been suspicious of Gaara and Naruto from the beginning, she had decided to give them a chance. But after witnessing the red head's power she couldn't deny the conflicting feelings growing in her chest.

At first she had just saw them as classmates and potential friends. Especially Naruto since he was so friendly with everyone. Now her perspective has changed and her curiosity along with some inner fear, had been sparked.

Finally Mizore was able to drag her eyes away from Gaara and shift them to Yukari. "Honestly I don't know how to go about this, but the only thing we can do is talk to Moka and Kurumu and then we can go from there," she replied in a whisper. She knew that it would be wise to wait till they all got together to talk things out. There was a chance that Kurumu had made a discovery while hanging out with the blonde. Which raised the question why wasn't Gaara with them in the first place?

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," she responded while fixing her hat so it would sit properly atop her head.

The snow woman concurred before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Well I guess we should get going. Don't want to be left behind," she stated before returning her attention the bottom of the hill. "What the…" she gasped while staring down at the empty pit.

Where did he go?

Just like that, the quiet red head disappeared out of thin air. Damn him, she thought with a deadly glare. This is the second time he's done that to me. It was just like that time when they were in the cafeteria and he vanished out of sight. How the hell does he do that? She was starting to think that he was screwing with her head intentionally.

Bastard…

"He's gone," Yukari noted in a much calmer fashion. When she felt a deadly aura, she turned to her left to see Mizore with her head down. Her hair hung low over her eyes, but she could tell that the snow woman was upset by her balled fist and trembling body.

"Uhh…" she hesitated while observing her irritated friend. "Are you alright Mizore?"

The older girl exhaled before unclenching her fist and relaxing her fingers. "Yeah…I'm fine Yukari," She lied before turning around and stepping back into the forest. "Let's…Catch up to the others…"

With that she continued to walk into the forest while deep in thought. Now her mind was more active than it had been all day. His powers certainly raised a lot of questions and that distinctive human scent made things even more complicated. Then there was his speed and ability to blend in despite his appearance.

Yes there are many questions that require answering…

In a daze Yukari watched Mizore's retreating back until she became aware that she was being left behind. "Hey! Wait for me damn it!" she yelled as she jogged to catch up with her partner.

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Back at the campsite groups of students were slowly beginning to return, many of which were hobbling as they entered the clearing. The training was for survival so it's not surprising for someone to come back with a few bumps and bruises. As long a team returned with live members and a dorian in hand the assignment was a success.

Shizuka Nekonome smiled as she watched her students trek back into the clearing from different directions. So far half of her class was had already made their way back. Sure some of them had a few injuries but at least they were alive. The previous class she took hadn't been so fortunate. Four people had been eaten by the plant monsters, while several others were severely wounded.

That assignment had been a tragedy, so the headmaster decided to ban the training, saying that it was far too dangerous for the program to continue. This had happened three years ago. If it wasn't for some of the members of the faculty who appealed it the training program would still be banned.

Sighing, the young cat woman adjusted her glasses as she walked around the open field. Most of the kids who had returned were either resting or tending to their injuries; she also brought an emergency aid kit just in case. Having the kit was actually one of the conditions that had been put in the contract to bring the training back.

"I told you I'm fine. So leave me alone!"

Shizuka turned back around to see two of her students arguing, one male and the other one female. The girl was lying on the grass while her partner tried to tend to her injuries. Though he wanted to help, she didn't want any of his assistance. Luckily, this boy happened to be very persistent.

"C'mon Kurumu stop your complaining and sit still!" Naruto demanded as he took hold of her scraped knee with one hand. In the other hand was a small bottle of alcohol that he had gotten from the emergency aid kit. "If we don't clean your wound it could become infected!"

Naruto may seem like an idiot at times, but he had plenty of experience when it came to injuries. After all he did spend a lot of his time in Konoha's hospital. Even though the treatment was unnecessary thanks to the nine tailed fox, he somehow always ended up there after an exhausting or dangerous mission.

Not to mention he had learned a few tips from Sakura while he was there. Now he was happy he half paid attention instead of dosing off like he would usually do during a boring lecture.

"I don't care!" she shouted back while kicking out her toned legs in protest. "I'm a yokai; not some weakling who can succumb to a minor injury like this!"

"Will you just listen to me for once woman?!" Her contrarious attitude was really getting on his nerves. It was her fault she ended up getting all those bruises in the first place.

While the two of them were walking back to the campsite with their dorian fruit they encountered several more plant monsters. Instead of fighting them together Naruto told her to stay back and let him handle it so he wouldn't have to worry about her safety. But for whatever reason she didn't heed his words and that resulted in her current injuries.

"What's going on here?"

Naruto looked up to see their Ms. Nekonome standing over them with a curious look etched on her face. Her glasses perched on her nose and her eyes brow raised she awaited an answer.

"Uhh… hey sensei," he replied nervously. Unfortunately that was best response he could conjure up at the moment. Being caught in this predicament was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

The blonde nodded, "Yeah everything's fine. Just trying to help Kurumu here with her injuries." Turning to the succubus he shot her an irritated glare. "But she's being rather DIFFICULT!" he said through clenched teeth.

"I told you I'm fine idiot!" Chuckling she turned to her sensei with a light hearted wave. "I'm alright Nekonome sensei. Naruto is just being a PEST!" The last word had plenty of emphasis on it as she returned his glare with one of her own.

"Well it's good to know all is well, but when exactly did you guys get back?" She asked curiously. Since the first group returned fifteen minutes ago she had been keep a lookout for the rest of her students. Being a cat woman her reflexes and senses were top class, so she couldn't understand how the two of them could slip pass her that easily. Hold on…Two, she thought to herself as she noticed something strange. They are missing someone from their group!

"Never mind," she coughed to clear her throat. "Where's Gaara? Shouldn't he be here with you?"

The last thing she needed was a death on this trip. If she lost another student she wouldn't be able to live with herself. The first time she had done the trip she was a new teacher, only nineteen years of age. Being so young and inexperienced she was actually looking forward to the assignment and encouraged her class to have fun and explore.

However, when four of her students didn't return she was devastated. For months she blamed their deaths on herself and she was even on the verge of quitting, but was quickly reassured by the rest of the faculty that it was something that couldn't be helped. Even though it was in the past the young lives she lost still haunted her to this day.

Kurumu grinned anxiously, "Uhh… about that… You see…"

The succubus was racking her brain for a good excuse, but was coming up with anything. In reality there wasn't a good reason for the red head's absence. So if she told her the truth than all three of them would probably receive a failing grade on this training assignment and after going through what they went through that was unacceptable.

"Well-

"He's in the forest taking a leak," Naruto replied using his thumb gesture towards the woods behind him.

"Oh…Really?"

"Yeah… he should be back any minute now."

"I see," she replied. The uncertainty in her voice was clearly heard. She wanted to ask them why they didn't check in with her when he had gotten back like the rest of the students, but she decided to leave well enough alone. It had been a long day, so she would ask the necessary questions during better time once everyone had their rest.

She was about to leave when she noticed something that was completely out of the ordinary. On the other side of Naruto were four dorian fruits. How in the world did they defeat multiple fruit monsters? It was rare for someone to bring back two fruits and when it did happen it was usually done by an S or A class monster and even so they usually came back pretty beat up.

But besides Kurumu's scraped knee and a couple other bruises she was fine and Naruto doesn't even have even scratch on him. Only thing wrong with him are his clothes and smell. Covering her nose she took a few steps back. Wow that's strong I can't believe it took me this long to notice such a stench. It smells like he went for a swim in a sewer. How can Kurumu tolerate this dreadful aroma!?

"Is there something wrong sensei?" Kurumu asked.

"No," she responded with a nasal voice as she continued to cover her nose, so she wouldn't have to breathe in that awful smell. "I was just looking at your dorian fruits there," she pointed to the round objects that rested next to Naruto's leg.

"Yeah pretty impressive right?" Naruto stated proudly while trying to remain cool in the process. "It's not hard to accomplish when you're as strong as me!" When he heard a cough and a rather aggressive nudge from his partner he turned to her.

Her violet eyes were in the form of daggers as they locked in on him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Naruto blinked a few times before lifting his gaze thoughtfully. He started to hum to himself hoping that it would somehow help him remember. After about twenty seconds of hard thinking he turned back to the succubus. "Nope I think that's everything!" he smiled.

Only a second later he felt fist come down hard on his skull. Immediately he covered the top of his aching head with his hands. "Oww!" he shouted in pain. "That hurts! What the hell was that for?!"

"I helped to you asshole!" Kurumu yelled with a tightly balled fist.

Seeing there crazy antics caused the cat woman to giggle. It was always good to see her students interact with one another. "Well I just wanted to check and see how you guys were doing. We should be leaving in about half an hour. We are just waiting for the rest of the groups to return," with that the young woman turned on her heel and walked back to her station in the center of the field.

Once she was a safe distance away Kurumu sighed in relief. "That was close," she said before turning to Naruto who was still nursing his aching cranium. Her lips curled into a smirk when she saw a small lump form on top of his head. Serves you right!

As she continued to stare at her partner she started to frown. Something had been bothering her, but she didn't know how to voice her concerns. Maybe he'll be honest with me this time, she thought positively. Taking a deep breath she got his attention. "Naruto…"

"Hmm?" the blonde stopped holding his pounding head and looked back at the succubus, "What's up?"

"Well…" she started while rubbing her arm nervously. "You know that giant ball that was eclipsing the sun?"

I don't like where this is going. "Yes…"

Kurumu sighed. She can already tell by that look on his face that he was going to try and avoid this somehow, but nevertheless she pressed on. "What do you think that was?"

Hearing the enquiry, Naruto felt another interrogation coming on. What with this girl and all these damn questions? He wanted to be mad, but he couldn't blame her for the suspicion. There was a lot that she and the others didn't know about them. Still that didn't change the fact these secrets needed to remain hidden.

Eventually he and Gaara would have to tell them the truth, but he doubted that they would believe a thing they said. In their eyes the idea of two people traveling from another time and space might seem farfetched.

The fact remained that he did know what that ball was and who it had belonged to. It was Gaara's sand prison, but why would he use such a technique. Is he trying to blow our cover?

"Honestly…I have no idea what that was…"

Immediately he felt both of her hands grip his collar viciously. "You lying bastard!" she screamed while shaking the blonde violently. The constant rocking was so fierce that it caused his head to lurch back and forth. "I know you know something! It's was Gaara wasn't it?"

"I'm telling you I don't know anything!" Naruto replied comically as she continued to shake him with vigor.

"What about that giant layer of sand that was hovering over half the forest! No one in our class has that ability and he's the only student I haven't seen in action! Can you explain that! Huh?"

There was no escaping this onslaught and Naruto knew this. Every question she had asked he knew the answer. The fact that she was dead on with her accusations proved that she was a little smarter than he thought.

Maybe Gaara was right, we do have some things in common.

"You two are quite noisy…"

Speaking of the red head…

Hearing another voice interrupt their conversation again, Kurumu stopped her crazy vibrations. Naruto was definitely thankful for the disturbance. Loosening her grip on his collar she turned around to see the very red head they were talking about standing behind them.

"It's you," she said with narrowed eyes. "We were just talking about you. Where did you go and why the hell did you disappear like that? We could have got a failing grade because we were missing a member. Good thing your cousin covered for you," she pointed to the blonde who was still dizzy from all the shaking that had just took place. He seriously felt like he his brain had been placed in a blender and put on mix.

When he didn't reply she felt a vein pulse in her head. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"What is there to say?" was his instant response.

This guy is really starting to bug me. First he leaves then in the middle of their quest so they could do all the work by themselves. Then he comes back and acts like nothing ever happened and everythings dandy! Yeah she was pissed. Nevertheless she took a deep breath and relaxed her arms so she wouldn't end up strangling the stoical male.

After her initial irritation wore off she took her time to take in his condition. The first thing she noticed was that he didn't have one bruise on his body, not to mention his clothes didn't have any tears. Not even a spec of dirt was found on his white dress shirt.

That's odd…

Anyone would get at least a bruise or two while doing such an assignment, but he didn't even have the slightest piece of soil on his clothes. He looked exactly the same as when they first arrive. Now she knew something was wrong, but before she could say something she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

Entering the opening field was an awakened Moka and Tsukune was also without his cross. She had guessed they had removed their limiters for battle. She wanted to scold Tsukune for being so careless since he didn't have control over his power yet, but her jaw dropped when she noticed Moka was carrying someone.

"Who is that?" she wondered as she squinted her eyes and gave them a rub to wipe away the perspiration. Whoever it was they were small that much she could tell. She prayed it wasn't Yukari as much as the little witch annoyed her she still cared for her deeply, but she would never tell her that of course. Slowly Kurumu rose to her feet and started pacing toward her friends.

Naruto was about to go with her when he felt Gaara grab onto his shoulder. The blonde turned his head to look back at his friend.

"We need to discuss something's…"

He stared at him with a raised brow before nodding. It was good timing since he wanted to talk with Gaara as well and he was pretty sure they had same thing on their minds.

"Hey!" She waved to them as she started to jog.

Moka didn't reply to the succubus since she had other things on her mind, but Tsukune mustered up a friendly wave despite the situation. "Hey Kurumu," he replied with a forced smiled.

When she got to a close enough range she was able to identify the person as soon as she laid eyes on that flaming orange hair that she had become familiar with during this past month.

"Kokoa…" she whispered breathlessly. What was she doing out here?

It was no secret that she and the other girls didn't get along with the petite girl, since they were constantly being attacked by her. Still she was Moka little sister and as much as she disliked Kokoa she wouldn't wish this kind of misfortune on anyone, not even her worse enemy.

Stopping in front of them, she looked down at the vampire and frowned. "What happened to her?"

Moka sighed, while looking down at her sister who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. "She was attacked by a dorian," she said with her usual stoic facial expression. Though she was worried she didn't want the others to see her like that or she'd appear to be weak.

Kurumu's eye's shot open in surprise."What! A dorian did all this to Kokoa?"

"Well," Tsukune started while rubbing the back of his neck. Explaining things to Kurumu would only bring more drama but she had the right to know what happened. "This dorian was pretty big and it was a lot stronger than the other ones we had encountered."

"How big was it?"

The brunette rubbed his chin thoughtfully before coming up with a good example. "I guess it was about half the size of the main building at the academy."

The succubus was almost speechless. "That big?!" she asked in astonishment. That must have been the source of that loud roar we heard earlier. Fighting against something that huge and surviving was nearly impossible. She wasn't even sure if Moka would be able to take on a beast of that magnitude and she was one of the strongest monsters she had ever met. "How the hell did she survive?"

Before another word could be uttered, Mizore and Yukari came trekking out of the forest and into the field from the same direction as Moka and Tsukune. Mizore looked a little tired and pissed off, but other than that she was fine. Yukari on the other hand was completely exhausted. Her brown hair was a mess and her legs felt like jelly from all the walking and running.

Kurumu couldn't help but grin at their appearances, "What happened to you two?"

"None of your damn business," Mizore replied irritably. She was not in the mood for Kurumu's playfulness.

As soon as Yukari reached the others she plopped down on the grass and sighed. "I'm…So…Tired…!" she groaned before stretching her small arms. "I just want to go home and take a nap!"

"Wow…You guys look like you've been to hell and back." Kurumu commented as she looked them up and down. They had definitely seen better days.

Now she was beginning to wonder who had a rougher time hunting their group or her own. Out of the four of them the one who looked the least wore out was Moka. Tsukune looked fine as well, but the bottom half his shirt was destroyed revealing his lowers abs, shamefully her eyes lingered there for a moment before traveling back up to his face.

"I see you're back!"

All five of them turned to see Shizuka Nekonome jogging toward them with a notebook at hand. As usual she had a vibrant smile on her face and her tail was out again, but it really didn't matter since they weren't at the academy.

"So how was your quest?" She stated cheerfully, but her happy demeanor evaporated when she noticed Kokoa lying unconsciously in her sister arms. She noticed the wounds she had on her legs and arms. She wasn't bleeding at the moment, but she could tell by the way her limbs were hanging that some of her bones had been broken.

"What's Kokoa doing here?" she gasped. Her golden eyes traced over the girls form. "And why is she so badly hurt?"

"I don't know the specifics," Moka replied. "But I do know she was attacked by a king sized dorian monster."

Shizuka covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my goodness!" So they stumbled upon the legendary king dorian? How in the world did they survive? Hold on…If they encountered a king dorian… That means they must have walked through one of the dry trenches.

The woman knew that had to be case, because king dorians reside in dry areas and there are only two dry regions in the whole forest. Unlike the other dorians these monsters didn't just settle for anything. Their diet consists of large animals such as deer, bears, foxes, and of course unsuspecting monsters.

Since a lot of the animal life was dying out in this particular forest more and more monsters were falling prey to dorians due to that reason.

Well in the end all that matters is that they're safe. Ms. Nekonome sighed, "Well we can't leave yet, because we are still waiting for more groups to return. Luckily we do have the first aid kit so we can tend to her injuries the best we can before we head back to the academy."

Moka nodded gratefully, "That will suffice." If it was anyone else she would have ignored her teacher and took them to get medical attention immediately. However since her sister was a vampire and had a body that was almost as resilient as hers, she knew that a few minutes of waiting wouldn't hurt.

Shizuka held her hands in a welcoming manner, "Here I'll take her."

The silver haired girl looked at her sensei questionably before slowly handing her sister over. Knowing Nekonome sensei she's in good hands.

Once Shizuka got a hold of her she gently bounced her in her slender arms. "Wow! She's even lighter than she looks!" she declared with a smile.

Moka let a small smile grace her lips, "Thank you sensei." She bowed to show her gratitude.

The older woman giggled before waving her hand dismissively. "Oh Moka, you don't have to thank me. It's my responsibility as a teacher to make sure that my young scholars are safe. Though Kokoa isn't in my first period class, she's still my student and I care for her as if she were my own daughter. However, I will have to give her detention once she's been properly treated for disobeying the rules, but right now her well-being is what's most important."

Again Moka nodded in agreement, "Of course."

Shizuka smiled, "Well I'm going to give her some temporary bandages. If we aren't ready to leave in ten minutes you have my permission to leave and take her to the school infirmary. Does that sound fair to you Moka?"

"That's fine." The truth is that was her plan from the beginning, but she was glad that her and Ms. Nekonome were on the same page.

Nothing else left to be said; Shizuka turned on her heel and walked back to the middle of the campsite. She had been so caught up with Kokoa that she had forgotten to ask them about their hunt. That just shows how much she cares about her students, but if she needed an indication of their success, all she needed to do was look at the five dorian fruits that Tsukune was holding against his body.

With Ms. Nekonome out of their hair – At least for now, they could relax for a minute. Though they trusted their teacher there were things they didn't want her to know until they had a grasp of the situation.

Just as soon as she had left all of their attention immediately went to the other side of the field. Yukari even stood back up so she could get a better view. Naruto and Gaara were alone having a private conversation. From the look of it seemed like it was pretty serious. The red head was calm, but the blonde was ecstatic about something.

After the events of today, all of them including Tsukune were suspicious. After witnessing Gaara's powers, he was very on edge. Though he saw him as a friend, there still was a lot that he didn't know about him. Now he found himself asking the same question he did when they walked in their class two weeks ago.

Who are they?

"Kurumu…"

Breaking him out of his thoughts was the sound of Moka's stoic voice. When he looked into her crimson eyes he could tell that she was contemplating something. She seemed to be observing the bruises on the succubus's body.

When she got the girls attention she continued. "Tell me…What happened during your hunt with those two?"

Kurumu gazed back at the vampire with a similar look on her face. "Well actually Gaara wasn't there. He left me and Naruto before we could start hunting."

Moka nodded, "Yes I'm aware."

Kurumu blinked at that statement. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Are you saying that he was with you guys?"

Tsukune shook his head. "No…But when we found him he was with Kokoa."

"Really?"

"Yes," Moka replied while still trying to process all the information that she had gathered about them so far. The whole situation was completely mind boggling but it was important that she kept a cool head. "He was fighting the dorian, while protecting Kokoa."

Kurumu's eyes suddenly shot open. "Are you serious?!" She all but shouted and Mizore had to reprimand her so she wouldn't draw unwanted attention. In a much lower tone she spoke. "How is that even possible?"

"We were shocked to," Yukari said with a slightly frightened expression. Truthfully that might have been the most terrifying thing she had ever seen. Yes, she was amazed, but that kind of power was not only destructive but scary.

"So that sand I saw hovering over the forest belonged to him, correct?"

"Yes," Mizore responded irritably. Her arms were folded across her breast and her nails were digging into her sleeves. She didn't know why, but she was upset. Right now she was too mad to be scared. The sad thing was she couldn't really understand the emotions that were flowing through her. She was confused, impressed, nervous, and even a little jealous all at the same time. "The power he demonstrated was beyond imagination."

Now the turquoise haired girl was even becoming scared. She knew that there was something weird about him when she first saw him, but tried to ignore the feeling. "W-What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.

The snow woman raised her head with narrowed eyes. When she opened her mouth to speak her blue lollipop carelessly fell from her mouth and onto the grassy plain. "I'm saying he killed that monster like it was nothing more than a helpless rabbit."

"Huh?" was the only word that Kurumu could formulate.

How could that be possible? She thought. The shock was causing her jaw to go slack. From Tsukune's description that dorian was at least five times the size of the ones we encountered. That thing nearly killed Kokoa and he defeated it without even trying.

"It's true," Moka said solemnly. "We didn't see the entire battle but we did witness the finishing move." When she saw Kurumu staring at her with those big violet eyes she knew she was waiting for her to continue. So she did. "Am I correct in assuming that you saw that giant sphere eclipsing the sun?"

"Of course," she replied. "It casted a shadow over the entire forest, I would have to be blind not to notice."

Moka closed her red eyes before moving a few strands of her silver hair out of her face. "Well that was Gaara's sand."

Kurumu exhaled knowingly, "I had a feeling it was him…"

"That's not all," Mizore added with an edge to her voice. Her nails were now slowly digging into her navy blue sleeves. "Inside that ball was the dorian. He crushed it…No he liquefied it into nothing!" Just thinking about it made her body shake with anxiety. It was so noticeable that it was starting to worry her friends. Her trembling didn't stop till she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

It wasn't that she was feeling pity for the creature, she knew that it needed to be destroyed for the safety of the students and anyone else who ventured through these woods. What bothered her was how easily he was able to kill the beast. There was no emotion. It was as if he was totally used to ending lives, whether they were giant monsters or even humans.

She lifted her gaze, she saw Tsukune staring at her with those chestnut orbs of his. He was smiling contently, which seemed to ease her nerves. "It's going to be alright." His voice was calm and tranquil at the same time. "You don't need to overthink things," he said with a reassurance.

When she saw that peaceful look in his face, her lips curled up into a small grin. Having him say those things did help her calm down a bit. "Thank you, Tsukune."

The brunette swayed, "No problem, what are friends for!"

Being comforted by Tsukune felt good, but it was also strange. Usually she was the one was cool and relaxed during ordeals. She was the one who had to tell her friends to relax and take a deep breath, not the other way around. If outer Moka was feeling emotional she'd try to talk to her, even though talking wasn't her forte. It was always her who was telling Kurumu to stay calm and to think about things before acting. When Yukari felt down she'd do something to assist her just to let her know that she wasn't alone and when Tsukune doubted himself he'd always encourage him, then again that was something all the girls did since they were competing for his affection, but that was beside the point.

Getting worked up like that was something that she just didn't do.

Kurumu was puzzled. There wasn't another word she could use to describe what she was feeling. After hearing this new information from her friends, was more than she had anticipated. The fact that they were strong wasn't surprising in the least; she had already assumed that they were skilled from day one, but she had never expected them to be this powerful.

Apparently Gaara had the power to control sand with ease and bend it to his will. Not only did he defeat the beast, but he did it with ease. Crushing a giant monster of that size, in a giant ball of sand is just unheard of. Hell before a second ago she didn't even know it was possible to crush someone to death with sand!

But he wasn't the only dangerous one. There was also Naruto. Watching him fight was one of the craziest things she had ever seen. Hold on…Naruto

Oh crap! I forgot all about him.

Right now it was quiet. The girls and Tsukune were now trying to digest everything. It had been a long day after all. With plant monsters attacking, Kokoa's injuries, and mysterious red heads manipulating sand of course someone who'd be bothered. Still regardless, she needed to let them know what she saw as well.

"Guys…" Her voice easily broke the silence and the four of them looked at her expectantly. "I have something to tell you as well."

Moka's eyes narrowed and she tilted her head with interest. "What do you have to say?" she asked with her usual impassive tone. "Does it have something to do with Naruto?" She had a feeling that was the case.

The succubus nodded, "Yes."

Confirming her suspicions, Mizore groaned while rubbing her forehead. She can already feel a headache coming on. "Don't tell me…He has the ability to control the weather and cause hurricanes, tornadoes and other shit like that," she said with displeasure.

"No, that's not it," Kurumu replied calmly. It wasn't time for her to give in to Mizore's sarcasm.

Yukari looked up at her with pink violet orbs. "Then what is it?"

Taking a deep breath she crossed her arms beneath her buxom breast. She had a lot to share, but she wasn't quite sure how to explain. Her eyes once again traveled across the field to look at whiskered teen who was practically shouting at his cousin in a animated fashion, but the red head seemed unfazed.

That guy is such a goofball.

Decisively she shifted her attention back to the group and with a troubled look she spoke. "He has the ability to clone himself."

At first it was quiet. None of the others said anything; they just looked at her in surprise. It seemed like they were expecting him to have similar if not the same powers as Gaara. They were cousins; well at least that's what they told them, so it was only natural to come to the conclusion that they shared the same skills.

They were staring at her with a look that said 'is she serious?'

"Say what!?" Yukari shrieked in disbelief.

Tsukune on the other hand was relaxed despite the initial shock. "Hold on Kurumu. Are you saying that he can make multiple copies of himself?"

"That's right," she confirmed. She was expecting a reaction, but nothing like this. And she hadn't even begun to tell them everything. "The clones he creates are perfect replicas and they can actually be used for combat."

"So how many clones can he make?" Mizore asked. This is the first time she had actually asked anything about Naruto, but hearing that he can duplicate himself did intrigue her.

Kurumu shrugged, "I don't know…" when she was watching him fight she didn't really think to count how many clones he used. Rubbing her chin thoughtfully she tried to remember. "I saw him use about twenty or less but I don't know his limit... If he has one." she answered.

"Interesting," Moka replied.

Kurumu sighed. "Yeah…But I'm afraid that's not all."

Once again Yukari let out a comical shriek. "There's more?!"

"What happened while you guys were hunting?" Tsukune asked.

He knew that Naruto was a talented guy and that he was probably in better shape than anyone at the academy. The speed and strength that he had displayed during P.E was outrageous. As a matter of fact he was Kotsubo favorite student and he only has eyes for kids with a substantial amount of skill and Naruto definitely qualified. So what else is there?

"During our first battle, Naruto was devoured by a dorian while trying to protect me." Kurumu stated solemnly.

"He was swallowed," Moka questioned. Now this is a new development. The information was becoming more fascinating by the second. "How did he escape?"

Thinking back to that very moment when he broke free from the monster's stomach she didn't exactly know what that was. She remembered seeing a huge blue sphere. The way it was spinning and the sound that came from it was mesmerizing. It sounded like water being whirled around like a whirlpool.

But the most astonishing thing was the power behind the attack. It was so compelling that when it burst through the dorians abdomen it destroyed all it's innards and left a whole two times bigger than the blast itself.

"He used a large ball of energy," the succubus replied barely believing her own words.

"Energy?" Mizore repeated in the form of a question.

Kurumu nodded, "Yes…It was a ball of concentrated energy that was rotating. The attack burrowed through the dorian easily." She still couldn't conceive what she had witnessed.

"Wow!" Yukari gaped. "That's incredible..."

"Another thing you should know is that he could use the energy ball and the clones simultaneously," she added. "On our way back to camp he defeated three dorians in seconds using that method."

Tsukune was more alert than ever. Not only can he create massive balls of energy, but he can use them with his clones. That's a deadly combination. The hybrid summed. "If he can use them together than that means-

"He can completely overwhelm his opponents," Moka interrupted.

"These guys..." Mizore mumbled while shaking her head in disbelief. "It's like there on a completely different level."

"I'll say," Yukari chirped while placing her small hands on her head, which caused her witch hat to flatten down.

"The most alarming thing is I'm pretty sure we haven't seen everything they can do yet," Moka concluded. She looked to the others and everyone seemed calmed, but there was a silence that told her that they were all a bit worried.

This was more than she bargained for when she decided to observe them. Their skills and abilities far exceeded her expectations. She probably wasn't aware of it but her sharp fangs were now grinding hard against her bottom teeth. Being the even tempered girl she was, the new information didn't scare her, but it made her unsure.

At the moment the two males seemed like allies, as well as good friends. But that didn't mean they were in the clear. There's always the possibility that there just acting nice for another motive. Maybe they were after some secret that was hidden somewhere deep within the confines of the academy. Or they could be trying to kill the headmaster since he is one of the three dark lords. Then there's the chance that they could be scheming something much more elaborate.

The theories were endless and Moka was just an S class monster. She was strong, smart, cunning and beautiful. But above all she was cautious. She wasn't too proud to say that she could be defeated. There's only one way to get this resolved.

Smirking, Moka placed a hand on her hip and stepped forward. "Alright… It's about time we get some answers to our questions!" She declared with a confidence that seemed to somehow lighten the atmosphere. "Today we will find out if the exchange students are friends or foes…"

Kurumu smiled, "And how do we go about that Ms. Vampire?"

Her words amused the crimson eyed lamia. With a toothy grin, she replied. "How do you think?"

Later on that day

Once the students got back to school it was fifth period so Ms. Nekonome gave her class the heads up to go to their dorms and get some rest. The students who were wounded badly or had any fractured or broken bones were sent to the on campus hospital. There were only three students who needed to visit the medical ward, one of which was a certain vampire who had no business on the trip in the first place.

Kokoa Shuzen was being hospitalized for the first time in her young life. Not to say that she was scared or anything, but Moka felt it was only right that she be there to support her. Then there was also the fact that she didn't trust the school or nurse faculty too much. There have been far too many incidents in the past with teachers and nurses alike. She was a cautious person by nature, so she wanted to make sure her little sister was in good hands.

While she was with Moka the other members of their little group waited patiently in the lobby for her return. There were Tsukune, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari all sat on one side of the room, while Naruto and Gaara sat on the other. There was a thick tension in the air and it was obvious to everyone.

Even Naruto was being serious. He just sat there quietly and exchanged silent but knowing glances with Gaara. They didn't need to talk to communicate with one another; all they needed were there eyes.

They knew what was going on and they had figured it was only a matter of time before they reached this point. After revealing some of their techniques today, they accidently raised even more questions. At first Naruto was upset with Gaara, since the red head was the one who insisted on them not using any of their jutsu.

Reluctantly the blonde agreed and decided not to use any techniques unless the situation called for immediate action. Even though Gaara explained why he used his jutsu, Naruto still thought that he could have used a technique that didn't stand out as much. But then Gaara calmly replied with a shrug of his shoulders saying, "Hnn…I didn't think of that." This caused the blonde to fall over animatedly.

"Look at them, why are they being so quiet?" Kurumu asked leaning in to whisper in the snow woman's ear.

Mizore shrugged, "Don't know, but they've been like this ever since we've returned." She didn't want to think too much about it, because it would only frustrate her and make her lose her cool demeanor.

"Do you think they're plotting something?" The succubus questioned.

The Yuki-Onna shook her head, "No I doubt it…I'm pretty sure they already know that we are suspicious of them."

The speculation continued between the two girls, while Yukari and Tsukune quietly awaited Moka's return. "So how do you think Kokoa's doing," the witch asked randomly.

The brunette looked down at her, before smiling. "I'm sure she's fine. I would be more worried if Moka seemed distraught, but since she's not I know Kokoa will be okay."

"I hope so," she replied solemnly. She didn't know much about Kokoa but she felt like they had more in common with her than even her own friends. Sure Kokoa was a bit snobby and demented, but she still seemed like a good person. If anything she felt close to her because they were both small so they were often overlooked. "Because I think if she takes some time to get to know us…We can become friends," she grinned sheepishly.

Tsukune felt a little more relaxed after hearing Yukari's words. For hours now they had been worried about the situation with their new friends, it was good to finally talk about something different. "Yeah, I think that would be nice..."

At first he didn't know he felt comfortable around Kokoa. He had nothing against her; she just scared the crap out of him, even more so than her sister. She was so violent and she had the same thirst for his blood that Moka had. Nevertheless she still seemed like a good girl at heart so there was no reason not to give her a chance. As long as he stayed on her good side, he was positive that he wouldn't have to worry about his health. He hoped.

For about ten more minutes the atmosphere remained tense. Naruto and Gaara were still keeping to themselves, while the other four continued to talk about various things, the trip, Kokoa's recklessness, and of course their classes. Currently, Kurumu was complaining about a math test that was coming up when she heard the elevator ding. It had been inactive for about thirty minutes since the machine had been touched. Today was a slow day in the hospital, which was surprising considering the violent nature of the students at yokai.

When the elevators door opened, it revealed the girl that they had been waiting on. Exiting the lifting device she strutted towards her friends. At this time Naruto and Gaara both rose from their seats to rejoin the others. They to were interested in hearing the assessment on Kokoa's condition. None of the six could tell whether the news was positive or negative because she had that same stoic expression.

Once she reached her friends she stopped and took her usual stance. Her friends stared at her expectantly, but she did not say a word. For seconds she just stood there as if nothing of importance happened, as if the prior events of the afternoon were irrelevant. Her attitude was irritating Mizore and Kurumu, but they didn't get mad because they knew inner Moka was completely different than her other self. Finally after what seemed like forever, a small smile formed on the vampire's face.

"So…What happened?" Naruto asked.

Yukari on the other hand was a little more anxious. "How is she? Did the doctors say she was going to be alright?"

Moka was slightly taken back by the witch's worrisome tone. She knew they all wanted her sister be alright, but the preteen seemed to be genuinely concerned. Like she would do with her own little sister, she placed her hand on the girls head. "Kokoa is going to be okay Yukari. Other than a few broken bones she's fine. The doctors say she just needs some rest."

Yukari smiled, "That's great!"

"Hmm, she's even tougher than I thought," Mizore stated.

Moka nodded before continuing, "Since Kokoa's body is similar to mine she can heal relatively fast. Nurse Azumi told me that her bones should be back in place in about two weeks. Actually there mending back together as we speak." She remembered when Azumi pulled her to the side to show her Kokoa's x rays. The strange thing was that she had broken her right femur bone and her left tibia. When Moka saw the pictures she was astonished. The bones between her thigh and knee cap were tardily becoming closer. She was aware of Kokoa's recuperative skills but she was a little surprised because Kokoa was nowhere near her full potential. "However she did say that the ribcage will take the longest to reform since it was completely shattered. That will take at least a full month."

Kurumu smirked, "Good news…That brat had me worried there for a second."

Tsukune gave her a warm smile before placing a hand on Moka's shoulder. "I'm glad that your sisters okay."

Inner Moka blushed at the contact. She wasn't use to any one touching her besides her sisters, since everyone else was too scared to even let the thought cross their minds. Getting a hold of herself she coughed. "Me too…"

Everyone's support was very much appreciated; she didn't expect them to care so much after being victims of Kokoa's attacks. Especially Mizore and Kurumu, she thought that they hated her little sister, but there they were with relieved grins on their faces.

Out of all them Gaara was least surprised with the verdict on Kokoa's health. While fighting the dorian he had already ascertained that she had not only a resilient body, but an impressive recovery speed. It had only been minutes after he arrived and she was willing herself to move despite her injuries. Her whole body was trembling, but she should have been completely numb.

Her determination reminded him of someone…

As their new friends continued to talk and socialize among each other, Gaara turned to Naruto. The blonde looked back at him with his piercing blue eyes that lacked their usual liveliness. Simultaneously the boys nodded in understanding before turning to depart. They were hoping that Tsukune and the rest would be too distracted to notice them leave. But in the end it was just wishful thinking.

"Where are you two going?"

Both males stopped abruptly at the sound of Moka's stern voice. Naruto turned to face them nervously, but used his signature foxy grin. "We were heading to my dorm to study. You know there's a test coming up in Ririko sensei's class so we got to prepare."

For a second he thought that she didn't believe him, but then she grinned. "That's interesting…Kurumu and Mizore are having the same problem so we're about to head to Tsukune's dorm for the same thing. Care to join us?"

The jinchuriki looked at her skeptically before turning to glance at Gaara who had a look of indifference. "Well…I don't know…"

"Oh come on," Kurumu interjected. "I insist. This is a good chance for friends to strengthen their bonds and get to know each other better." Placing a hand on her curvy hip she smiled devilishly with narrowed eyes. "What do you say? Naruto…"

Now he was really feeling the pressure. Confused he turned to his friend for answers. "Gaara?"

The red head exhaled while observing the facial expressions of their new friends. Kurumu seemed adamant, she was determined for them to come along. Moka was relaxed, though the intense aura she was emitting told him otherwise. Tsukune seemed calm, but his face held an earnest aspect. When he locked eyes with Yukari he noticed something that made him feel distressed. He recognized that look in her eyes, it was a look he had grown accustom to throughout his young life. It was the look of fear.

She was scared of him and he couldn't blame her, he knew that she was there when he was about to deliver the finishing blow to the King Dorian. She had arrived right when he began to encase the giant monster in his sand and she saw him reduce the monster to nothingness.

But she wasn't the only one who had a problem with him.

Gaara shifted his insomniac eyes to the right of the young witch and his focused gaze found Mizore. Her icy blue eyes stared back at him with an unwavering consistence. Since they left the forest it felt like she had been watching him. It wasn't new since she had been observing him since his first day, but now it seemed different. Instead of interested, she looked annoyed and confused. When they made eye contact after he defeated the monster she stared at him with a slack jaw.

Ever since their assignment in cooking class the two of them didn't really speak. Even after they made their little deal they still decided to keep one another at arm's length. The next day Mizore went back to original seat in the front, while Gaara remained at his desk in the back. Every now and then they would say 'hello' or 'farewell' but that was all. For a moment he thought that she was starting to back off, but after today's events he was afraid they were back at square one.

"Very well… We shall study together…"

Immediately Naruto's eyes widened in horror before he jerked his neck towards his fellow jinchuriki. "WHAT?!"

He must be out of his mind, was what Naruto was thinking. There was no other explanation for his decision. Gaara was supposed to be the smart and reasonable one, but lately the blonde felt like he had been making questionable moves. First he does an alarming jutsu and now this! He may not pay attention to detail often, but like his red haired counterpart he was aware of their friends 'curiosity'. There was no doubt this study was just a cover up.

Naruto stared back at Gaara with narrowed eyes hoping that it would change his mind. However in the end he didn't falter. Damn it Gaara…

Running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair he sighed. "Fine, let's get this over with."

"Excellent," Moka replied.

"Alright then… I guess you guys should follow me," Tsukune murmured. The brunette headed for the lobby's exit and his friends followed close behind. After walking through the doors they swiftly made there away across campus. The bell for sixth period was going to ring soon and they didn't want everyone watching them. Wherever Moka went the spotlight seemed to find her, whether it was her inner or outer version she was always managed to draw attention, but now was not the time for crazy fan girls or obsessive fan boys.

Reaching the Male dorm building, the group stealthily entered the dormitory. Luckily no one was in the lobby so they were able to walk to the elevator without interruptions. Once inside the lift Tsukune pushed the 6 which was one level below the rooms that Naruto and Gaara resided. When the elevator ding the doors parted and the party of seven got out one by one and walked down the hall. Tsukune stopped at the eighth door and dug deep into his pockets to fish out his keys. When his fingers found the metal device he pulled it out and stuck it in the lock before rotating it counter clock wise and pushing the door open.

With a small creaking the door was ajar. The hybrids room was dark since he had sheets draped over his blinds to keep the sun from shining through the window. Flicking the switch the lights turned on and his room was revealed to foreign eyes.

Over all Tsukune's room was pretty ordinary, minus the video games and anime posters which he added on his own. Like all other rooms he had a small desk that came with a rolling chair. On said desk was an old fashion lamp along with lined paper, pencils, and an electronic sharpener. His bed was twin sized and with plain brown sheets and his dresser was directly across. Of course since the dorm it's self was small the kitchen area was very compact. There was a miniature oven, a square cabinet that had probably held bowls and cereal. Last but not least there was the bathroom, which was only a foot away from the main room.

"It's pretty organized," Naruto commented while sitting on Tsukune's made bed. His dorm was a little bit bigger, but it was nowhere near as clean an organized. There were always clothes scattered all over the floor and cups of ramen along with other dirty dishes filled the sink.

"Thanks," Tsukune said before taking a seat on his desk chair.

Gaara walked to the back of the room and casually leaned against the wall. Moka was still standing by the door. It was as if she was making sure no one tried to escape. Yukari decided to sit on the bed with Naruto, but made sure to create a reasonable distance between them. Kurumu tried to sit on Tsukune's lap, which caused the brunette to blush. Before she could get comfortable, Mizore grabbed the succubus and yanked her off him so that she was standing next to her in front of the boy's dresser.

Once everyone seemed comfortable Moka spoke up, "Now that everyone's situated we can proceed." Her voice lacked emotion, but the vibe in the room was solemn.

Naruto yawned dramatically and stretched his arms. "Well…I left my books in my dorm, so I should probably go-

"That won't be necessary," she interrupted while locking the door behind her.

When she cut him off so suddenly, he decided it was time to drop the act. "I see," he whispered while glaring back at the vampire. He knew what this was about and this was exactly why he didn't want to come. Gaara was just as aware, which why he couldn't understand why he agreed to this. Well there's no point in dwelling on it now.

Moka continued, "I think you both know why we are here."

Naruto swiftly replied, "We have a general idea."

The vampire gaze continued to shift between both boys. Naruto seemed irritated, while Gaara had seemed relaxed. It was as if they had exchanged roles. I wonder what's going on in their heads.

"You and your friends must be curious about today's events," Gaara calmly voiced.

Moka nodded, "Yes and since there's no point in dancing around the issue, why don't we cut to the chase?"

"Sounds good to me," Naruto grumbled. The sooner we get this over with the better.

"First off…" Moka started as her eyes shifted back in forth between the male suspects. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little rattled by the situation, but she had to be strong for her friends. "Who and what are you? Identify yourselves!"

The silence that had enveloped the room was deafening. Naruto and Gaara both were expecting certain questions, but they didn't think she'd be that direct. Naruto was first one to recover from her straight forwardness. "Who are we?" He repeated with a raised brow. "You already know who we are, we're your friends Naruto and Gaara," he chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood. Too bad it didn't work.

"That not what she means Naruto," Kurumu interjected with displeasure.

Naruto shrugged and turned back to Moka, "Well…What exactly are you asking?"

"We want to know if you two are humans…Or are you monsters?" Mizore stated.

This question caused the red head's eyes to open in awareness. "Why do you ask?" Gaara interrupted in his monotone voice. He already had a theory, but he wanted to see if he was correct first.

Moka pushed herself off the door and took a few steps until she was standing in the center of the room. "You guys both smell like humans, but you also have powers which doesn't make sense. Another thing… you both can use your powers without transforming. How is that possible?"

Gaara sighed. I thought as much. She's even sharper than I believed.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Well…"

"What's your real reason for being here?" Mizore questioned with a dark look that would send chills down anyone's spine. Instantly her ice shards began to take form on the tip of her hands before they took the shape of ice daggers and her purple hair began to frost. She was taking monster form.

"And why are you both so secretive?" Kurumu inquired as her razor sharp claws shot out of her fingertips. Like an elf her ears became pointed. Sprouting from her back were narrow wings and a long tail emerged from the girl's lower back.

Naruto eyes widened before jumping up and standing on the bed in a defensive stance. He didn't know what was getting them so railed up, but he wasn't going to let himself become a target for their frustration. "Why are you two transforming?"

"Naruto…Gaara…"

Both boys turned focused their attention on Inner Moka who had a hard facial expression. Something was weighing heavy on her mind. The blonde turned to Tsukune who was surprising composed considering his peaceful personality. Yukari on the other hand was sitting on the end of the bed and staring at him with a frown. He hated making kids sad.

Damn my luck…

Unlike Naruto, Gaara gaze stayed on the vampire who was basically commanding their attention. The amount of information she knew was a bit startling and he had a feeling the next thing she said was going to make things even more complicated than they already were.

And he couldn't have been more right.

After taking a deep breath she finished her thought, "Tell me... What's that negative energy that I've been sensing?"

Once again the room was engulfed in silence. Both males looked at the girl in awe as they couldn't believe the words that left her mouth. There was no way that she had just asked that question, they must have been hearing things.

"What was that?" Gaara asked with clenched teeth.

"I asked you about the negative energy that's dwelling inside of you. I've been sensing it since the day we met. It's pure evil and darker than anything I have ever felt," she said as she tried to hold back a shiver before turning to her male friend. "Tsukune I know you've sensed it to since you share my blood."

The hybrid nodded with a gloomy face, "Yes, I've sensed it."

Naruto was speechless. They have been able to sense our tailed beast the whole time? This was just too much for him to take in such a small amount of time. The whole time he thought they were doing a pretty good job of keeping a low profile. They held back their powers, they blended in, and they even took their school life seriously. In the end, it didn't matter because no matter how careful they were, they were still things they couldn't hide like their scents or their energy. As Shikamaru would say, this was troublesome.

Gaara the cool calm and collective Kazekage was now having an inner struggle. He had agreed to join them for 'studying' so he could shed some light on the situation. They had been spending time with Tsukune and his harem for a few weeks and they hadn't really revealed much about themselves. Other than the lie about them being cousins from Japan, they really didn't know anything. Still he didn't want to tell them a lot, just enough to satisfy their curiosity. But now things were different. The vampire knew their secret, which made things even more difficult.

"Negative energy?" Mizore repeated in the form of a question.

"Moka…What are you talking about?" Kurumu asked. The stoic girl was about to respond, but someone beat her to the punch.

"Allow me to explain."

"Gaara don't!" Naruto shrieked. "I know we need to be honest with them, but that part of our life is none of their business!" Usually he didn't mind talking about this, since it had been a reoccurring topic since he was twelve years old, but he didn't feel comfortable telling his new friends. They were from another dimension that had different customs there was no way they'd be able to understand. Explaining that they were from a different time and space was going to complicated enough, so why tell them something so private?

"You're right Naruto," Gaara whispered in his deep voice. "It is none of their business, but we have to tell them truth. We've been keeping secrets from them for a long time. We don't have to tell them everything, but we need to explain enough so they'll have a better understanding of who and what we are."

Naruto grunted in response before grinding his teeth and balling his fists. His blue eyes found the ground which he stared at for a while. Why do they have to know that? What good will it do? Were his thoughts. How does he know that this won't change things?

"You want them to trust us…If that's going to happen we have to give them a reason to believe."

Those words he spoke got through to the knucklehead. Slowly Naruto lowered his fist and relaxed his body. "Damn you and your logic," he muttered. Somehow he was always able to make him understand and this worked both ways since he was also able to change the red head's mind when it was necessary. They just had that kind of friendship.

Gaara lips twitched up into a small grin, "If it makes you feel any better, you can do the talking."

Naruto shook his head in protest, "No thanks. I'm not good with this kind of thing. You go ahead…I'll follow your lead."

Gaara nodded and then his sea green eyes wondered around the room slowly. Everyone was looking at him in anticipation. Kurumu and Mizore both reverted back to their human forms. Moka watched him attentively. Tsukune showed his interest by leaning forward in his chair, while Yukari sat Indian style on the mattress. She seemed more at ease and he was thankful. Having children look at you with apprehension would make anyone feel bad.

Now that everyone had settled down he could say what needed to be said. This kind of attention use to make him feel uncomfortable, but after giving a speech before the fourth great ninja war, this seemed rather easy. The stoic male took a deep breath before proceeding.

"The first thing you should all know is that we are humans…Humans from another world."

To be continued…

Well that's it for chapter 8. I have a feeling that this chapter isn't going to be as liked as the last and if so that's understandable. Honestly I liked the first half of this chapter a lot more than the second. The end result of the scuffle with the dorian was predetermined so there were no surprises there. So all together it's a decent chapter in my opinion. At least we got to the part that everyone's been waiting for. Naruto and Gaara are finally about to reveal who they really are. So that should be enjoyable. The Rosario characters reaction to this should also be interesting.

I'm aiming to update by the end of June or the beginning of July but who knows? Also for those of you who are fans of Dragon Ball Z, I have a new fanfiction that I posted two months ago called Taken. It's Future Trunks X Android 18. I won't go into detail but if the pairing sounds interesting give it a read. Well please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Till next time see ya! Toto out! ;)