"Deidara…" I breathed.

I didn't want him to be here, at least not alone with me here. Our other friends went somewhere and I'm suspecting that Deidara sitting on my bed wearing his most serious expression with no one here besides him and me might've been planned. What did he want to talk about though? After kissing Deidara a couple of months ago, it's been hard for me to determine whether I was in love with Deidara or not. And being alone in a room with him didn't make my feelings any clearer.

"Why don't you come sit down, Hinata," Deidara told me, patting the bed that was next to mine so that I was sitting across from him.

Hesitantly, I approached the bed and took a seat. My heart was beating wildly and I had no doubt that Deidara could hear it with his vampire ears. I swallowed hard and tried my best to fight through my nervousness.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked. I heard my voice trembling, which Deidara gave me a quick, small smile for.

"I, uh, wanted to apologize for the slayers thing. Avoiding to tell you anything about them wasn't the right thing to do. I know that now." His eyes never left me. He took a deep breath and looked away momentarily as if he was preparing himself for what he was going to say next. His eyes then found me again. "To show you how sorry I really am I'm going to tell you about my past."

Pain flashed through my friend's eyes when he mentioned the past. And it wasn't just a minor pain that could be easily forgotten. The pain that appeared in Deidara's eyes was a pain that obviously haunted him for years, maybe for most of his life.

"Y-You don't have to do that," I said.

"But I want to," Deidara said immediately after I spoke.

He was serious. The pain that he had of simply mentioning his past consumed and troubled him greatly, and I saw it in his eyes. But he was willing to tell me. Did the worth of my trust really mean that much to him? Why? Because he loves me?

"Okay," I breathed. I shifted my weight on the bed not because I was uncomfortable, but because I felt anticipation and fear. I had been waiting and wanting to know about Deidara's past but I hadn't expected it to haunt him this much or even at all. Yeah, I expected there to be a lot of death out of all the years that Deidara had been living, but that all heals within time. And Deidara had a lot of time to heal. I got the sense that death wasn't bothering him though. It was something else. Something traumatizing.

My blonde friend drew a deep breath. "It was the year of 1080. I was seventeen living in the land of Iwagakure. My life was pretty simple. My father worked as a scientist and my mother was his assistant. I was planning on studying to be a scientist as well. My parents intrigued me with all of the stuff that they discovered." Deidara looked down at the floor. "My parents were witches and so I was also born a witch. My parents were studying other creatures like vampires, werewolves, and the slayers that were recently created by the gypsies in Kirigakure. They made a lot of progress and came home with more news and discoveries every day. They were more thrilled than I was. But they were too enthused by their work and began to use guinea pigs." Deidara's hands began to fidget and he never took his eyes off of the floor. "I was one of their guinea pigs. I was an experiment. Their first. And they used me like a lab rat."

I studied my friend who refused to look at me. He was still haunted and it took a lot of strength to tell me about his past. However, the vulnerable state that he underwent was now turning into anger. Deidara held a grudge against Kana for dying and he got over it not too long ago, so maybe he was still grudging against his parents for using him in their research. Recalling the events fueled his harbored rage.

"I didn't expect my parents to use me as a guinea pig. I thought that they brought me into their lab to show me all of the progress they made. I was wrong." My friend ran his fingers through his hair that was hanging freely, and let out a sigh. "I was restrained to a table with other creatures next to me. There were ones that I recognized and ones that I did not. I remember the fear pulsing through me when my mother took blood from the vampire beside me and injected it into me. I remember the pain that surged through me when the blood fused with mine and transformed me. I remember how my senses were heightened for the first time, how my eyes throbbed in pain from the lights, and how I was overwhelmed by the blood seeping from the victims around me. I remember my parents' twisted smiles from accomplishment when they saw the success… I remember how I wanted to kill them for betraying me and turning me into an abomination." Deidara had difficulty finding my eyes for what he was going to say next. "The vampire DNA wasn't all that they were intending to use on me. They were so excited that the vampire blood worked and that I was now half witch and half vampire that they decided to inject me with the DNA of other creatures around me, and there were a lot. I was given werewolf, genie, imp, fairy, sylph, cockatrice, and chimera blood. They intended to give me more, but the effects that the creatures had on me was greater than the restraints. With strength that I didn't know that I had, strength that I wouldn't even dream of having, I broke out of the restraints. In a blinding rage I killed both of my parents." Deidara's voice became so cold and flat that I shivered when he said, "And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed their screams and pleas for their lives. I enjoyed how I played with them mercilessly and laughed at how pitiful they were. I enjoyed biting into their necks for the first time and tasting their delicious, succulent blood. But most of all I enjoyed soaking my cold hands in their warm, red blood and watching the life fade from my parents' eyes as I did it. It was exhilarating. And I wanted to do it again."

I shifted on the bed again. I was afraid. Deidara's voice had gone from frightened to cold too quick for my comfort. His tone was so cold, so flat, and so hard that I didn't even recognize Deidara for a moment. What was even worse was that he had a pair of eyes to match it.

"I wanted to feel the thrill of causing death and watching people slowly die under me again. In order to do that I had to leave. The slayers heard of my crimes and the drastic decrease in population in Iwagakure, so I had to flee. I ended up in Konohagakure 133 years later and met the priestess in training, Kana Oshiro. We became friends; I fell in love with her, tortured her, raped her, and turned her. It was at that moment that I realized that I had become a monster. I loved Kana, but I enjoyed the pain I caused her, and was ecstatic when I watched her break down when I transformed her. I loved every minute of power that I had. I loved that Kana was weaker than me and that she was going to suffer for eternity because I turned her into part of the same monster that I was… But even after all of the blood that I shed, all of the terror that I spread, it wasn't enough. I wanted more." My friend was looking at me now. My heart stopped and my body froze with fear when Deidara's icy gaze locked with mine. The victim. I was a victim, or, at least, I was terrified to become one. Deidara looked like he wanted to hurt someone right now, and I was hoping that I wasn't going to be the person he wanted to hurt.

"Vampires have a special chemical in their saliva when they bite into their victims. It's called endorphins. I never used it because I liked the screams, and most vampires did. It's used to numb the pain that the meal feels when they're chomped into… I discovered that sometime after Kana ran away from me that it's not just used for numbing." Deidara rose from the bed. If I wasn't still paralyzed by the fear I would've left the room because when Deidara leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Endorphins are also used to create a false pleasure. Sometimes even an orgasm," I would have ran.

I choked on my words when I tried to get them out, but after a few attempts the choking ceased. "Deidara, what are you planning?"

He didn't answer me at first. I don't even think he was breathing as he stood inches from my face. But when he finally responded, the cold, flat tone was gone. It was replaced with a hard tone full of overwhelming desire. "Remember when I told you that I love you so much that it hurts to look at you? Well, I can't take it anymore," he told me. "I want you, Hinata."

I was about to rise from the bed when Deidara pushed me down on my back. In seconds he was on top of me and his fangs dug into my neck. In an instant I felt it. I felt the pleasure. It was so overwhelming and so powerful that I released a loud moan immediately. It washed over me and consumed me. I wanted it. I loved the feel of the chemical, but I knew that this wasn't right. I knew that I had to get away.

"No!" I shouted. The plea didn't come out like I wanted it to. Instead it sounded like a desperate moan. And it sounded exactly how I felt. I was desperate for the pleasure. I didn't want to leave it, but I had to. So I pushed on Deidara's face and somehow got him to remove his fangs from my bleeding neck.

I couldn't get out from underneath him because Deidara was back on me holding me in place with his super strength. His eyes met mine again and I was entranced by his hypnotic gaze. Deidara held the sides of my head and allowed his thumb to gently trace my lips as he looked at me with his eyes full of lust. The touch was simple and not meant to arouse me, but the endorphins still lingering through my bloodstream made it hard for me not to moan. Once the moan overpowered me and released into the air, Deidara fixed me with a gaze full of longing. I think he was planning to stop when I shouted but my moan was the trigger. He couldn't help himself. The desire he felt was too great. His lips were on mine in a second.

He kissed me with such fervor that I let a few moans escape between us. And Deidara's body grinding against mine did not help. It made things so much worse for me. My body possessed a lust that I did not think was possible for anyone to own. I didn't want to feel this way but it was getting harder and harder to tell the vampire above me that I didn't want this. We were getting closer and closer to removing our clothes, and closer for me to settle this burning desire overtaking me. Deep down, I knew that I did not want this. I would never have done this with Deidara, especially not after breaking up with Sasuke earlier today, but the desire within me was too strong. With each passing moment, it was getting harder for me to resist and to shove him off.

Deidara abandoned my lips for my neck. He sunk his sharp teeth into my flesh, releasing the chemical that I was high on. I moaned again. That was when Deidara decided that it'd be a good idea to prop my legs over his back and nestle himself between my legs. I didn't object. But I should have even though I really didn't want to because that feeling alone left me filling the room with my desperate noise, which in turn convinced me not to refuse what Deidara was doing to me.

The noise encouraged the vampire to grind even harder against me. I grabbed onto his long hair and pulled as I released yet another moan. It felt so good. So, so good. Almost too good to be true. Deidara had to be feeling the same way. I felt him through his jeans and the heat that came along with it.

"More…" I gasped. I found myself dragging my nails along Deidara's back. I even dared to drag along his thighs, which was a mistake on my part.

The vampire grabbed a firm hold on the back of my head and pulled my hair so hard that my head tilted back and I released a strained sound. He dug his teeth farther into my neck, drawing more blood and bringing more pleasure. I screamed, but not because it hurt. I screamed because it felt so good. It felt better than anything that I've ever felt before. It was intense and completely overwhelming, but by no means did I want to stop. I wanted to continue. I wanted to go on for as long as I could. I didn't want this to end and my moans showed that. I haven't felt this amazing in a long time and I could hardly believe that Deidara of all people was the one to make me feel this way. Not even Sasuke could do this and he and I were sleeping together. Unlike Sasuke, this was fun. This was pleasurable. This made me feel alive. I loved this.

But at the same time, I knew that this was not me no matter how much I told myself that I enjoyed whatever this was.

"No," I said, sounding breathless. "No more."

I pushed on Deidara again despite how badly I thought that I wanted to continue what we were doing. I was breathing hard and I felt worn out. My body was still tingling from the new sensation running through my bloodstream and it was so hard not to grab a hold of my blonde friend above me and kiss him again.

Deidara detached himself to look at me. A smug smile came upon his face when he said, "Now you suddenly want to stop, Hinata? I'm not so sure that I should listen to you. After all, those sounds were absolutely lovely and the faces that you were making were extremely erotic."

"E-Enough," My voice still sounded just like I felt despite what I was telling Deidara. "I don't want anymore. This isn't right."

"You're lying," he said as he caressed my face, making me try extra hard to stifle an oncoming moan. "I saw just how much you enjoyed it."

I tried to get up again but Deidara pushed me down. This time he held my arms above my head and fixed me with a smile that indicated that he enjoyed this.

"Let me go. I don't want anymore." This time it was true and Deidara knew it was, too. He didn't release me though. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want you to be in love with me."

I was baffled. "What? Why?"

"You're too good for me. I may appear to be a good guy and I just might be, but what I did to you just now is what I had been dreaming about since the day I saw you. This dark desire was living inside of me long enough now and I wanted to settle it." Deidara licked the blood on my neck, making me quiver. "You taste a little too sweet for my liking but that's alright."

"I don't believe that you're a bad guy," I argued. "I saw it. I saw the humanity in you at Anko's lair and in the cave with Temari when you told me that you loved me and when you kissed me," I told him.

"And all of it was true. I love you, Hinata. Kissing you is incredible and it makes me happier every time I plant my lips on yours. I get butterflies whenever I see you. I even enjoy hearing you laugh, but… this is who I am. I am a sadist and a little psycho. I've done this for centuries without even batting an eye. You don't want a monster like me in your life. I'd pin you down like this and do whatever the hell I wanted to you endorphins or no. In fact, if I didn't love you then I would have taken advantage of you because it's so hard not to right now. You have no idea how much I'm holding back." Deidara traced my lips gently again. "And it's taking a lot to not dive in and do what I had been dreaming about to you."

The vampire gave me a twisted smile and got off of me. He made his way for the door but I stopped him by saying, "If you want me to stop thinking about loving you then fine, but I won't forget about this. This was the worst thing that you could have possibly done to me. Where do I even begin to forgive you?" I asked. "And when you said that you'd tell me about your past to earn my trust again it worked. This messed it up again."

Deidara placed his hand on the doorknob. "Good. Now I will know for certain that you won't fall in love with me for real." He left the room with a smile on his face.

I was shaken by what Deidara did and what I was feeling during the encounter. How could he do that to me? How could I feel that way? How could I left him do that, and on the same day that I broke up with the boy that I'm still in love with? It was a false pleasure but it felt so good. Just thinking about it made me crave for it and I wanted more. I wanted the heat of Deidara grinding against me, the sensation of his fingers tracing over my lips, the wonderful pleasure the endorphins shot throughout my entire body, and the overwhelming feeling that took over me near the end… I wanted to experience it all again, but I wasn't going to. I needed to forget all about it even though it was hard to when the lacerations on my neck were-

I touched my neck to find no proof of injury. The bleeding had stopped, too.

I quickly went to the en suite to check and make sure. There was no wound but the blood from when the wound still existed coated my skin in its sickly dark hue. I wiped off the blood with a washcloth and groaned when I noticed that the shirt Sakura bought me was stained from the blood. I had to throw it out now. Great.

Once I finished cleaning up, I laid down to go to sleep. I fell asleep pretty fast and woke up briefly to see my friends walking into the room. We didn't speak because they thought I was sleeping and they went to bed, too. The next time when I woke up, it was close to noon. My eyes widened when I saw the clock and I hopped into the shower immediately. Moya was coming by around noon to take me to meet his family. Those endorphins must have done more than create a falsified pleasure. I went to bed at eleven and woke up almost twelve hours later. I've never slept for so long before in my entire life.

After forty-five minutes later, I finished preparing myself for Moya and headed for the lobby. I met none of my friends and I suspected that they went out again. I was hoping that they took Deidara with them because I didn't feel like seeing him or being alone with him again. Just thinking about it made me shudder and made a desire in me that I wanted to forget stir.

When I reached the lobby, the front door to the Shodai Kazekage opened to reveal Moya. He smiled at me, making me instantly feel better.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah."

We exited and got into his beautiful Ferrari 458 Spider. When we buckled in, Moya said, "I told my family that you were coming to meet them." He then started the car and drove off. "I think my grandmother is the most excited to meet you."

I forgot to bring a hair tie and in turn had to fight a battle with my hair to stay out of my face. "Oh yeah? How sweet. Is everyone already there?"

"Yeah. They arrived not too long ago. In fact, it was my grandmother who sent me out here a little early to get you. She was, as I said, excited to meet you."

I smiled.

We pulled up in Moya's driveway too soon for my satisfaction. The house was huge, and his family owned two garages with six cars, including Moya's, parked in the driveway with two in the garage (I suspected the ones in the garage to be his parents'). How many people are here? How big is Moya's family? It made me nervous to discover how many were inside waiting.

"Come on," Moya motioned towards the front door.

I followed him and walked behind him when he opened the front door. We walked down the hallway that owned very expensive looking marble flooring to a room with French doors on the right side of the hall. I swallowed hard when Moya placed his hands on the door handles and pushed the door open. I was met by a room of five people chatting friendly with one another.

One of the men with jet-black hair and a bulky build stopped talking to approach Moya. "About time you got back," the man said, putting Moya in a playful headlock. He turned to me. "Is this the girl?"

"Yeah," Moya responded from within the huge man's hold. "If you let me go, Uncle Kaoru, I can introduce you to her."

Kaoru released him and Moya straightened himself up.

"This is Hinata Hyuga," Moya told everyone. He then told me, "This brute is my uncle, Kaoru Minami."

A new voice broke the silence that fell when Kaoru put Moya in a headlock. A woman with red hair and big breasts approached us. She said, "Now Moya, don't call your uncle a brute no matter how true it is."

"Shut up, Akari. You talk too much," Kaoru said.

"Whatever, little brother," Akari said. "I'm Akari Ikeda and that man is my husband, Daichi Ikeda," Akari told me as she pointed to a man across the room with blonde, wavy hair. The man waved back at me and then continued to play cards with a girl with jet-black hair similar to Kaoru.

"You're so pretty," another new voice said to me. I turned to face a woman with black hair, but it wasn't jet-black. "I'm Tsubaki Minami, Kaoru's wife. That girl over there playing cards with Daichi is our daughter, Nanase."

"It's nice to meet you all." I tried my best to hide my nervousness but it was hard. I was saved by Moya when he grabbed me by the hand and led me to the kitchen.

"I want you to meet my parents," he said, happiness glazing over his eyes.

Moya took me down a hallway on the farthest side of the living room. Within seconds we were in the kitchen and faced by a man and a woman. The man's hair was black and he had very masculine features. The woman had platinum blonde hair with a very feminine face and build. They looked a lot like dark and light or salt and pepper. They contrasted and Moya looked nothing like them. At all.

"H-Hello," I said. I extended my hand to the man. "You must be Hisao." I then extended my hand to the woman after Hisao shook my hand. "And you must be Hitomi." Hitomi shook my hand as well.

"Moya's told us a lot about you," Hitomi said. Her voice was very warm and kind. It reminded me of my mother, and when it did my heart ached a little. It only worsened when Hitomi pulled me into a warm hug. "I was looking forward to meeting you."

I wrapped my arms around her, too, and swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "Me too. Moya speaks highly of both of you."

"Doesn't surprise me," Hisao said, smacking Moya on the back and then resting that hand firmly on his shoulder. Hisao smiled with pride. "My boy's going to take over the business one day. I expect him to speak highly of what we do."

"Dad," Moya said, face turning pink from embarrassment.

"Son, let's not talk about our job while I'm here. You know how much that job reminds me of your father." A voice that belonged to an elderly woman sounded through the kitchen. I turned around to face a woman taller than me with silver hair and a smile kinder than Hitomi's. "Hello, Hinata. My grandson's told me about you. I'm Emiko Minami but you can call me grandma if you'd like."

I swallowed hard to rid myself of the lump in my throat. I never had a grandmother before. I had a grandfather, but he wasn't kind and caring enough for me to actually consider him a grandfather. He was all about rules and he was very austere. But even though I never really considered him to be my grandfather, I still cried at his funeral when he died.

I approached Emiko with a smile. "It's nice to meet you… grandmother." The name sounded rusty coming out of my mouth and I didn't like saying it. It didn't feel right and I almost hated saying it.

Emiko pulled me into a tight, warm hug. I hugged her back instantly and felt the tears inevitably coming. I had to take a few deep breaths to make them go away. I haven't felt warmth like this in a long time.

When Emiko and I parted she continued to hold onto my hand. With a warm smile, she said, "Let us go join the others in the living room."

I nodded and looked back at Moya. I trusted Emiko, but I still felt better with Moya with me. Moya got out his father's hold and went with us back to the others. I was delighted that I was a welcoming member of this family, but I think that Moya was even more delighted. He had told me once before that I was the sister that he always wanted; I guess that since his family accepted me it was as if I really was his sister.

That is until we entered the living room with the others. Kaoru immediately asked Moya when he saw the three of us return, "Are you and your girlfriend going to join us in playing video games?"

Moya's face turned pink. "Hinata is not my girlfriend, Uncle Kaoru. We don't even see each other that way."

My face felt a little hot, but it went away when I saw Nanase roll her blue eyes at me. What was that all about? I wasn't going to say anything but Daichi noticed and asked, "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing," she mumbled.

Daichi was going to leave it at that but Kaoru pressed on. "If you got something to say, say it."

Nanase put the cards down and fixed her father with her blue eyes full of attitude. "Why are you all so accepting of her? She's a stranger."

Kaoru folded his huge arms over his huge chest. It amazed me that he could do that seeming as his body is so big. "We should be kind to all strangers, especially one that enters our home."

"I won't be nice to her. I don't trust her."

Tsubaki stepped in but was cut off by her daughter.

Nanase said, "In this family we always fight to see if the stranger is worthy enough to enter this family. That's how it's always been. That's what we did with Daichi when he told grandma that he wanted to marry Aunt Akari, it happened with Aunt Hitomi, and that's also what happened when you wanted to marry mom." Nanase turned her eyes on me. "I want to fight her. She's not worthy enough to have Moya's affection if she can't beat me."

"Enough," Emiko said, releasing my hand. "Nanase, that's not how we do things. Hinata is a human. We're slayers, professional slayers at that. Daichi is a slayer, so Hisao, as the oldest of the three, fought him. Same went for Hitomi and Tsubaki when I fought them. It wouldn't be fair if you fought Hinata. You know that."

As a response, Nanase rolled her eyes. Kaoru and Tsubaki went over to her and began scolding her for being rude and disrespectful to Emiko. I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying. I was too shocked by the fact that the Minamis were slayers. I was in a den of slayers. All of them were slayers, even Moya.

Obviously Moya and the others didn't want me to know because Akari said, "Mother!"

"What? She was going to find out sooner or later. Might as well tell her now."

Emiko was about to delve in to tell me what a slayer was, but I said in a voice calmer than I felt, "I know what a slayer is."

I expected someone to ask me how I knew what a slayer was, but the Minamis just made sounds of approval. Is it a good thing to know about the supernatural? Back in Konohagakure the slayers wanted to kill me for knowing too much. Here it's okay? I couldn't help but to find it odd and a little relieving.

"I guess that means we can talk about our kills," said Hisao as he came into the living room with Hitomi wearing a large smile on his face.

Everyone excitedly gathered in a circle on the floor at the center of the room. As Moya and I were walking over to the rest of the group, Moya told me, "This happens all of the time. Everyone comes together and brags about their kills. Uncle Kaoru brags the most, of course. Don't let the gruesomeness disturb you."

I gave a wry smile. "I'll try."

Moya and I sat next to each other, but sure enough, Nanase took the other side of him. She rolled her eyes at me before sitting. I did not let her know that it bothered me and paid attention to Kaoru's story as he delved into his tale.

"So, there I was," he began, moving his arms and looking around the circle for dramatic effect, "trapped underground while the city slept. I was cornered by three vampires and there was no way for me to escape. I was badly injured and I had lost my stake. All I had on me were two darts full of werewolf poison…"

Kaoru's story was interesting, but I could not get my mind off of the fact that Moya was a slayer. Gaara was right. They are a lot like humans and you can't distinguish between a slayer and a human. I glanced at Moya who was intrigued by his uncle's tale. Moya's so kind that it is hard for me to imagine him killing anything. In my periphery I caught Nanase glaring at me. When she noticed me looking at her, she turned back to her father's story. I just met Nanase and I already know that she enjoys action. She probably likes to kill, too. I can imagine her fighting vampires and getting the job done, which worries me. Despite Emiko telling her that fighting me was not fair because I am human, I have the feeling that she might disobey her. It might not be a fight, it could be something else. But my gut tells me that it isn't good whatever it is.

"… As the last vampire was running away from my combative prowess," Kaoru continued, "I shot my final dart at the monster right in the neck and it fell to the ground, screaming as the poison ate through its neck."

"Did you put it out of its misery by simply killing it?" Hisao asked.

"No. I let it die slowly."

"Nice," Akari praised as they gave each other a high-five.

I think that I was the only person in the room who showed signs of discomfort. Even though the vampire was evil, and killing them is their job, I still found it wrong that Kaoru let the vampire die in agony. I thought slayers were the good guys.

"What's wrong?" Nanase said to me, interrupting my thoughts. "Too gruesome for you? Or do you actually like vampires?"

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. Now everyone's attention was on me. I felt my face getting hot as I searched for an answer. Of course I liked vampires and I thought it was wrong that Kaoru let one die slowly right in front of him, but I certainly couldn't tell any of them that.

"N-No, I don't like vampires," I lied. "I just never knew that there were so many ways to kill a vampire. I actually was intrigued by Kaoru's story."

Nanase opened her mouth to say more but Kaoru cut her off. "You ought to teach your girlfriend more about vampires, Moya. It's a dangerous world out there."

Moya's face twitched in annoyance. "Uncle Kaoru, Hinata is not my girlfriend. But I will take you up on your suggestion to teach her more about vampires. Are you interested, Hinata?"

I nodded my head eagerly, making sure to smile brightly. I really didn't care to learn more but I had to keep up with the ruse. Nanase seems to be suspicious. And since Nanase doesn't like me I'm sure that she won't have any problems with researching who I've been hanging out with for the past six months.

"I don't know why everyone is so eager to hook Moya up with this stranger. Even if they did get together she still wouldn't be family," Nanase said with a smug smile on her tanned face. "Moya's not even biologically related to us."

Moya's mouth dropped in disbelief. I guess that this is also something that Moya did not want me to know.

Tsubaki shot up from the floor, grabbed Nanase by the arm, and yanked her out of the room. Kaoru followed close behind them wearing a face scary enough to make me cringe even though the expression was not directed at me.

"What is going on with that girl?" Hitomi said more to herself than to anyone in the room.

"I have an idea," Daichi said. "She's jealous."

"It doesn't matter if she's jealous," Hisao said. "That was out of line."

"I don't know about Tsubaki, but Kaoru will handle it," Akari said. "Acting like that around Kaoru is dangerous. Nanase just dug her own grave."

"Kaoru will straighten her out," Emiko said. The old woman turned to me. "I'm sorry. Nanase is usually a very sweet girl. I don't know what has gotten into her today." Then Emiko turned to Moya. "I know that you didn't want anyone finding out about you being adopted, but…"

"It's fine," Moya said. "I bet it was obvious anyway. I look nothing like my parents. Only a fool wouldn't question it. Besides," Moya turned to me, "I'd rather have it be Hinata to discover that I was adopted than anyone else."

All I could do was give him a crooked smile. I didn't know whether to be glad that he trusted me so much or to be uncomfortable.

"Would you like to know the whole story?" Hitomi asked me.

I felt my mouth open slightly but no words came out. I looked back and forth from Moya's parents and settled my eyes on Moya. "S-Sure," I responded.

"Ugh," Akari said, making her way to her husband's lap. "I don't want to hear this. I still have nightmares about that day. Go somewhere else to talk."

Hisao sighed at his younger sister's words and motioned Hitomi and me to the hallway. Moya decided to stay with his grandmother, Akari, and Daichi but I wished that he came with us. I didn't know what to expect. Akari freaked me out a little when she said that she still had nightmares. Knowing me, I might have some, too.

Hisao and Hitomi gave each other a quick glance. Hitomi then wrinkled her brows and stared at the marble floor. "I guess I will begin," she said. The woman took a deep breath and found my eyes. "Seven years ago Hisao, Akari, Daichi, Kaoru, and I went on a mission sent from Konohagakure to Iwagakure. Our goal was to help a few slayers in the area to subdue some vampires that had gone across the border with documents from the Hokage. We were going to meet in Taigakure, but…" Hitomi exhaled to gather herself. "We came across a scene… A car had been crushed by a truck. Ambulance and police were surrounding the area, so we had to take a different route… That was when I sensed it."

"S-Sensed what?" I asked. My heart was beating so fast and so hard that I thought that I was going to pass out. Moya's history sounded too familiar and I was afraid to hear the rest.

"A vampire with a young slayer," she answered. "It was not too far from where we were, so we all decided to check it out. At the back of a small cave we saw a vampire feeding on Moya. Other than the lacerations on Moya's neck, it was clear to see that Moya had been a passenger in the car that had been crushed by the truck. And the burns and cuts on the vampire was evidence enough that it was the one who caused the accident."

"Rumor has it that slayer blood can heal a vampire ten times faster than human blood as well as give them unnatural strength stronger than a slayer. The wounds on the vampire were pretty bad, so we assumed that it took Moya in order to save itself," Hisao explained with disgust never leaving his face.

"We killed the vampire and took the boy. He was unconscious so we couldn't ask for his name. The only other option was to return him to the site of the crash. However, when we got there everything was cleared out. We did not know who the ambulance and police were affiliated with, so Hisao and I had no choice but to take Moya back to Iwagakure with us while the others went on ahead to Taigakure."

Hitomi took another deep breath while my hand found my chest and clutched it. My heart hurt and the pace picked up considerably. My breath had also become shallow and rapid as I waited for Hitomi to finish.

"Moya did not wake for several days," Hitomi said. "But when he finally did, he had no memory of what happened. He had no idea who he was, either. The doctors said that he had a severe case of amnesia and his memory may never return. Despite that, after he recovered the doctors asked us if we wanted to adopt him because he had no identity and we had no way of finding his home. Unable to bear children of our own, we adopted him and named him Moya." Hitomi smiled softly at the memory, but it was short-lived. "We took him home with us in Iwagakure, but he kept screaming in his sleep from nightmares. This happened for many nights and we had no clue what to do… Emiko eventually decided that we move, so we did. We moved here to get a fresh start."

Hisao opened his mouth to say something else, but I cut him off. I did not recognize my own voice. I sounded hollow, desperate, and in pain all at the same time. "What was he screaming in his sleep?"

The couple looked at each other for a moment and then Hisao answered me. "As odd as it is, he was screaming 'Hinata'."

My eyes widened as my knees locked, the ache my heart carried increased, and the familiar lump appeared in my throat along with burning eyes. My body entered autopilot and made its way back into the living room where Moya was. I approached him and said nothing. I just looked at him to drink in his features. The porcelain skin that refused to tan, the long, dark brown hair that flowed gracefully in the wind and whenever he moved, the voice that bore so much intelligence, and the eyes. The eyes that were the same exact color as mine. The eyes that only existed in my clan. How? How could I have not noticed as soon as I saw him? Why did I not notice as soon as I saw him? He was my blood.

"Hinata?" he asked, worry being the highlight of his voice. When his warm hand rested on my cheek I realized that I had been crying. "What's wrong?"

I drank in his features more. I just could not get over how blind I had been. Even though I wasn't ready, I couldn't stop myself from telling him what I had just discovered.

I opened my mouth to tell him everything when a little girl about fourteen years old with jet-black hair perkily walked in. At the same time Kaoru, Tsubaki, and Nanase returned.

"Megumi," Tsubaki said. "Where have you been?"

"I was hanging out with a friend. Sorry mom," she said apologetically. She perked up again and said, "I brought him home with me so you get to meet him." Megumi then motioned for the stranger to enter the living room. When I saw him my mouth dropped.

It was Sasuke.

I took a step toward Sasuke to get him out of here, but strong arms pulled me away. Moya pulled me behind him and pulled out a stake. Looking around the room, I noticed that Megumi was suddenly behind her mother and the other slayers were readying themselves to kill the threat. Everyone was about to pounce on Sasuke. I felt as though I had to stop them, so I opened my mouth when Sasuke telepathically told me, "No. Don't say anything to endanger yourself. I can handle this." I bit my lip and furrowed my brows to show Sasuke that I got the message.

Noticing that Sasuke was staring at me, Moya stood directly in front of me so that Sasuke was forced to look at him. Still staring at Sasuke, Moya said to me, "Don't worry, Hinata. I'll protect you with my life."

I couldn't help but to wince when he said that. After losing him once I don't want to lose him again. Between life and death, I'd throw my life away to save his in an instant. Sasuke is no threat so I don't have to worry about it, but the slayers are a threat to him. I'm afraid that I might have to blow my cover to save him.

I was so worried about Sasuke that it took me a while for me to realize that I felt someone staring at me, so I followed where I sensed eyes on me. Nanase was staring at me with widened eyes and mine widened in return. She must have discovered that I know Sasuke. This is bad. If she tells the other slayers then-

"What the hell are you doing here, vampire?" Hisao demanded.

Sasuke didn't flinch. Instead, he steadily took his eyes off of Moya to look at Hisao. The cold glare that Sasuke gave Hisao sent shivers up my spine and I found myself taking a step back. It was amazing how easily vampires can change their expressions and emotions.

"It was not my intention to come here," Sasuke said with a voice so cold and hard that I would not have even recognized the voice had I not seen Sasuke speaking. "Had I known that I was walking into a den of slayers, I would not have entered. I will be taking my leave now."

In the blink of an eye, Kaoru was blocking Sasuke's path with the stake resting on Sasuke's chest. "Hold on," the large man said. "What were you doing with my daughter?"

My vampire friend hardly spared him a glance. "I was not going to eat her, if that's what you were thinking. I don't eat children, let alone a slayer."

"Then what were you doing?" Kaoru tapped the stake against Sasuke to scare him but he was unfazed. Why is Sasuke being so nonchalant about this?

"We were talking. Then Megumi suggested that we go somewhere else to talk since the place we were at was getting too crowded." Sasuke's eyes found Megumi. "I wish that I knew this was a trap."

"It wasn't a-" Megumi tried to say, but was cut off by the "enemy."

"It doesn't matter." Sasuke looked up at Kaoru. "Just let me go and I will never return. I promise."

I held my breath. Sasuke remained still and nonchalant. Kaoru, as well as the rest of the slayers, held their positions. They were ready to pounce and I couldn't tell if they were waiting for Sasuke to attack or if they were going to attack when Kaoru decided to. Either way, I felt my body getting ready to jump in front of Sasuke.

"Do. Not. Move," Sasuke told me. And then, like the first day I met him, my body did what he wanted me to. My urge to jump in front of him ceased and I was stuck. I couldn't even talk.

I panicked silently, but it ended when Kaoru removed his stake from Sasuke's chest and said, "Alright. Leave. Don't come back. If I see you in my territory I'll kill you right on the spot. I won't even care if we're in public."

"Understood," Sasuke said. He then left the building and disappeared into the night.

"What the hell was up with that one?" Akari said, putting her stake away. "He wasn't scared at all."

"Maybe he wanted to die," Hitomi said.

"A vampire that wants to die? Never heard of one. He wasn't even that old," Emiko said. "Monsters like vampires don't want to die. They wreak havoc because they want to see others die."

"I don't know, mother," Hisao said. "This one felt different."

Daichi scoffed. "What do you mean? That this one might actually have feelings?" The way that Daichi said "feelings" pissed me off. Why do slayers think that vampires don't have feelings? Sure most of them are sadists and heartless, but the slayers are proving to be more sadistic and heartless than the few that I met. The Minamis letting Sasuke go was the most human thing that I've seen them do since I've been here.

"Vampires don't have feelings," Tsubaki said. "That's impossible."

"But what if some do?" Moya asked.

The Minamis looked from one another with wrinkled eyebrows. Then Hisao spoke up. "Then we cut them down anyway. A vampire is a vampire and vampires are monsters. You know that."

Moya furrowed his eyebrows and released a sound of disagreement from under his breath.

Moya isn't like the rest of the Minamis. Looking at the current situation and how everyone is handling it, it really is obvious that Moya was adopted. Moya has a different set of morals and a different view of justice. His way is admirable. It reminds me so much of how my father used to tell us to be merciful on our enemies and to forgive those we despise no matter how cruel they are. Moya really is a Hyuga.

"Moya," I said. "I need to talk to you."

All eyes were on us, which annoyed me beyond belief, but I ignored them and focused on Moya.

With a slight nod, he said, "Okay."

We walked outside together. Now that we were alone, the emotions that took over me when I found out Moya's true identity returned. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes and looking at his familiar facial features. His hair is even as dark and silky as I remembered.

I swallowed hard and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out. "Your name is not Moya Minami," I blurted out. "Your name is Neji Hyuga and you're my cousin." He opened his mouth to speak but I continued so that he wouldn't detest. "It was seven years ago. My father, mother, little sister, you, and me were coming back from Iwagakure to go back to Konohagakure when, what I assumed was a drunk driver, hit us. My mother, father, and sister died on impact and I blacked out. When I woke up in the hospital in Konohagakure I was told that everyone died and that they couldn't preserve their bodies." I began to choke on my words. "I thought that you died, too. The police told me that you did, so I believed them. But you're alive. You lived…"

I was too busy crying and blinded by tears to notice Neji's expression. My body jumped and I stiffened when Neji let out a sharp, "I'm not Neji Hyuga. That's not who I am. My name is Moya Minami."

"Y-You're Neji. You're my cousin. We played together since birth. We ate at the same dinner table. We even shared the same bed sometimes," I argued, ignoring the terrible aching my heart possessed.

"I. Am. Not. Neji." Neji clenched his jaw, crossed his arms, and gave me a hard look in the eyes.

"You are! You have amnesia. If I take you back to Konohagakure then I'm sure you'll remember. I'll take you home-"

"Hinata, that place is not my home." Neji then gestured to the house we were standing in front of. "This is my home. My family is here… You're not my family. I don't even really know you."

Ouch. That hurt. "H-How can you even say that? I-I'm your cousin, Hinata. We've known each other all of our lives! I know you better than anyone and you know me better than anyone! Believe me!"

"I'm not who you say I am."

"You're in denial!" My voice was shaking now. "You're my cousin. You are… Just come to Konohagakure with me. We'll settle everything there!"

"Enough!" Neji shouted with a voice so sharp and loud that I flinched. "I think it's time for you to leave. Thanks for coming over." Neji walked up the steps to his house and then looked back at me as he opened the door. "I think it's best if you don't come back here, either."

The welcoming light that the house once possessed disappeared. I no longer felt welcomed. Nanase was right. I was a stranger and I couldn't actually belong to a family that wasn't my own. No one there wanted me and I'm sure that they never did… But one of the members belonged to me and I'd fight anyone for him. Neji was mine and I was going to get him back. Even if it meant me dirtying my hands, I'd take that road to get him to realize that he was nothing like them and I was his only family.