A/N: Sorry for the delay. Head still hurts. Trying to take it easy.

In other news depression's starting to hit real hard these days and its become a pain.

Sometimes I wonder why I do anything at all. I can't claim to understand what's going wrong with my head.

I don't even know why! One moment I'm fine, then my mood craters for a few hours, then I'm back again for a bit, and the cycle repeats. Round and round it goes! Its rather annoying; as though I've become a prisoner in my own mind sometimes. Sure, what's one more mental problem on the pile. Not like I don't have enough to juggle, what with already being old. Feels like every day is a battle sometimes. Doctor's tell me I'm fine, but I ain't.

Writing helps fend it off at times, but...*siiiigh* Don't mind the rambling of this geezer...

With my fifteen year anniversary on this site here, I find myself reflecting on the little things in life. What was once a lazy pastime meant for me and a few friends really grew and evolved over time. There are days when I look back on the last fifteen years here and I wonder if anyone will remember me; if I made an impact, despite never making a single cent on any of these stories. Some days were happier than others, and some stories I enjoyed writing WAY too much; to the point where I'd stay up all night working on them.

And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.

Of course, I try not to dwell on the latter overmuch; I'm still alive and still writing. In an ideal world, I'd like to keep doing so for as long as I can. But old age is catching up to me and these days, the world is filled with so much madness and death. More every day it seems. Even before that, so many friends and fellow writers I once knew are gone, now. Will I still be here in twenty years? Ten? Five? Its a chilling thought with my health being the way it is. But for now, I'm still here, still writing.

No questions this time. Folks complained, so only story~!

Alrighty, then I've kept you waiting long enough. As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one!

Seriously. I mean that. They're tributes to legends far greater than a measly writer like me...

Now its time for sweet, sugary, silly fluff. May it bright your day in these dark times.

Next arc's about to begin and its gonna be a doooozy~!

"That's a the joy of a Hunt. The chase is seldom easy.

A true Hunter never wants their Hunter to be easy.

EASY IS BORING."

~Cassandra.

Eighth Bite (Hunt)

THUNK.

"Aaargh! Stupid man thing!"

Naruto leaned back in his chair and looked to the door. "You hit your head again, didn't you?"

Alcina Dimitrescu was many things, but she was also a fearsome pouter. Or maybe that had something to do with the way she was currently crouched down in the doorway, clutching her skull. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. How anyone could fear her after seeing her like this was beyond him. Or maybe that was just him. She didn't exactly show her softer side to most outside the family. That said, was it just his imagination, or was there something different about her today...?

"Huh." he set down his pen and closed his book with a rueful grin. "You should really let your hair down more often."

Alcina sputtered and surged to her feet-

Whump.

-and summarily dropped back down to her haunches with a whimper when she cracked her head on the doorway again.

Naruto didn't laugh at her predicament. Certainly not. Not even a little...well, not aloud at least.

And well that he didn't, because Alcina made the door rue the day it was made.

With a furious snarl she swept clawed hands up at the arch and carved it away, lengthening it by at least two full heads. Naruto sighed as a storm of splinters sprayed at his feet. Well, she certainly wouldn't have trouble entering now...but he'd never be able to shut the door again.

Ah well, better it than him.

"Was there something you needed?" he tilted his head, regarding her destruction. "Or are you just here to destroy my door."

Alicna adjusted her hat, the very picture of decorum once more, as though the last outburst had never happened. Fine by him. If she wanted to pretend he hadn't seen her little temper tantrum then he was content to play along...for now.

"I came to send you to Cassandra." she shot him a dark look when it looked like he might tease her. "She's been sulking ever since we brought Dona home."

"She has? Wait, wait," he held up a hand to forestall her argument. "How is Dona?

"Still sleeping, ever since we put her in a bed."

His shoulders slumped a little. No surprise there. Donna had cried herself hoarse after that tantrum. He wasn't sure that was a bad thing. He'd purged the Cadou parasite from her body and healed her wound, but she was human, unlike the Dimitrescu family. Mental shock aside, she'd been put through the wringer and it showed. She would need time to recover her stamina. That said...

"Its been two days. When's she gonna wake up?"

"Soon, I hope," Alcina peered over his shoulder, noticing the book on his desk at last. "What ARE you doing?"

"Making history." He held up the worn leather form for her inspect. "See?"

"Love Bites?" Her eyes widened as she read the cover. "You're writing about us?"

"About my adventures here in the Village." he beamed. "Elena's helping. Might publish a book someday."

He expected an explosion of anger. It never came. "...so long as my children receive their due, I do not mind overmuch."

He smiled. "You really do love your daughters, don't you?

"They are my reason for living." the Dimitrescu matriarch sniffed imperiously. "As such, I demand they receive a chance at happiness before me. Although sneaky little Bela already had hers without my knowing," she dug her claws into the armrest of his chair, "I am will to make concessions for the sake of Cassandra and Daniela just this once." when he didn't respond she looked away. "Don't make that face. I was even kind enough to send dear Daniela and Bela away on an outing for your sake...

Naruto's grin grew.

She saw it. "Stop that."

It dimpled his cheeks, now.

A long clawed finger poked his nose. "I said cease!"

Not a chance! "Daaaaaaw! You're such a good mom, Alcina!"

She grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him into a wall hard enough to make the plaster crater and crack the ceiling above.

Naruto blinked once as dust rained down on their heads. "Was it something I said?"

"Do not mistake my silence for acceptance." she bared her fangs at him, heedless of his bemused gaze. "If you keep pushing me I'll smash you through this wall and ravage you."

Kurama scoffed. "Promises, promises...

On that, they agreed. "You can try."

"I may not succeed, but I shall certainly make the attempt." she regarded him with a face carved from stone. "And no date will be had for days afterward." Ahhh. So that was her game. She knew she couldn't hope to overpower him so she had to use threats of a more subtle nature. "Furthermore, I will be incredibly cross with you for breaking my self control. Do I make myself clear?"

Okay, okay, she made her point. He could fend Alcina off, sure, but if he kept poking her she was absolutely going to snap and where was the fun in that? He wanted to savor things with her like a fine wine. He'd accepted that Bela, Cassandra and Daniela might not have such self control -and Donna was a whole 'nother kettle of fish- but he wanted to take his time with things; savor them, enjoy it all as long as he could. This might not be a normal life, but it was his life and he was making a difference here. He truly believed that.

"Go." Alicna released him and made a shooing gesture. "Find Cassandra. Comfort her, lest she feels left out. We'll have our date later, darling."

He couldn't resist the urge for one last parting shot.

"Will it be a candlelight dinner by any chance?"

She flushed." Enough! Out with you!"

"Doesn't answer my question~!"

"Ouuuut!"

.0.0.0.

Cassandra wasn't hard to find.

He just had to follow the trail of...clothes.

Yes, clothes, they were scattered all over the manor, each outfit more outlandish than the last.

His foot caught on a stray dress of blue silk that he gingerly folded and set aside, followed by a gaudy thing of red leather then a green...something that might've been the distant cousin of a swimsuit twice removed, yet was mostly string. That, he tore up outright and pretended he hadn't seen. Bad enough that these girl liked backing him into a corner. If they started parading themselves around in outfits like that, his self control was going to blown seven ways to Sunday. She'd certainly gone through an array of different attire. His clones were gonna have one helluva time cleaning up this mess.

Where were they even getting these outfits?!

"A merchant, most likely."

...no, ya think?"

He sensed her up ahead, heard her really, humming in her room.

Strange, it didn't sound like she was sulking.

"Cassandra?

"You're finally here!" her voice resounded in response, muffled behind her door. "Come in, do come in! Don't be shy~!"

Against his better judgement, he did.

No sign of her.

"Tada~!" She stepped out from behind a nearby curtain, performed a tiny twirl on one heel as she appeared. "How do I look?"

Naruto's throat went dry.

He barely recognized her in that getup, but he didn't deny it; the outfit suited Cassandra to a T, flattered her, even.

Free from the dark confines of her robes, her body was bared to him.

Voluptuous yet strong, and manners aside it was impossible not to notice the confidence she exuded...among other aspects. She dressed to impress, that much was certainly true, from those black nearly skintight trousers embracing her long legs, the way they hung just a little too low on her hips, offering the barest hint of skin and a scrap of red lace that might well be undergarments of some sort. A pair of black boots rode high on her legs, well past her ankles. Even her low-cut-yet-long-sleeved blood red blouse seemed designed to impress; hugging her bosom in ways that just shouldn't be possible, not so much hinting at the the tantalizing mounds within as emphasizing them.

And her hair. Had it always been that silky? She must have washed it since he'd seen her last; because it shone in the low light.

All in all she was dressed for an outing and he shuddered to think where she was going -or who she intended to see!- looking like that. Even as he looked on, she planted a fist on her hip and jutted her body to the right, simultaneously giving him a bit of a show and striking a provocative pose before him. He forced himself to look higher -much higher- only to find bemused golden eyes waiting for him there.

"That's right." She sashayed his way, hips swaying. "Look at me." her lips curled in a sultry smile. "Do I have your attention now?

She did; she'd caught him utterly off guard. To reveal that would've been weakness, however.

You absolutely did NOT show weakness before the Dimistrescu Daughters.

"Aaand stop." he held up a hand to ward her off. "That's close enough."

Cassandra pouted. "Why aren't you affected?! Its not fair!"

He was affected. Very much so!

Of course, if he admitted that, she'd never let him be. "Why are you putting this much effort in? Did you want to go out...?"

"Because!" She gave him a long, lingering look that was utterly adorable. "Everyone's already had their turn, one way or another! Bela jumped you during that snowball fight, Daniela's seduingd you with her dances, and Mother...no, no, no, "she shook her head quickly, "I'm not messing with Mother. But what about me?! What do I have besides fashion?!

"Well, what do you like?"

The question seemed to floor her, if only for a moment. "What I like...? Oh! I like-

He poked her forehead to cut her off at the pass. "Besides biting me and drinking my blood!"

"Boo." she touched a finger to her chin and considered the matter anew. "Well, I like to drink wine with mother...and I like to hunt."

He figured the drinking. She seemed a little tipsy. But hunting? Sure, that boded well. "Animals or people?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes!

"Cass."

"Oooh!" Far from being deterred, she clasped both hands before her face wit a giddy squeal and bounced on her feet. He tried not to pay attention to her chest, even moreso when she preened. "I like that! You haven't given anyone else a nickname yet." her tongue flitted out, licking her lips. "That settles it. Call me Cass more often. You have my permission."

"Cassandra-

"No!" She stomped a foot, looking fit to fight. "Call me Cass!"

...fine." he rolled his eyes. "Cass. There. Happy, now?

"Better," she smiled. "Now, then...I've just had the most brilliant idea!"

...am I going to like this idea?

Her grin grew.

His did not. "I'm not gonna like this idea am I?"

"I can teach you how to hunt!

That...sounded terribly dangerous and not at all wise. The idea of running down some poor bastard in the castle woods didn't appeal to him. People weren't animals. They weren't meant to be hunted. It would be different if it was a bear or an elk or even a mountain lion, but a human? No. Not a chance. No bloody way in hell.

"The kitchens are running low on proper foot anyway, and...oh." Cassandra must've seen the thunderous look on his face, for her words trailed away. "Do you not want to spend time with me?

She sounded so sad...it felt like he'd kicked a puppy. A dangerous puppy that could run down a lion and tear its throat out.

He blew out a sigh. "...I have conditions."

"Yes!" Cassandra grabbed his hands in hers and hopped in place, pumping his arms up and down. "I'll do it!"

The sigh became a laugh. "You haven't even heard me out yet!"

"Don't care! I'll do whatever you want!"

Urk. "Fine. If we're doing this, and it seems we are, we're hunting animals. Not people. I draw the line at that."

"Of course!" she nuzzled his neck. "Your blood tastes better than anyone else's anyway."

That was...rather easy. Worryingly so. "No torturing whatever we catch, either."

Her head bobbed. "Hmm!"

"And no drinking while we're doing this. That would be too chaotic, even for me."

Cassandra titled her head. "I like chaos. Let chaos take the world, I say."

Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you...

(.0.0.0.)

Wheeee~!

Why was this a bad idea again?

Naruto couldn't remember. He felt good. Like, really good ya know?

The snow was still fresh and the afternoon air held a crisp bite to it; as far as he was concerned it made the wine taste better. His thoughts were just a shade shy of fuzzy, leaving him feeling free as a bird. Not enough to render his words a slurring mess, but lowering his inhibitions all the same. He could hear the snow crunching beneath their boots, but right now he found himself far more focused on his companion. She was delightfully warm against his right side, the very spark of life.

Cassandra leaned against him with a pleased sigh, clutching a bottle of her own in her off hand. "Isn't this niiice?"

It was. His thoughts were still his own but freer somehow, devoid of restraint.

If this was what a buzz felt like then it wasn't half bad-

Movement in the brush up ahead.

Cassandra saw it a second later. "We're in luck. I didn't expect to find something this early...

He granted her a sidelong look. "Aren't we going to use a rifle or...

Cassandra laughed. "No, no, we don't need those."

"Alright, alright...

He crouched low with her and saw their target; a mighty buck; its antlers jagged and sharp. It didn't see them, didn't smell them, wasn't even aware of them...or the danger.

Cassandra crept lower to the ground, all thoughts of flirting gone. He could see it in her eyes. There was only the hunt. She vanished in a swarm of black butterflies and flashed overhead, leaving the deer none the wiser. It never saw her land on its flank, such was her skill. Its head had only just begun to rise when-

She pounced on it with a snarl.

The elk stood no chance; it turned a second too late and only made itself an easier target for the attempt. Cassandra crashed into it like a thunderbolt and sank her teeth deep into its neck. It screamed once, a shrill note echoing through the woods as she rode it down to the ground. Her hands locked around his head and twisted, snapping its neck.

Just like that the dead was done.

Naruto loped forward to inspect the kill. The kitchen staff would appreciate it if nothing else.

Cassandra glance up at him through long lashes, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. "Try some! Its quite good raw."

He wasn't anywhere near drink enough to consider eating meat raw. "I'd rather not.

"Aw, you don't want to kiss me with all this blood in my mouth, do you?" She mistook his hesitation for something else and took a long slip from the canteen. "There, much better."

He laughed and shook his head. "Crazy girl...

She grinned. "I suppose I am, aren't I?"

"You definitely are!"

Cassandra laughed at that; it was a surprisingly genuine sound, not at all like the deranged cackle he'd heard her use before.

Something in him came alive at the sound. He liked it when she and her sisters showed their humanity, but this was sweet and pure and when she smiled at him like that, the sun in her dark hair-oh, dear. Calm. He'd thought about ravishing her for a second there. That was what she wanted. To give in was to let her win, just as Bela had.

He took a deep breath to master himself and shook his head.

It was entirely undone when Cassandra kissed him.

"...?!"

Her attack proved as abrupt as it was sudden; one moment she was crouched triumphantly before their prey, languidly enjoying herself. In the next she rounded on him and pressed her lips to his. Little more than a peck really, a fleeting feather's brush there and gone, her body in and out of his grasp in an instant.

She glided back with a wry laugh. "Feeling better now, Father dearest?"

Alright, now she was just trying to get under his skin. "Do you have to keep calling me that?"

"But of course," she crooned reaching up to stroke his face. "Mother gave us our first rebirth, and you granted us a second. Thanks to you we can go outside without fear of the cold. What does that make you if not our sire?"

"Still...

A lascivious smile split her face as she let him go and danced back out of arms reach. "Would you rather I call you Daddy?"

His face went red. "Cassandra, no."

"Cassandra, yes!" she snapped her fingers at him with a huff. "I love you. We all love you."

"..."

"Let me love you." she giggled and cupping his face in her hands again. "I know its what you want, deep down. Its what mother wants, too. Although come to think of it," she ran a hand over her flat stomach. "I wouldn't mind being a mother myself. Would you like a girl?" her voice cooed seductively at him. "Wouldn't that be lovely? To have a little one we could raise all on our own? We could name her whatever you wish...

He remembered Donna's illusion and damn near flinched. Four children, four little lives that may or may not be.

"We'll never be born. Because you're a coward; too afraid to commit."

He had been. He admitted it. But no longer-those day were done.

Steeling himself, he stepped in...then swept Cassandra's legs. Sure enough, she went down with a yelp. When the startled huntress tried to stand, he guided her back to the ground and straddled her before he knew what was happening, planting both knees on either side of her hips. She sat startled, balking up at him for a long moment. Then she smiled. Said smirk sent a shiver shooting through him; it was the most erotic thing he'd seen in quite some time.

"You know," she cooed, "Hunting animals is good sport and all well and good...

One hand came up to cup his chin, her eyes were bright and alight; they almost seemed to glow in the low light.

...but I'm interested in hunting a different sort of prey today."

She surged up and kissed him deeply.

(.0.0.0.)

Distracted as they were, neither saw the hidden camera mounted in the leaves of a nearby tree...nor who was watching.

Mother Miranda tutted to herself and scratched out another entry among her notes.

"Fascinating. I didn't know such a result was possible...

A most curious experiment indeed.

"Perhaps I shall...partake."

A/N: Scene~!

Aaaand he's officially caught the eye of the one person he shouldn't.

Daniela and Donna have yet to get their chance in the sun, as it were, but its coming.

So? Should this continue to be a story? Yay or nay! Really need to hear from you guys and girls here. Helps a lot.

Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story...and others. If folks don't like this, it won't be continued. Meaning that if the story itself ain't popular...? Well, I'll not be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs with ever-increasing hours so I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy. So by all means, speak up! Your voice matter! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustains me. Without them, I cannot write a single word. Simple as that.

So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter!

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previews!

They're mostly the same. Mostly, but not all.

And spoilers for the DLC, though I'm sure everyone's played it by now.

(Previews)

Mother Miranda has called meeting between the four families.

Naruto blew out a sigh. "Lovely."

This could only end well.

Aha! At last we meet!

...I'm guessin' you must be the Duke."

"Indeed I am! A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, oh! Is it my turn?!

Ah, Daniela. Excitable as ever.

Donna opened her eyes. "WHere...?"

"You must be pretty tough, huh?"

"Take a swing at me with that hammer. See what happens."

Moreau glowered at him. "We don't need you here. Leave."

"Whoa, hey! Where is this coming from?"

"You can't just take a kid!"

"I did her a service. The poor girl's practically feral. No one in the village wanted to look after her."

Little hands reached for him. At least, he assumed he was reaching. Naruto sighed.

"Well, she is kinda adorable-ouch! She bites!"

"I was first!"

"First at what?" He sat beside the girl.

She tucked her knees into her chest, bunching up her blue dress. "...who're you?"

EDIT: Hope these made you smile, and have a wonderful day~!

R&R~!