Iruka cocked his head to the side as we were crossing the middle-morning-sort-of-calm street. Our arms were full with a week of groceries for the both of us, Sklerijenn was still waving at us from behind the window and her counter in the drugstore. I had learned to recognize this gesture of his as him 'Seeing'. Fortunately, he was still aware of the world around him unlike some psychics we knew. His eyes quickly cleared, but I didn't ask until we were putting the papers bags in our battered pick-up. The sky was grey and windy, the weather shifting. I hoped it wasn't too bad on the sea yet.

    "Anything interesting?" He often Saw tiny things, feelings or emotions that weren't precise and not often of a help. He half-shook his head, as if not sure, then frowned, passing a hand in his long dark locks.

    "It was too quick, but I'd rather go to the station anyway. There was something - I can't pinpoint it."

    "Okay," I said, strapping my seatbelt on, and answering to the salute of Mick on the other side of the street. We had managed to draw an even the last time us and his pack had meet on the football field - playing against and with them was a lot of fun, for the players as much for the spectators - we weren't afraid to fight dirty and they weren't afraid to answer, knowing that we could handle it .

    I still don't know how the monthly football match became tradition for the whole town, but every single team, pack and clan attended it every time, turning to hockey once the winter hit.

    Make sports, not war.

    The Station was calm, but to our great surprise, Deputy Namiashi Raidou was behind the radio.

    "Man, I thought you were still on sick leave!"

    "Hey, I'm gonna think you're not happy to see me guys," he answered good-naturally. We clasped his good hand - he was still recovering from heavy burns sustained while on a particularly troublesome Hunt. "I was driving the wife crazy, and she said "better them than me"!"

    We laughed. Raidou's wife was a Witch and a natural Healer, and one of the most feisty woman around. No wonder they got it for each other.

    "So guys, since you're both off-duty and I very much doubt you're "Station-sick", anything I can do for you?" He said. Iruka answered.

    "I just wanted to see Chief Minato, he's here?"

    "Yeah, in his office, the Professor's here too."

    We nodded and got to the office's door.  'The Professor' Sarutobi was a "retired" Sheriff - but you never really retired when you were from around. We still took orders from him when needed. Assuring that the area was calm and that who needed it had help was our Clan's duty, and we carried it to the grave - and even longer. The professor just left when we entered, saluting us.

    "Kakashi, Iruka," saluted our superior, Sheriff Minato. Iruka sat in front of his desk, I stayed at the door, leaning against the thresold.

    "We came to inform you that I had a Feeling earlier - it seemed important but it was too fast for me to pick anything."

    Chief Minato nodded, got around his desk to get in front of Iruka. He put his hands on Iruka's temples, crouching to be at his height, forehead against forehead. After a minute, they opened back their eyes - Chief was frowning.

    "Stay on your guard kids."

    "Something bad?" I asked.

    Chief shook his head. Iruka was rubbing his temples and opening his mouth as if yawning. Chief's probes were leaving a slight itch for a few minutes behind them.

    "I don't know, but something is definitely coming up."

$$$


    We were half-asleep in the couch in front of a bad horror movie, my dog sprawled over on our feet, a few days later, when the 'something' reached his head. Asuma was pounding at our door, the little-seen-during-the-day sun having set between the two closer islands after the harbor for many hours already.

    "Emergency meeting at the Station, now!"

    The earlier sleepiness vanished and we drove to the Station, which was brightly lighted, orange light pouring out of the window onto the crowded parking lot, and the others run-down looking cars parked in the street. At this hour of the night, the neighbours wouldn't mind. Most of them knew what was going on here anyway.

    Beside the younger ones - the kids, mostly -, all of our Clan was there. There was barely enough place for all of us in the Station. Ibiki was behind the radio, I spotted the Professor, Genma, Zabuza, everyone. Chief Minato cleared his throat, even if we were already perfectly silent, attracting the attention of everyone to him. As was his usual, he got straight to the point.

    "Lenore's Vampire Clan is threatened. She called for help."

    This brought frowns and whispers on the assembly. Lenore had left with ten or so other vampires in hope to find or built another town as this one, this town becoming a bit too small for everyone. We hadn't had heard of them in a long time. We had all hoped their dream had come true. Lenore was a good friend of me and 'Ruka. She was a sweet 'iron fist in a velours glove' kind of girl, and also a charismatic leader.

    "All I've got is that they're dealing with Wayward Hunters."

    This brought more frowns and whispers, this time more angry and belligerent ones. I saw violent moves reprieved, snarls.

    We were a Hunter and Protector Clan. Some other Clans out there were exclusively Hunters, some exclusively Protectors, all of them drawing alliances, truces and conflicts between them. But it was something one was born into, as it had been done for centuries. Wayward Hunters were humans who stumbled on the Shadowed World and couldn't let go, let like bloodthirsty hounds on fresh trails, most of the time driven by anger, revenge or resentment - they killed anything and everything they found, not bothering to question what they did, what they killed, who they killed. But it had been agreed a long time ago that they had to be left out of our world, fearing that they would bring more harm than good. The sad thing - in my opinion - was that we couldn't ripe them a new one and/or get their heads out of their asses. Most of them were one-track-minded people who lived and breathed in for hunting, believing that what they were doing was 'Good'. Lose an 'o' and you'll get the depth of the reasoning of most of them. It was because of them Raidou had been injured. Everyone had a story with a Wayward Hunter, and they were bad ones more often than not.

    Iruka put his hand on my arm. I tempered down my thoughts - due to the fact we were partners, we had developed a bound, and with him being the psychic, he could feel me. The only thing me being angry would do was give him a headache.

    "I'm putting together a team to be send over to them - and Mark asked to be on. So step forward and into my office : Hatake, Umino, Inuzuka Rin..."

    Mark was the oldest Vampire here, and also Lenore's teacher. He was a wise guy, nice to hang around. We saluted with a nod when we entered the office. With him were Vincent and Steve, two of the most recent recruits, vampires rejected by their sires 'cause deemed 'thin-blood'. They had been adopted by Mark - pretty nice guys, they hadn't choose to become what they were unlike some. They were damned good at hockey too - blame it on the heightened senses. Going out of town would be good for them.

    Me and Iruka - we knew Lenore for one, and we had handled Wayward Hunters situations before. But I suspected Iruka's recent Feeling had motivated Chief for us to be send. They rest of them was the usual schema of team - one healer, Inuzuka Rin, some fighters, Sarutobi Asuma and Shiranui Genma, and Kamizuki Izumo, who was a powerful shield. All of us, we were nine people.

    I began throwing strategies and plans in my head. We would need at least three cars - one vampire in each because they could communicate between them, one fighter in each (including me), the rest dispatched. We would need to cover the distance by night too, and then in any case once on place we'd had to find a place to stay out of the sun - since the vampires were coming along.

    Unsurprisingly, Chief gave me the lead. He also gave us all the info he had - no more than he had already told us... beside the fact  that two of Lenore's had been found back dead, decapitated, that he had heard that a well-known Vampire killer Wayward Hunter named Gordon was in town and some of his sources had warned that  some Wayward Hunters brothers named Winchester were now on it too. The last name reminded me of something, but I couldn't get it right now.

    The drive to Lenore's current place, a hole called Red Lodge, would take around ten hours, avoiding the biggest cities around and all. We could do it - but we would have to do the drive in two parts.

$$$

    I drove while Iruka slept and Mark did whatever he did in the back seat of our pickup, my dog sleeping on one ear next to him, the radio dripping a low and steady stream of undifferencied country music . We had decided to take the shortest drive, the three cars all together. There was no point in getting separated - and besides, Izumo was making us low-profile with his shields. We didn't need to worry about rogue creatures, and the little police which was out at those ungodly hours on those back-country roads just didn't notice us, not that we used it to drove faster - it was very very night.

    We stopped twice, to stretch out a bit and switch drivers.

    Morning came, and we were forced to quickly check in a motel - Vampires don't exactly burn down in the sun, but they loose their edge, got slower and sluggish. Most of them prefer to stay inside in the day and sleep or do whatever they want to do. The older they get, the less effect the sun has on them - and the more 'thin-blood' they are, the more vulnerable to the sun they are. Asuma nearly carried Steve out of the car, the latter curled up in a tight ball. Vincent got out on his own, but shot toward one of the rooms we had rented like lightening. Mark choose to stay with the youngling. The non-vampires ones stayed busy, catching sleep, food, watching crappy TV shows.

    Iruka Saw twice more as we were waiting for the night to fall to continue our drive. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell me what it had been about, grasping just a general feeling out of it - one of warning.

    Reaching Lenore's place would take us four more hours. I was hoping it wouldn't be too late. The uneasy feeling in my guts since leaving our town had more firmly rooted since Iruka's Feelings.

$$$

    Midnight had well passed when we made it to Red Lodge. It was a little town, seemingly not very animated at this hour. We passed two motels, a bar, another motel, the police station. No sign of anything weird going on. We parked on a deserted parking lot, crowding around one hood to discuss what to do next. Mark sniffed the air when he climbed down, frowning.

    "Mark?" I asked.

    He frowned some more before answering, tapping the side of his nose. "The air smells like fresh blood. One more Vampire was killed this evening. The Waywards are still there." And if they were still there, Lenore was still there too.

    "So," said Asuma, lighting his nth cancer stick of the day, "can we go kick their asses?"

    "We find Lenore first," I countered. Her next logical move should be of leaving town - they were now exposed here, staying was unwise. In this logic, our goal would be of covering their trail. Wayward Hunters were hard to throw off one's trail - like I said earlier, they were like bloodthirsty hounds going for the kill.

    Mark, Vincent and Steve went a bit away from us to do whatever they were doing to find the other Vampires. 'Whatever' doesn't mean I'm not curious, but every Clan, Pack, Covent etceteras had their private stuff, and the others didn't put their noses in it. It was just a matter of good manners and privacy. And most of the time, we just don't want to know. If it worked, it was enough.

    We waited. The night was pleasant here, not cool with the ocean's wind as back home. Iruka was strangely silent. In fact, the had been silent since we passed the sign welcoming us in town. A silent Iruka wasn't a usual occurrence - I was the silent one.

    "You're okay?" I asked, tugging a bit on his shirt's sleeve. Asuma was still blowing clouds of toxic smoke, Genma leaning on his car's hood next to him. Rin and Izumo had chosen to go back in the cars. We were leaning against our pick-up. My dog had refused to get out of the car.

    He frowned, not answering. In the weird light of the parking lot, it seemed as if his scar had disappeared. I just watched him. I liked to watch him and it embarrassed him most of the time. He exactly knew what kind of effect he had on me, but he didn't knew what to do with this attention. He finally moved a bit, but without loosing his expression of grim focus.

    "There's something else here. I can't say what...I just... know, it's important, somehow..." His voice trailed off. The Vampires came back at this moment.

    "They're after the river," announced Mark, "on the South of town."

    "Okay... Everyone to the cars, you know what to do!"

    We followed Mark's directions - leaving the proper town behind us, passing a bridge over the river, following a dirt road... A house was in sight, brightly lighted, at the end of the dirt road, when Iruka put a hand on the wheel.

    "Wait!" He turned in his seat to face Mark. "Is this place Lenore's one?"

    Mark nodded. Iruka went on, turning again to face me. "There's three others people in here, non-vampires ones!"

    I stopped the car, cut all lights, climbed down. The two others cars stopped too. We took our weapons and crept toward the house, separated in three groups, same as the cars' ones.

    There were three cars in front of the farm, and one was open, many packages thrown on the back seats. I guessed it was Lenore's, and that they had decided to leave.

    The front door opened.

    "Freeze!" yelled many voices. The man who had got out stopped - I think Asuma's blades very next to his neck had a lot to do with this. Even I could see he wasn't a Vampire. But he had a Vampire in his arms. A bad looking one.

    "Lenore!" Mark and Rin shot to their feet toward them. He took Lenore from the young man's arms and Rin quickly went to work. Asuma's blades hadn't moved, and Genma had crept toward the half open door. Izumo had stayed behind, shutting the place off the world.

    What disturbed me the most though, was Iruka's reaction to the guy, who had stayed silent and more calm in an unknown situation than any other human I had met. He walked to him, faced him almost nose to nose if one overlooked the fact the guy was taller than me. And then he whispered low under his breath - but not low enough not to be heard.

    "Demon-blood... This whole town reeks of demon-blood and it follows you because you're the source..."

    "What?" squeaked Genma. He wasn't the only one surprised, but no-one lost its focus. I don't think the guy understood what had been said though.

    Noises of a brawl came from the inside of the house. I barked orders to put everyone back on track, my gun never leaving the guy. "Genma, Asuma, Vincent, Steve, inside and get whatever is in out." They went inside, leaving the rest of us. The guy was still on the front door's step, hands held at shoulder's height.

    "There's only my brother and another guy in," he said. It surprised me a bit. It wasn't often we had someone volunteering information.

    "We'll see," I said gesturing for him to climb down what was left of the steps, Iruka behind him. I gestured for him to stop at my arm's reach, forcing him to put his hands on his head and kneel in the dry grass. It's the better way I know to insure me-us of the maximum safety from humans. It doesn't have a lot of effect on other things out there in the night though.  Iruka stepped behind him, his head cocked a bit to the side, his dark eyes boring a hole into the young man's head.
   
    Mark snarled from where he was next to Rin and Lenore, and turned around faster than one could track with the eye to face the guy kneeling in the grass. "Dead man's blood," he spat, his fangs showing between his thin lips. "You sons of bitches!" He rose to his feet with careless grace - the kind a vampire shows when he's not paying particular attention to his movements, the kind that reminds you they're very, very far from humans, the kind that shows all their deadly predatory nature. He moved toward the guy.

    At this moment, the warriors and vampires came back from inside the house, two guys looking like they had met a brick wall between them. The younger looking one embraced the scene in one glance, and noticed - who wouldn't have?- Mark creeping toward the other guy.

    "Hey!" he shot. "Get away from my bro!" Okay, so that was the brother. I assumed those guys were the Winchesters, leaving the black guy being Gordon - the Vampire Killer. Mark changed course to meet them. If they were afraid, it didn't show - much. Everyone stopped at the feet of the stairs, Steve and Vincent, poker-faced, escorting Gordon to Mark. The other guy had been dragged by Asuma safely away from both others.

    "Sammy, you okay?" Bro asked, his eyes not leaving Mark. The other, 'Sammy', answered by a curt "I'm fine", his eyes roaming the scene.

    I don't know what the Vampires were doing; they seemed to be conversing between them, but I couldn't hear them from where I was. Mark finally addressed me from over his shoulder : "Hatake, I request jurisdiction over this human." The brothers shuffled a bit, apparently puzzled.

    "I don't have the authority to do so Mark, Chief Minato must be asked." He just nodded in answer.

    I walked toward Rin. Lenore was still laying on the ground, but she looked better than before. "Lenore... I was hoping to see you again into better circumstances." It drew a thin smile out of her.

    "Likewise."

    "Is anyone of yours still into town?"

    "Eli went to warn them - they should be here shortly."

    "Good." I then addressed Rin, asking her how long until the effects of the dead's blood would dissipate - given the amount, a good couple of hours. I walked back to Iruka's side, tapping into the seldom used link between us. Are they to be worried about right now? I send him, eyeing the brothers who hadn't piped up since Mark's question. He looked me in the eyes, and shook his head. Not now. Later, yes.

    "Asuma, Genma, see to our Vampire Killer guest with the rest." They barely nodded, their weapons suddenly vanishing into thin air. The standing bro lowered his arms carefully, as if expecting someone to attack. 'Sammy' rose back to his feet, taking a few step toward his brother. He practically jumped when Iruka put a hand on his shoulder - the other one whirled around, as if ready to fire. Good thing he didn't have a firearm on him anymore. Iruka's next words froze him into place though.

    "Demon-blood... Imprinted into you, part of you - the yellow-eyed one follows you like the North Star... Demon-blood... Demon of great power - too great to be allowed to cross those lands..."

    Iruka then shot his hand back as if he got burn, his eyes widening under the force of his Feeling back-lash. I quickly caught him as he stumbled backward. Everyone had heard this time, and everyone were looking at us, their faces into various degree of quiet horror and astonishment. The brothers were looking at him with very different expressions - 'Sammy''s eyes were wide in fear and disgust, his face very pale in the night, while the other was fuming, his brows furrowed, his mouth set into a hard line ; but I saw straight to it, or maybe it was Iruka's senses through our link telling me it was anger to hide terror.

    "Who are you-What the hell are you?!"

    I blatantly ignored Big Brother to address Mark. "Mark, Vincent, Steve, Genma, Asuma. You're going back home with our guest here. Rin, you and Izumo wait for the rest of Lenore's ones - once you're done covering them, you're to head straight back home too. You're all allowed to use force if necessary."

    "What about you bud?" asked Asuma around his cigarette butt.

    "It seems we're having one hell of a problem." And that was probably the understatement of the century.

    "Will someone explain what the hell is going on here?" half-shouted Big Bro.

    "I could, Wayward, but it seems we're having a little trouble," I shot back. Iruka got steadier on his feet, and I let him stand on his own. Genma had already started the red car's engine - Gordon one's - and the Vampire Killer had been hit into unconsciousness to be dragged back to Asuma's pick-up. Lenore was sitting up, still pale. Mark got back to her, then left. Lights from a half-dozain vehicles illumined the dirt road - Lenore's clan.

    The show was on the road. Time to call Chief Minato.

    "Hey, I asked a question here," shot Big Bro again.

    "The black beauty's yours?" I cut him, gesturing at the standing car. He started and 'Sammy' nodded. "Good," I said, "We need to have a chat in a less open area - so please, Big Bro follow me, and 'Sammy' follow him." I gestured for Iruka to move to the black car.

    "Hey, no-one but me drive her," protested Big Bro.

    "Not this time - you're following me," I made, deliberately turning my back on the human. I needed to have a minimum of trust here if I wanted them to follow us for once, and then them to listen to us. The guy strode to get at my level.

    "Y'know, we could have followed you fine in my car."

    "I don't take chances."

    My pick-up was the only one left where we had left the cars. "Get in," I said, and climbed in. The guy sat without too much complaining- I could feel his nervousness. Kinda normal in this kind of situation. Strangely, my dog didn't pipe up. I smirked.

    "Calm down bud, if we had wanted you dead, you'd be already." 

    He let out an explosive breath. "Jesus, I've never been so relived!"

    Cocky bastard. I liked the guy already, despite him being a Wayward Hunter. The lights of the black car shone in my rearview mirror, and I made a 'follow me' gesture out of the window.

    We drove in complete silence. I passed the town's boundaries, and kept driving till the next town - straight in the middle of nowhere. The only motel of the place, a shady little thing, was still open. I rented one room.

    Big Bro protested seeing it.

    "It won't kill you to share," I shot back, putting my pack next to Iruka's one on the bed closer to the door. Iruka was busy sealing the room from any exterior influence, but also from leaking any energy outside. We didn't had a Shield at hand anymore, and Iruka and me were a bit too visible to inhabitants of the Shadowed World. Moreover, it seemed we had a literal lighthouse with us. Without protection, our little group would be like a very, very bright light for all the kind of moths hiding in the night. While he was working, it was time for me to get chewed out - in the best case scenario. I got my phone out and dialed the Chief's personal number, facing the wall.

    <"Uzumaki's, who's calling?"> answered a young boy's voice. I smiled.

    "Heya kiddo, it's Kakashi. Is your father around?"

    <"Sure, I'm calling him." Sound of muted yelling. "He's coming.">

    "Thanks - but what are you still doing up?"

    <"Duh, it's full-moon! I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to! Here he is. See ya, Kakashi.">

    "See ya Naruto, and thanks!"

    <"Chief Minato speaking.">

    "Chief, the situation at Lenore's been cleaned out, Mark and co should be up shortly with a guest, and Rin and Izumo stayed to finish the job before going back."

    <"You haven't mentioned you or your partner.">

    "That's why I'm calling. We encountered an human possessing demon-blood. I request allowance to teach him."

    There was a sudden and oppressive silence on both side of the speaker. The brothers suddenly stopped bickering behind me, and Chief hold his breath.

    <"On which level does he possess demon-blood?">

    Iruka quickly linked the answer, which I relayed to Chief. "Psychic level, not fully developed. Iruka says dream-omen and probable power-tap, but that he doesn't have the capacity to say more."

    Chief sighed. <"Shit. It's one of the Winchester, isn't it? Stay with the guy for now, make sure nothing can get to him, and I call you back later. We need the High Council's agreement for that.">

    "All right, Chief. Later."

    <"And do not come back in town with him unless we're facing war, understood?">

    "Clearly."

    I put my phone back into its place, turning around to face the two humans and my man. The sounds coming from outside - the road, the buzzing light on the parking lot, a lone insect - suddenly died out as Iruka powered the circles sealing the room. I sighed loudly, relived. We were as safe as we could be out of home. Good. My dog opened an eye, then closed it back lazily.

    "What the hell was that, and that?" asked Big Bro, pointing to my phone first, then at the faintly glowing circles. I smiled.

    "You'd better sit down. This is going to be a very long talk."

    One sat on the bed, the other on one of the two chairs of the room. Iruka sat his back against the headboard, while I perched precariously on the tiny table.

    "All right, I think introductions are in order. I'm Kakashi, this is Iruka, the rug-alike on the floor here is Pakkun."

+++
End, and will probably never be picked up again.