Author:I'm going to put my notes at the end.
It had been a little while since Gaara had returned to the castle, and the werewolves were preparing for another assault. Hinata was left to train by herself, since Kiba had many other things to do. "Are you sure you want to be out on the front lines, Hinata?" Kiba asked quietly as the troops began filing out towards the battleground. The girl stared at him with pale eyes alight with determination. It was all the answer Kiba needed. He nodded curtly, just once, then both of them fell into the filing werewolves, making their way out to the field.
Kiba positioned Hinata at his side, wanting to make sure nothing would happen to her. But Hinata wasn't focused on him. Her gaze was focused on the army of vampires across from them, wings fully extended and their eyes glowing. "Hinata." Kiba growled suddenly, and the indigo haired girl turned to look at him. "Do not get in the way of any lycan tonight. It is likely they won't recognize you. Whatever you do, don't stray too far from me."
Hinata started to protest, then did some quick math in her head. Tonight was the full moon, when the werewolves were at their most powerful. Even as she watched, she could see Kiba's eyes glowing. His mouth and jaw were expanding outward, and his already clawlike hands were elongating. He dropped to all fours as his knees reversed, and his eyes turned from gentle brown to yellow. A wicked grin crossed his face, and he appeared not to notice Hinata any longer.
He tossed back his muzzle and let a howl erupt from his throat, one which increased in volume and pitch until it was near deafening. Every other werewolf added his voice to the chorus ad they completed their own transformation, and Hinata drew her sword from over her shoulder, filled with a sudden strength. But that strength melted away as suddenly as it had come, for the vampire lifted their cries in their own song, one much more frightening than any sound she had ever heard. The shrieks absorbed the very air, and the werewolves might not have existed at all. Without warning, both sides leaped forward. Hinata sprang with the tide of surging bodies, leveling her sword before her and adding her own voice to the roar of battle.
She watched the vampires drawing closer, their wings carrying them faster than any werewolf could run on land, and she could barely keep up with the werewolves as it was. With a deafening clash, the two armies collided. Hinata's gaze narrowed to only one vampire, the one directly in front of her, and she swung her sword in a sharp arc, cutting him down before he had a chance to strike. Another soon followed, with a third and fourth just after that. From the corner of her eye, she could see werewolves tearing vampires to pieces, and visa versa, and prayed Kiba wasn't one of them. She continued to move the blade in a rythmic motion, marveling at the fact that she had yet to sustain an injury. Just when the thought crossed her mind, there was a sickening screech behind her and she whirled around only to receive a sharp stab to the shoulder.
Letting out a cry of pain, her sword fell to the ground, sliding out of the grip of her now useless arm. The vampire only tightened his grip, long talons deep inside her shoulder. With a deft stroke of his wings, he began to lift her from the ground. Hinata's eyes widened. She knew being carried from the earth by a vampire with murder in his eyes was as good as death. She pulled a dagger from where it was strapped to her upper leg and drove it deep into the vampire's chest. He released her instantly, and she fell to the ground hard, letting her legs crumple beneath her to absorb some of the impact. The vampire reeled above her, clutching at the dagger in his heart, and Hinata scrambled to her feet.
No time to worry about that vampire now. He would die, and she needed to find her sword. Glancing around, her eyes found the weapon's hilt. Stumbling over towards it, she wrapped her hand desperately around the sword and whirled around, able to feel someone breathing down the back of her neck. She could tell instantly that this vampire was higher ranked. His fangs were longer, and his wings were larger. With a cry of exertion, she thrust the sword upwards into his abdomen, putting her entire body into the motion and driving the weapon in all the way up to it's hilt. The vampire winced, black blood seeping from his mouth, and staggered away from the Hyuuga, who tried to stand but failed. The initial adrenaline had worn off, and she was feeling the pain in her sprained ankle now more than ever.
But this vampire...A vampire she was sure was a vampire lord, wasn't dying. He wrapped unnaturally long fingers around the sword's handle and pulled it slowly from his body, the entire time his red eyes bore into Hinata, who remained half kneeling on the bloodstained earth, eyes wide in panic. She saw a blur from her peripheal vision and didn't have time to look at the source until it collided bodily with her enemy. Forcing herself to get up, she staggered a little, and her eyes found Kiba, tangled with the vampire. The fight was over quickly, and the werewolf looked back at Hinata, a grin on his wolven face.
Hinata returned the smile after a moment, and took a step towards him, but stopped instantly. Something was wrong. The blood pooling beneath Kiba wasn't the vampire's. It was his. "Kiba-kun!" Hinata whispered, rushing to his side. He winced a little, the fur around his ribcage stained with the blood still seeping from the gash in his flesh. Hinata's eyes widened, and so did Kiba's. He lunged at her, and Hinata threw herself to the ground so the werewolf soared over her head. The girl heard a thud and a screech from behind her and whirled around to see Kiba and a pair of vampires locked in combat. She cast her gaze around wildly for her sword, but the ground was so stained with muck that she couldn't see. A gutwrenching howl from behind her nearly stopped her heart, and she looked urgently back at Kiba, who lay beneath a vampire, it's hand through the werewolf's chest.
"Kiba!" Hinata sprang forward, bringing one hand back behind her head. She felt a surge of power absorb from her blood into her hand, and caught a light surrounding it from the corner of her eye. She thrust the hand towards the vampire's back, and her fingers sank into and through his flesh, penetrating as far as the heart. The vampire let out a scream of pain, looking over its shoulder at the Hyuuga, whose eyes were still wide in astonishment. Quickly, she withdrew her hand. The vampire took a few steps towards her then sank slowly to his knees.
Immediately, Hinata clambered up the small slope to Kiba's side. He had gone back into his human form, which Hinata knew wasn't a good thing. "Kiba-kun...can you hear me?" Hinata whispered, tapping the werewolf's face lightly. He squeezed open one eye, then grinned a little and opened the other one. "Kiba...Hold on." Although Hinata didn't know why she was saying that. There was nothing she could do. She wasn't very medically inclined, but she knew a shot straight through the ribs and another through the abdomen was fatal.
"The second wave will be starting soon, Hinata...I need you to lead the werewolves. They need someone at their front, they need a leader." Hinata was shaking her head while Kiba spoke. She didn't want him to die, she didn't want to have to fight this alone. "Hinata! Listen to me!" Kiba growled, grasping the girl's upper arm. Reluctantly, Hinata looked at the dying lycan. "Lead them...Lead the charge. Finish this fight. The last vampire lords will come out in the second wave..." His claws dug into her arm. "Promise...you'll get to Gaara." He rasped, and Hinata gritted her teeth so she wouldn't wince.
"I promise, Kiba."
There was no funeral. Not this time. The bodies were cleared from the battlefield by medics, and lain out respectfully by the trees. Vampires dissolve when they are killed, so there was no honored place of rest for any of their soldiers. Hinata, still unable to find her sword, made her way back to the tents, where a medic named Shino tended to her. Hinata knew Shino and Kiba had been close, and found she couldn't look the other directly in the eye.
"You're lucky, this could have severed your arm entirely." Shino said, breaking the silence for the first time and causing Hinata to jump slightly. He pulled up the sleeve of her shirt, then paused and took out a knife. Hinata's eyes widened a little, but she trusted him. He simply cut away her sleeve, since it was getting in the way. Then he poured some sort of stinging liquid over the wound and sewed it shut. Through the entire process, Hinata forced herself not to cry out. She could tell doing so raised Shino's opinion of her, if only a little. "Did he say anything to you, when he died?" He asked suddenly, and Hinata frowned, biting her lower lip.
"Yes." She didn't continue instantly, gathering the words beforehand to keep her voice steady. "He wants...Wanted...me to lead the second wave."
Shino's eyebrows lifted and he ceased stitching the wound, looking at her with obvious surprise in his gaze. "That is a great honor, Hinata. Kiba cared for nothing more than his soldiers..." He tied the thread at the end and proceeded to wrap her ankle with a length of gauze.
"I...didn't know." Hinata replied meekly, feeling the weight of such a responsibility on her shoulders. Shino seemed to sense her hesitation and glanced up. Standing, he gazed down at the girl in front of him with a blank expression.
"But he would not have asked it of you unless he knew you could do it."
Hinata looked at him, blinking, then smiled. Standing, she tested her leg's stability. It was sore, but she found she could walk on it. "Arigato, Shino." She said quietly, and he nodded, leaving her alone in her tent. She made her way back to the cot in one corner, to where someone had left her new equipment. She still wore the loose pants and cotton t-shirt directly over her skin, but this...This stuff was definitely new. Over her torso went a battered chain mail shirt, one that hung down to her knees. Metal plates were strapped to her shins, low enough that they wouldn't hinder her movements, but would still protect her. Leather greaves went over her forearms, and as Hinata went to pick up one of the last items, she frowned. It was some sort of leather band, with a part that rose up nearly perpendicular to the rest of the leather. She puzzled over it for a few seconds until she glanced in the battered mirror leaning against the tent wall.
The only part of her body left horrible exposed was her throat. Suddenly understanding, she lifted the leather collar to her neck and fastened it around her collarbone and throat. Satisfied, she returned to the battleclothes lying on the cot. They were not the same ones she had worn last time. The tunic was a deep shade of purple, and the pants were black. After pulling them on, she tied her belt around her waist, tying her hair out of her face with a leather chord. She hardly recognized herself. But there was still the problem of weapons. Ducking out of her tent, she made her way back towards the battlefield, where the weapons of the deceased or severely injured were lain out.
But still, her sword wasn't there. Hinata wrapped her arms around her waist, frowning. "Need some help?" Hinata turned to look at one of the few female werewolves.
"Yes...I lost my sword out in the fight and I can't find it-"
"Here," The lycan leaned down, brushing aside a few spears and lifting a pair of thin swords, grasping their blades and offering them to Hinata.
"Oh...I don't usually fight with twin swords..."
The lycan tilted her head to one side. "So? You're too small for a long sword, you'll fight much better with these, trust me."
"But...The person who trained me-!" Hinata started to protest, but stopped cold at the look on the werewolf's face. She was nearly laughing. "Wh-what?"
"Vampires fight with long swords, Hinata. Werewolves use their hands, or small weapons." The werewolf pushed the swords into Hinata's hands, who recognized the gesture as one of acceptance.
"...Thank you." She said quietly. The lycan nodded, then pointed over Hinata's shoulder. "It is almost time."
Hinata felt the pressure of every soldier's eyes on her. The silence was absolute on the battlefield, the clouds overhead blocking the moon. It was already drizzling lightly, the tiny raindrops creating a light drum on the armour of the werewolves. Within a few seconds, the rain turned into a veritable downpour, and Hinata was soaked to the bone within seconds, the mud squelching around her boots whenever she moved. She heard the werewolves behind her strike up a drum, and felt her heart pounding in her chest. In this fight, there would be less soldiers. But these were the best of the best. And they would look to her for encouragement.
A loud screech echoed from the vampire side of the field as their fighters began filing out. The drumming stopped. Every last vampire was a lord. At least six feet tall, with enormous wings with a span of at nearly ten feet. Their eyes glowed red through the pouring rain, and Hinata trembled a little. She had to close her eyes to shut out the panic and tried to focus. Behind her, she could feel at least a hundred werewolves. Their warmth and presence was enough to comfort her. It was as if their hearts beat together. Her eyes snapped open, newfound determination on her face. She threw her head back and let out a long howl. For a moment, she felt foolish, as if the lycans would make fun of her. But instead, she heard every one of them raise their own voices in a single, powerful note.
"LYCANS!" Hinata cried out, drawing her swords from her sides. "Tonight, we fight for those we lost, for the same things your forefathers fought for!" She could hear the drumming behind her pick up again, but didn't look over her shoulder. Her gaze was focused on the vampires across the field. "Tonight, we settle quarrels centuries old!" An excited growl began stirring behind her, and she could feel the sounds reverberating in her ribcage. It was power, it was unity. The rain poured harder, and Hinata grinned wildly, for the first time in her life, she felt like she could really do anything. "Tonight! We are one!" She crouched, then leveled her swords at her sides. "TONIGHT! WE FIGHT!"
She launched forward, and felt the werewolves launch after her. She didn't have any doubt that they would follow. This time, the battle was different. Her energy carried her through every individual fight, no matter how difficult it was. And the swords felt natural in her hands. They moved like an extention of her very arms, whipping through the air with unnerring accuracy. But she noticed that this time, she had to fight harder, for she was tiring much faster. She lost track of how many vampires she cut down, and after wrenching her sword from the abdomen of her current opponent, things seemed to slow. She whirled around, only to receive a sword directly to the stomach.
Her eyes widened, and she looked down slowly. Somehow, the chain mail had held. But the blow knocked all the air from her chest, and the long sword was such that she couldn't get close enough to the vampire who held it. The wicked grin on his face froze her heart and as he pulled the weapon away from her, she sank to her knees, clutching at her abdomen. A cough racked her slim frame and she felt blood escape her mouth, running down her chin. That couldn't be a good sign. Slowly, she staggered to her feet, taking in the vampire's appearance. He was waiting for her to attack him. Wrapping her fingers around her swords, she straightened, panting.
The fighting lycans and undead around them had cleared something of a fighting ground, a circle around her and the vampire lord. She didn't recognize him from her time in the castle, but he was clearly powerful. He swung his sword around to his side, letting it hang loosely in his hand, and continued to look down at Hinata, gaze cold. "Come on then, girl." He hissed, the nails on his free hand elongating into talons. Hinata hesitated, feeling a small prick of fear for the first time since the second wave had started. She didn't want to fight this vampire. But she didn't have a choice, for he lifted his sword and started towards her. "Fine then. I'll come to you."
He swung his sword up and around, bringing it's blade down towards the top of Hinata's head with crushing force. The Hyuuga lifted both her swords and crossed them. The three blades met in a crash of sparks, and the power of the vampire's attack drove Hinata down on one knee. Her hands and arms shook with the strain of keeping the blade away from her shoulder, eyes squeezed shut. Narrowing his eyes, the vampire gripped the sword with his other hand, and Hinata let out a tiny sound of frustration, driven down to both knees.
She could feel her grip slipping, and for a moment, thought this was it. This would be the end for her. But she didn't want to die here. Not now. Not like this. And she hadn't been reunited with Gaara yet. 'No.' She thought desperately. 'I won't die until I can feel his arms around me again.' She opened her eyes slowly, breathing hard. "Gaara." She whispered. "Gaara..." She felt power soar in her blood again, renewing her energy, and shoved upward with a great surge of strength. The vampire was pushed back, a feral growl escaping his lips. Hinata staggered with a cry of pain. Something was wrong. Why was there blood dripping from the vampire's talons?
She looked down at her left forearm. Three ragged gashes ran from her elbow to her wrist, the rain spurring the blood along. Shivering, she lifted her gaze to the vampire, suddenly feeling very cold. As he started forward, she saw a shape come hurtling out of the sky, crashing into the vampire. There was an explosion of blood and Hinata shielded her eyes. When she opened them again, she hardly recognized the gore-splattered redhead she had fallen in love with. "Gaara!"
The vampire grinned widely, winking at Hinata before turning and driving his sword through another lord behind him. Suddenly, everything grew quiet. Gaara tensed, looking back at Hinata then over her shoulder. Hinata followed his gaze, to where a single vampire lord was starting towards them. "Itachi..." He seemed to tower over all the vampires, and when his gaze met the young Hyuuga's, she froze. She couldn't move. Not even when he got close to her, lifting his sword. 'MOVE!' She told herself wildly. But she couldn't. She couldn't look away from those obsidian eyes, pools of darkness that she couldn't emerge from.
There was a flash of silver, when the blade soared through the air towards her neck. Leather wouldn't protect her against something that strong. And yet, Hinata still couldn't move. She managed to close her eyes, as if somehow that could lessen the blow. But it never came. There was a clash of metal on metal, and her eyes flew open to see Gaara locked in combat with the older Uchiha. It was over quickly. Too quickly. Itachi lay dissolving on the ground, and time seemed to stop. Hinata looked slowly to the left and saw Sasuke emerging out of no where behind Gaara.
"No!" She screamed, suddenly able to move again. She ran forward, but the very air itself was trying to hold her back. Gaara turned as if in slow motion, his eyes widening as he saw the blade moving towards him. Hinata reached out and grabbed his shoulder, throwing her body against his just as she felt an incredible impact in her back.
Suddenly, time was moving again. Hinata clung to Gaara's shoulders, breathing staggered. The chain mail had completely failed and the sword had gone completely through her body, the tip emerging from her stomach. The pain was overwhelming, and she couldn't think of anything else. Sasuke wrenched the blade from her flesh and she threw her head back, mouth open in a silent scream. The blood started falling faster now, and she knew the wound was serious. Gaara looked down, gritting his teeth. "Hinata..." He placed one hand over the wound on her stomach, as if he could somehow stem the flow of blood.
"Kill him... Gaara." Hinata murmured, pushing Gaara away. He started to protest, then nodded and slowly pulled away from the Hyuuga, turning towards Sasuke. Almost instantly, Hinata sank to her knees, the will to stand slipping away. Her vision blurred, the rain making it difficult to see even as Gaara drew his sword, pumping the air with the wings that exploded from his back. The Uchiha and the redhead met in a clash of talons and swords unlike anything she had ever seen before. Things started to get dark, and slowly she fell down into the icy mud, her face turned to the side as she watched the fight, both vampires whirling together.
She saw one of them fall to the ground with a dull thump, and watched as the other landed. She couldn't tell which was which until the victor knelt at her side, gently turning her onto her back and cupping her face in his hand. "Gaara..." She whispered through clumsy lips. The agony on his face hurt more than the wound itself. He lifted her, holding her against his chest, and buried his face in her hair. She closed her eyes, smiling faintly. She really wouldn't mind, dying like this.
But she wasn't dead. Somehow, her heart was still beating. She didn't really understand, not even when she saw the faint light around her wound, glowing slightly. "Hinata..." Gaara lifted his finger to his lips, tasting her blood, and tears filled his eyes, hardly visible through the rain. "You're..." But Hinata didn't need him to finish. It wasn't her power that was healing her wound. It was her baby's. Hers, and Gaara's. A dry sob escaped her throat, and she wrapped her arms tightly around Gaara's neck. She just wanted him to hold her
The vampires fled once the sun began to rise, and the werewolves lifted their voices in a roar of triumph. It all seemed irrelevant, unreal.
She never slows down.
She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like its all coming down
She won't turn around
The shadows are long and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down
Hinata lifted her gaze to Gaara's, who smiled warmly and lowered his lips to hers, capturing them in an incredible kiss that erased all pain from Hinata's mind.
So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found
You stand in the rain
The werewolves won their land back, and laid out each of their honored dead on their own funeral pyres, the vampires having been banished back to wherever they came from. Gaara stood with Hinata at his side, one arm wrapped protectively around her waist as they watched Kiba's pyre burn.
She won't make a sound
Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands she'll fall down
She wants to be found
The only way out is through everything she's running from wants to give up and lie down.
"We did it, Hinata. We survived." Gaara murmured, kissing the top of the Hyuuga's head gently. She smiled and tilted her forehead against his chest.
So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
"But not everyone survived...Was it really worth it in the end?" Hinata whispered. Gaara didn't reply immediately.
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found
You stand in the rain
"Every one of our friends who died would have wanted to die the way they did, fighting for what they believed it. We saved lives. In the end, war is never truly worth it. We just have to remember those we love, and never forget what they died for." He said finally.
So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
Stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found
"And you, Gaara? What will you do now?" Hinata hadn't wanted to ask the question, but found it falling from her mouth anyway.
"Now? I'll stay with you, and we'll live together for many years, and I'll watch our children grow up around us. And every day, every moment i'm with you, i'll treasure you, i'll hold you, and i'll love you."
"I love you too, Gaara." Hinata said softly, and Gaara tilted her chin up, smiling with his eyes as they kissed.
So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day, whats lost can be found
You stand in the rain
Author: Well? What did you think? I originally had this huge epic battle planned out with Sasuke and Itachi and Gaara dying on the rooftop and afterwards Hinata went to face the rest of the vampires on her own and it was just way too complicated, so I simplified it into this. It's also a happier ending, I think. Reviewwwww please. And thank you for reading.