A/N: UPDATE, UPDATE, UPDAAATE! Here it is! The long-awaited chapter 27! *applause* Yes! I am back and ready to show you what I've come up with! This chapter is one of my longer ones (to make up for my lack of presence) and there's also a surprise for WillowingWisdom a.k.a Soul as I knew her when last we spoke. So keep reading until the end to find out! It's a late, late, late, late, late birthday present, or a very early one, depending on how you look at it LOL So I hope she enjoys it and I hope you guys do too because I LOVE this chapter! Ok, I'll shut up and let you get to it!

Fix! (2/18/13) Ok! When I posted this chapter yesterday, I THOUGHT something was off about Nakita! Then I realized! How stupid! I'd accidentally switched from 1st person to 3rd because of writing a report about a woman I interviewed for one of my college classes a few days ago! *smacks forehead* Anyway, I fixed it! And now all is right with the world :)

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, except Nakita, and I will say no more! (Man, these are a waste of time)

"I'm starrrrrrvvvviiiiiing!"

"You're always starving, Hige. It would be weird if you weren't."

"Hmph, I am NOT always starving…just when I haven't had food is all."

"Oh, is THAT all?"

"Guys…" Toboe whined, shifting so that he was gripping the bars of his cell and peering into the darkness of what he now knew to be Hige's and Blue's cell. It was too dark to make anything out, even with his keen night vision, but he could guess what the scene would look like. Hige would be slouched in the corner with his hand propped atop his stomach, complaining, while Blue would be glaring at him through slitted eyes. This very scene had occurred many times over the course of their travels together.

"Sorry Toboe…this place…it sucks the life out of you and makes you focus on all the bad." Blue sighed and pulled her trench coat closer about her small frame. "It's cold, too, and wet, which makes it that much harder to keep a positive outlook."

"Yeah, but most of all there's no foo-"

CLICK * CLICK

The locks on both cell doors sprung free simultaneously, jarring rust off the decade's old metal. Blue, Hige and Toboe stared at their doors wonderingly.

"Hey, Toboe, didya catch that? Whattya think-"

SLAM * SLAM

Both cell doors flew open with such force that the hinges snapped, causing them to clang noisily to the floor where they bounced several times before falling eerily silent. The three inmates could only gape, unable to grasp what had just happened. No one spoke for a minute, two minutes, until finally a soft breeze blew through the cell hallway, lifting the hairs on each of the wolves' arms. Yet this breeze was no ordinary gust of air. It was thick, heavy, like one would expect ink to be. And then it spoke…

"Come…with…me…"

"…and when I was eight, Zali took me on my first hunt. But there wasn't much in the city even then, so all I had to chase down were a couple of rabbits that had wandered into the city looking for food. They were easy. Too stringy for my tastes, but I was proud of myself for being able to kill something other than time, so I ate them and was glad for it."

"Ya? So that's how your first hunt went, huh? No wild buffalo chase? You didn't even get hurt? Pffft, how lame."

Nova scowled, a wrinkle forming between her eyes. "I was EIGHT, Tsume, ok? I wasn't some hotshot like you." She applied emphasis on the you, turning a complimentary statement into a sarcastic dig. A dig well placed, Nova decided, when Tsume's right eyebrow twitched. She chuckled, satisfied.

"You know what? You're pretty annoying. Like Toboe, but worse because you're a gir-"

Nova's strike was quick and fierce. The slap jerked Tsume's head completely to the side, leaving a nice red mark firmly in the middle of his cheek. With widened eyes, he reached to touch the throbbing spot. All trace of laughter had left Nova's face, replaced by her usually haughty mask.

"For you own sake, don't finish that sentence." Her voice was steel and it…kind of turned him on. Yet he was furious for allowing her to take advantage of him like that. He swiveled on his butt to face her, veins already popping out on his forehead.

"What the hell is your problem?! One second you're joking about hunting, the next you're slapping me! What are you, bipolar?" He rubbed his injured cheek woefully, wondering how he'd let a little scrap of a wolf like her get to him so quickly. He was surprised to find his anger already beginning to flicker out. It was further doused when she gasped and snatched back her hand, turning her head to the side and refusing to meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I just…don't like those kinds of jokes. My old pack was very patriarchal, and the women were treated as nothing more than broodmares. That's why there is only one left. Zali's mate. She likes the laid-back life. I didn't…and got teased mercilessly by the males for it. Zali would protect me when he could, but he couldn't be seen acting weak or he'd be challenged immediately. So I…I let them make fun of me, always telling myself I'd leave when I got the chance." She trailed off, obviously lost in her memories.

Tsume huffed and pulled her close, turning his head away with a scowl to pretend he was only doing it because he was the only one there to do things like that. Nova sniffed away her tears and leaned into him, secretly relishing in his warmth. They sat like that for some time, each wrapped up in their own thoughts while both periodically stole glances at the other.

From across the room, the single door's lock clicked softly. Tsume jerked his head up, cocking it to listen for any other sounds. Nova shifted into a sitting position against the wall and copied him, narrowing her eyes in concentration. The room was silent now. Eerily so. The hairs on each of their arms stood on end and Tsume growled low in his throat warningly. Nova wrinkled her nose, sniffing. Both pairs of eyes were trained on the door, so they both quickly jumped to their feet in defense when it began inching open. The hinges screeched a protest, loudly echoing in the small empty room. Tsume brought his freshly healed fist up and popped his knuckles, smirking devilishly.

"Time to play!" he growled, and shot forward.

Nova shouted, "Wait!" and reached to grab him and stop him but her fingers only clawed air. She cursed silently and followed his lead, her own health fully regenerated.

Tsume was closing in on the door (and the intruder) when a sight he had never expected to see again stopped him dead in his tracks. His mouth fell open and he stumbled back, shocked. Nova jerked to a stop beside him and barked a laugh, too stunned to do anything else.

A shaggy brown head peeked past the door at the two and grinned stupidly. "Hey guys! Whatcha doin'?"

Kiba ran, not thinking, not feeling. Just running. He'd found his rhythm now, with nothing to slow him down until he reached Jagara. He didn't even allow himself to think of Nakita. Where she was concerned, his emotions were jumbled and too hard to sift through. He loved her, yes, but something was different about her. She'd changed and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Whereas before she'd been a light-hearted, steel-spined alpha with an aura of power, now she was a shriveled up cask of her former self. The aura was gone, replaced with somber acceptance. And her steel spine had been melted. The very thought of this "new" Nakita stabbed his heart with fear and sorrow. He didn't want to give up on her, but her injuries couldn't be fixed. Physical injuries he could deal with, but emotional and psychological…? The only person who could save her now was herself, so he'd decided that he'd help settle her soul by killing Jagara and avenging their unborn pups.

The very thought of Jagara made his heart pound and his chest tighten in hatred. His canines descended and saliva pooled in his mouth. His pupils lengthened, his wolf trying to claw to the surface. He almost let it, thinking he'd feel better in his true form. But something stopped him. Thoughts of the others: of Hige, Blue, Toboe, Tsume, Nakita and now Nova…their images brought him strength to push his instincts to the back of his mind. They were counting on him to defeat Jagara, and he knew he wouldn't get anywhere near her without thinking things through and coming up with a plan. So far, he had nothing. His style was more spontaneous: jumping in and hoping for the best. But he knew she would be expecting something like that. So instead of rushing, he began to slow down and think.

He was merely trotting now, silently tossing plans around in his head and then throwing them away. He snarled and punched his fist into an open palm. Nothing he came up with sounded even halfway decent. They all revolved around him having the upper hand in that Jagara didn't know where he was. But the truth was…he didn't know where she was. Which of course led to the thought of how to find her. The answer? Impossible. This was her keep and he was on her turf. It was similar to an unattached male wolf slinking into an alpha's territory spoiling for a fight. The alpha had the advantage of the home, knowing where all the good ambush places were and understanding the layout of the land in general, and how far his territory extended. He could keep chasing the loner for miles, always leading him to the edge of the territory just to bring him back in, flagging his strength and finally running him down.

He felt like that lone wolf right about now. Jagara had kept him running until he'd finally run out of steam, and now she would be springing the trap and grabbing him by the throat. He couldn't let that happen. He had to find her before she found him. He had just made up his mind to begin sniffing at each panel in the wall when a gust of freezing cold air whipped his jacket's collar about his neck and flung his hair every which way. His arm hair stood on end and his canines descended once again, only faster this time. He spun around, fully expecting this to be Jagara's attempt to finally get ambush him. His skin began to blur into fur and his eyes began shining, shifting quickly between greenest emerald to brightest gold.

However…there was nothing there. Just the empty hallway stretching for miles. He blinked, confused, yet still alert. His wolf form began fading, the immediate threat having disappeared. He inhaled slowly, taking in all the scents and identifying them. Nothing out of place; just the sterile smell of cleaner and the tang of metal.

"Look at me, jumping at shadows…"

"You are right. I am but a shadow of my former sssssself."

Kiba, having just turned back to resume running, swung around and raised his fists threateningly. "Ergh, who are you!? Show yourself!" His eyes flitted from one side of his head to the other, trying to identify the source of the voice. It had sounded masculine, so he knew it wasn't Jagara speaking. It could be a guard, yet surely she wouldn't send just one after him. She wasn't stupid, nor was she so merciful. Kiba's hair bristled and he gritted his teeth, becoming impatient.

"I said, who are you!? Come out and-!"

"BE SILENT!"

Even Kiba balked at the volume and authority in the voice and immediately closed his mouth. A slight tremor wracked his body, yet he couldn't help himself. Something about this voice was menacing and he could sense bloodlust just beneath the surface. To top it off, he couldn't see who was speaking, so he didn't know where an attack, if any, would come from. He was definitely outmatched here.

"Do you want to hear what I have to say, or do you wish to bring every soldier within a mile here?"

Kiba nodded silently, seething inside at how easily he'd been ambushed when he'd been preparing himself for just such an occasion.

"Good, I see you have some common sense. I would expect that in an alpha, even one as young as you. Now pay attention. I won't repeat myself.

Nakita is safe…for the moment, though she's been injured. The male who identified himself as her brother was an imposter and attacked her while she was alone. She has dealt with him, but at a great personal cost.

Your friends are safe as well. Three were in the dungeons and two were in a locked supply room. I've released them all from their confinement and sent them to Nakita's location. I'll lead you there as well. I've also taken the liberty of clouding all of Jagara's security cameras. However, this will most assuredly draw attention to the lot of you, so you'll need to hurry to your friends after this conversation.

I can see you want to know who I am: this is not important. What's important is that you return to your pack and escape while you can. You're not strong enough to face Jagara right now. You've allowed her to split up your pack and further demoralize you by using that boy, Raiden. Sloppy, boy, very sloppy. You still have much to learn about what it means to be an alpha."

"I didn't ask for-"

"And yet here you are! Learn to adapt to the situation! Do this, or die. Every alpha who has ever lived knows and lives by this simple creed. You should follow their example. This 'rescue mission' would have gone much smoother and you MIGHT have defeated the witch. But right now, in the state you're in, you wouldn't even be able to touch her.

Now then, are you willing to let me guide you to your friends and help you escape? Or do you still wish to follow through with your half-assed plan to find and kill someone who you know nothing about, much less where to find her?"

Kiba's lip curled. He was furious. Not just at this voice filled with contempt, but at himself for letting all of this happen in the first place. He knew the voice was right. He knew he should have had more of a plan and more control over his pack before leading them into this situation. He knew he'd failed Nakita and not the other way around. Just thinking about her and what he said to her…he was ashamed. How could he have placed so much of the blame squarely on her, when it was his failure as an alpha male to keep his pack safe that got her kidnapped and experimented on? And not only Nakita, but Toboe, Hige, Blue, Tsume and Nova too. They'd been through hell to help him fix everything and he'd given them the cold shoulder because he was too wrapped up in his own self-pity. What did that make him?

Kiba took a breath and gritted his teeth. He looked to where the voice had been emanating from and lifted his chin. "I'll go with you. I want my pack returned to me and I want…" his voice faltered but he forged on. "I want to become strong; strong enough to protect everyone. And strong enough…to kill her."

He could feel the voice's approval as the air around him became charged. Suddenly, a shape began to appear in front of Kiba. Green eyes widened as a human outline formed and darkened until an inky figure stood before him, red eyes glowing brightly from a featureless face.

"I've extended too much of myself to fully materialize, so this is what you get. My name is Kido…now, if you'll follow me?"

Fully dressed once again, I had drifted as far from her "brother's" dead body as the room had allowed. The darkness that had once been was no more. I could still plainly see his naked body, covered in congealed blood and silently rotting. I bit my lip, willing strength into myself. I wanted to stay strong for the pack and for Kiba. I knew he'd been right when he'd said I'd given up and allowed things to happen to me. Mentally I was still broken, but I was working to seal the jagged edges back together. I'd cried all I could and now I felt fresh, rejuvenated.

So I decided then and there to stop being a victim and finally do something about this hopeless situation. My fists clenched and my spine stiffened. "I'm getting the hell out of here!" I screamed defiantly to anyone who cared to listen.

With new purpose, I sprinted to the nearest wall and began feeling My way down it. I'd gotten in here somehow, so logically there had to be a way out. No way would Jagara make a room that could only be accessed by one sliding trap door. That was no way to present yourself to your enemy.

My questing fingers slowly stilled on the cold metal of the wall. My shoulders began to shake. Suddenly, a giggle escaped. Soon I was nearly convulsing on the floor, the image of Jagara sliding down a tube to land on her butt in front of her prisoners foremost in my mind. Tension melted off of me as tears of laughter replaced the many tears of sadness that had previously been shed. It felt wonderful to finally have something to laugh about. My uncalled for and undignified snorts began to taper off as I slumped against the wall.

"You know things have changed when you can laugh about something so morbid…" The walls listened in silence, remaining apathetic to my cause. I shook my head. "No! No more bad thoughts! Gotta be productive! Find a door and get the hell out!" Inspired once again, I resumed probing the walls and soon added my excellent nose to the mix, sniffing after every other inch of ground I covered with my hands and fingers. While unbeknownst to me, Raiden's body had disappeared…

"Hey, Floaty Man! Are we almost there? Ouch! Hey! Tsume!"

"Can you not shut up for five seconds! What does it matter if we're almost there? We'll get there when we get there!"

"Ya, but…Nakita could be really hurt, or even dying! We have to hurry!"

"Her injuries are slight. She will be fine until we arrive. I've been keeping watch over her even before I found you lot, so she's safe."

"Okay, but you still haven't told us exactly how we're gonna get outta this place after we rescue her. And where's Kiba? I thought you said you'd found him!" Hige huffed.

"You just let me worry about escape. As for the alpha, he's right-"

"Here!"

All five wolves stopped mid-run and swung around to face the voice of their alpha. Kiba shot around a hidden corner, followed by a dark mass shaped like a human. Toboe was the first to run and greet him, giving him a quick squeeze and then contenting himself with jumping circles around him while the others gave their own welcomes. Tsume, however, hung back, still irked about their earlier fight. Kiba's cool eyes met Tsume's steely ones, but each finally nodded to the other in their turn.

"I'm so glad you're here, Kiba!" Toboe whined, bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Yes, it's good to have you back," Blue agreed.

"What took you so long, idiot," Nova sniffed.

"Yes, yes, the pack has reunited –mostly- but there's still the issue of time. I've clouded the cameras, but Jagara has bound to notice the interruption by now and will be suspicious. She'll be sending out a platoon if she hasn't already. We must hurry!"

"He's right, let's go!" Kiba shouted, and all six wolves resumed their frantic pace.

Men were running back and forth, every one of them afraid for their life. Lady Jagara was furious. More than furious. Nobody was willing to be the one to report anything back to her. She'd been known to do…things…to men when she was angry, and there were plenty of stories circulating detailing exactly what kinds of things.

"I WANT THOSE CAMERAS FIXED RIGHT THIS SECOND! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU IMBECILES?! HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THE CAMERAS HAD BEEN TAMPERED WITH?!"

Jagara's voice shook the entire lab, making men trip and crash into each other in their haste to locate every single tampered camera. The task was daunting enough without Lady Jagara screeching in their ear. They had over 4,000 video systems, each identified by a separate serial number and grouped by hall number. Not to mention that whatever was wrong with them wasn't physical or, dammit, fixable. The men were down to drawing straws to see which of them would be the one to tell Lady Jagara the "good news".

However, the situation was taken out of their hands when the lady in question came storming into the lab, cloak swishing furiously. She grabbed the nearest man's collar and jerked him to her until he was nose to sculpted nose with her.

"I want answers, and I want them NOW!" she screeched, purple lipstick looking especially poisonous this close up.

The victim, a jittery man with wire-rimmed glasses, stuttered horribly as he dredged up the courage to speak. "Y-your ladyship, i-it seems-seems that the ca-cameras cannot be-be fix-"

With a mighty roar that would put any lion to shame, Jagara lifted the man off his feet and chucked him across the room. His body sailed through the air and slammed into a giant computer, his bones shattering instantly and blood spraying in a blotch around his profile. His glasses, already dislodged from the trip through the air, finally tipped off his nose and fell to the floor, tinkling as the lenses shattered in the sudden silence.

No one moved. Everyone's eyes were riveted on the bloodied body as it slowly sunk to the floor into a crushed heap. The only sound in the room was Jagara's heavy pants as her fury blackened the space around her.

"Is there anyone else who thinks the cameras can't be fixed?" Her voice had softened, but the edge in it was even more ominous. Everyone shook their heads and redoubled their efforts, no one wishing to be the pulp on the floor.

Content, Jagara pivoted around and stormed out of the lab, intending to call in her elites. Her game had gone on too long. Time to end it. Check and mate.

"This is the place," Kido stated, having brought everyone to a halt. This wall looked like any other. It was just one panel of many in the hallway they were currently standing in.

"W-what do you mean?" Toboe asked, clearly skeptical. "It looks like the same wall we've been running next too all this time."

"Which is exactly why it is so clever. Only someone who knows it is here can access it. So anyone who happens to get trapped inside will think there is no way out because there is no door, when in fact the walls ARE the door."

"That IS clever…but totally ridiculous!" Hige scoffed.

"Ya, for once I agree with Hige. What's the point in making it this way? Couldn't you just as easily forget exactly where the door is after a while?" Nova pointed out.

"Each room is technologically marked, so, no, there would be no way of forgetting. That's why this place is such a menace and why you need to escape. At least while you're out, you'll have time to analyze what you've seen so far and come up with a better plan of reinfiltration. If, of course, you are entertaining this notion?" The question was obviously directed at Kiba, who scowled.

"Of course I am. No matter what happens, Jagara needs to be taken out so others like us won't find themselves in the same situation."

"Hmmm, very well. I shall help you, then, once we have all escaped. I think I've been kept around for exactly that purpose. In any case, move aside. I need to open the door."

I had just completed my second circuit of the room with no results when I heard a screech, as of metal on metal, behind me. Slowly I turned, curious, wondering if the trap door were about to spit out another victim. My heart skipped a beat when I realized it could be Kiba or any of the others that were about to become trapped here with me. Quickly, I rushed toward the noise, not knowing exactly what to do when I found out what was coming down the chute but approaching head-on nonetheless. No more was I going to just let things happen to me. I was going to do something about it, dammit!

I slowed when I saw a very familiar figure silhouetted against the light spilling in from a doorway that had not been there moments before. My heart started to fold in on itself again but I plowed on regardless and threw myself into Kiba's arms, clutching him to my body and making sure he was real and that I wasn't dreaming. Kiba held me back just as fiercely, his arms able to fully surround me and crush my slighter body to his chest where I knew I belonged. Tears spilled into my hair as he rubbed his cheek against my head. The others stayed a discreet amount of distance away, giving the alphas some privacy.

"Kiba, I-"

"Shhh," he soothed, "you don't have to say anything. I'm the one who should apologize. For everything. I just want things to go back to the way they were, before all this happened."

I pulled away slightly, gazing up into Kiba's eyes and finding acceptance there. It was as if a dam had suddenly burst inside me and warmth from his love was pouring in. I choked out a sob and clutched at him again, feeling that for once, everything would be alright. As long as I had him, I had everything.

"Come. We must go. Jagara has sent out elites. They'll be here any minute. Luckily this room leads directly outside; however, there is no door. This room is only accessible from inside the keep, so I'll have to make one. Once outside, keep running and DON'T look back. I'll stay behind to seal the door back and then join you when I can."

The wolves shielded their eyes as a bright light in the exact shape of a door appeared in the wall across from them. It only lasted three seconds, and then suddenly there was a door. Snow was flowing in, coating the hard floor with soft and inviting flakes. The wolves all grinned from ear to ear and as one bolted through the opening and out into salvation.

"Come on, come on, come on! Let's gooooo!" Hige coaxed Toboe, who'd paused momentarily in their flight from Jagara's Keep.

The pack had been running for only about 15 minutes when Toboe had lagged behind and finally come to a complete stop. The others were waiting on a rise not too far away, looking on quizzically at Toboe but always glancing furtively into the distance, hoping not to see soldiers coming after them.

"Ungh, Toboe, come on, idiot! You're holding us up!"

"But don't you see that? Over there, that lump? I think…I think it's a person!"

"I don't care what it is! It's probably already dead. I mean, look at it! It's not movin'!"

Toboe whined. "But I-I still wanna check it out real quick." He sculpted a pout on his lips, knowing Hige wouldn't be able to resist. When Hige groaned, Toboe knew he'd been right.

"Okay, okay! But hurry up, the others look pissed…"

Toboe nodded. "K! I'll be quick, promise!" And with that, he cautiously approached the human shaped lump buried half deep in the snow. As he drew closer, he could make out material flapping in the wind, and what protruded from that material was…

"Hige…is that…is that a girl?"

LoLpOpSiClE: Oh my gosh guys it felt so good to write this and finally come back to you all! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I think I powered through this chapter in about 3 and a half hours...from like midnight to three haha. But it was so worth it! Anyway, I won't spoil anything about this "new" character. You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out! But don't worry guys, I've already got some of it typed up so that it wouldn't take ten forevers for me to update again. It's been, what? Over a year now since the last update? Jesus, that's forever...

And did you guys know that it is VERY painful to type with a new wrist tattoo? I didn't know that, but I found out real quick, let me tell you. But it's ok! I'll live! I just couldn't wait another day to type this up and get it out of my head!

As always, a review would be so lovely! And I think I can finally announce this but...Hidden Moon is coming to an end guys! I don't know exactly how many more chapters there will be, but I DO know that there probably won't be many. I think I've found a way to finally end it, but don't worry! I will still continue to write one-shots for this anime! But I think I'm going to move on to a different project when this is finished. It will more than likely be a Sengoku Basara fic because that's what I'm currently into nowadays. And if you guys haven't seen this anime, I HIGHLY recommend it. There are two seasons, two OVAs and a movie! If you've ever played Samurai Warriors, you'll recognize a lot of the characters! Plus, it's not an anime that has ten million episodes and will take a million years to catch up in, so that's another good reason to just sit down and plow through them! Haha, alright guys, until next time! Leave a review telling me what you think about that chapter! Oh! And if you DID take my advice and watched Sengoku Basara, tell me what you thought of it ^^ Ta-ta my sweets!