Kurenai had dragged Kurama to the Hyuuga household, but only after managing to make him promise to keep quiet and only speak up when needed, a condition which he reluctantly accepted. To prevent him of going berserk like in his first night as a demon fox, she put a special collar on him to keep his power in check. It was made of soft cloth but strongly resembled a dog collar, and the metal tag held a spell that held back his feral side. She also gave him a quick lesson about how he should behave and cut his hair to make him more presentable. Kurama was a quick learner, a fact that made Kurenai compare him to a trained puppy, yet he complained when she did the haircut, as she left it barely under his chin, not to mention the cuts on his face made by the scissors.

When Hiashi lifted his eyes towards his visitor, he cringed. "Yuuhi." Hinata recognized the surname and turned to the woman that she knew since she was a kid. "Kurenai!" She eagerly hugged the older woman, but Hiashi didn't have the same reaction. She was a good friend of his deceased wife albeit being a bit younger, but to him she held a suspicious aura, as if she were hiding something. "Hello Hiashi, but there is no need for formalities between us, remember?" The man sighed. "Sit down, but be quick, I have an issue to deal with my daughter." The red-eyed woman sat down in front of him. "I came here to make an offer. Enter Shuichi." Hiashi's eyes hardened into a glare, wary of the male who just entered in the room. "What kind of offer? And who is that man?" Kurenai giggled. "Always direct to the point, huh? Hinata, go show the house to Shuu, he just came to city and he must be in need to know his new surroundings." She looked at the raven in confusion, but relented, taking the redhead away with her. "Bye. Ahem, I know of the kidnapping thanks to my sources, and I came here to offer a bodyguard, that was the young man that just left." Her crimson eyes were unnerving and he, a master in reading body and facial language, couldn't figure what this woman was thinking at all. "What do you want as payment?" She smirked. "Nothing, she just needs to move to my place." Hiashi closed his eyes in defeat, she had baited him. "Before I give my consent tell me, can he protect her as you claim?" Her eyes glinted with smugness. "It's thanks to him that she is home instead of with those men."

Hinata walked in front of the guy, curious about him as he was silent the entire time. 'Maybe he's uncomfortable indoors?' With this thought in mind, she guided him towards the gardens. There he just walked along the rock path towards the pond while she watched over him, taking on his features. Something on him felt familiar… wait, red hair and golden eyes? Maybe he was the one who barged into the room where she was held hostage! She quickly swatted this theory away, he looked like a guy of his age and she had heard the shots. The way her kidnapper sounded, he had hit the one that came to her rescue, but no human could survive the blood loss it would have ensued without medical treatment. Then her eyes focused on a peculiar object on the male's neck. 'A collar?' He was going in the direction of a stone that sat right on the center of the garden. The writings on it read Hitomi Hyuuga, it was the tombstone for her mother. "Who lays here?" His voice snapped Hinata out from her reverie and she went to his side. "It's the memorial for my mom, she died young for her age." His gaze was trained on her. "What took her life?" Her eyes watered up a bit, digging out painful memories. "It was cancer, and it was too late when the doctors found out, she looked so peaceful when she passed away… *sob*" Hinata began crying at the image of her mother, that was such a strong woman in her eyes, laying like a lifeless doll on her hospital bed and wired to machines that only lengthened her suffering. Kurama hated seeing her sad, whatever was the reason, so her pulled her into an awkward hug as they were technically strangers.

Tsubuyaki was going crazy of not being able to see her mate Denrei. Where did that stupid go? He should have come with Kurama, but no. There wasn't even a hair of him around. She made a silent vow of smacking some sense on him the next time she saw him. In the meantime the golden fox was drunk as a skunk in the stash of whisky he found in the temple, Kurenai surely knew how to pick the best ones, he was inside one of the empty bottles, too hammered to get out by now.

Hey there! Sorry for taking too long to finish this chapter, I was tangled up with school. But no worries, I won't give up on this story! BTW, what should be the role of Anko? The snake mistress is among my faves~

Reply corner

Elizabeth= your question about Hinata's mom was answered in this chapter, but you have to wait to see the answer about your other doubts. But I was a bit surprised that you didn't have Kurenai on the list of potential teachers for Hinata. Keep in touch with my stories, I love your support.

tentenlangdon= don't worry, I intend in finishing this story.

A'stories10= it seems that I surprised at least two people with Kurenai. Sweet~

Dotchi13= good to see that you liked it. Yea, NaruHina is way overrated nowadays, and you gave me a good idea with the rivalry between Naruto and Kurama.

Hikari to Seimei= yup, I saw both the anime and manga of KH, but the anime was way too short! Only 12 episodes, and I was left to wonder about their future…