-Edited. 27th of July 2013

Author's note: New story here and it's completely different from 'The Revival of the Clan'(=my other story). Before anything I have to inform you that I will use words from different languages, but I do promise to write the translation right next to the words, so you don't confuse yourselves. I understand that many questions might rise from this story and I will be more than happy to answer to all of them. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto characters, only the plot of the story

.:Binds of Duty and Love:.

Chapter 1

~The Book of Silence~

.:Liber Silentium:.

The 25 Clan Leaders of the Sacred Assembly hereby sign a Pact of trust and commitment, which agreement is to be strictly followed by all the heirs and descendants of the present members. The current and following generations are committed by a deal of blood to meet all the conditions and decisions this Pact requires and demands. The Holy Clans from now on declare a new system of leadership and survival. Due to the immense amount of danger our world faces as centuries pass by, we all now adopt and dictate a new system of protection and liberty for our unique and precious bloodlines agreed by all Holy Members.

The Noble Clans of the Alpha List of Honor are hereby protected with measures exceeding the medium rank of safeguard and defense. In favor of the perpetuation of the Alpha Noble Clans and the ensuring of purity within their ranks the new system dictates that each of the male heirs may be indispensably and unconditionally assigned with a «Φύλαξ» (=guard, pronounced philax,(*1)). The first-born males will be appointed with the said guard during their time- of-waiting (* 2) with no chance of appeal.

The male heirs produced by the Noble Clans of the Beta List of Honor will also be assigned with a «Φύλαξ»upon the same age. The Beta Clans will have the option of not choosing a Philax, even though it is highly recommended.

The Noble Clans, which the mentioned privilege is given to, have to abide by the Rules of 'The Imperial Legislation'. More specifically the Noble Clans had to meet the conditions of the eighth rule, referring to the Clan's code, and of the second newly reviewed rule, accurately declaring every officially recognized species of the Court. The said statement clarifies that only 4 species are allowed to participate in the Pact and have the honor of voicing their opinions during the Assembly.

The species granted such honorable concessions are the following:

Sanguinis Custodiae (=guards of blood), more commonly known as Vampires,

Lunae Lupi (=wolves of the moon), commonly known as Werewolves,

Elementals(*3)of the A-degree and

Telepathists of the A-degree.

The rest of the species are no longer recognized as Nobles due to the minimum number of alive individuals. It is is possible, as all of us Nobles and members of Regular Population are well aware of, that one Clan may belong to the Recognized species; however, the position on the Alpha or Beta List is already decided centuries ago, by the "Law of Purity" we have all agreed upon and will still remain devoted upon. The sole change refers to the recognized species and not to the Alpha and Beta Nobles. The Members of the current Assembly abide by the "Law of Purity". Thus, the descendants are obliged to do so as well.

All the Clans which sign this Pact are obliged to know by heart all the following and proceeding guidelines and statements:

-All their descendants are hereby commanded to follow the agreement with no exceptions.

-Every member or Clan who does not follow the Pact will be exterminated.

-Every Noble Clan, which was not graced with a male firstborn, is obliged to surrender the female infant and present it as 'Tribute of Shame' now serving as «Φύλαξ». The next male will take the female's position as an heir. Any other female following the fist born may live as a member f the regular population(*4), with the absolute obligation not to bring any kind of hindrance to our world. Otherwise the next female may serve as Philax as well.

-If one of the Noble Clans of the Alpha List of Honor gives birth to more than one male, the second son, even though he will not be the rightful heir, may be appointed with the same Philax. The second-born had to meet all the necessary conditions and be approved by the Court, after the parents take the actions needed for the procedure to be completed. The safety of the heir is the first and foremost priority.

The «Φύλακες» (plural of Φύλαξ *1) have to meet the following conditions:

Philakes are considered all the capable first-born females produced only within the Noble Clans of the Alpha and Beta Lists of Honor and not of the regular population. The females destined for the title of Philax will immediately be deprived of their species standard powers and rights. At their second day of existence, after their worth is proven, establishing that they meet of the necessary qualifications and after being successfully subjected to appropriate challenges, those females will leave their families and be brought to the Philax Academy, in order to be raised as strong and capable fighters, until they reach adulthood. The females will be trained accordingly. After their eighteenth birthday the Philakes will be able to be appointed as guards of the Noble Clans and possibly attain a certain portion of the powers taken from them after birth, only after solemnly vowing to leave and entrust those powers in service of their Master only.

The Philax is chosen by the Head of Each Noble Clan. Priority lies to the Alphas.

The Philax must follow every command of their assigned Noble with no exceptions. The guardians have no choice but to abide by every order and serve their leader and Master with utter care and devotion unconditionally and unquestionably, ensuring their Master's protection and well-being, even if it means the death of the Philax.

The Philax is not to interact with any member of the Supernatural world, including their clans, until they reach adulthood. Exceptions to that rule pose the teachers of the Academy and their fellow Philakes classmates.

On a last note, all species and Clans recognize that there is a danger of some Clan names and bloodlines of the Beta List being lost as the centuries pass by. For that reason a special Committee is hereby organized. The Committee is from now on fully devoted to the following statement: The females destined as Philakes will always be sent to the Academy, no matter the research needed to find their location by the Committee.

The Noble Clans here forth agree to the Pact and vow to strictly follow every single guideline and rule.

.:xxxxOOxxxx:.

She didn't have to read the first chapter of the notorious Book of Silence again. She had already read the Pact thousands of times and the dusty -regardless of how much time the girl had always devoted to cleaning it- and unbelievably old book stood proudly on the top of her bookshelf ever since she could remember. For it was the absolute commitment, the absolute law. The crumbled pages -due to overuse- were made of old parchment and every and any copy of the Book of Silence was written with a special quill, only destined to fill those sacred pages.

She was proud to say that her own copy was nearly destroyed due to her diligent studying. However, it was also her imperative duty to keep it at the most decent state possible. It was holy.; it was a part of her life. At any rate, she could proudly now announce that she was well acquainted with every rule, every single detail of the Pact and knows it by heart. Every line, every dot, every sentence, everything was burnt forever into her mind and soul; the old and beautiful letters danced about on the surface of her eyelids even when the girl was sleeping soundly.

That's how it was always supposed to be.

She had to abide by those rules; she must recognize and be able to recite every part of the agreement on every called occasion.

Haruno Sakura heaved a sigh and put another paper mentioning the Pact to the pile of files now resting on the right side of her soft bed. This night, the girl was casually resting on her bedroom, eagerly waiting for the next day to come. The spectacle could be easily mistaken as romantic, since the small chamber was full of objects and fabrics made in all shades of red and pink, practically screaming out to the world who the owner was. It was tidy -with not a single particle of dust hovering around- and pleasant to reside into. The warm painted colors and her beautiful belongings of any kind made this very room comfortable and soothing for every soul.

The rosette preciously held within many memories of this entire house, which she had always shared with her companions. Simply by allowing her eyes to glance around, flashes of vivid pictures and gentle chimes of laughter were pouring out of every corner. This is where she used to play with her dear friends almost every night after the harsh training and classes, Sakura would point out occasionally. And every single time this happened the rose-haired maiden would admonish herself in irritation, for not being able to focus on the present time and instead sticking to past experiences of childish behavior. Unbeknownst to her though, this kind of reminiscence was not exclusive for Haruno Sakura these days; but none of the others would, of course, admit that openly.

This residence was the only place they could find peace of mind and body no matter what danger they faced, no matter what game fate had chosen for them to play. It was their beloved home. The young Philax sighed once more, remembering those innocent times, which regrettably or not, were about to end violently and abruptly.

Sakura was now sitting on her stomach, hugging her favorite pink pillow tightly. The very basic notion that then next day will in a few hours rise called forth unbidden panic within the young woman. But she would never show her worries. Damn, she really tried her hardest not to! It was imperative to stand strong! For that is the life... that is the duty of a Philax: be prepared for every danger, every obstacle.

Tomorrow, heralded by the sunrise, the new college year and semester starts; and little will it resemble every other academic year the simple mundane world might know, Sakura mentally noted sarcastically. This was a challenge like none she had faced before.

"The Year of Revelation", namely the year during which the next generation of Nobles will obtain their guardians, finally reared its head. And Sakura, given that she turned eighteen just some months ago, shall be inevitably one of the lucky bunch of people that were about to be affected by it. Greatly affected.

She couldn't help but silently worry. Worry about everything her future had prepared for her. Probably in a few months, Sakura, as the rest of the Guardians of her year, will have to serve a Noble. Which fact clearly connotes that they will have to part ways forever, sent to duty. . . always being the faithful and devoted shadow of their Masters.

Upon thinking about it, Sakura clearly felt a painful burden settle itself on her heart, as if she could literally catch it with her own fingers. Naturally, she was also plagued by an avalanche of doubts.

At last though, after days and nights of restlessness, she decided not to pay any heed to her uneasiness. This was, after all, her duty and she must be -and quite frankly was deep inside- happy and honored to be able to serve as a Philax.

This burden, the uneasiness was nothing to make a fuss over.

She was a guardian, a fighter, a capable Philax, being praised numerous time during her Academy days. Haruno Sakura was considered the best of her class by many. Her mentor and teacher, Tsunade-sama often congratulated her abilities. She was rumored to be one of the brightest in her year and not for naught.

Sakura stopped her inward delirium and -the little naive- self-praising soon enough and continued to search through the papers that formed a pile around her once more. She came across the Pact again and again. It seemed like every official announcement or any kind of information paper sent from the Academy, the Council and the Committee just had to have the Pact written on the first page. It was a constant reminder of the place each one holds in the Supernatural world. Sakura finally found the sheet she was looking, heaving a sigh of relief. It was the letter sent to her in order to inform her of the new year to come.

For the first time in their short lives, Sakura and the others were about to attend a normal institution. No…it wasn't strictly for education purposes, of course. The Philakes were proficient in almost every field of education and training methods after graduating the Academy, as expected. The attendance in this college served another purpose: They had to learn to 'live in the human society' and efficiently be accustomed to stay hidden in it.

Sometime during the year the chosen females shall meet the Holy Nobles and be picked as guardians. Years ago, history says, the Nobles and the Philakes candidates would all attend the same institution, hidden from everything and anything not-supernatural. However, due to the worryingly small amount of supernatural creatures left and how the world is now dominated by the unforgiving human creatures, time demanded that they should blend with the humans. The Philakes at Sakura's age were to attend as first-years to the college, which the Council decided upon.

Sakura had talked and talked about it hundreds of times with her closest camaraderie: Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata and Tenten. She did retain friendly relationships with some other individuals that were going to pose as her new classmates as well. The quartet's type of bond, though, was fundamentally different.

The absolutely and undoubtedly crazy -since Ino was a part, Sakura thought amiably- but most of all devoted company was about to attend a school with humans…real life humans and interact with them…not just walk by them. How dreadful this might prove to be. Quite scary to even think of.

The Philakes were somewhat used to the humans' company, since the humans were the only creatures the girls were allowed to interact with, in the first place- save for their teachers and classmates. The young women often needed to venture out of their safe Academy, sometimes to accomplish missions, simply return home or just be acquainted with the outside world, so that they were familiar with the human behavior patterns. -Not to mention 'Human characteristics' was one -very painful mind you- subject taught at the Academy. Consequently, field research was expected to be conducted up to a certain degree before graduation.

The problem. . .was just. . .that. . . they never had to live with humans for so long and at the same place.

At any rate, Sakura was -trying to be- truly blissful inside. The new school-college-university-ohh whatever Shizune-senpai called it anyway- was actually an establishment quite near their house, so they did not have to move away. And since this very house was Sakura's so-called nest, the place she and her other three companions could proudly call home, the fortunate discovery that they did not have to move had made the transition a lot easier emotionally.

Sakura would like to consider "The Nest" a sort of mirror of their lifestyles and personal characteristics. If one needed to learn about the young fighters for any kind of purpose -evil or otherwise-, they only had to take a brave glimpse of they inside and all sorts of secrets and personal quirks would graciously surface. The young ladies had one room each, which perfectly depicted the personality of each Philax. Sakura was still unable to decide if it was to their best interest that their home could reveal so much about their identities so easily.

Sakura's chamber for example was pink, comfortable and -most of the times- neatly organized. Ino's was purple and yellow, filled with 'unnecessary stuff', as Tenten remarked one day, like hundreds of clothes and accessories. And that's the reason why Sakura believed she was undoubtedly right. You needn't do nothing but step into Ino's room to realize what the mere mention of the name Yamanaka Ino implies. Who on earth keeps so many jewellery into a yellow-colored room for god's sake? Only Ino-crazy-pig!

Hinata's room was painted lavender and blue and it was by far the most elegant of all. This girl was born a princess besides her timid demeanor, Sakura would always insist. And tada! Sakura's theory was proven credible once more. If one took a step inside Hinata's bedroom furnished with white wooden pieces, it was impossible not to feel the distinct regal atmosphere it emitted. One would immediately know this girl was no ordinary Philax. And they would be right as Hyuuga Hinata was an ex-member of one of the Alpha Noble Clans, like her last name indicated; one Noble Clan with a powerful dojutsu (= eye technique) to boot. Unfortunately for Hinata, she had to inevitably be the Tribute of Shame for her Clan and be deprived from her powers and the full use of the Byakugan, her Clan's ocular technique. Despite that she never actually met her family in her life, everything Hinata did seemed unforgivably royal.

Last but not least was Tenten, the tomboy of the company. Tenten's room, returning to our example, was painted orange and full of shiny weapons; proof she was by far the most athletic, and the always excited for a new adventure. Tenten has always been a 'nameless' Philax, meaning that her last name was forgotten. Sakura was something like Tenten when it came to that.

Hinata was unquestionably an ex-member of the Alphas as a Hyuuga. Ino was a Yamanaka, an ex-member of the Betas. Sakura was considered something in between Ino and Tenten. The Haruno Clan used to be a member of the Beta List, but unfortunately, Sakura was the last one of her entire Clan.

Being a Philax meant that she must follow her Noble Master forever. That fact rendered her unable to ever be a mother and bring 'Haruno children' to the world. In any case, even if those children were ever to be born -which is unreasonable to think of anyway-, they would definitely not be named Haruno. Thus, the Haruno name and bloodline will be soon lost.

Sakura was, after all, a woman and that is not something to be taken lightly in this world. In the Supernatural World nothing ever is as humans know it. Different rules, different codes, different must-do's and believes. For strangers it must have felt like a world straightly taken out of an old book of myths and legends. And yet this magical and fascinating uniqueness is now being called to survive in this millennium. . . even though the current times were proven perfectly capable of decimating everything and anything unique and monadic, just like how fire devours a poor matchstick ; this was also a challenge for everyone. Survive. . . Survive, the Supernatural world would holler in the hearts of its people.

The serenity of the room and Sakura's thoughts were shortly violated by a loud and disturbingly familiar voice."Sakuraaa! I am calling out to you for ages, you deaf Billboard Brow! Stop ignoring me and get out of there!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and wore a sweet pout on her lips. "You don't have to yell like a savage, Ino-pig!Geez! I will be out in a second!" she retorted, letting out a sigh of annoyance as Ino murmured behind the closed door. As Ino's steps faded away, Sakura swiftly got up with ease. The pink-haired left -rather reluctantly- her girly-pink bedroom and headed for the living room, where the others were waiting. She paused at the last step of the staircase. What is this? The Inquisition? Sakura wondered half-jokingly when she glimpsed the inside of her destination.

"About time, Saku!" Tenten, with her sweet face and brown hair forming two delicious-looking buns complained the moment she entered the room. Tenten and Hinata were sitting on the floor just in front of the TV, whereas Ino sat on the right side of the white couch they owned; nothing ominous about that. It was how glacial their eyes felt and how stiff the bodies looked that made Sakura feel like entering a trial in session.

"Was it that much of a crime that I needed some moments of peace, o Grand Inquisitor?" Sakura told, raising an eyebrow and placing her palms on her hips. Tenten pouted her lips at the new nickname.

"Maybe we should have let Sakura-san rest a little bit." a sweet and timid voice was almost heard.

Ino abruptly turned towards the Hyuuga like a wild feline."No, Hinata! Tomorrow is a big day! We have to make our plans." The shy girl only bowed her head in surrender, for such was the power of Yamanaka Ino. "I won't allow lazy Forehead to leave us at this moment of crisis." the blonde continued.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Ino's theatrics. "And that's precisely why I needed some time alone!" Sakura exclaimed. She really could use some rest and tranquility for a while. "It would do you some good to spend some time alone too, Ino-pig." The only answer she got was Ino sticking out her tongue. Sakura swiftly moved closer to the company and made herself comfortable on the same white couch Ino was sitting, careful enough not to meet Ino's playful eyes. The pinkette also made sure not to sit on her long wavy-and naturally pink- hair, which she diligently took care for years, when she rested her back on the soft white fabric.

"Soooo..." Tenten began. "Is anyone else excited -or more precisely ready to pee her pants-" she added almost incomprehensibly "or it's just me?" the brunette wondered resting her chin on her palms and her elbows on her knees, while also trying to swallow the lump that seemed to have settled into her throat.

"Weren't we talking about this two days ago?" Sakura let a sigh escape her lungs and rolled her emerald eyes. Oh God help her is she were to be reminded of all the troublesome situations she is about to meet, again. She will be sure to drown in despair once more and the result? She won't be able to close a single eyelid at night. Not a good thing. . .

And at any rate, since when Tenten actually wanted to discuss anything? It was always the blonde who instigated these conversations.

"Denial!" Ino exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the pinkette. "Good defensive mechanism, Forehead girl. Please do continue to pretend you don't care or you are not burning in your own agony and sweat. Less problems for me to take care of. Buuut...!" Sakura raised a wondering eyebrow at Ino's dramatic pause."It's about time we resume our so helpful conversations once again, don't you think? And don't give me that look!" Ino spat at her rose-haired friend, while crossing her arms in front of her chest. So, apparently it was Ino who wanted to start talking. "Great Ino-sama, knows our cute Billboard Brow is as anxious as the rest of us. Maybe even more. So, don't try to act all high and mighty! It's time for our little council to commence. I shall direct the conversation. First, Hina-chan!"

The white-eyed Philax shriveled a little before she finally spoke."D-do you think th-the Nobles will attend the same college as well?" Hinata gently asked while holding her own letter with the information for the new academic year. Well, it was somewhat natural for Hinata to want to meet Noble individuals.

"May I, Director-san?"

Ino smiled widely at Tenten. So, someone decided to play along with her game and follow her rules. Perfect!"Go ahead, Bun-Bun."

"I say probably some Betas will be there, if we are lucky enough, along with some Regulars. Hina-chan, I don't think the Alphas will be kind and patient enough to deal with the mere peasants." Tenten mocked sarcastically.

"Wait until your Noble listens to you speaking so ironically. "Sakura teased the brunette with a giggle.

"I will make sure not to speak like that in front of my Master then." Tenten complained while crossing her arms on her chest and rolling out her tongue.

"I. Am. So. Damn. Excited!" the blonde sang playfully, effectively relinquishing the Director title she just previously claimed. "Which Noble will it be? Do you think they are going to even pick us?" Ino inquired, face full of half-honest worry and characteristic Yamanaka hyper-activeness.

"Yeah, like we know many of the Nobles in the first place." Sakura frowned mockingly. "What kind of question was that? You know we know as many Nobles as you do. Like the Hyuuga and the Yamanaka. Maybe some other names here and there, but that's it. Idiot Ino, don't ruin the serious conversation."

Ino was well aware that the information they were allowed to receive was almost ridiculously limited. That, though, did not stop her spontaneous nature, wanting to know everything this world had to offer. At any rate, the undeniable truth was that the young Philakes were not allowed to know the names of all the Noble Clans. Mostly for secrecy purposes, the officials would claim. But God...how annoying that withholding of information proved to be at this point.

Sakura promptly continued."Worry not, Ino. Even though you are so damn irritating, they have no choice but to pick you. They are only a few of us around anymore. Poor Nobleman, what kind of unbearable woe will befall you, my dear man." she finished dramatically, earning a kick in the calf from the blonde.

"B-but Konan-senpai wasn't picked by anyone 5 years ago." Hinata remarked, full of worry.

"That's because she chose to teach us over being an active Philax." Ino answered. "I thought I told you, Hina-chan." Hinata shook her head slowly and Ino smiled apologetically. Oh well, she must have forgotten to explain properly to the poor Hyuuga. Hinata was not fond of participating into Ino's gossip marathons anyway. It was to be expected that she would sometime be left out. Not intentionally, of course.

"I heard they still hold a grudge against her for that. I mean, I know there was that new revised rule that you can actually choose to be a teacher instead of a guardian, but because of it an Alpha remained without a Philax." Tenten informed.

"They are going to ban this rule, be sure of it. There are not enough Philakes as it is." Sakura sighed. And not to mention that: Every member or Clan who does not follow the Pact will be exterminated. So, the Pact says. Konan-senpai must be very careful and diplomatic, if those rumors are indeed true.

"I, on the other hand, heard that a certain Alpha actually wanted to remain without a guardian for a little longer. The way I know it, his time-of-waiting has not ended yet so he requested to be given a few more years without a Philax. I don't know on what grounds though. That's partially why Konan-senpai started working as a teacher." Ino clarified.

"I think I heard that rumor as well from Temari-senpai." Sakura agreed.

"Speaking of which, why will Temari-senpai be chosen this year? She is three years older than us. She surely did not choose to teach." Tenten pointed out.

It was Sakura, who answered."There weren't any Nobles needing guardians when her time came, I think. The next year available is ours."

"What a mess of a world we are!"

"Hmm..."

"What, Ino?"

"I wonder... do you think that we will be chosen by the Alpha from Konan-senpai's year? I heard he is a Vampire." Ino raised her blonde fine eyebrows as her lips curved into an impish smirk.

"So what? Interested into coffin hunting?" Tenten teased, but the blonde didn't seem to mind.

"No, no coffins, dear. But I do expect fangs." Ino winked playfully at Tenten, who sighed deeply at her friend's childish behavior.

During this conversation, Sakura was vividly reminded of the lessons they took before graduating from the Philax Academy. In Kurenai-sensei's lectures Sakura learned that those Vampires had only a few things in common with what the movies depict. The Vampires were pale and amazingly beautiful; that's true and they wanted blood; that was also true. They were immortal; that was true for the most part.

The Vampires were breath-taking-ly appealing and pale creatures, who lived for centuries. The real life Vampires could walk under the sun, even though they don't actually enjoy sunlight with all their heart. They could sleep, on a normal bed to boot, and they could actually eat normal food with no kind of hindrances. However, their absolute best source of sustenance and pleasure was blood. They craved for it like Ino and Sakura do with chocolate; like desperate maniacs in time of their need.

The Hyuuga Clan was a Clan of Vampires, after all. With Hinata being a member of the team the young women had to find out more. It was of no importance that Hinata was never able to present any kind of vampiric feature, because of the 'Tribute of Shame' and Philax tradition. Knowing your roots is extremely important, nonetheless. Plus, Ino was frankly obsessed with Vampires generally -blame it on the hundreds of vampire movies she had seen. That's why they, after Ino's persistent prompting, never passed a chance to ask Kurenai-sensei about the Vampire species. The subject always seemed fascinating in some way.

Kurenai-sensei was admittedly their favorite teacher after Tsunade-sama herself. Yuhi Kurenai was an active Philax for the Sarutobi Clan, which made her teachings a lot more fascinating. If her fate did not dictate that she should be a Philax, she could have been a Vampire as Hinata would if not for the Tribute of Shame. The only difference was that the Yuhi Clan did not belong into the Alpha List.

Alas, Kurenai-sensei was a female and her fate had already been decided the moment she drew her first breath, just like every Philax. In her case, Kurenai-sensei's Master was kind and gracious enough to allow her to teach and pass her knowledge to the next generations, while she attends her normal duties as well; a very kind and considerate gesture for a Noble, which is not found often in this cruel society.

That is the big and crucial difference between hers and Konan's teaching. The first one has the approval of a Noble; the second only had their tolerance and for a very brief time, as it turns out.

Sakura shook her head to focus better on their conversation; meaning to focus on Ino's blabbering about how beautiful and mesmerizing a Vampire can be, really.

"I don't care. I prefer a werewolf as Master." Tenten casually noted. To that, Ino seemed appalled.

"But why!? Are you out of your mind?" The blonde hollered.

"Why, you ask? Didn't we choose the wolf as a transfiguration form back when we were 13? Wouldn't it be more appropriate?" The weapon's specialist retorted.

"Then I might have chosen wrong back then." Ino sighed and pouted once again.

What Tenten said was a fact. Back then the Philakes were asked to choose an animal form to transform to. This was considered an extra tool for their training and an essential part of their abilities, Kurenai-sensei and Tsunade-sama would insist. You never know what you might run into, thus the ability to blend with the animal kingdom was deemed necessary by the authorities at some point.

After an almost ridiculously long amount of time, the decision was finally made. And the quartet chose to gain the ability to transform into wolves. They had found it cool, Ino would point out. Plus, the wolves are considered pack animals, which was also a way for the young maidens to express their wish to remain together and not be separated as long as possible. They only hoped that should their Master turn out to be a vampire, he would not be appalled at a mere inhale when they were in their transformation stage.

"What would you choose then? A bat?" Sakura teased her best friend. "What happened to the "Wolves are cool!"you used to say?" Instead of retorting, Ino grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly; she debated internally whether she should throw it at Sakura's face for a long time, though.

"I- I won't mind having a Werewolf as Master." Hinata pointed out meekly. Three pairs of eyes locked on the silent girl in wonderment. Usually Hinata never voices her opinion out loud. "I mean…the humans have misinterpreted many things about them just like they did with Vampires. For example the silver bullets… I- I find werewolves fascinating, actually." The timid girl announced. An uncomfortable silence ruled the room. Who would have thought that Hinata was being gutsy enough to announce her preferences?

At last, Ino was the one to break that silence. "Hinata, shame on you!" The Hyuuga's eyes widened. "And you hail from a Vampire Clan...Tch.!" Ino teased.

"Do you think there is going to be a war over Hinata?" Tenten enthusiastically asked, obviously making fun of the situation. Sakura groaned. How was Tenten always so eager for battle and blood?

"Don't joke. You will scare poor Hinata." she ran in the coy girl's defense, trying to calm her down. "Hinata, remember. Didn't they say that that Vampire versus Werewolf thing wore off some centuries ago? Don't fall for her blood-thirsty lunacy."

"Don't spoil the fun, Forehead!" Ino grimaced and giggled.

"Ino-san..." Hinata glanced apprehensively at the cruel Yamanaka.

"I don't understand why you are agonizing over it. It's not like we get to choose our Masters anyway." the pink-head added. And as if a heavy blanket fell over their heads, all girls inhaled and exhaled simultaneously. A reminder that their fate was not in their hands to decide.

Silence filled every corner of the room, until Ino clapped her hands once."Well, we have some months until that time comes." she remarked, in attempt to lift their spirits, giving them a chance to clear their turbulent thoughts.

"President-san is right. Let's enjoy our first and last months of freedom. We even get to attend to a human college!" Tenten crossed her legs and started wobbling back and forth excitedly.

"We do have some months until New Year. We might as well enjoy ourselves until then! Right?" Sakura also exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Will Tsunade-sama let us have fun?"

The grimness returned after Hinata's words. Despite the calmness and shyness of the heard voice those were bad news to be told indeed. And thus, the room turned unbelievably cold all of a sudden. All heads bowed and suddenly the floor seemed all too interesting to miss.

"Karin told me she will be the Deputy or Vice Principal." Tenten pointed impassively.

"And who will be the Principal?" Sakura asked, evidently interested.

"Some Jiraiya-sama guy, I heard." Ino mumbled with her face still glued towards the floor.

'Come on Sakura, cheer them up!' An inner voice suddenly prompted in the pinkette's head.

"Oi, it's not like we hate Tsunade-sama! We love her, don't we?"At those words the other girls nodded indifferently. "The only thing is that. . . she is a harsh trainer. Nobody can deny it." Sakura continued hesitantly while rubbing the back of her head.

"Are you referring to the time she gave us nothing to eat and a few drops of water to drink for two and a half weeks as a punishment?" Tenten asked mockingly. Sakura and the others gulped inadvertently.

"Or the time that we had all of our ribs broken simultaneously by her fists?" Ino added.

"And legs. . ." Hinata weakly corrected. Ino pointed a finger at Hinata approvingly.

"Or the time-"

"Okay I get it!" Sakura interrupted the ominous -sure to be never-ending- list of disasters. "We all get it! We have been through a lot, but that's why we are strong now."

"You are not one to talk." the weapon-loving brunette half-accused "At least you learned healing techniques from her. She is the best Healer, after all."

Sakura smiled apologetically at the girl. Tenten was right. Sakura was truly honored to have Tsunade-sama teach her the art of healing. Tsunade-sama hailed, after all from a Healer Clan and right after she resigned from her Philax life - while nobody knows why she did it- the blonde woman devoted herself into teaching the next generations. She used her bloodline's abilities to carry on the line of knowledge for the healing methods in the new Philakes ranks. Senju Tsunade personally chose Sakura to pass to all of her healer's abilities and know-how's.

"Who on earth appointed her Deputy of a Human College, I will never know. It's no secret that she drinks a lot. Even the teachers know." Ino mumbled.

"The Council had to place one of our own to have control over the school." Tenten attempted to explain.

"I- I thought the Principal is one of us as well." Hinata said.

"Maybe they are two to keep a watch on each other. From what I have known while dealing with Tsunade-sama, I am damn sure that some of us are not easy to deal with." Sakura heaved one more sigh.

"Okay, okay! Forget about all that!" Ino exclaimed while standing up proudly. Sakura, Hinata and Tenten regarded the blonde Philax with utter puzzlement. "The most important thing at the current situation is to find suitable boyfriends!" Ino announced happily like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

This uncomfortable silence again.

"And here I thought you would say something serious." Sakura murmured and groaned, uninterested.

"It is serious! This is our only chance. When winter comes we will have to meet the Nobles and then. . .Sayonara my friends!"

Sakura inwardly scoffed at Ino's apparent desperation. Leave it to her to look like something grave and terrible just happened, no matter how mundane the matter truly is.

"How did you end up like that is beyond my understanding." Tenten commented earning a pillow to the face from the person in question.

"But. . .You might never be able to experience the wonders of a romantic relationship. Don't you want to have a taste of love and romance?" Ino almost squealed. Sakura and Tenten rolled their eyes admonishing-ly.

"Why would we? And in only four moths? Let me see you try."

"See? That's why you will remain old hags. You were the first ones to reach eighteen, yet you are the most indifferent." Ino cried.

Sakura would very much like to cry out to Ino in return. Cry out what she was supposed to know and yet seemed to have forgotten. Cry out that the Philakes weren't supposed to have romantic contacts with any male until they turn eighteen years of age. And that, even though during the time waiting to be assigned they technically could find love, if a Philax were to have any relationship of that nature, she will be chosen with great difficulty from any Master -and the higher-ups would definitely find out for sure if anyone tries to hide it-. The Nobles always preferred pure and innocent maidens.

"You have to wait anyway, so stop bothering us!" Tenten pushed Ino back onto the couch; eventually to no avail. The Yamanaka was persistent.

"Only two weeks of waiting left!" she cheered and started jumping around like a toddler. After some moments of utter craziness and of no kind of response from the others, Ino started to calm down. Sakura often attempted to decipher how Ino's mind actually works. Evidently, still no progress was made.

"Hinata, I will be sure to have some fun for you as well." Ino joked and Hinata smiled kindly as a response and softly shrugged.

Philakes like Hinata were some kind of exception in a way. The blue-haired girl hadn't turned eighteen so originally she wasn't supposed to interact with other supernatural creatures. However, the situation demanded immediate action. Hinata couldn't wait any longer to attend the normal college; with everyone being in desperate need of Philakes. The ritual for guardianship though will be delayed until after Hinata's birthday. There were some rules that could not be changed no matter what.

"I say we focus on the fact that this is our first time attending a human school." Sakura noted."I, at least, won't bother with romance."

"And somehow I get a feeling that being in such an institution will be nothing like the movies."

"What do you mean Bun-Bun?" Ino asked curiously.

"Do you actually believe everyone will dance with you if you start singing some kind of nonsense? Or that they will know the freaking steps?" Tenten mocked remembering some of Ino's favorite movies.

"And the boys will dance as well?" Sakura added. The rest laughed as Ino's disappointment was made clear.

"Ehm.."Hinata cleared her throat softly. "I am sorry for pointing it out, but I think it's time to sleep. It's already late and I don't want us to be late starting from the first day."

"Don't worry, Hinata! We are going to be the queens of the entire school and no one will dare question us and our supremacy!"

At Ino's joke the girls did not laugh. Probably because of their fear that Ino might actually meant what she just uttered so casually. They swiftly got up, bid their good nights and finally headed towards their respective room, closing the doors smoothly.

Sakura quickly arranged the remaining papers in files, making sure that everything was in the right place. She then wore her night T-shirt and shorts and prepared to surrender to the promising sleep. The pink-haired Philax snuggled in her warm sheets and blankets like her life depended on it, as she began contemplating over and over again.

The next day will be the start of a whole new experience. Nobody could deny that fact. The gist of it was that all they had to do was to go to school and wait for the Committee Representative to give the last minute's advises and instructions. They could finally have a chance to attend a human school. And Sakura should be happy. Only, she wasn't very much so. In fact she was so restless that her eyelids couldn't even close for a second, as she feared from the beginning.

No! She would win over this flood of anxiety. She would sleep this night. She owed that to her poor tired body and tortured nerves. The young woman twisted around in the pink sheets for some time, before she could finally give in to exhaustion and, at last, travel to Dreamland; to her other safe place in the world.

(*1) Φύλαξ or Φύλακας means guardian. It is pronounced as philax or philakas. The plural is Φύλακες, pronounced as philakes. In this story they will be mostly referred as Philax in singular or Philakes in plural.

(*2)Time of waiting: Is the time during which the heirs of the noble clans await to claim the 'throne' of the Clan, in other words the leadership. This period starts from the moment they reach adulthood until they finally made it to Clan Heads.

(*3) Elementals are supernatural creatures born with the ability to control an element of nature. Such examples are: fire, water, air, earth, lightning, sand, wood, steel etc.

(*4) Regular population: the members of the supernatural world that are not Nobles. They are mostly called Regulars. The Clans and races of the regular population either have mostly extinct or were never recognized as Noble Clans. Let me explain better...

Say we have a vampire Clan. This species are officially recognized, meaning they are strong and there are a lot of vampires out there. The said Clan may belong to the Alpha Nobles, the absolute elite Clans, no matter the species they belong, the Beta Nobles, the elite that are not as important as the Alphas(but they are still elite) or the regular population, meaning the 'simple' and 'everyday' people of the supernatural world. [Thus, the Alphas could be vampires, werewolves, elementals or telepathists.(because those are the recognized species anymore)] Who belongs where was decided by 'The Law of Purity' some centuries before the Pact was made.

Some species might only belong to the regular population. Say we have a Clan of Harpies. The Harpies are not recognized species, meaning that most of the individuals have been probably wiped out or they aren't strong and 'worthy' enough to be named Nobles. That Clan doesn't have any representatives in the Alphas, the Betas, or the Council, only in the regular population. You just might encounter some Harpies but they are like 'simple civilians'. The recognized species may change due to the amount of supernatural creatures dying as years pass. However, the Alpha and Beta Clans are strictly decided by ' The Law of Purity' and that cannot change. However, some Betas may be extinct at some point. In that case the Clan's name is lost but not the position as Betas.

The members of the regular population can't have a Philax, or be one.

Author's note: What do you think? It's really different, right? Please if you have any questions feel free to ask. I know it's complicated at some parts, but some things will be clearer as the story goes. Also if you spotted any kind or errors please inform so that I can correct myself.

If I get a satisfying feedback I might work like crazy and have two more chapters completely ready. Otherwise, I will take my time to edit the second and finish the third. It all depends on you (and my stubbornness.). Also, I might be extremely busy for the next few days so it depends on the circumstances as well. I have decided that the chapters of this story will be loooong...with no exception and plus I am not that used into writing stories from a normal point of view. I have always liked to use 'I' and 'we', so some of that might slip out. (Please make sure to tell me if you spot those 'traitors')

Please be patient...

Please do not forget to review and tell me what you think!