Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto, never will in this life time, but Kishimoto-san does own it, the lucky guy (despite that I think the series itself is heading downhill due to certain... recent events).

Summary:

They are alone. They are the survivors. They are the last few free humans of the world. They struggle to survive each day. Each day is lived in fear. Each day they live is a gift... each day that passes is a curse... each day that will come is full of hope. They have lost their comrades, their teammates, their friends, and their family. Everyone in the outside world is an enemy, none of them can be trusted, not even when they are the friends and family of the survivors, because they aren't the friends and family they once knew. The vampires have taken them, they have become lost. The only hope left is that Tsunade finds the cure, the cure that might not even exist, and that they can give this cure to everyone. Or at least drive out the vampires, but where can they drive the vampires to when there is nowhere to drive them to? What hope do they have left? None...

Author's Note:

THIS IS SET IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE, so don't complain or review just to complain. There may or may not be spoilers... but at this point I think there may only be a few mild spoilers. And yes, I know, vampires are being overrated at the moment, but... this just crept into my head and I couldn't resist. So... here, enjoy. And if you like, check out my other story: Atarashii Chishio.

Oh and listening to a particularly sad/depressing song while reading this would suit it quite well. I myself listened to Concierto de Aranjuez Adagio by Joaquin Rodrigo while writing this, re-reading it, editing it, and re-reading it again. I think it suits the story rather well... but that might be because I was listening to different parts whilst typing the story.

Sangai

Chapter I: The Survivors

The moon's rays penetrated through the debris. The light bounced off of one item to another. The rays landed on a piece of glass, the moon rays being distorted and spread out through the small cylindrical chamber. More glass and the light breaks up even more. Over and over the light breaks up, becoming brighter and brighter the deeper it went. Far, far, far below stood one young woman. She stared up at the lights for a single moment before it got too bright.

Had things still been normal, the same, the moon's rays would have turned her face silver and glistening, but it wasn't normal. Things had changed... changed for the worse. Her eyes were filled with grief and at the same time, anger. Anger at herself for losing them. For making them into the monsters they were now. She had lost them and there was nothing she could do about it. Nothing. Once they became a monster, they were a monster forever.

A hand reached out and touched her on the shoulder. She turned quickly, thinking that it was an enemy, but it wasn't. It was one of her comrades, one of the few survivors. His face was filled with grief as well, but in them were acceptance, not anger. He gave her one long glance and then let go of her. They both looked up for a few minutes even though they couldn't see anything. The cold didn't bother them. The only sound came from the steady river rushing by behind them.

"... You shouldn't blame yourself," he finally said at long last. A yawn soon followed it. She glanced back at him, he was laying in the soft grass, staring up at the ceiling and the light every now and then. His dark hair was still held up, but his face looked hardened. She had almost forgotten how much he had suffered too. It had been so long...

"I don't," she said, but she knew it was lie, as did he. She averted her eyes to the field before her. The field was covered in markings, markings of the dead. So many had died... and many more had been lost. She closed her eyes, remembering the dead and lost, wishing the dead luck and happiness. For the lost... she fervently hoped that Lady Tsunade could come up with a cure, but even that was a long shot.

He didn't answer her. Instead, he had fallen asleep it seemed. And then he let out a long sigh. "Yeah... that's what we all say. But Tenten... it really wasn't your fault that.... Neji was lost," he said, careful to choose his words with care. "There was nothing that you could have done to save him... the best thing you can do is let him rest forever."

She became cold inside, not from the cold outside, but from the feelings that she had bottled up over the many years that had gone by. She soon became numb and closed her eyes once more. With a shaky breath she replied, "Would you do that... to Choji?"

Tenten waited and waited, but he never answered. Her eyes slowly opened and she turned to look at him. "Would you?" she asked again, quietly, it was barely a whisper. She too had become cold with the recent turn of events, but even so, she was still gentle, still caring, still careful. "Would you do that to Choji if you had the chance?"

"No..." he said quietly, too quietly for her to answer. She continued to stare at him. He soon realized she hadn't heard him. With a groan he got up and dusted himself off. "No," he said, this time loud enough for her to hear. "This is such a drag..." he mumbled, "come on, let's go. They'll get worried."

Tenten slowly nodded. She had her answer. He wouldn't do it, and neither would she. They both still had hope left... hope that a cure could be found... hope that this curse wasn't irreversible... hope, that was all that they had left now. What else did survivors have when it seemed impossible to win? Nothing but hope.

They walked alongside one another quietly in silence. In this place underground, far from the monsters of the world, was their haven, one of the last havens in the world. So many others had lost... had given up... had given up hope, but they wouldn't. They never would. They had long been known as a people who never gave up... a people who always hoped and survived until the very end, but now they were questioning that. How much longer could they hold? They would fall too.

Kirigakure had been the first to fall. The Land of Water easily being taken over in its isolation from the world. And then it began to spread to the other lands. The Land of Waves being the second in The Falling. Shinobi and kunoichi alike had fought back. Many had lost their lives, many more were losing their lives soon. Kumogakure fell, and with it, the Land of Lightning. From there the advance was swift. The Land of Ricefields, Takigakure, Kusagakure, Amegakure, Iwagakure, they all fell. Soon, it was only Sunagakure and Konohagakure, but it didn't matter. The Lands of Wind and Fire had already fallen, only the few survivors of the ninja villages had survived, but even so, that wasn't enough.

Sunagakure was already falling... the Kazekage had become lost. There now only remained four of them. Four of them against the thousands that had invaded their home... the thousands that were their friends and comrades as well. And Konoha? Who was left? Not many... but they were by far the largest group left alive now, and probably the last. How long would they last? Even if they were to never be found by the monsters... how could they survive so far underground? It would only be so long until the monsters took over Sunagakure and declared themselves victorious. After all, who wouldn't be when there were only a small handful of humans left? And what if those few handful of humans had submitted to the monsters? Only Konoha stood against the monsters, but their efforts were vain and futile. Even they knew they were losing. Just who was left?

"Shikamaru!" yelled out a bright eyed man. He was the only left who held some life about him, and probably the only one in the whole world at this moment. "Tenten!" His yells alerted the others and they came stumbling out. All were just as hardened and empty as Tenten and Shikamaru were. Tenten had to give him credit though... he was always there. It was as if he knew when you were lonely and when you wanted to cry. He was there though, there to comfort you. He even let himself be your punching bag if it was needed. Everyone loved him more than ever now. Not for saving the village from Pain, not for saving the village from the Kyuubi, but for simply being understanding. If Naruto died, or worse... became lost... then they really wouldn't know how to survive as humans. He was the link, the link to humanity. Without him they were simply animals trying to eke out a living and running from the monsters above ground.

Shikamaru groaned. "Naruto..." he mumbled. Tenten only glanced at the survivors. She could see it... they were all losing hope. They were all wondering the same thing, how much longer could they hold out? How much longer could they survive down here? How long until their luck faded and the raids failed? How long? How long did they have?

Tsunade, Shizune, Sakura, and Ino were of course, not there. They were working on the cure. But everyone else was here. Silver haired Kakashi stood in the shadows, watching them all. He above everyone else had suffered the most. He had already lost many comrades in his life... before the monsters came. And now, when the monsters had arrived, they had taken over so easily. He had been as useless as anyone else. His eyes were filled with so much sadness, but even so, he never gave up. He led all the raids and always came back successful. He was their savior in a sense, without him... the raids would be much harder.

And then there was Iruka. He took care of Konohamaru and Moegi. He was the one who made sure that they all got along. He was the caretaker and comforter. Everyone felt at ease in his presence. But his eyes were filled with sadness as well. He was a teacher, and the loss of many of his students, both the old and the new, had affected him. He and Naruto alone were the only ones who could manage a smile in these dark times, but he a grimmer one than Naruto.

Kurenai, her red eyes even more red. Somehow she still had tears to shed. Tenten felt sorry for her. She should have died... should have been lost at the least. Her son, her last tie to her love, Asuma, had been among the very first to die when the monsters attacked Konoha. She truly had lost everyone dear to her. It was only Konohamaru who could lend her support now and then. Still, she was strong and saw to it that all of them were properly fed and living decently. Motherhood was still strong in her and perhaps one of her few remaining ties to life.

Ayame... beautiful Ayame. She had lost her father. As she had done so all her life, she continued to feed them. She made do with what little they had and made it bearable to eat, let alone look at. She managed to bring a small smile to everyone's face and brighten a room up. She was like the sun. The sun they all missed. Warm and friendly. Just as they all wished to be around Iruka, they wished to be around Ayame as well.

Kotetsu was, as usual, sitting in an alcove in the underground cave recording the day's events. He never could get out of his routine of running various errands for Tsunade, but now that they were trapped down here he couldn't quite run those errands anymore, and without Izumo, he looked rather lonely. After Izumo had been killed... well he didn't have much left to do. Shizune had tried to cheer him up, even Ayame, but it wasn't helping. The only thing that kept him... sane and quiet for any length of time was writing. So, Tsunade had made him the "official historian" just so that he wouldn't feel so useless. Everyone knew what it was like to lose someone, but at least Izumo had been killed and not lost.

And then there was Ebisu. He stood right behind Konohamaru and Moegi, a hand on either of their shoulders. Konohamaru and Moegi were Chunin material by now... but with the current situation, even Konohamaru couldn't crack a joke or insult about Naruto like before. He was like a father to them now, Iruka an uncle. Ebisu may have been a little... strange, but he was there for Konohamaru and Moegi. He didn't do quite so well on raids, but he was rather efficient in judging an enemy's power level and strengths, so he was always sent on raids, at least the long term ones.

Konohamaru and Moegi stood in front of Ebisu quietly, their eyes downcast, staring at the floor. Their hands were locked around one another's loosely. No doubt they still remembered Udon, it had been a year now... but they were still children, even if they were ninja. This was hard on them, and unlike before where the people they had cared about had been revived by Pain, no one could bring back the people they loved now. They were truly the youngest here, and perhaps the most afflicted.

Shino stood in the shadows with his father, Shibi, they were one of the more fortunate ones. They had yet to loose each other, and though neither father or son showed it, they were glad of it. They were always quiet, but they invaluable on raids. Shino rarely talked anymore, but he was there for Hinata, trying to fill in for Kiba's sake... And he was there for Kurenai as well, but rarely, for Hinata was always by Kurenai's side. Shibi comforted Yoshino every now and then, knowing how it was to lose a spouse, but for the most part he too was generally alone. The two remaining Aburames were often seen together, or near one another's presence.

Hinata stood by Naruto's side, his arm linked through hers. Tenten managed a small amused smile to cross her face. She found it odd to see Hinata with Naruto and not blush. But times had changed and after her confession, Naruto had saw to it that he spent more time with her. They were a sort of on and off couple, not official... yet. Hinata was standing in front of Kurenai though. After all the deaths and the lost... she couldn't help but cling to the woman who represented the mother she never had. Kurenai ran a hand through Hinata's long hair absently and Hinata closed her eyes. From one of the tunnels that led to this room, the gathering room, stood her father. He watched her with mild interest. Everyone pitied Hinata. Her own father had despised her once more. Hanabi had been lost... and everyone knew Hiashi wished it had been Hinata who had been lost, not Hanabi, the young girl whom he expected to become heiress to the Hyuuga name.

From out of the small crowd came Yoshino. She gave Shikamaru a hard slap about the face, but asides from that, there was nothing else. Though she still treated Shikamaru the same as before, she still missed him sorely and feared for his safety. Shikaku had been lost... she couldn't lose Shikamaru too. And Shikamaru, even though he didn't admit it, he didn't want to lose her either. They were the only family left... After Shikaku and Chouza had been lost, things had been hard, but after Inoichi was lost too, things were at the cracking point. Shikamaru and Choji were almost always with Ino now, comforting her from the loss of her father and the death of her mother. And then Choji had been lost. That had utterly left Shikamaru and Ino empty, Shikamaru more so.

But Ino... Ino had lost her family and her team, all save for Shikamaru. Everyone knew about the new crush on Shikamaru, but Shikamaru himself hadn't reacted to it yet. Ino and Sakura were friends of a sort now, but they still had their fights. With the lose of her family and teammates, Ino had changed. She was often found walking along in the caverns, always with a saddening look to her face. Only Sakura and Shikamaru could convince her to come back to join the group. Still, she was not useless. Ino had developed her clan's secret techniques even more, so it was she who alerted the others when the monsters came too near the entrances to their haven. And it was Ino who kept their vegetables and fruits from dying, without her, the raids would have lasted much longer, having to find more food.

Sakura... Sakura was different as well. She didn't lament for Sasuke anymore, or if she did, she did it in private. Sasuke was no longer one of her primary concerns. Now she cared about those who were left and those who were injured. She was learning more and more everyday from both Tsunade and her own teachings. She had even taken up a sisterly role for Moegi, having taken time to teach her the basics of healing so that Tsunade and Shizune could continue their work on finding some cure or vaccine. She too was often in Naruto's company, but she always made care not to be in his company too long if Hinata was to join. Everyone knew of her splitting crush as well, her old childhood love for Sasuke, a man who was lost, and her new budding crush on Naruto, a man who was apparently taken by a woman who had longed loved him. No one commented on it though, at least not in the three's presence.

Shizune and Tsuande were always in the medical room now. They ate and drank in there, and even slept. Some had not seen them for months now, but all knew not to bother the two. No doubt that Shizune was making Tsunade work, but both women were working towards the same goal and the yells you once heard Shizune telling Tsunade became fewer and fewer with each passing month. They were invaluable, the healers, for they had to be kept alive. Deep underground in the damp and cold, they got sick more often than they used to. Of course, it was never anything serious, but sometimes the colds became dangerous. And of course, they had to heal the others when they came back from raids. But everyone worried for their health, the two women who worked so valiantly for a cure that might not exist.

And last but not least... Sai. He acted as their guard, but he was never allowed outside, and he was fine with it. Everyone knew that he was a subject of Danzo, a lost human who had gained power within the monster's courts. If he were caught and lost... no one wanted to imagine what could happen. It was for the safety of the others that he was kept inside the caverns and to this he willingly agreed to. He was still emotionless as ever, but after being stuck in the caverns with the others they had all come to read him better, and now he did have emotions, very faint ones that some of the members more familiar with him even had trouble figuring. No one truly got along with him other than Naruto, and on occasion Sakura.

Tenten let out a small sigh as everyone left just as soon as they had arrived. There truly was nothing left to live for... nothing. But they all lived, and for what purpose? To die in the caverns as humans? She shook her head, she really did need to stop thinking like this... it only brought one down even more. She marveled at how Naruto could keep on being so... so... happy right now. Then again, he had always been like that, and stubborn too, perhaps that was why he had so much more hope than they all did.

The sound of unfamiliar feet reached Tenten's ears. An intruder. She whirled around, kunai and shuriken drawn, already launching themselves towards the intruder. From her back she drew the dual katanas she had and took on an offensive stance, but only a weasel came out. A weasel with two shuriken in his back. The weasel eyed her with distaste and hissed at her. It was perhaps two feet long, a gray-black coat, and one dark, black eye that followed her every movement. The other eye, the left one, was closed, a thick scar running across it vertically, he had lost that eye.

More footsteps. Four people, guessed Tenten. She should have raised the alarm when she had the chance, but it was too late. They would be upon her soon. Her only hope was to make as much noise as possible and take as many of them out as she could... then perhaps the others could kill them off before it was too late and they were all lost. She gripped the hilts tighter. A bead of sweat rolled her face and dripped onto the dry, rocky floor. Shadows danced upon the main tunnel wall leading to the gathering room. They were here.

Tenten's eyes narrowed and she sprang forward to meet the intruders...

Author's Note:

Yeah, I know that was pretty long... but is it good? Please tell me it is. This is rather different from any of my other stories, the beginning at least and I'm quite astonished I managed to write like this. I'm not even sure I can do it again for the next chapters, so you can imagine I'm proud of myself in a sense... but I don't know how well this was written, perhaps a review would help me? Good or bad? So long as it's not spam... Flames, I don't mind them, but at least give a reason as to why you're flaming. And good ones at that, mind you.

Thanks for reading, and keep up I suppose? I dunno when the next chapter will come out, but hopefully when it does, it'll be just as good or better than this chapter.