Disclaimer - Me no owny Naruto!
FYI - Gemma Aitkin is, in fact, a character created for my fanfic on , 'What the Hell...', but the whole sorta basis for that fic is that Gemma is integrated into the Naruto universe, and as such WOULD feature in
fanfictions as a cannon couple with Gaara (though I'm screwing with that a little in this fic...not giving anymore away). So it's a fanfiction within a fanfiction...if you see what I mean...
Anyways, enjoy!
Ja y'all!
Chapter One
"Christ!" Kakashi gagged as he kicked the front door down.
Behind him his partner, Gai, slapped his hand over his mouth. No lie, the place stank!
"God, what is that?" He murmured.
"I dunno, but it's rank!" Kakashi moaned in reply. Gai patted him on the back reassuringly. He knew Kakashi had a sensitive nose, and if he found this place disgusting, it must be killing his silver-haired companion.
'Smells like urine. Urine and sex.' Gai thought, his mouth contorting in disgust. 'Death too. God I hope I'm wrong about that.'
He ventured further into the dark house, hand still covering his mouth. He peered into each of the downstairs rooms cautiously, but there was nothing and no-one there.
"House rented in the name of one Gaara Sabakuno." Kakashi choked out behind him. "Apparently he was staying here with four room-mates."
"Then where are they?" Gai whispered. "Students...this place should be alive with noise, not dead."
"Mmm." Kakashi agreed. "I'll keep looking down here. You take upstairs?"
Gai nodded in agreement and made his way up the stairs. 'Creaky stairs...figures.' He thought with a sigh.
He peered into the first of the three rooms to find a bathroom, still full of soaps and shampoos.
The next two rooms were bedrooms; one a boy's, the other quite clearly a girl's. Both empty. In the fourth room however...
"KAKASHI!!" Gai yelled, falling against the door-frame for support.
"What?! Gai?!" Kakashi's footsteps thundered up the stairs and along the corridor and the man himself appeared beside his partner. "Oh god..."
In the fourth room lay four bodies, surrounded by blood and stinking of death. "Oh god, Gai...what have we found...?"
Gai shook his head and ventured slowly into the room. "Get on the radio and call for backup. I'm...going to check for life-signs."
"Gai...Gai there's no-"
"I know, there's probably no point...but you said the boy had FOUR room-mates. There's only four bodies here. Where's the last?"
Kakashi sighed. "Good point, but please, Gai, don't go wandering around." And with that he ran back to the car.
Gai gave himself a firm shake and stepped further into the room. "Oh god...they're so young..."
He braced himself and lean over the first, a blonde boy, and placed his finger against his neck. Even before he registered there was no pulse he knew it was useless. The boy was stone cold and rigamortis had already set in. He'd obviously been dead for hours. Maybe days.
Still, he checked the others, a long-haired brunette, a ginger-haired girl and a red-headed boy. All dead.
Gai stepped back and collapsed against the wall. He stayed there, frozen, until Kakashi returned.
"Well...they're on their way. Twenty minutes at most. Was I right?"
Gai nodded sadly. "Oh yes. Kakashi, do you know who's who? It will help us to contact their families."
Kakashi sighed and took out his notebook. "I can identify Sabakuno. He was described to me by the neighbour who called. Red-head with a tattoo above his left eye." Kakashi glanced down at the boy. Then glanced over to the girl. "And she's Gemma Aitkin, the only girl. The other two, could be any two of three names; Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuga or Lee Rock."
Gai's head suddenly shot up.
"Gai, what-"
"Shh! Can you hear sobbing?"
Kakashi cocked his head to one side. "Yeah...come on." He made his way over to the closet and pressed his ear against the door. The nodded and pointed at it.
Gai replied with a nod and drew his gun. He held up his hand with three fingers extended.
Kakashi nodded in reply and put his hand on the door handle, the flung it open.
Gai pointed the gun, but quickly drew it back up as the figure in the closet let out a wail and huddled in a ball.
"Hey there..." Kakashi said, peering round the door. "You okay?"
"Kakashi, don't be stupid, of course he isn't okay!" Gai growled, and replaced his gun in it's holster. He crouched low and made his way slowly towards the boy. "Hi...my name's Gai Maito. Can you tell me yours?"
The boy sniffed and huddled further into the darkness around him.
"Hey, hey...it's alright. I promise I won't hurt you."
Kakashi gave a soft sigh. "Gai, I'm going to wait for the backup downstairs. Be careful, I hate to say it-"
"Then don't." Gai replied. He knew what Kakashi was thinking; that there was every chance this boy was the killer, but Gai didn't believe it for a second.
As soon as Kakashi was gone Gai moved right into the closet doorway to block the view of the boy's dead room-mates. That was the last thing he needed.
'Okay, plan to find out the kid's name...go through them?'
"Okay...let's see...are you Naruto?" Silence. "Neji?" Nadda. "Lee?"
The boy gave a jolt and looked up at Gai with big brown eyes.
'Yeah...a real psycho Kakashi! The poor kid's terrified.'
"So it's Lee...okay then. Are you hurt?"
Lee gave another loud sniff, but didn't say a word.
"C'mon kid! It's not youthful to stay hidden like that. Come out just a little...please?"
Lee gave Gai a mistrustful look.
"C'mon, just-"
"Are they gone?"
Gai blinked. "Are who gone?" 'At least he's speaking to me.'
"My friends...are they still there?"
"Well, yes. But Lee-"
"They are?" The boy gave a sigh of relief. "Then there's still time."
"Lee, your friends are de-"
"Burn them."
Gai blinked. 'Say what?' Maybe Kakashi WAS right about this kid...
"Burn them?"
"Yes. Quickly, before they rise again! It's been two days! We're luckily they haven't risen already."
"Risen?" Now Gai really was confused. "What do you mean risen?"
"Didn't you see? Look at their necks! Look at mine!" The boy stuck his neck out to reveal two pin-sized holes, still leaking blood. Gai looked at them in astonishment before putting two and two together.
Blood, death, bite marks, rising, burning.
'Oh boy.'
"Lee, listen. Whoever did this to you and your friends...they weren't really vampires. There's no such thing."
"There is! They came! So many of them! Their leader wanted Naruto! He said he'd have him for his own no matter what! Then he turned on the others. Gaara-" Lee broke off with a sob and wrapped his arms around himself. "Gaara put me and Gemma in here to keep us safe, but I'd already been bitten. Gemma wouldn't leave him. She told me to stay and ran after him. I wanted to go with them!" The tears were in full flow now and the boy was shaking with the force of them. "But I was too scared! I let them die! I could have stopped Gemma, but I couldn't move!"
Gai pulled the boy into a hug. "Shh, it's okay. If you'd gone after them, you'd be dead too, and we'd have no way of catching their killer."
"You won't! How can you catch them if they're already dead?! And if you don't burn the bodies then they'll come back as well! They'll come for me!"
"They won't Lee, Vampires aren't-"
"Gai..."Kakashi's voice came from the door. "...where are the bodies?"
"What?!" Gai turned so quick Lee was dragged with him as he viewed the now empty room...and an open window.
"I told you!" Lee yelled. "Now they won't stop! I'll be next!"
"...That's impossible..." Gai whispered.
"Yeah...I know." Kakashi murmured. Then sighed as he leaned against the door-frame. "How in the hell are we gonna explain this to the chief?"
End of Chapter