~Chapter X~

~Lies~

Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear / Sealed with lies through so many tears / Lost from within and pursuing the end / I fight for the chance to be lied to again

Empty. When Naruto returned to school after his week long absence, all he saw was emptiness. The carefree and slightly conceited smiles in the halls around him were subdued and unsure. Not one was genuine. They were terrified. It had been two days since the "Double Murders." Two more people were dead. Not much was being released to the public. No one knew the names of the victims. All they knew was the settings in which they were found. A male had been found at the church and a young woman had been found in the Konoha Gardens, which was a town treasure and somewhat of a historical landmark. Both victims were killed the same way as the first two. They were found with those three long, signature cuts.

Hysteria was very evident in the little town. Naruto heard accusations being thrown left and right. The streets were almost always empty. Doors were always locked and windows barricaded. Never had Naruto seen so much mistrust in his town. Never had he felt so much darkness weighing down on his heart. How could he carry on with classes like this? How could any of them carry on? No one could concentrate on the mundane, every day actions in their lives. How could he pretend that he wasn't staring at the face of the murderer?
The crowds in the hallways before classes began were thinner than they once were. Naruto could make out faces much easier without being jostled around. The snowy faces of the Uchihas vividly stood out against the faded coloring of the school walls. There they sat, leaning up against the lockers and lounging in the hall. It wasn't uncommon. Many of his peers sat against the walls in the morning. But, those two…were they trying to act human? Were they trying to blend in so no one suspected them? Was that it?

He did not go unnoticed by them. Even standing far at the other end of the hallway, those coal black eyes still trained on him. He went cold all over at the freezing intensity of both of their gazes. Despite other students passing between them, never did those eyes falter. Naruto felt like prey. He felt like a rabbit beneath a hawk's predatory eyes. Any hope he had of defending himself from them began to melt away. All it took was a glance. There was so much power in just a single look…

No!

Naruto yanked himself up and out of his spiral into hopelessness. He could not show weakness. Vampires fed off fear, Huntress had told him. They were creatures of intimidation. They would not hesitate to take advantage of panicked thoughts. Since he'd discovered that website two days earlier, Naruto had been taking lessons from Huntress in the ways of resisting a vampire. It was time to put his newfound knowledge to the test. The Uchihas would not scare him.

"Naruto."

His voice trotted down the hall and filled his ears as clearly as if he had been standing behind him. He hadn't even seen his lips move. The hallways were gradually emptying, Naruto noticed. The first bell would be ringing soon. This was where he realized that the Uchihas had planned this. They had been anticipating his return to his studies that day and had put themselves in a position where they knew they were likely to encounter him. They were already outsmarting him.

"Why don't you take a step closer, Naruto?" Sasuke said to him, the sound so vivid in his ears it was like there wasn't a twenty foot space between them. "We have some things to discuss with you."

His voice was entirely calm and business-like and the sound was enticing, like brook water lapping over smooth stones. It was one of their powers, Naruto remembered Huntress saying. It was a hunting mechanism, inherited from the days of Sirens and lost sailors. The more appealing the sound was, the more you were lured in. It was a form of hypnotism. He just had to keep control over his own head, Naruto reminded himself. Reassuring himself that he had enough will and sense to maintain power over his mind, Naruto took the first step towards them.

He was on his own, he noted as his slow footsteps echoed back to him from the empty hall. His peers were in the safety of their classrooms by now, even though the first bell had yet to ring. There was no one to hear whatever was about to pass between them. He bet they planned for that too. Naruto was sure they weren't planning on killing him, however. No matter how empty the halls were, they were still in a public place. They wouldn't dare harm him if they wanted to remain undiscovered.

And yet, as he drew closer and closer and their features grew even clearer, he felt as if his last breaths were only moments away. It was their powers again, Naruto reminded himself. The icy atmosphere surrounding them and their unwavering gazes were designed to discourage. He was stronger than that, Naruto silently insisted. He was strong enough to at least stand up straight and look them in the eyes without wavering. He knew he could handle that much.

His feet rooted themselves to the tiled floor as he arrived before the Uchihas. They did not rise to meet him and their postures didn't shift in the slightest. They did not fear him for the knowledge he possessed. Why should they? Naruto thought. They could make him disappear with a snap of their fingers if he ended up being a major risk. Despite being in the higher position, Naruto still felt puny. Both pairs of glacial eyes continued to bore him down and superiority radiated off of them in waves.

"You've accused me of murder, Naruto," Sasuke said from his place on the floor, his marble lips fluttering apart like curtains in the breeze.

Naruto struggled to focus on Sasuke while staying vaguely aware of Itachi beside him. The older brother was clearly the more dangerous. Naruto had always thought so, from the day he first saw them drift down the halls, until now. He was definitely the more deadly of the two. His eyes were much colder than Sasuke's and – especially now – were much more ruthless. Naruto was fully conscious to the fact that if Itachi made a move, there would be no chance of escape for him. Maybe he could stand a chance against Sasuke but, it was hardly a glimmer of a chance. He had to be careful. He was already teetering on the line between life and death just by standing so close to them.

"Is this where you try to deny it?" Naruto asked in response to Sasuke's words, hating the rough sound to his voice in comparison to the Uchiha's smooth, flawless one.

"Yes," Sasuke answered, fluidly, those eyes catching every tiny detail in Naruto's stance. "This is where I try to make you understand the truth."

"I know the truth," Naruto growled, his eyes narrowing and his voice going cold. "I saw what you really are."

"I'm well aware of what you saw," Sasuke said. "What you saw was a monster standing over your dying girlfriend. It was that you saw and nothing more."

Naruto's teeth ground together in fury at the way Sasuke referred to Sakura. There was no remorse in his voice and no guilt passed in the black tundras of his eyes. She was nothing to him. Never had Naruto seen such blatant disregard for a life. It made his blood come to a simmer and he lost his self-control. Despite Huntress's typed warnings, he could not contain his rage.

"You bastard!" he roared, his backpack collapsing off of his shoulder as he moved to attack Sasuke.

Pain shot up Naruto's arm and he bit the side of his mouth to contain his yelp of agony. His hand had made it a few inches away from grasping Sasuke's shirt before Itachi lashed out and clutched his wrist. Damnit! He'd made all the mistakes he had vowed he would not make. He had not been able to maintain his awareness of both Uchihas and he had allowed Sasuke's words to probe into his vengeful thoughts to trigger his emotions. Now he was trapped. Itachi had his wrist twisted in preparation for breaking. With the slightest addition of pressure, Naruto would be back on his way to the hospital.

"Itachi," Sasuke murmured to his brother, turning a stern glance to him. "It's alright. Let him go, please."

Itachi made no move that indicated he had even heard Sasuke. Naruto glanced up once to dare and look into the vampire's eyes. It was near impossible not to allow terror to seep into every fiber of his being at the vicious gleaming in that gaze. There was nothing to hint that there was room for compromise. It appeared to Naruto that it was inevitable - in Itachi's mind - that he would not walk away without screaming in pain. The Uchiha was not planning on letting him go as Sasuke had asked of him. Naruto could almost see the plots to make his injury seem accidental flashing in those dark orbs.

"Itachi – "

"You never have to repeat yourself to me, Sasuke," Itachi retorted, those malicious eyes never looking away from his trapped prey, "just as I never have to obey you."

Naruto felt hurt pouring off of Sasuke at Itachi's harsh words. The blond did not glance away from his fearsome captor, however. He had to be able to stare him down. He had already failed to prevent the two of them from penetrating his mind and bringing forth his rage. He had to at least show no fear. He did not struggle against Itachi's vice grip, knowing that would only make him panic more. He let his wrist go lax and numbed his mind to try and remain unfazed by Itachi's bloodthirsty glower.

"Itachi, please," Sasuke whispered and Naruto could have sworn he heard a faint hint of desperation in his voice. "This won't solve anything. If you hurt him, it'll just make things worse."

This just seemed to anger Itachi even further. Naruto could hear the crunching of his ivory teeth as they ground together in his mouth. He refrained from flinching at the sound and tried to hold onto the Uchiha's gaze. His blue eyes were quivering in protest as he forced them to continue to look forward. He could not allow himself to be afraid. If he could stare Itachi down, he knew he would have the strength to defend himself against them later. He just had to hold on…

Sasuke's porcelain-like hand landed upon Itachi's, wound around Naruto's wrist. It almost felt like gravity had suddenly ceased to exist when those vicious eyes finally released his own. Naruto felt weightless as the pressure left his shoulders. His hand was still locked in those freezing fingers but, he felt like he could finally breathe again. He had done it. He had held out beneath Uchiha Itachi's smothering gaze. The tension between the two brothers was just as ferocious. The intensity in Itachi's glare had not lessened, only shifted to Sasuke. The younger brother met his gaze, trying to hide his disappointment and hurt with cool levelness. This silent exchange of emotions and opinions lasted for barely a second before the bell rang.

Naruto was jolted back to his surroundings at the obnoxious sound. It felt like it had been decades since he was last free of the Uchihas' cold stares. He blinked once to readjust to the world around him. He was in the school hallway. The first bell had just sounded. Itachi was gone. One instant, he was sitting right before him, prepared to snap his wrist in two. As Naruto had blinked, he had swiftly departed. Now, only he and Sasuke remained, the latter now on his feet and watching Naruto with melancholy eyes.

"I did not kill her Naruto," the vampire said as the human flexed his finally free wrist and straightened to confront him.

The challenging conversation was not yet at an end, Naruto chided himself. He could handle Sasuke now that his devil of a brother was gone. The blond shouldered back on his fallen backpack and calmly faced the black-haired demon. He was not dissuaded by the conflicted feelings now visible in those black depths. They were not for him and they were not for Sakura. He was only upset that things hadn't gone his way. Naruto would not be persuaded to empathize with him.

"It doesn't matter how much you deny it," Naruto said, colder than he thought was possible for a mortal such as himself. "Nothing will change what I saw."

"And nothing will change what you think you know; nothing but proof of our innocence."

It was not a question. Sasuke had come to terms with Naruto's lust for vengeance. It was a bitter realization for the vampire. There was no hope of changing Naruto's mind unless the true killer was brought to justice.

"There is nothing innocent about you," Naruto said, venomously. "I will never think otherwise. I despise you and I will make sure neither you nor anyone else of your kind will kill another person in Konoha."

"What a shame," Sasuke whispered, gazing solemnly at the vengeful mortal before him. "I was really hoping you and I would be good friends. I'm sorry that'll never happen."

A broken smile twitched on his lips and the sorrow in those eyes was so difficult to resist. Then he was gone. Naruto's eyes twitched in hesitation at the intense emotions swirling in those orbs and then, Uchiha Sasuke was gone. Naruto found he could not move at first. The shock of the situation that had just transpired slowly sunk into his pores. As he stood alone in the hallway, standing alive and breathing evenly, Naruto realized what he had achieved. He had looked in the eyes of two vampires, without fear, and he had lived.

As he had anticipated, Naruto's friends were beyond ecstatic about having him back in school. Every time he spoke with them on that first day back, he always asked himself what he had done to deserve such good friends. They knew exactly what he was going through and knew exactly how to act and talk around him. Not once did they bring up Sakura or his interrogation sessions. They acted as if he'd never taken a leave of absence and he appreciated the normalcy they enveloped him in. The last thing he wanted was pity.

He hadn't looked forward to lunch that day, especially not after his confrontation with Sasuke that morning. He was both relieved and suspicious when he did not see the vampire waiting for him at the cafeteria table. This aroused many frantic queries from Lee. The boy was obsessed with Sasuke, Naruto was sure of it, and he didn't know if it was from the Uchiha's supernatural charms or a history geek attraction. Either way, it concerned him, greatly. He didn't know how he could keep his friends safe from the threat of the vampire when they had already accepted him as their trustworthy friend.

Though he didn't join them at their designated table, Sasuke did attend lunch that day. Naruto's cerulean eyes zeroed in on the cafeteria entrance upon Sasuke's arrival. Those arctic eyes transfixed upon him for a fraction of a second before flitting away to look elsewhere. His friends around him did not appear to notice Sasuke's entrance or how he melted around his obstacles to join two individuals on the other side of the room. Naruto's heart had flip-flopped in concern when he saw Sasuke greet Dosu, of all people.

"So, were there any problems while I was gone?" Naruto asked his friends when he heard a break in their chatter, trying to sound casual and curious.

"Well, what do you mean by problems?" Kiba asked after sharing confused glances with his peers.

"I mean Zaku and all the bullying," Naruto clarified, adding a hint of disgust to his voice to keep up with his act.

"Oh!" Lee spoke up upon understanding the question. "Zaku's actually been absent for quite some time. It's been a real breath of fresh air, actually."

"Dosu and Kin haven't been a bother?" Naruto pressed, struggling not to glance over at where he knew Sasuke was conversing with the scarred student.

"Nothing," Lee answered, shaking his head.

"There's really not much to them without Zaku," Shikamaru added, fiddling with a potato chip in boredom, graciously provided by Choji.

Naruto nodded in agreement, although he wasn't entirely listening to his friends. His attempts at being discreet weren't so as he analyzed the Uchiha conversing with the bully across the room. His friends hadn't seemed to notice, at least not yet.

Sasuke smiled at Dosu. Dosu glared at him. Neither was happy to be in acquaintance. The day prior, the boy had approached him with a message from Tsunade. Sasuke was shocked to discover the silent shadow of Abumi Zaku shared in his society. He scolded himself for not recognizing him as one of his own earlier. Dosu had informed him that it was suspected that Zaku – having been missing for many days now – had been recruited by the Konoha Killer (a working title for the madman). The "Double Murders" were enough to convince the Council of Zaku possibly being turned.

Sasuke felt obligated to stay close to the nearly discovered vampire. He was Tsunade's spy – and therefore on his side. Regardless, he really didn't like the boy, which the he mirrored much more visibly. Kin glanced between them from where she was sitting at her and Dosu's table. She was clearly ignorant to her friend's identity and nervous about Sasuke's proximity – he had frightened her the day he'd fended Zaku away from his…former friends.

"Mind if I take a seat?" Sasuke finally said, conversationally. "I was hoping you could help me with this new chapter we've reached in Chemistry."

Dosu's eye narrowed – the majority of his face was covered in bandages and Sasuke wasn't about to ask why (no one else in the school had). The Uchiha had fabricated his cover story for continuing to speak with Dosu last night. The spy was quick to play along – his orders were much stricter than his distaste for the boy. Grudgingly, he nodded for Sasuke to take the empty seat that Zaku had once occupied before sitting beside Kin across the table.

"You're…tutoring?" Kin coughed, trying to clear the nerves from her throat as Sasuke sat down. "Dosu, since when do you help people?"

He didn't reply, instead continuing to glare at Sasuke. Sasuke continued to smile. He was more focused on the intense burning in the back of his skull from Naruto's diamond gaze across the room, cold and ruthless as a dagger. That was some impressive rage for a mere human, Sasuke thought. He hadn't seen such fervor in an ordinary person's expression for quite some time. It was only slightly daunting; Sasuke didn't believe for one second that Naruto stood a chance against him or Itachi. It just disappointed him that their friendship had died just as it began. He refocused on the table before him when Kin said something to him.

"So…will you be sitting with us from now on?" she had asked, choosing her words very carefully, like she was afraid he'd tear her throat out if she said something wrong.

He turned on the charm as he attempted to ease her fright over him – he hadn't realized he'd had such an affect on her that day. "Maybe," he said. "I hate to impose but, my grades do depend on Dosu here. My counselor was very insistent upon me spending as much as my free periods getting help as possible. If you're uncomfortable though, of course I don't mind sitting elsewhere."

The look in Dosu's eye agreed whole-heartedly with his offer. Kin bit her lip in guilt though. She clearly hadn't meant that she wanted him to go elsewhere, regardless of her discomfort. Dosu tensed unhappily when the girl quickly said, "Of course, I don't mind!" (she was lying) "Um, stay as long as you need to."

An unsure smile crossed Kin's lips, proving how wary she still was of him. Sasuke smiled and sat back, gloating to Dosu at how easily he seemed to be gaining her trust. It was no secret to Sasuke that the man was totally disgusted at the fact that he had wormed his way into their table. The Uchiha soaked up the irritation with a pleased smile on his face. Kin was oblivious to the dislike between the two.

"So, you're really tutoring Sasuke?" Kin asked Dosu again and the man growled in annoyance.

She was unfazed and the change in her attitude was quite vivid to Sasuke. Her true personality peeked out when she spoke to her friend. There was a teasing and playful air about her that Sasuke really hadn't seen much of unless she was with her friend. He hadn't intended to turn his simple observation into a foreboding thought but, his pessimistic side outweighed his optimism. Would she be so carefree and open with Dosu if she knew the truth about him? Sasuke had gotten the impression that they had known each other for a long time but, would that time together matter if she knew what he truly was?

Sasuke had been asking himself that question a lot lately. Since Naruto had seen him in his state of bloodlust, Sasuke was beginning to fear that all humans were as prone to overreact. Could his kind ever be accepted in society? One second, they were revered and the next, they were persecuted. They were objects of fascination and then, objects of fear. Was it even worth it to make mortal friends, he'd been wondering. That had been his entire purpose behind returning to Konoha; that and re-immersing himself in his family's history, in addition to resettling into his childhood home. He'd sought to fake a normal existence. He should have listened to Itachi. He should have known he couldn't hide what he was. He could only hope he could keep Naruto quiet and make sure his friends didn't figure out what he was. Easy, Sasuke reassured himself, although he knew it was a lie.

Naruto was on his laptop the instant he got home. He had practically run out of the school building after the final bell. He had looked over both shoulders in anticipation of being followed on his way to the bus across the lot. Also, no car had gone unwatched outside his bus window. Although he didn't see any ritzy, black vehicles cruising after him during the drive home, he did not let his guard down until he had crossed the threshold into his apartment.

Even when he was in the sanctity of his own home, he did not relax. He turned on every light in the small apartment to kill any shadows that a vampire could lurk in, undetected. He double checked every window and the door. Huntress had given him the basic facts about vampires. The aversion to garlic had turned out to be true, which had shocked Naruto. Out of all the weaknesses vampire's allegedly had, he had not expected the one about garlic to be true. Vampires were deathly allergic to the bulb, said Huntress. It was like kryptonite to Superman. When inhaled, vampires would slowly begin to be drained of their powers. It made them thirsty to the point of vampiric dehydration - which Naruto had never known about – and it stung their eyes to the point where they began to bleed.

With this knowledge in mind, Naruto had doused every entrance in his apartment with garlic powder and a dash of wolfsbane. It wasn't as effective as garlic – causing a sneeze more than an asthma attack – but, Naruto wasn't taking any chances. He had been surprised to read the truth about holy water. Turned out, it didn't work on all vampires. Statistics said that about only half of the vampiric population could be negatively affected by blessed water. Huntress hadn't gone into detail about why and there was no way for Naruto to know if the Uchihas were a part of the immune half. Regardless, Naruto's dresser was overflowing with blessed spray bottles and carved stakes. A lot of the classic legends were apparently true and he'd had no trouble aiming himself. Drop a cross in water and it was holy. Get a branch and sharpen it, you had a stake. That was the easy part.

The difficulty began when you started hunting. Vampires were unpredictable and lethally accurate in their attacks. There was a 99.9% chance of you winding up dead if you went up against them. It was discouraging, of course but, Naruto would not allow himself to give up. He still had a lot to learn. If he focused and hated them enough, he was confident that he would survive. It was as Huntress said: he couldn't be afraid. Sitting on his bed and feeling somewhat secure, Naruto opened up to the chat box. Huntress seemed to know a lot and had clearly seen a lot of vampires by the big photo collage when you first entered the site. Could they know something about the Uchihas, Naruto wondered.

Anonymous: Have you ever heard the name Uchiha before?

Many things still bugged Naruto about Huntress and the site. The fact that they knew his name without him giving it scared the crap out of him. Another thing was that Huntress always seemed to be the only one logged in. Was the information he was receiving truly honest? Was Huntress really a vampire hunter or had he walked into a scam? All his worries were swiped away when the reply came.

Huntress: I have.

No con artist would know that in reference to vampires, right? Licking his lips in concentration, Naruto typed in another question.

Anonymous: How?

Huntress: They've been around for quite some time.

Anonymous: How long?

Huntress: Three hundred years.

Anonymous: Where did you first hear about them?

Huntress: Why are you asking about the Uchihas?

Anonymous: They're the ones I want to slay.

Huntress's reply wasn't as quick as it usually was. Had he caught them off guard? Was it really that much of a surprise that it was the Uchihas he was after?

Huntress: You think the Uchihas killed this loved one of yours.

Anonymous: I know.

Hadn't he had the exact same conversation that morning? That's when Naruto's heart missed a beat. Could it be…that the person on the other side of the screen was…

Anonymous: Who are you!

Huntress: You'll fine out in

Anonymous: TELL ME NOW! Sasuke you son of abitch! If its you

Huntress: Calm down you stupid kid. Quit overreacting.

Overreacting? He called it overreacting? Of course he would call it overreacting. He didn't feel what humans felt. He didn't know the meaning of the word betrayal. He didn't know how it felt to be terrified. Naruto could die, he realized. The garlic treatment, the holy water…it could all be a lie!

Anonymous: Damn you! i'll make sure u pay! it doesnt matter how much u've mislead me i will find a way 2 beat you!

Huntress: Typical teenagers. There's no way to get past those hard heads of yours.

After the curt response, Huntress's name was swiped from the screen as he logged off. Naruto's heart was racing in panic. What now? Were they coming to kill him? He knew it was Sasuke. It just had to be! They knew his name. They had said similar things to him. They had lied to him. He was totally vulnerable. Naruto jumped to his feet to do something but, he didn't have the slightest clue as of what. What could he do? What really worked against vampires? He had no way of knowing what could weaken or kill a vampire since Sasuke lied to him.

How could he be so foolish? How could he have not known it was them? They were vampires. They could do anything and everything. Their connections were limitless. They had caught him. He was trapped. His heart felt like it was going to explode. The beat raced faster and faster like a runaway freight train as his hysteria grew more and more. He stumbled over to the first window he saw, digging his nails into the wooden windowsill. The stench of garlic flooded his nostrils as his frantic eyes scanned the outside world beyond the glass. Were they there? Were they watching him, waiting to kill him? How did he defend himself? He couldn't die yet. He could not be their next victim. He couldn't, he just couldn't!

Everyone was against him, Naruto realized. He was on his own. There was no one to help him. He felt hollow inside as this fact settled over him. Suddenly, he felt sick to his stomach and he rushed to the bathroom and puked his guts out in the toilet. It didn't last long and he quickly flushed the contents and rinsed his mouth out with mouthwash. He leaned over the sink, gasping for breath. When he looked in the bathroom mirror, all he saw was a terrified little kid. He saw a messed up teenager that had seen far too much so early on in his life. Was that the face everyone was seeing on him lately? Was that what the Uchihas saw?

His heart stilled and his eyes narrowed into a glare. He wanted Sasuke to fear him. He wanted to be able to tower over Itachi's devilish glower. He wanted them to run from him. He wanted them to feel as scared as he was. He wanted to show them that they didn't have all the power…but how? That terrified face in the mirror couldn't do any of that. How did he get rid of it? Did he have to give up his humanity? Did he have to be a human monster and frighten all his friends away along with the real monsters? Would he have to give up his friends to get his revenge? Surely, they wouldn't be safe if he killed this innocent face in the mirror with that of a killer instinct.

The more Naruto stared back at his wild, deer-in-headlights eyes, the more he sought to mask it with one of bloodlust and cold calculation. He didn't want to be scared. He wanted to be able to look into red eyes without screaming. He wanted to match the flash of fangs with a stake. He had felt that way lately. He had slipped in and out of it, multiple times. He wanted that state of mind to stay. The only goal set into his mind as he gazed at his unruly reflection was to destroy the Uchihas. If he had to give up his friends to do it, so be it. If he had to act as the monsters he wanted to kill…then so be it.

They'll never see, I'll never be / I'll struggle on and / On to feed this hunger / Burning deep inside of me