AN: The vampires have known jutsus since the beginning of the story. It was mentioned in chapter 1… if you missed it: Orochimaru favored them as well, for reasons unknown… The king taught them a few of his tricks, from jutsus, to summonings to other certain things. That way, they could do things average vampires could not do. Besides, I wanted to imply something from the original to my fic that way it doesn't feel too far out there.

Alright, as for the whole Hinata dying thing… I don't know, I thought I answered that… right about here: After Neji attacked her she'd lost so much blood, He drank what was left of it and gave her his own, hoping that it might last, at least for three days. Unfortunately, from the moment he carried her into the house her body was already failing. Knowing there would be some sort of struggle he had to find a way to get her out to feed, but the timing was horrible.

Yes, the paragraph thing is bad, but it explains a lot and besides if my fics were all dialogue I'd be answering questions almost every chapter, although I do realize that people tend to skip over the larger paragraphs and even the smaller ones, I encourage you to at least skim through so you know what's going on.

Chapter 12: Awakened

……

"Naruto!" Shikamaru shook his fallen body. "Wake up!" Sasuke stared at the girl he cradled in his arms. Just what was he supposed to do? "Gawd, the idiot made such a mess of things." Shikamaru scowled and looked around the cabin.

It looked like it was cozy, homey, and probably had a modern feel to it. However, the events that just took place in it disoriented the image. The walls were blood soaked, the couches, tables, curtains, sheets… everything was torn or knocked over and not too far from Naruto and Hinata's bodies were two corpses, probably a husband and a wife, their throats were torn open. Blood soaked the couple's clothing and their faces were frozen in sheer terror.

Sasuke shook his head. "The tips of her fingers are burnt." He examined Hinata's hands. Shikamaru gave a glance over at him.

"And?" He asked waiting for the point of the statement. Sasuke merely shrugged.

"If the two of them were running outside the entire time, I just figured she'd be burned elsewhere." He stated simply.

Shikamaru nodded. "Is this their doing?" He questioned. "Did Naruto and that girl do this to their victims?" Sasuke remained silent. "And here I thought Naruto hated killing… I can't picture this girl harming anyone."

"But we don't know for sure now do we?" Sasuke said suddenly feeling shady about this girl. Still… His onyx eyes traveled to the slain couple, widening tremendously. Carefully he laid the girl down and walked over to them. "Shikamaru…"

"Yeah?" He answered back putting Naruto down also and came over to see what got Sasuke to sound so grave.

"You see their necks, those are claws. If you look on the woman's arms and legs there are scratches, but on the man…" Sasuke lifted the torn fabric off of the man's torso. "There are bite marks."

"Werewolf?" Shikamaru inquired not quite getting it.

Sasuke shook his head. "The kyuubi was released. Naruto had to take drastic measures, meaning, he almost died." He glanced back at Naruto and Hinata. "Still… if the kyuubi was released, where is it now?" 'Her fingers…' "Did that girl seal the demon back into Naruto's body?" A sudden shuffle got their attention.

"Ngh…" Hinata groaned.

"She's awake."

……

"Just what is this place?" Sakura looked around. It was such a depressing area, just fitting for her mood. It was shady, despite the risen sun outside. 'They really do keep the mansion dark…' Sakura choked.

She couldn't cry… no matter how much she wanted to get it all out… she couldn't cry. There was no moisture keeping her alive other than blood. It made her wonder if that was the reason why vampires can't survive in sunlight. They'd shrivel because they had no moisture in their bodies. Blood alone could not help them live… At the moment… she didn't feel like "living" anymore.

Anxiety got the best of her. She stumbled clumsily on her two feet and tripped, but caught her fall on a nearby fountain rail. She let out a hoarse cry. "Damn Sasuke, damn you! You dragged me to hell!" Sakura picked herself up and sat on the rail miserably. "Idiot!" She yelled at herself and cursed her reflection in the fountain water. She heaved in ragged breaths, suddenly feeling better. "What a creepy statue." Sakura muttered and gave a sour glare at the weeping angel centerpiece.

……

"Anko." A voice called out. She spun around with her sword in her hand, gazing around cautiously.

"I know you're there you bastard, show yourself!" She demanded. The voice laughed mechanically at her.

"Anko, you fool… I pity you so…" The voice said lightly.

"Cut the crap Orochimaru!" She yelled at him. Anko was determined to find the king. She could sense him, but he felt like he was everywhere. "I detest playing your games."

"Is that why you left me my dear?" Orochimaru questioned in a lightly hurt tone.

Anko seethed, "Perhaps." She slashed her sword at some vines blocking her path. "Why don't you stop hiding and come out so I can slay your ass? Huh?"

"You know damn well you can't so anything to me." Orochimaru retorted angrily.

"Don't you dare underestimate me!" Anko snorted. "I hope you saw what I did to your pathetic bride."

"Hmph, pathetic? Why the name calling my dear? Jealous?" The king teased her.

"Don't think so highly of yourself. You are not worth-."

"If I am not worth anything to you then why are you here?" He questioned her.

Anko's fists clenched tightly around her sword. "I'm here to stop you."

"That's if you can find me." Orochimaru laughed. Anko's anger erupted. She slashed through the forest, chopping left and right, heightening her senses to find him. Then she heard a yawn. "You bore me…"

"Damn you!" Anko snarled angrily.

"And I do so get tired of your cursing." Orochimaru laughed again. "This brings back memories… ah, the games we used to play."

"Shut up!" She yelled at him and was finally able to pick up his chakra. It was getting stronger. She could feel it pulsing around her. She was so close… With one slash she could-.

"Game over." Orochimaru appeared behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck and then dodged her attempt to stab him. "Hmph." He grabbed her sword by the blade, and pulled it out of her hand. With a quick flick of the wrist he threw her limp body. It slammed into a tree nearby. Some of the splintered wood slashed through her body. Anko gasped. "You bitch." Orochimaru spat. He then gave a swift kick to her abdomen and knocked her out.

……

"Mmff!" Hinata stumbled backwards as Sasuke placed a hand over her mouth and a knife at her throat. She looked up with large eyes with terror shining in them.

"Listen girl, I don't know who you are, and what you did, but if you try to struggle or escape, I'll kill you here and now." Sasuke warned her. Hinata nodded. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them honestly. If-."

"I think she gets it Sasuke, you'll kill her." Shikamaru muttered with a wistful sigh. Sasuke glared at his companion and removed his hand from Hinata's mouth. "Now, what is your name?" Shikamaru asked.

"H-Hin..a-ta." She replied shakily. 'Who are these people?' Her eyes found Naruto's body behind the man who threatened her. "Naruto-kun!" She reached out to grab him. However, Sasuke grabbed her wrist before she could do so, held it until he could hear a little snap, and her whimper of pain.

"Don't move." The raven-haired man said threateningly. Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

"What happened here?" He continued his questioning.

Hinata avoided Sasuke and Shikamaru's dark gazes. She felt like she was being put on display. "I-I-I r-really don't remem-ber." Sasuke pulled out his knife again.

"You better make damn sure you do and soon." Hinata winced. This guy was so cruel… "Think a little harder." He demanded sternly.

"L-look, the last thing I remember was…" she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Her head began to hurt. "Naruto was running… a-and next thing was I got hurled into the house and woke up. I remember… Naruto-kun screaming and then everything turned red. I heard even more screams, and I saw Naruto's body fall. I- I reached out and…" She was jolted suddenly. Her eyes lids scrunched. She began to feel dizzy and swayed a couple of times. "I-I saw blood, a lot of blood..." She hugged her body as the scene replayed in her head. "B-blood."

Naruto's waking groan sent everyone's attention toward him; he had been awake the entire time and was listening to their interrogation. He stayed in his sprawled position on the floor and turned his head so that he was facing the trio. He looked at Hinata with angry eyes. "And I killed them, the both of them mercilessly. I slaughtered them, drank their blood, fed her-no drowned her with it! I clawed their flesh, tore their ligaments... and I was laughing the entire time..." The blonde clenched his fists tightly. " I enjoyed it."

"Naruto-kun...?" Hinata tore her gaze away from him. 'Naruto would never really do that… would he?' It was then she noticed her blood soaked shirt. "No…" she gasped.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Naruto-." Shikamaru started to say, but Naruto cut him off. He sprang up from the floor.

"How am I not supposed to be huh?! I just slaughtered two people, two innocent people! I lost control! I had no excuse!" He punched a nearby wall. "Damn it! How the hell could I take this situation?!"

Sasuke glared at him. "Get control of yourself dobe."

"Control?! Ha! Right, if I had any control at all this wouldn't have happened. You idiot." Naruto muttered. Sasuke snarled and was about to retort, but Shikamaru held him back.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata's timid voice called out.

"What?!" He snapped at her. The violet haired girl flinched. Naruto softened his gaze. "Gomen Hinata-chan. What is it?" He said again a little softer. She opened her mouth to speak hesitantly, but closed it. "Well?"

"I… I know you're mad, but-but I-…" She stuttered. Hinata evaded her eyes from his blue ones, knowing he could read her thoughts. She merely gave a shrug.

"The fox thing you saw, was that it?" Naruto glowered. She was scared of him. "Hmph." He shook his head solemnly in a stubborn manner… No one had ever been afraid of him, and the one he didn't want to be afraid, was… He clenched his fists tightly, not even realizing the gash pulsing with blood on his arm. His vision swirled in front of him, and he stumbled a few steps back.

"Naruto-kun!" She got up from the floor, ran to his side and helped him keep his balance. Naruto slumped. His legs wobbled beneath him painfully. Hinata wrapped her arms around him, only to receive a pained hiss.

"Ah!" Naruto gasped in pain. Sasuke and Shikamaru came up beside the couple.

"Naruto, just what the hell happened to you?" Shikamaru slung his comrades arm over his shoulder and motioned for Hinata to do the same, seeing as how Naruto's legs refused to work at the moment…

"Bloody hell!" Naruto shouted suddenly, causing Hinata and Shikamaru to jump. He whipped his head around to find Sasuke poking at his back. "What the hell did you do that for?!" The blonde fumed angrily.

"It seems your back is burnt." He stated simply. "How could you let yourself get burnt?!"

Naruto glared at him. "Hey, hey! I had difficulties ok?! I was holding the goddamn girl! Try doing the jutsu with they type of bur-…" He then felt Hinata stiffen beside him. 'Uh oh.' Hinata looked away. "I-uh- I…" He didn't know how to approach this one… "Hinata-chan…?" Naruto mentally slapped himself. "I- Hinata-chan-…" He tried explaining himself again. Hinata flinched.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-kun…" She muttered quietly with a swallow. She looked over toward Sasuke and motioned for him to take Naruto's other arm. "Just hang on a minute ok?" Naruto nodded dumbly as she went behind him and lifted his shirt up over his shoulders. Hinata gulped at the searing flesh before her. 'I can't let that bother me…' she told herself. "Don't move." She commanded and placed her cool hands over his back.

Naruto shut his eyes and felt an intense pressure of cold air spread across his back. Her hands traveled across the wrinkled flesh like butterfly wings, caressing every inch of charred skin, melting away everything and replacing it with renewed flesh. After a few moments of the feeling, it was over, she placed his shirt back, and he found himself missing the sensation. Suddenly, he felt the urge to run outside and get burnt again.

Hinata walked to his right arm, the one Sasuke was holding, and healed the gash on that as well. The three men could only watch her with amazement. "So this is your power…" Naruto whispered as the cool air tingled his arm. Hinata nodded and hid her hands behind her back.

"It makes up for being a burden, doesn't it?" Naruto frowned. "I-…" His brow crinkled.

Shikamaru then dropped Naruto's arm and let Sasuke hold him up. He went over to the two dead bodies and with some oil he found, he poured it over the corpses. He then found a set of matches and took one out.

"We should leave." The other three nodded, only Naruto continued to look at the corpses. "Don't dwell on it." Shikamaru said sternly. "Don't blame yourself for something you didn't do."

"The Kyuubi…" Naruto whispered, "is a part of me." He looked at Shikamaru solemnly. "That means, I did do it and it was my fault."

"It was either them or you and Hinata." Sasuke spoke. Naruto then looked over at Hinata.

"Do you think I killed them?" She didn't answer because she didn't know how. He took her silence as the answer and felt deep unsatsisfaction over the fact that Hinata didn't believe him. "Come on then… Hinata-chan. Shikamaru will carry you." He avoided eye contact.

After Shikamaru and Sasuke activated their jutsus, they lit the dead bodies on fire and ran out of the house and back to the mansion. Hinata gave a glance back at the cabin as she rode on Shikamaru's back. She whispered a silent blessing and tightened her grasp on Shikamaru, despite her burning hands. She held in a cry of pain as her the skin on her hands crumbled into ash…

……

Itachi sighed sorrowfully as he stared at Kakashi's limp body. He poked it once… twice, no response. A sudden bang through the doors caught his attention. Orochimaru came in, holding Anko by her collar and strapped her to the wall. "Wow, you have a woman this time." He said mildly surprised. The king simply glared at him.

"Shut your mouth, don't speak." Orochimaru commanded.

Itachi glared back. "You do not command me; you are not my king."

"Hmph." Orochimaru glowered and walked over toward Kakashi's body. He then saw something odd, bound and gagged beside it. "What's this?" He unraveled the package only to see a familiar head with blonde hair. A sinister grin spread across his face. "Don't you think you went a little far?"

"Look, the damn girl was talking to herself, and she would not shut up." Itachi glared at the unconscious body. "I had to do something, every time I got near the damn girl she freaked out and called me Sasuke."

Orochimaru looked amused. He stroked the unconscious girl's cheek. "And the bounding and gagging?"

Itachi looked away. "She jumped." Orochimaru raised an eyebrow expectantly. "On me." After a few moment of awkward silence… "Moron."

"Poor little Itachi was violated." He taunted.

"Shut your mouth, don't speak." Itachi said, using Orochimaru's command.

"You don't have authority over me, idiot." Orochimaru snarled. "This benefits me well…" He unbound the girl. "You came back to me after all… Ino."

TBC…

……

AN: Ok… I know that was a long time, but I updated. Uh huh, I did. So, hope you all enjoyed it!