Author's Notes: I've just realized... it's been almost two months since I've updated. It didn't feel like that long, honestly, I thought it had only been a month, but ah well, the point is... I'm sorry, and it's updated now.

Drowning In Blood

Chapter 14 - Higher Power

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Shikamaru made his way through the dense fog of Orochimaru's castle. It had been a long time since he was here, but nothing had really changed. There was a bit more fog, but Shikamaru figured it was because Orochimaru needed the protection. There was also a higher stench of death and foul carcases laying around. He realized the last part grimly and stepped over the decaying remains of one of Orochimaru's kin.

His eyes traveled around him, glazing over the dead trees and their brown color, the branches, how they slumped, and over all the negativity and sinister feeling of his surroundings. Weeds consumed the trees and looked as if they were eating them alive. As he walked along, however, he noticed the stench of death becoming more powerful. He pinched his nose and thanked whatever gave him his powers for not giving him a sensitive sense of smell. He briefly wondered if Orochimaru smelt the same way.

Shikamaru then stopped suddenly, realizing... 'How come nothing has come after me yet?' He was curious because he knew Orochimaru had his guards all over the castle grounds. He had been in the grounds for a while now and had yet to sense anything. His eyes grazed the trees, the sky, and the ground briefly. 'Where have all the guards gone?'

As if answering his question, a demented being's screech echoed near him. Shikamaru slumped, "I had to ask." He muttered out loud. He sighed, got into a ready stance, and awaited the creature's arrival. As he stood there, he could briefly see the outlines of a white creature with decayed skin. Shikamaru made an expression of disgust. The creature landed in front of him, glaring ferociously and gave another screech, baring his large, blood-stained canines. His stance was hunched over.

"What the hell are you?" Shikamaru asked skeptically with mild surprise. He thought the thing looked like a white unborn fetus with very long legs. He cringed at the thought. The creature, on the other hand, slashed the air like a demented beast with its long fingers and charged at Shikamaru with intense craze filling its eyes. Its saliva dripped down its body and all over the ground. It launched it's arm out in an attempt to stab its opponent.

Shikamaru dodged the attack easily and countered with a kick to the creature's abdomen. The thing took a few steps back and screeched again, this time, anger could be heard within the voice rather than just plain ferociousness. It charged once again, slashing left and right causing Shikamaru to dodge over and over again. With each slash, the creature seemed to get faster, while Shikamaru began to slow. Eventually, the creature was able to make contact. Its long nails scraped Shikamaru's chest in a diagonal direction downward.

Shikamaru slid back, hunched over, and placed his hand on the ground to regain balance. He began to breathe slightly, and then his hand slipped underneath his now ripped shirt and clutched the wound. He winced. "Shit." He cursed and forced his eyes to remain on the creature.

The creature's expression somehow looked as if it became smug. Shikamaru glared at it. "Tch." He got up and faced the thing again. "Come on then." The creature took the invitation, slashing his opponent with intense precision. Shikamaru's eyes followed his foe. 'You're not going to get me into that little game of yours again.' The creature's hand came slashing toward Shikamaru's abdomen. Shikamaru quickly side stepped the attack, grabbed the creature's arm, and flipped it over. The large 'crack!' of the creature's back resonated. It cried out in agony.

Shikamaru then found himself with a smug expression on his face. He broke off the branches of one of the trees. "Die." He muttered and stabbed the branch through the creatures chest. The creature's body heaved as the branch dove through it's chest. It struggled with its hands which were flailing around in all directions. Eventually, darkness took it, and its struggle ended with the sound of saliva filling its throat.

Shikamaru gave himself a pat on the back and crossed his arms. "Hn." He smirked and began to walk on. As he made his way though the woods again, he noticed– 'whick!' He spun around quickly. 'I'm being followed?' He looked back at the blanched creature who was still laying where the had slain it. The branch marked where it was, but... Shikamaru's eyes widened. 'It called out to the others.'

He cursed with a solemn expression on his face. As he pondered what he would do, his eyes scanned the area. A few pairs of feet echoed throughout the forest. Shikamaru closed his eyes... "Three pairs, three creatures, not counting ones that might be in the air..." He opened them and gazed toward the sky, "That makes five."

The creatures howled in a ripple like resonance, stopping in front of him with deranged anger in their eyes, silently claiming that they would have revenge for their fallen comrade. The creatures from the air swooped down and landed in front of the other three, but they were different. Shikamaru studied them all cautiously. "Well, well, two of Orochimaru's brides decided to drop in–what a joy." He muttered sarcastically under his breath as his mind began to work on a plan.

As it worked, however, the creatures launched themselves at him. One of the brides swooped over and slashed the side of his face. Shikamaru's eyes widened in fretful apprehension. "Shit." He cursed again as the other bride dove after him and managed to snag his arm. The other three charged ungracefully, attacking his head. He then realized, he had no choice. As soon as he found an opening, he turned his back and sprinted away in a retreat.

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"Do you really have to go?" Sakura asked as she pressed herself closed to Sasuke. He didn't reply. Instead, he pressed his hands on her shoulders and removed her from him. She was making him feel guilty for leaving. It was as if he was leaving for years, but whatever he was dealing with, he felt could be dealt with quickly. Slightly discouraged by his reaction, she merely sat on the bed with a wistful sigh.

"It'll only be for a little while." Sasuke turned to her and wrapped his arms around her waist to make up for pushing her away. He cursed his newly discovered discomfort of not having her around. "You can go into anywhere in this house, just don't get lost, and don't leave." He commanded. He actually preferred it if she just stayed in their bedroom. Sakura nodded. It was not as if she had anywhere to go, but she appreciated his concern.

"I think I'll sleep." She replied tiredly. He nodded approvingly and gave her a kiss.

"I'll be back in a little." He promised and left. Sakura fell back onto the mattress and found herself in a very deep slumber

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Hinata blinked, suddenly realizing what had just happened between the two of them. Out of reaction, her delicate hands pushed him back, ignoring the sting it inflicted on them. His mildly amused expression had her wanting to crawl into a coffin and stay there for a few centuries. If she had anything left in her body, she would assume that it would've rode a tremendous blush all over her face. At the moment she felt nothing but embarrassment that such a thought had even dared entered her head, and he knew!

She turned away from his intense azure gaze, unsure of what to say or do. Naruto, amused by her cuteness, decided to prod and look at her. With every angle she moved her head, he moved along with her, laughing from time to time. "Come on, Hinata-chan, I'm not that ugly am I?" He asked with enjoyment in his voice. She shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. Naruto frowned. "Does my breath smell bad?" He pulled her hands away from her face. "Hinata-chan…?" His voice came out in a singsong way. "You can't hide from me like that you know."

Hinata frowned and was about to answer back, but a sudden burst through the door had the both of them at a complete stand still. Neji was there with his fists clenching slightly and his hair in disarray. He looked stressed, and she even noted that his face strained as if he were desperately trying to keep something under control.

"You." He pointed at Hinata. She looked around with a dumbfound expression on her face and finally her gaze landed on her face as if asking, 'me?' He stalked toward the two of them. Naruto took a step in front of her, but Neji shoved him away. "You're going to come with me." Hinata blinked in confusion.

"What are you doing, Neji?" Naruto asked suddenly. The male Hyuuga's strict gaze landed on the blonde. "You can't just come into my room and start ordering people around. She doesn't have to listen to–."

"Shut the hell up and stay out of this!" Neji snapped suddenly causing the other two to flinch slightly. He grabbed Hinata's upper arm. "You're coming with me." He said sternly.

"Wha-what?" Hinata managed to utter. Before she could get much else out, Naruto snagged her arm away.

"You're not taking her anywhere." He said defensively.

"I said to stay out of this!" Neji punched him in the face with such force that he fell back onto the bed. Naruto's expression turned fiery, and he launched himself back at the Hyuuga, grabbing his collar.

"What's your problem?" Naruto questioned intensely. Neji shrugged, gripped Naruto's forearms tightly, and kneed him in the abdomen. With Naruto slightly stunned, he forced the blonde's grip off of him and threw him into a corner of the room.

"Don't meddle in my business." Neji said with a hiss.

"You're the one in my private quarters." 'Moron.' Naruto added silently. Neji grabbed Hinata again.

"Hn. She's coming with me. It's unwise of you to even try an stop me." Neji said sternly. Hinata watched the exchange with fear.

"Why? Huh? So you can have your stupid revenge?" Naruto sneered.

Neji scoffed, but did not answer. Instead, he dragged Hinata toward the door.

"Goddamn it Neji!" Naruto grasped Hinata's legs causing the three of them to tumble and fall over. Hinata painfully crawled back to Naruto. He in turn clutched her protectively around the shoulders.

"Damn it!" Neji cursed. "Naruto, let go of her!" He was desperate to have her. His anger and sadness welt up into a swirl of fury. He was blind.

"Fuck off, Neji!" Naruto yelled, angry at his friend for being so rash. "She's not going anywhere. If you want her, you'd better drag my ass out of the way first." Naruto stood up and took Hinata with him. He stepped in front of her. "Hinata's not going anywhere." He confirmed and challenged Neji's gaze.

"Get out of my way Naruto! That wench," He pointed to Hinata, "is the only one who can awaken her!" He yelled back and directed his gaze toward Hinata, "You will heal her."

"Who, Neji, who?" Naruto asked with intensity in his eyes. "For whatever purposes you plan to use her for, I won't allow it. You tried to kill her last time."

Neji frowned. He ignored Naruto's statement. "You will come with me." He addressed Hinata again.

General curiosity and concern for this individual had Hinata actually pondering to do as Neji wished. She timidly stepped to Naruto's side in slight fear of Neji after what he had done to her the last time. Part of her wanted to stay behind Naruto, and the other wished to help. She was torn. Her hands were still crumbling into ash, painfully and slowly. What was she to do?

"I'll help." She said shyly. Both Naruto and Neji looked at her with wide eyes, "I'll help." She said again a little louder.

"Hinata-chan–." Naruto protested, but she shook her head.

"I-I w-want to help." She said insistently. He looked at her with bewilderment.

"You don't have to, you know?" Naruto clutched her shoulders with his eyes making direct contact with her. He couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

""I-it's alright." She gave a soft smile which caused his entire being to feel extremely warm... for some reason. "I-I'll do it." Her expression became determined. She slipped out of Naruto's grasp and walked over to Neji who briefly nodded in thanks. It was slight, but she sensed it. Hinata then made her way out.

Naruto followed her, but he stopped when he was next to Neji, "You'd better be damn grateful she's still alive. Otherwise," Naruto scowled, "Tenten would've had no chance. You almost killed the girl, and in return she's going to try and save your precious bride. You owe her, you know." With that he left the room.

Neji turned to follow the two back to his quarters where Tenten was. A deep frown was on his face, his fists clenched even tighter. He knew... He knew he owed her something. Still, his glare remained on the blonde's back. His frown turned neutral. He also knew that he's have to slap Naruto around a few times for reading his mind.

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Shikamaru panted. "Shit!" One of the brides swooped down at him. He stumbled across the decayed branches and remains around him. His chest heaved as the open wound on it began to pour out his blood, along with his other pouring injuries. At that rate, he knew that his blood loss would result in himself succumbing to weariness. One of the other creatures managed to snag his back. He spun around and quickly kicked the creature in the jaw and resumed his running.

He made his way through the darkness of the forest and suddenly, he found himself at the edge of a cliff. "Damn it! Of all the–." Their screeches reached his ears. He panicked.

One of the brides clawed at him from the air, causing him to lose his balance and stumble backward, nearly falling off the edge of the cliff. Shikamaru looked down and found that there was no ending because the fog was covering it. 'What's this?' He saw the remains of one of Orochimaru's brides attached to the cliff, with it's decaying remains hanging limply on a steak.

Quickly, He pulled the steak out, looked up and found the bride's fangs merely three inches from his face. Out of reaction, he held up the wooden object and plunged it into the bride's chest. She screeched in pain and flew in a disoriented fashion, knocking the other bride away. The other three grounded creatures growled.

They charged at him, baring their claws and teeth angrily. Shikamaru threw the steak with precision and hit one of them in the chest. It fell and shrieked painfully. The other bride had managed to untangle itself from its other and joined its comrades in charging at Shikamaru. He hastily searched his mind for solutions, anything, anything at all. His eyes widened.

The bride swooped near his face, the other two were near his chest. He saw their claws slowly making their way toward his chest in a fatal blow. Their movements seemed slow to him as he quickly forced his mind to react— They suddenly stopped.

The creatures were frozen in their place, sheer bewilderment spread across their features. Their claws were mere centimeters from hitting Shikamaru. Shikamaru smirked with a small bloody trail making its way out of his mouth. He managed to get his craft working and congratulated himself. "You're all mine now."

Suddenly, the creature's expression turned to fear, not toward Shikamaru but–"You've done well, my kin." Orochimaru's voice said melodically. The voice forced Shikamaru to dismiss his craft out of surprise. The other three creatures ran away, howling in terror. Orochimaru's laugh echoed throughout the forest.

"You bastard." Shikamaru snarled. Immediately he asked, "What have you done with Ino?"

"Patience." Orochimaru sneered, "You'll see her soon enough. Come to me."

Shikamaru spit the drying blood out of his mouth, "Humph." He knew he didn't have a choice. He had to go, there was no turning back now, "Fine." He said begrudgingly. "But none of your tricks you old bat."

Orochimaru only laughed fading away into the distance.

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He laughed out loud and spun around with his arms spread out joyously. "They're coming back. They're all coming back." He said blissfully. Orochimaru continued his laughter and turned to a very mesmerized Kakashi. "This is grand, isn't it?" His gaze turned over to Anko, who was still chained to the wall unconsciously. There was a gaping hole in her chest where Kakashi had stabbed her. "Beautiful."

He approached his former bride with a smirk on his face. His eyes traveled on her rough features down to her slender neck, and finally landed on the area between her breasts where the hole was located. He leaned closer and licked the small amount of blood coming out with his long tongue, but then he realized.

"She's not dead." He withdrew his tongue and licked his lips. He turned toward Kakashi, and then to Ino. "She's not dead." He repeated a little angrier. "Useless! You held back!" He went over and kicked Ino, who slumped apathetically with a dazed expression on her face. He then stomped back to Kakashi. "You," He grasped the silver-haired man's face, who had a set expression of stone. He slapped Kakashi across the face, "You–." He couldn't find the words. Orochimaru watched the other vampire cautiously. "Damn it all."

"My kin is returning."The King reminded himself calmly. "They are returning..." He licked his lips and smirked.

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Ending Notes: See? I did update. Slowly, I did, but I still did! Thanks for reading!