Five months it has been. No excuse other than completing "Mummy Lover" and "The Ronin and the Emperor's Daughter", some oneshots and shorts, then "The Pink Hair" (second in the Konoha Kaidan Trilogy) and now its conclusion "A Fragile Blue Rose" with one more chapter to go. I also started "The Gutsy Jinchuuriki" and "The Exorcism of Sarada Uchiha". XD Hope you missed me.

Good God, I've been there and done that a rare few times not updating for a month at the least, but this chapter had to be careful. Not only that, I needed the help of Hellsing which I put off for the longest time in addition for reasons. You understand.

Composition by Adrian von Ziegler.

Chapter Ten

Arising Dark

Before today, he had the conversation with Tsunade, when he informed her that Hanaru was catching on in regards to her brother and how things were going to get worse instead of better, because look what happened to her best friend. The well-endowed woman sighed, sitting behind her waist-high desk and clasped her hands before herself.

"I know that, but I still stand on my decision. Except...sometimes I want her conscience eased. Itachi, I'll leave that to you, and if she presses for more, get out right away, but make sure she doesn't see how you vanish. I don't need to tell you that."

He'd nodded his agreement, pleased that he could do something, but that wasn't all. "Don't pretend I haven't noticed the little PDA you exchanged unexpectedly that night with Hanaru," Tsunade said sharply, even icily around the edges. "I hope you know what will happen if things go too far, and I'll have your head if it does - or your heart which is better." He resisted a grunt at the empty threat he was used to by now.

"You needn't worry, my lady. I have no such intentions."

"Tell it as many times as you want, but I know as well as you do that it will cave someday."

This was when he chose to just toy with her for the fun of it, which was one of many times before, and more to come. "How was your dance with Jiraiya? Must have been pleasant to reconnect while in the presence of your unknowing granddaughter..." He allowed a small smirk to show at his choice of words as well as her reaction.

She growled through her teeth. "There is no point dredging it up if you don't wish to find yourself with your head on a spike," she snapped.

Chuckling, Itachi left her alone and went off to find Hanaru. And find her he did, in early January and after the New Year. She was bundled up, leaving the hair salon and sporting a band new look that sparked fire. Her mother's red in her natural gold - a harmless flame, like he would tell her. And smelling of water lilies.

He joined her on the bus, after an interesting conversation which involved him apologizing to her after leaving her in a flash after the New Year clock struck. As well, she continued to amuse him with her temperament at his presence simply irritating her without a good reason - and that was going to change - as well as her threatening to use her electrical device on him if they were the only ones on this bus. Which wouldn't work on me anyways.

"And if you're not willing to give me a good reason why you're so interested in me, then get out of my life instead of haunting me in the subtlest ways possible!"

And so he told her he knew her family, even her parents...and the bomb was dropped when he told her that her otouto was alive and well, but secured for his safety as well as hers. If she was involved, her life would also be in jeopardy. But she didn't look convinced, so she demanded how he knew when the Konoha police force had nothing. And it was better to divulge enough at the flat she shared with Temari who wasn't going to be there for a while to come.

No funny stuff, she wanted, but the answers she desired - and he in turn wanted nothing to eat or drink due to a "special diet"...far more special than she comprehended. And since he wasn't going to remain for long, he would not remove his coat, which continued to hide the rest of his face from her.

Watching her drink a cup of sake to soothe her nerves after an eventful couple days was something he would enjoy even if he couldn't share it with her. As it was to tell her what her new hair reminded him of, and there was the rosy tinge in her cheeks she tried to hide from him. She sat down with the bottle and cup as she asked him for his end of the bargain. So he told her just what he could.

"Your brother isn't harmed in any way. He is in a safe location, but the details are far too sensitive to elaborate outside the operation. He was abducted, yes, but by people that know things the mortal man can't comprehend. Long story short: you've been in the dark long enough, so you deserve to know now, but because this situation is dangerous, you have to stay out of it. Someday you'll see Naruto again when the time is right."

"And when will that be?" she asked, picking up the bottle again to already pour for herself, downing it in a single gulp.

"That I cannot promise," Itachi said.

"You keep going around in circles. First you tell me what I waited all this time to hear, and now you say you can't do anything more than that. You really make me want to have more than what I've drunk." She flourished the cup between her thumb and forefinger for emphasis.

Shaking his head side to side only once, he reached and took it from her hold. "That is more than enough, I believe. This isn't the answer to any of your problems, but you don't need a lecture."

"I suppose not."

"Then will you take my advice for the time being, and when it's right, you'll see your brother again? I said this is dangerous, but be happy you have what you always wanted."

Hanaru nodded. "Closure and peace, yeah." Her face darkened. "But it doesn't help that I don't know where he is, or why I have to be kept in the dark. And it doesn't make it right Temari doesn't get it - nor should I even tell my friends because they'll just say I can't trust you, since I don't even know who you are."

Itachi closed his eyes. There she was still persisting him, and the more she said it, the more his resolve lowered. I suppose I owe her even more, as long as it's not everything.

"Very well, I'll owe you one more ounce of satisfaction. My name is Itachi, and that is all I will tell you."

~o~

"It...Itachi."

So Mystery Man finally had a name, and it wasn't anything she would have expected, though she supposed she would have because of the meaning of the name as well as those lines beneath his eyes - it means "weasel", which is a bad omen.

They remained a safe distance away. Hanaru didn't know what to say or do now, but she was glad they were on official first name basis and he'd cleared her conscience as best he could. Except now she felt a little selfish, because she didn't know about Gaara still, so she chose to ask about him instead.

"Gaara is also safe and well, but your friend is better off not knowing for the time being," Mystery Man told her - no, Itachi told her. "Because her wounds need to heal moreso than yours. Imagine if you were to tell her either now or late when she is finished with her management."

The light bulb of hope lit up as well as joy that both brothers were alive and well after all. She tried not to jump in her seat. "You're right," she said, looking back at him, seeing how his posture hadn't changed at all. What was he, a member of the secret services or what? He refused to divulge anything of that, so maybe he was, and therefore she wouldn't pry any further. She got enough as it was.

Itachi didn't even blink. "Do you still think ill of me, a nuisance?"

She was taken aback by that question; he'd noticed her uncertainty and discomfort, but was also intrigued by her willfire which somewhat made her relax as he saw her instead of what she looked like after only a few encounters. "No," she said, "but if you don't take this the wrong way, I still am on edge around you."

Those eyes twinkled with amusement. "As you should be," he said simply. He then stood up as if prepared to leave her now.

"You're leaving now?" Hanaru asked incredulously. He nodded.

"Until next time," he answered. "In the meantime, take care of yourself. And if I see you're in trouble again, you won't see me coming until last minute."

What was this, a classic hero and damsel in distress story? On second thought, maybe it wouldn't be so bad because of the time Temari was in trouble. Though could it get any worse than this? "Okay, that's fine with me," Hanaru said, "but I hope I don't regret agreeing to this."

If only she could see if he was smiling or not! Why won't he take that coat off? "Trust me, you will not."

Though just as she was showing him to the door and opening it for him, he halted and turned to look at her only from the corner of his eye. "Your friend, by the way, is not going to resent you forever," he said. "Many would rather be killed or stand on their pride than to submit, even if relationships are jeopardized. Real love and care means if it is for the best. She might be angry right now, but she could forgive eventually. There is no such thing as right or wrong, only consequences following every action." With that, he walked out that door, and she quickly closed it behind him, stunned to her core.

Him and his words of wisdom - she had NEVER known a man like that who knew more beyond his years. But how old was he? He couldn't be much older than her, right? Shaking her head, Hanaru decided that she had to do something in order to take her mind off things, and looking out the window as a start would do the trick, but what she saw caused the shiver to run up her spine as she didn't even see Itachi walk down the street as he left.

The afternoon clouds darkened, telling that more snow could be in the making. It was almost as if a storm was brewing, but was it really just a snowstorm?

~o~

"This man has long since been a member of the Kuso Shinseina temple shrine, since November of the past year. And a month later, the line of missing persons began in the town, which ended eventually when Konoha found itself ravaged with the murders of the family last month."

When Itachi found them and finished them himself - but not before finding the perpetrator who had sired them, and they hadn't known where their maker was at the present, or who he was. But now they had him. He was recorded on a police surveillance recovered from Kuso, being shown to her, Shizune and the two men present. "What happened to the members of the local police who found him?" Tsunade asked the man who brought this to her attention.

"They were all reported dead," Tenzou Yamato answered. "Their bodies found in stages of dismemberment. Some, however, disappeared without a trace."

Then they've become vampires - or something worse.

"Does that mean he has come here now to Konoha?" Shizune asked, setting down the cup of steaming green tea before her mistress who accepted it nonchalantly and took a small sip. She did the same to Yamato as well as Kakashi Hatake, one of the leading commanders of the Senju Organization army.

Hatake nodded. "It looks that way. But so far it's been quiet. You'd think he want warm blood in the dead of winter - no pun intended," he added with a sheepish wink that tried to soften the tension, and the Senju head was considering snapping at him that this was no time for jokes. "So, what do we do now that we know this priest is here?"

This priest who created those two young punks, left them uncontrollable on their own and taking an innocent family's lives, was here in this town she loved, had massacred much of another before it, so what was her answer? "Our best agent will handle him, of course. And he will let me know when he silences the parasite once and for all."

~o~

Nothing but a late night showing of The Ring, and it was a treat of spooking them all as the temperatures were just as frigid. What better than with Shikamaru, Choji, and of course Karui who finally worked up the balls to ask him out herself if he couldn't?

"She - seriously, I'm scared!" he'd said that day when he told them all, his face searing red like a pepper. "I mean, she must expect a lot from me -"

Hanaru interrupted him gently. "No, she won't. I promise, I know better. She'll like you the way you are, and you don't have to try too hard. She's been wanting to ask you herself since before this month," she said with a lopsided grin that made him bite his bottom lip - and then his face lit up with sheer joy.

"THAT MEANS I GET TO TAKE HER TO POP'S PLACE!"

Shikamaru and Asuma both flinched before chiding him to lower his voice, excited as they were for him.

Temari had been gone for a week now, so of course she would ask Shikamaru if they could go hand in hand, but as friends only, and he gladly accepted it. "Don't let her know when we see her, but it's a nice change," he said with a nervous laugh she shared with him, agreeing. Nothing but peace.

Somehow, she felt it would shatter tonight, but ignored it as they all went into the theater which always showed old movies even if there was streaming today, but that didn't mean everyone was doing it. There was nothing authentic than going out to enjoy it with friends and family. Sadly, this poor theater was going to be empty in ten years as its customer service declined.

"It's too bad we don't have it solidly down, but I think of poor Okiku in Sadako, even if they're different," Karui said as they got up to leave once the lights were coming on. Her eyes were misted. "Both wronged in life..."

"Yeah, but I feel more bad for Okiku than Sadako," Shikamaru said, bored. "Sadako was just a kid, but she also had a psychic power that willed a man dead for calling her ESP-charged mother a fraud - except that depends on your point of view." Hanaru bit her tongue, because all these ghostly women who came back to avenge their deaths didn't deserve it - although Kayako of Ju-On: Grudge was guilty of marital infidelity, for simply having feelings for another man.

"Well, I had fun anyways!" Choji said, leaning into Karui who giggled with a blush her dark skin could manage. "The popcorn, slush and candy all extra - but this girl here the best since she enjoyed it with me!"

"You're too much!" Karui scolded, but she was laughing as she began to walk in the other direction with him to her car. Hanaru and Shikamaru were heading to his.

He hissed when his phone rang. "Damn it, Mom. What a drag! Hanaru, go on ahead; I'll be there." He handed her his keys to go ahead, since it was a yard away, while he was talking to whatever his bothersome mother had to say to him. Shaking her head, Hanaru began to fish which key to stick into the engine, and when she found it, her finger switched to find the button to unlock the doors, but as soon as that was done -

She barely had time to scream as she felt hands on her shoulders, one letting go to slap over her mouth, and it all happened so fast.

Hanaru found herself facedown on the ground, somewhere in an alleyway, but then that worry was gone when she looked around and scowled. Could whoever snatched me so fast be even more cliché?

However, she grew scared again as she stood up. Dusting herself off, she reached into her jacket pocket for her Taser, until a voice made her halt. "You know, I never thought I would find a soul in distress in a place like this, but I suppose it's not uncommon."

Turning around, she saw him standing there, some feet away, but the Shinto priest's garments were crystal clear, being black lined with white. His hair was dark, cut so thinly to his skull, and his skin was so pale. "Good evening, sir?" Hanaru asked quietly, on her guard and closing her fingers around her little weapon which was still hidden for now.

His voice was low and dark, but cool as ice that pierced through the night.

"And a good evening to a young lady like yourself - so fresh and full of life - who shouldn't be in a place like this at this time of night, when the witching hour is at hand and with the evil creatures that walk..."

It was then that Hanaru noticed the air had gotten colder to the point of subzero. Was this man...really a priest? And why would he be out at this time of night? She had a bad feeling now...

"Someone dragged me here so fast I didn't even see his face. I don't know where I am."

He chuckled. "You're not that far from your previous destination, my child. I can take you back, for merely I am a guide to the weak of heart. I'll take you back to where you were, but as you must know -" He was walking her way, at the same time she started doing that. She thought about turning and running, and that seemed like a good idea.

Hanaru quickly whirled around on instinct, but when she did, there he was again before her eyes and blocking her route to escape. "- everything has a price to pay," he finished, and then she saw his eyes: bloody red around the black pupil.

Not the Man in Red's. There is no black pinwheel. There was no way this man could be a priest, nor could he even be of this world.

Her fingers latched around the Taser, brought it out and put it to his throat as a warning, but he merely laughed again. "Your spirit is as splendid as your beauty, my dear. I was utterly surprised. In fact, I'll do my best not to turn you into one of those walking, soulless demons unlike myself, but it's not like I have one myself...any longer," he droned on, his seductive voice strangely transforming. She tried to fight against it, but her entire body was weakening as her mind was the opposite - but totally cut off.

"Let me go, or I'll send a thousand watts through your body."

Her weapon, only means of protection, fell out of her fingers; her body was then spooned against by another, a sheer act of violation which she couldn't fight against. Hissing in anger and horror, Hanaru noticed that her back was against the front of his body, and one of his hands was going around to unzip her sweater jacket, pulling it down to reveal her blouse...and began to work on the buttons, pulling them down enough to expose more than enough of her curves.

Then the fabrics were pulled aside, including her bra, so that both her breasts bounced out for the icy darkness to kiss, hardening her nipples into rouge pebbles. Seeing this as well as ghosting his fingers over the clavicles, painfully freezing the peaks. "Your blood smells so sweet, your skin warm, your breasts so sumptuous. I intend to violate you here and now, make you mine in the darkness. You're untouched, which is a rare treasure in this rotting world," he lulled, his tongue coming out to lick at the shell of her ear which made her shiver, which was gone in an instant.

"I know you are going to feel pain, but it will become pleasure that will last forever..."

A great gust of wind caught both their attentions, Hanaru hazed but otherwise focused - and there stood the figure in black...but those eyes were there. The eyes of the man in her painting...it couldn't be...

And the voice was one she knew well, but not what she ever anticipated.

"I have had enough of you, you vile incubus. Now that you intend to touch what isn't yours!"

It's a miracle I managed to get this new update in time for the Month of Spooks. XD

Shinseina (the temple in Kuso) means "divine".

In Japan, "Ring" is very well-known like many modern ghost stories, as much as "Grudge", and both their American remakes rock equally. :D And speaking of which, Okiku mentioned is the "Girl From the Well", another famous ghost story (right up there with Yotsuya Kaidan's Oiwa and Haunted Peony Lantern's Otsuyu). No one said it directly that I am aware of, but it's likely she inspired Ring's Sadako.

Well, should I say who arrived in time to save Hana-chan? :D Review after the long wait, please, and stay tuned!