Tomorrow is a certain holiday, it's hard to believe. Happy Halloween, folks! :D

Composition by Brunuhville.

Chapter Sixteen

Heaven and Hell

My brother...my baby brother. At least, she would have said the words aloud if Shizune hadn't yelled out for him to stop in where he was, and for her to do the same. Hanaru had time to look her long-lost brother over, seeing that the jaw was harder and his shock of hair was cut close to his skull now, army style.

"Naruto," she breathed out, a tear slipping down her cheek. Inside, she cracked because of seeing him as well as from disappointment, reason being that Temari and Gaara were sharing a happy reunion, but here she was still separated from hers. But WHY?

"Hanaru," he answered back, disappointed as much as she was, and then he was sided with lightning speed by two other people with Hinata's eyes - they had to be Hyuuga. One was a young male with chocolate brown hair tied beneath his neck, though it was much lower than the way Itachi had his. The other was a female who appeared to be younger than him and Hinata. "Really, I don't see my sister in forever; how come I have to -"

Shizune snapped at him. "You know why, Naruto, so please, Neji and Hanabi, take him back and I'll bring his sister to him."

Angrily, Hanaru looked at her as her brother was led away without force by the two, the guy named Neji and the girl Hanabi, and demanded, "Why is he kept like a virtual prisoner?" She felt her lips pull back in a snarl that seemed to shake the dark-haired woman a little before she pulled herself together.

"Very good reason, Hanaru." She looked over to where Temari and her brother were, and they were now coming her way.

It was Gaara to speak. "Perhaps it would be easier if you would see for yourself, Hanaru, and Temari, you'd understand if you were in the same position."

She did NOT like the way it sounded, but wherever he and Naruto were kept, she had no choice but to accept it was necessary, though Temari's face was twisting as the classic case of warning signs. "Tem, please don't lash again," she whispered harshly as they made the journey downstairs, after Hinata uneasily showed them the way - and it was hidden behind a majestic temple, mountain and cherry blossoms painting that appeared centuries' old. A secret passageway like the old stories.

"This is the place, where I stayed in the early months," Gaara explained as he walked beside his sister, down the stairs, and Hanaru was before them, Shizune in front of her and of course Hinata in the lead, now holding a hand-held paper lantern that was lit before they all came down.

"Why would you be in a place like this?" Temari asked with a scowl.

"You'll find out soon, nee-chan."

~o~

In light of new membership of the organization, these mercenaries were hired. Even Tsunade was skeptical at this decision, given these were men who lusted for nothing but money.

Men led by a woman. They were known as ANBU - the short version of Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, which meant "special assassination and tactical squad". Covert and hired to assassinate, and other than the captain's seat, there didn't seem to be true ranking other than experience and merit.

"Could we trust these people, my lady?" he asked her when she informed him of this decision. Fingers looped into each other, she creased a brow.

"Normally, I am wary of such people, but professional is what we need. At this point, the options are limited. If they don't believe vampires and demons exist, then you know how to make them see otherwise. I intend to have them contracted and their desire for pay sated if security is what it takes."

So, he watched from the shadows as his mistress as well as Sakura and Sasuke - both behind her and out of sight for now - stood before the bunch who slouched about while others stood. His sister-in-law as well as Sasuke finally chose to leave their free lives and prepped for upcoming onslaughts, but they weren't under lock and key. In fact, the pinkette was given a spot as doctor and primary healer while his brother was also in charge beside Kakashi and Yamato for the new security force.

These men and few women were all dressed up in black with tanned flak jackets and plenty of equipment that did "tactical" justice. But when they were out in the field, they wore porcelain masks to both shield their identities as well as to protect their faces from being scarred.

His attention was on the woman who was called their captain. He took in waist-length amethyst hair and eyes warm as chocolate, finally red lips painted despite constantly being out shooting targets and getting shot at herself. Yūgao Uzuki was her name. She was obviously annoyed when her men questioned her about having a security position rather than something more exciting. "My God, you people," she grunted through her teeth, standing against a wall and bent one knee out. "I really can't think of any other way to put this, so here it is: they're going to pay us to kill monsters."

Laughter was heard throughout, until Tsunade-sama announced herself and insisted it was all true. "The enemies are immortal creatures who sustain themselves by drinking human blood. Your job, ladies and gentlemen, is to fight these monsters with bullets, garlic and of course holy relics. Drive a stake through the heart and cut off the head, but scatter the ashes at crossroads," she explained with a wry smirk.

If she noticed how most of the men paid attention to her chest rather than her face, she gave no acknowledgement. But she did put them down when they said there was no such thing as a vampire. "For those who believe not, we've helped them maintain...blissful ignorance. For many centuries, the Senju Organization has served this country and some of those outside, fighting a secret war against the forces of darkness - the vampire, in particular. Our culture does not have the vampire depicted in Bram Stoker's classic tale of horror," Tsunade said with a twinkle in her eyes, "but that kind made its way on our soil at least three hundred years ago. And for those of you who need more convincing..."

She raised two manicured fingernails and snapped them - and the curtains drew, so to speak, for the couple behind her to come forth. The young man in his collared white shirt and dark slacks, his blue-tinted spike of midnight hair, and his eyes bloody red with all three black tomoe; the young woman with the vibrant pink hair cropped about her ears, her emerald eyes equally bright, and the fitted blood-red dress with a high-neckline and skirt which touched mid-calf finished with knee-length black boots. She got some whistles, which also earned narrowed eyes that shut them up.

"These two," Tsunade said, "are genuine children of the night."

The ANBU were all in awe - but their captain moved from her position in disbelief with her own disbelieving eyes; for all she knew, those red eyes could be contacts. "Oh, no," Uzuki huffed. "Just hold on: you both are vampires, for real?"

"Yes, we are, woman," Sasuke replied coolly. "And if you don't believe still, come at me." He then turned his attention to his mate who smirked as she planned to get at the woman who was one time her size in appearance.

Captain Yūgao snorted and grinned at the same time in amusement. "I spend every day going after men three, four times my size, and you hardly look like you could match up..." She was walking towards Sasuke as she spoke - but she never reached her target, because she found herself with her head jerked backwards, and some blood coursing in small streaks down her forehead. "WHAT THE HELL?! A FLICK TO THE FOREHEAD?!" She raised a hand and brought down a sample of her leaking life's fluid on her fingers.

Sakura grinned at her handiwork, then raised a finger covered with the red liquid on the tip, but she wiped it on her skirt's hip. Before it was out again for a second round to the same spot. Not to cause brain damage, but to give her a massive migraine that would last a couple days or three. Kakashi Hatake, who was present, chuckled and shook his head whilst Yamato stifled a gulp at angering the pink-haired vampire.

"Goddamn, she really is some kind of monster," Uzuki hissed, standing back up and rubbing her forehead. Sakura giggled, waving that one finger she used.

"This here is all I could need to take you down," she stated, winking and getting some applause whilst others were frozen and perhaps wetting their grown up pants.

The purple-haired woman grimaced as she rubbed her head. "I guess you two really are vampires."

"Damn right we are," Sasuke answered, smirking. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha." He put one hand on her other hip. "And this is my wife Sakura. She is this facility's primary healer, and I will supervise your training along with Commander Hatake and Sub Commander Yamato, against our kind and the monsters created when their blood is drained."

Their faces paled as someone apparently broke the reality rules...and he chose just now to reveal himself by stepping out of the walls from which he was hiding and enjoying the show. Damned right, Itachi repeated in his mind, you should cower before me. "They are my brother and my sister-in-law. I am Itachi, the Senju Organization's servant for three generations. But I have to say that I am disappointed in a pathetic bunch of sniveling cowards. You're not only guarding your new mistress and this establishment, but also me and my family -" He glanced at Sasuke and Sakura from the corner of his eye. "- while we sleep." Now he found himself wondering about Hanaru when she would make her trips back here in the event of time.

They are skilled, yes, but what they are hired for takes something much bigger than their measures.

~o~

Her brother had been kept in this room, but so had Gaara until he learned to control whatever it was...and she and Temari would finally learn soon enough. But first she had to take in the looks of the room.

This looked very simple, but it had everything needed for an old-school Japanese home: the sleeping cot, an adjacent bathroom, even a great carved table that gave him his free activity space so that he didn't die from boredom - and a television! Thank the Kami that they let him be a person in here.

But if you asked her, this was heaven AND hell. To be kept comfortable and given some access to certain authorities, but not to be in touch with his own sister and grandfather!

And her brother sat at the table with a bunch of books before him, and of course an electronic which looked nothing like his mobile; they must have taken it from him to prevent him from calling her or Grandpa Jiraiya to let them know he was alive, but the latter knew all along, too. She'd wanted him to be here, now that she thought of it, to share this with her. "Why here?" Hanaru asked. "How could you be in a place like this?"

"Yeah, that I wanna know," Temari agreed, "because my brother was here, too!" She calmed down only because Gaara put his hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't cruel intention, sister," he said, bringing his second hand to her other shoulder, making her turn around to face him. "Isolation so not to cause harm to anyone else..."

Hanaru had to turn it off to her ears so that she could rush to her brother who stood back up at the same time and took her into his arms - and she noticed how strong he felt now, how much more muscle he had if not to make him bulky. But then Naruto grimaced and drew back. "Otouto, what is it?!" Hanaru cried, then gasped when he lifted his plain white t-shirt up to show her the reason.

Hinata could be heard gasping softly on her part.

There, etched into her brother's now-ripped stomach, was an inky black swirl - like a real tattoo - surrounded by eight flaming symbols that were unreadable to her eyes. What the -?!

Looking up at Naruto, his blue eyes were filled with a sad pain that struck at the core of her heart. "Hanaru," he said grimly, letting the fabric of his shirt fall back over the symbol, "this here is called the Hakke no Fūin Shiki - the Eight-Signed Seal. Keeping something horrible in...a demon."

Hope you enjoy the holiday, and reviews appreciated.

Gonna give out to the trick or treaters and enjoy red wine, maybe! Maybe put up the next chapter of "The Exorcism of Sarada Uchiha". :)