It sounded ridiculous but the universe… it screamed at him. Something was wrong. To add to that, Karasu heard the steel door creak open, his eyes lifting to Caleb. The pest was glowing with happiness; true, sickening glee. Karasu glared, suspicious. Then the smell hit him and he gagged at the blood because he knew who it was from. His vampiric nature may have been starved but not that starved.

"You sick son of a bitch," he growled.

"Jealous that I got there first?" Caleb asked.

He was preening. Karasu couldn't control the anger that coursed through his starved body and he lunged, fighting the chains that held him in place. Caleb's face changed as he heard that first grating noise. His eyes found that weakness in the chains, the one keeping his prisoner attached to the wall. He backed up a few steps. How was it possible? He didn't have time to find an answer. That first chain snapped and the rest followed. But Karasu didn't seem the least bit interested in him. The vampire leapt over his head and was gone, chains and all. Just gone.

There was a roaring in her ears. It took awhile for Ariha to realize it was Maru, snarling and roaring in rage. She, meanwhile, focused on pushing her body up. She smelled blood, familiar with scent. It was Hell blood. It didn't smell like rust, like human blood. It smelled like smoke and Ariha realized it was her own. It came rushing back to her then. Caleb over her, trapping her mind as well as Maru with his gaze. She gritted her teeth against the pain as she forced herself to sit up, her body just now registering the cold. Not good. It felt sharper which meant her body temperature had dropped. And it only got colder when a hand landed on her back. Ariha screamed out, mustering all her strength to turn fast and claw at whoever was touching her. Just in case it was Caleb. Kabuto managed to dance back just in time, narrowly avoiding her claws.

"Kabuto," she said.

Kabuto kneeled, still wary of her.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his eyes locked on hers and nothing… lower.

"Get me inside," Ariha ordered.

She hugged herself, shivering.

"Your lips are blue," Kabuto observed.

He seemed to be awkward in his approach to touch her.

"She's dying."

Ariha didn't know when it happened but Karasu appeared amongst the snow, chains decorating his body. They looked heavy but he didn't seem to care as he approached, lifting her with no discomfort. He didn't bother waiting for Kabuto, carrying Ariha with his vampire speed.

"Where were you?" she asked, settling into his grip.

"That little worm chained me in the basement of this place," Karasu replied.

"You hate him. How did he ever catch you?"

Karasu was silent so long it became clear he wasn't going to answer. Ariha didn't bother to press. She cuddled closer though his body gave off no warmth of its own.

"Karasu."

Her voice was low, low enough that only he could hear.

"Find Caleb and chain him up," she whispered. "Its my turn to have a little fun."

Wheezing, Kabuto caught up to the stranger and Ariha. He knew they were sharing words but didn't hear a single one. But the grin that flashed across the stranger's face was foreboding and evil. Truly one that Orochimaru would envy. To Kabuto's discomfort, the stranger turned to him.

"Take her," he ordered. "And get her warm."

Kabuto only nodded as Ariha was transferred to his grip. Her skin was ice. He looked to the stranger again, to ask about her impossible body temperature but he was gone.

"Kabuto," Ariha prompted.

"Right," he said, hurrying inside.

Lord Orochimaru would kill him if he let her freeze.

Ariha stared at the fire, inching nearer until she was almost touching it. She'd been this way before but Kabuto, having spotted her, kept moving her back. She was seriously going to have to teach him about Hell beings.

"Where's my father?" she demanded.

Kabuto was trying to be silent. Trying to tip toe around. As if finding her in that state had made it awkward for him to even look at her. It was getting on her nerves.

"Who's your father?"

Ariha's eyes widened as she glanced over her shoulder. Sasuke Uchiha stood in the doorway, a bandage on his cheek as he studied her. Ariha's eyes then narrowed and she gave an evil grin.

"Sasuke Uchiha," she greeted with a dismissive fluttering of her hand.

He glared openly now, not liking that at all.

"Lord Orochimaru is recovering," Kabuto explained, before Sasuke could open his mouth.

He shot the boy a meaningful look that Ariha noticed but chose not to comment on. Her body, almost fully heated, was slowly beginning to ache from the abuse Caleb had reigned upon it. Her fingers were white as she clutched the blanket Kabuto had provided tighter around her body in a death grip. This was nothing. It didn't mean anything. He wasn't her first, of course, but she was mad nonetheless. Whereas Caleb's satisfaction had come swift, her own eluded her. But she would have getting there. She was both a medical ninja and an interrogator. Or the start of one. She was also Orochimaru's daughter as well as the daughter of Hell's most recent Satan. Torture was practically in her blood.

Caleb was almost free. He wasn't a coward. He was a survivor. And in this situation, the only path to survival that he saw was to escape. The vampire was free and probably looking for revenge. And Caleb had no idea how to fight a vampire. He already guessed that the leech was abnormally fast and strong. In that department, he had the upper hand because of biology. But Caleb was smarter. He had to be. He would research, find out everything about vampires until he could-

"Boo."

Just like that, Karasu stepped into his path, his black eyes shining eerily like a cat's. A smile showed his fangs which gleamed in the night. Caleb's anger rose. There went his plan.

"Caught up to me, did you?" Caleb asked, going for a kunai.

"I wouldn't."

This voice was new, drawing Caleb's attention to the tree above his head, Sprawled amongst the branches was another vampire, if the slight fang he showed was any indication. His hair was silver and hanging in his face, something he didn't seem to like since he kept blowing it out of his blue eyes. Black robes hung off his body as if beneath he was only a skeleton. He didn't look very intimidating and Caleb did not heed his warning. He threw the kunai at the one in the tree, bracing as Karasu charged him. He was able to dodge and Karasu twisted his body midair, landing on a tree. He smirked and lunged again. This time, Caleb could feel the faintest brush of claws on his shoulder. He hissed, seething as he leapt back. Buried in the ground where he'd been standing was a kunai. His kunai. He looked to the trees above but the vampire was gone.

"I warned you."

Caleb turned, the silver haired vampire behind him, looking bored. His black robes flapped around him, revealing the skin tight pants he wore beneath. His shirt was loose and a cream color but there was a lot of wear and tear to it. Caleb took a step back. There was no wind yet the robe was wild, swirling around the vampire's body while everything else; his hair, his clothes, it all remained perfectly still.

"Welcome to Void," the vampire droned.

Before Caleb could think to do something, the robe flew at him, enveloping him in a tight embrace. He got the feeling he was being swallowed by something but couldn't even begin to imagine what it was. And then, he was floating in absolute darkness.

Nexus turned to Karasu.

"Got him," he announced.

Karasu smirked.

"Easier than I thought, to be honest," he admitted.

He offered his fist to Nexus who shook his head, exasperated with his king's infatuation with all this this century but punched his fist against the offered one.

"What now?" he asked, bored now that he'd found Karasu.

His job was done. Karasu rested his hands on his hips.

"We deposit him in a very special place."