"We need to get ready to leave this place. It's not safe since she lead them here."Sasuke told Kisame. Naruto looked up from the cot where he lay with the still sleeping Akira, Deidara staring off in the distance near the entrance.
"We can't leave with out Itachi."Deidara murmured. "If we go up, we all die...."
"If we stay down here, we die."Sasuke hissed."We only have enough blood for another weak with the uncontrollable hunger Akira has. And we have even less food for Naruto."
"If the blood runs out, I'll feed Akira."Naruto offered.
"Over my dead body."Sasuke gave the blond a sharp killer glare. Naruto stared back determindedly.
"I won't let Akira starve because of blood loss. I'd rather die then her ever being hurt again."He cupped the girl's jaw. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Paper..."She croaked.
"Akira!"He cried, sitting up. She tumbled to the floor, fingers twitching.
"Paper..."She demanded, pounding her fist on the floor.
"Oh no...Akira, this is a horrible time to get an 'artist fit'."Naruto moaned in disbelief.
"We don't have any paper."Kisame told her, kneeling in front of her. She got a stuborn look, before shrugging, her fangs coming out. She sliced open her finger tips, rapidly sketching out a picture on the stone floor. Kisame stepped back, her fingers never pausing except to slice open again. By the time she was done, she had drawn a lavish gothic door, with the Uchiha symbol on the upper half, writing scribed in to it, latin. Sasuke blinked in surprise.
"That's Itachi's study door. I've only been in there once, when I was a child. It was our father's, and then Itachi inherited it."Sasuke explained.
"Akira!"Naruto stabilized her when she nearly collasped in the painting.
"Itachi says to go here."She tapped the door.
"That's impossible, un. That's outside, yeah. Do you know what will happen to us if we go outside!?"Deidara shrieked. He grabbed her and shook her for good measure. He panted, glaring down at her. She got a tired smile, the smirk intoning a feeling of Itachi in the crowd.
"Nothing's impossible. I know how my brothers are. Just let me lead the way."She said. He let her go, and she really did collapse, coughing a bit.
"You can't even stand up."He said darkly. She made a noise.
"The link between Itachi and I is dwindling. Surely you can feel his power over you getting smaller and smaller. We have to hurry. Either we go and save, or all of us die, anyway." She shakily stood, and reached in her pocket, pooling out Itachi's ring. "We go out. We find the door. I'll open it. We go in. We lock it after us. Itachi will be waiting for us with the other survivors. When we find Itachi, we can revive him to his full state, and then, we can reenact our revenge."She explained very simply, almost as if it could happen.
"I say we do it."Naruto reached out and gripped Akira's bloody hand, the finger tips already healed. She smiled at him tiredly, but said nothing.
"If it means we save Itachi, we
have to go."Kisame said. Sasuke nodded, and finally Deidara
agreed.
"I'll go up first."Deidara said.
"No."She said.
"It is important I go up first. My brothers do not want me dead, they want me alive so they can play with me."She said. She turned to Naruto, and folding his hand over the ring. "Itachi wants you to protect this with your life. If something should happen to me, you are to lead the others to the door."She said softly. Naruto nodded, his eyes wide with fear and confusion, but he smiled at her.
"I promise."He agreed. She nodded and wobbled to the ladder. She made slow work of the ladder, unlatching the door, and lifting it up. Sun light fell over her like God's grace, and she gathered the fresh air in her lungs, warmth pouring over her pale skin.
"Itachi....Here I come."She smiled, before hefting herself out of the cave. Everyone held their breath for a moment, fear and hopeless filling the air. Naruto nearly screamed when Akira popped her head back in. "It seems my brother's have retreated to the house. There is no presence of them for almost two miles. Come on out."She said. Kisame went up first, then Naruto, Sasuke, and finally Deidara. Akira was right. Each vampire could sense the far away presence of the monsters, but it was so far away, there was no imminent worry. Naruto reached out, clasping Sasuke's hand, the ring clenched in his others. Sasuke turned and gazed him over, before placing a reasurring kiss on his forehead.
"If things go bad, run."He whispered against Naruto's skin before stepping back, and squeezing his hand. Akira stretched, yawning, and smacked her lips, closing her eyes.
"Itachi says to now seal the cave and destroy the head stone."She said. Kisame did as she said, knowing that it was near impossible for her to be lying. She was Itachi's mate. That meant that she was mentally, physically, and emotionally linked to Itachi just like Seiyuki was when Itachi loved Akira's mother. Itachi's intentions were Akira's intentions, and vice versa. They only wanted the other to survive, so listening to the other was the obvious plan. "Now that that's done. We have four hours till sun down." She pointed to the already lowering sun. They began to move. And fast.
"How come they haven't attacked us yet?"Naruto whispered to Sasuke. The raven shrugged.
"They want to us to play with them."Akira didn't whisper. "My second eldest brother is leading them, most likely. He always use to love play games. Especially chase." She said lightly, leading them through a precarious forest path. Little light shed threw, but all the vampires could see in the dark, and Naruto felt pretty safe with Sasuke beside him, and Kisame behind him. Deidara took up station next to Akira, to her dislike, but she did not comment. In fact, she was quite quiet up until now. She was only quiet when she was upset. She stepped wrong and went down. Naruto made a noise, but Deidara had her up on her feet a second later.
"What are you doing?"He hissed. She coughed, and shook her head.
"It's Itachi."She breathed. This made a shiver run up Naruto's spine. Itachi and Akira were really bonded so close that his pain was causing her pain.
"We have to hurry."Kisame said.
"They're waiting for us in the house."She said. They reached the driveway that very moment, the bright burnt orange of the sky stunning Naruto's eyes. He winced in pain, use to the dark woods, but Sasuke pulled him along. The very top of the house was gone, just a burnt skeleton, now. Steam still rose in some places, and the air still reeked of smoke and flames. The right side of the Mansion was smashed up, the door open. She went first, and then a second later, Kisame followed. Then Naruto, and then Sasuke, and then Deidara. He closed the door behind them, in some odd sentiment, before they settled in silence.
"The door is on the third floor."Sasuke said. She nodded, starting for the stairs. They creaked under her weight, then groaned with Kisame's. She reached the second floor first, Naruto fourth, all the doors boarded up with nails and chains.
"Why did they..."
"So we can't hide."Kisame said softly in explanation. She started down the hall, since you had to use the other stair case to get to the third floor. As they passed doors, Naruto could here growls of sadism, moans of pain, groans of torture and shrieks of terror.
"The maids."Deidara gushed in horror.
"It's in the basement."Sasuke said.
"We can't just leave them."Naruto whispered softly.
"We have to. They're already dead. It's just their bodies carrying on."Kisame silenced that discussion. Naruto gave Sasuke a pleading look, but the raven ignored him, watching their surroundings intently.
"Akira."He spoke quietly.
"I know."She whispered back, the last door in the hall opening just before the reached the third to last.
"Hello, Sister."Her eldest brother stepped out from the door, carrying a sawed off shot gun, and two growling monsters beside him, one more behind him.
"I'll ta-"Kisame was cut off.
"Itachi wants Deidara to take care of him."Akira interrupted. Deidara nodded, stepping forward.
"I'll be your opponent."He said.
"Would you like to come in, then?"Her brother backed in to the dark room. Deidara didn't hesitate. He glanced back, smiling.
"See you, un. Tell Itachi I look forward to seeing him, yeah."He said cheerfully before closing the door and locking them out. When Naruto was about to reached the middle landing, he heard the shrieks of pain. He spun back, unable to stop the tears in his eyes.
"Believe in him."Sasuke whispered, pushing the blond up the steps. naruto shakily walked after Akira, who was almost numb looking.
"How is Itachi?"Kisame asked.
"Not so good."She whispered, barely able to speak. When they reached the top, they were greeted with another of her brothers. "Kisame."She hissed in pain. Kisame nodded, gesturing to the side small opening that lead in to a private living room. The brother smirked, and disappeared after the tall man. Akira trudged down the hall, Naruto clutching at Sasuke in fear he was next. And he was. Her third oldest brother stepped out from an alcove, a nice gleaming gun in his hand, and a smirk. Sasuke pressed a burning kiss to Naruto's lips, before vanishing after the man in to the room across from them, no words. Nothing. Just silence. He looked at Akira, and she looked dead on her feet. He took her arm, and leaned against him heavily, like she was drunk. They made it to the end of the hall with no more trouble, but he knew this was far from over. He could hear the sounds of the battles carrying out behind them. She took the ring from Naruto and placed it gem first to the door. He could hear the clinks and chimes.
"Naruto..."She reached out for him as the door did it's thing.
"Akira."He looked at her.
"I'm sorry."She whispered, before yanking him down and chopping on her neck. He gave a squawk of pain, gripping her arms tightly as his vision went white.
"Akira..."He breathed as he slumped against the wall. She looked at him remorsefully.
"I'm sorry. He can't die."She sobbed, eyes wide with pain. The door slide open, and she walked in, glancing back at him regrettfully. "I love you."She gasped, the door shutting on her tears. He smiled a bit.
"I know...Akira....I know."He nodded off, too tired to stay awake.
"Akira..."She rushed to Itachi, the man hugging her weakly, his strength gone. She moaned, digging her nails in his shoulders as he gulped blood from her.
"Yes..."She urged him on, feeling all of the blood leave her body, Naruto's still warm blood disappearing in her veins. He gave a loud popping sound when he detached himself, her body slumping to the floor, just enough blood left in her body to survive. "Itachi..."She reached up weakly. He kissed her temple with a set of bloodly lips, smile softly.
"I'll save them all. And tomorrow night, we'll be sleeping curled up in your bed."He promised. She chuckled softly, breathlessly.
"Pinky promise?"She choked out.
"Pinky promise."He linked their pinkies, before disappearing off to save the day after one last whisper. "I love you."
