Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
XxX Chapter 10 XxX
He was tired, oh so very tired and as he lay in the cold stone, his limbs heavy and weak Naruto continued to think. What was the point in continuing his existence, what was left to live for?
He had been proven right, he only brought death and grief to those around him, the few he would let.
But even then, even after all was said and done…Naruto would live not by choice but by force because Kyuubi wouldn't let him turn to ash.
Kyuubi was the reason he was alive, the reason why he was in this sarcophagus.
He couldn't bring himself to hate Kyuubi because he only did this because he had thought it was right. Any, if not all fledglings would try to save their master's if in the event they were close to death. And Kyuubi had done just that.
And he could understand that because he had done the same for his master, though the circumstances were different. And his master and he did not share a blood bond because his master wasn't his creator…only his mentor.
No, he didn't want to think about that, in fact he rid himself of those just as quickly as they had come.
His breathing came in shallow intervals.
He slid his eyes shut, willing himself to sleep...but he couldn't. He couldn't move, didn't want to. It was funny, his body was asleep but his mind seemed restless.
He didn't know what year it was or how long he'd been in this sarcophagus but all he knew was that it didn't matter. Time wasn't his enemy.
No, maybe time was his enemy because slowly it tried to kill him, when he had been alone time had almost driven him insane but then he had found others, humans…it hadn't ended well and he went in search for a companion someone to share his power with.
He had found Kyuubi and he wasn't alone.
Then he had found Madara and soon after Arashi.
After a few centuries he had found Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya.
He had started off with one then to six and now three. Not four but three because Orochimaru was dead to him.
And now that he thought about Orochimaru, he started to think of the time in which the youth had caught his interest, how he had felt a deep connection with him like kindred spirits. But it seemed the trust he had placed on Orochimaru had been a mistake. He had been a fool. A stupid fool.
He wondered what he could have done to prevent Orochimaru from being so power hungry. No, he would never have been able to change that because he had seen so much potential in him as a human and he had turned a blind eye to those mischievous eyes that devoured knowledge, and that glinted with delight as he hunted.
He had seen all the signs but hadn't been of much use to change the darkness in Orochimaru's soul. He knew this because he harbored more darkness in his heart than him, and he hadn't changed through the tests of time. But, he had hoped that there was goodness in him, there had been but his logic had been warped after each passing year.
No more fledglings, that's what he had promised himself after he had created Arashi, but he had broken that promise after making Orochimaru, Tsunade and Jiraiya and he had been close to breaking that promise even further when he got the notion of turning Sai into a vampire.
Sai…..
He felt himself grow sleepy. Finally, sleep was taking him in it's arms, wrapping around him and letting his restless mind take a break.
And even though he was asleep he dreamed of a time where everything had been alright, a time when he had been free…where Arashi, Madara and Sai….were alive.
He could see them and he desperately tried to reach for them. Their smiling faces haunted him. Sai haunted his dreams.
He needed rest.
--
-
Sasuke looked at what remained of his house, it was in shambles. He couldn't believe his eyes, he had been away for six months to return to an empty house it's walls littered with blood stains.
He grew furious and he felt his fangs elongate.
A pale hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Sasuke, getting angry won't solve anything. We need to go in search of help, surely the senate will send someone to investigate" his older brother said passively.
Sasuke glared at his older brother "Itachi how can you be so calm, they're dead. Someone murdered them!" Sasuke growled exposing his sharp fangs.
Itachi's eyes hardened "Unlike you I'm not short tempered and rash, now calm down Sasuke!"
Sasuke stared at his half brother with a look of disbelief.
"From what I can tell a vampire did this, a powerful at that if he was able to defeat father…as to why I'm not sure but during our time away I had heard that almost all our clan was slowly being killed off. Do you understand Sasuke? Our family members across the world are being killed, if your going to go off after only two death's then you are truly weak and foolish."
Sasuke had to bite his tongue to keep himself from retaliating with a biting remark. From the murderous glare Itachi sent his way he knew that he had already pushed his half brother well past his limit.
But what he had said disturbed him. And it made him all the more want to find the perpetrator or perpetrators who had and still were killing off the rest of his family. Surely it couldn't be only one vampire, there had to be others. He reassured himself because the thought of a single vampire wiping out his family line sent unpleasant shivers down his spine.
If he was to face this opponent, he'd surely lose…if in fact it was only a lone vampire doing this.
But why, why was it their family, what had they done to merit their death sentence?
"Sasuke we have to leave" Itachi said coolly.
He followed as his half brother flitted away, he was only a few feet behind him.
He gave a vague nod as Itachi spoke. Something about meeting with one of his contacts and the senate.
Ah the vampire senate, those who kept order and punished the vampires who broke their steely laws. Oh how he hated the senate. He had not personally had a bad experience with them, in fact he hadn't even been near their headquarters. He just didn't like the way things worked with their imposing laws and hated their belief that half bloods were not true vampires.
His thoughts drifted from the senate to the matter at hand. Whoever had been wiping out his family was cunning to be able to go on this long and killed so many to not be detected by the senate. It was against the law to kill another vampire.
Well screw the law, he'd kill this vampire with or without Itachi's help.
With these homicidal thoughts Sasuke didn't notice the sigh that escaped Itachi's lips.
His brother was truly foolish.
--
-
He didn't know why but the sounds around him were amplified. He could hear the voices of humans that were nearby.
Naruto's body began to quiver, he could move his arms.
Slowly he pushed his hand against the stone lid he pushed it aside until only a small crack could be seen. His fingers slid out clutching the edge of the lid and he pushed it more until it lay away from him.
His body shot up, his back arching forward as he slowly sat upright. He glanced about and noticed that there was an empty coffin off to the side.
And as he got out of his sarcophagus he felt an enormous thirst blossom, his legs shook with the desire for blood.
The low voices of people drawing closer made him halt, he took a whiff of the air and felt himself move languidly, gliding closer towards them.
"Hey check out that creepy house" A boy muttered in awe.
"Cool, what if it's haunted" another replied
"Hey guys, maybe we shouldn't be here" came a timid voice of a female.
Naruto felt drunk on the smell of blood. This insatiable thirst made his mouth water at the smell of fresh blood.
Oh how he wanted to-
He stopped. No he shouldn't be acting like a vampire drunk on the scent of blood. And he blamed this desire on his sleep. How long had he been under?
But he felt so weak, he needed the blood and his hunger escalated as he saw them. His fangs elongated and he crept closer.
He was only an inch away from the timid female, her back was turned to him. The others were still close by, wandering around the house.
He sunk his fangs and she let out a scream. A shuffle of feet drew but then two loud thuds echoed.
He tightened his grip as the blood flowed into his mouth and as she struggled. He felt connected to this girl and she slumped into his embrace as he continued to drink. He could feel his strength replenishing. He could feel her heartbeat. His heartbeat was in sync with hers, and he didn't want to let go.
But he did, slowly he laid her on the floor, she had lost consciousness.
He licked his blood stained lips as he flexed his fingers, clenching and unclenching them.
"You know that was quite reckless of you" a smooth voice uttered.
Naruto glanced at the figure that was at the door, dragging two unconscious boys by the scruff of their collars.
So that was why they hadn't come.
"Not that I blame you, Naruto" Kyuubi said with a frown.
"So how long have I been asleep?" Naruto asked.
He noticed that Kyuubi wasn't looking at him but somewhere off to the side as he spoke "For a hundred and twenty three years"
Naruto stood still. Had he really slept that long.
"I also slept but only for a century. I waited and hunted here and there" Kyuubi explained but Naruto wasn't listening.
He was looking around the house.
"Where are the others" Naruto asked his voice distant as he glided through the house, Kyuubi trailing after him.
"They're gone, I sent them away before you slept" Kyuubi said his voice ringing through Naruto's ears.
"I see"
Kyuubi gauged Naruto's reaction, it was almost as if he didn't even care whether Tsunade or Jiraiya were even gone. Naruto was to complex to figure out and it frustrated him.
He noticed with acute eyes the way that Naruto started to twist his body, almost animalistic, the way he swayed his arms and how his head was tilted up sniffing the air.
And just as if he had found what he was looking for he was off, passing the unconscious bodies, going down the many flight of stairs, passing his sarcophagus and stepping into a dark room.
He reached forward to the mahogany box, resembling a long rectangle. He reached a tentative hand forward. As his palm was rested over the smooth surface Naruto felt himself relax.
"I knew you'd come to him" came Kyuubi's clipped voice.
--
-
Kyuubi watched as Naruto left with uncertainty. What would Naruto do now?
As he followed, he understood where Naruto was going, he was headed into the room where he had put Sai in, only because Naruto had asked him, moments before he had slept.
As he gazed at Naruto's form he felt almost hesitant. Because even though he had slept for over a century, that didn't mean that he would be healed. Because it was hard to see if emotional scars were truly healed.
He prayed that Naruto wouldn't try to harm himself any further than he had on that fateful night because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stop Naruto this time around, and that terrified him; to be unable to save Naruto.
--
-
Naruto didn't even glance at Kyuubi as he laid his head on the smooth surface his hands gliding over the top of the mahogany surface. It was low at first but then it became audible, Naruto was humming a song that he had never heard of.
His eyes were closed.
Kyuubi felt images flashing before him. And he was reeling at the raw emotion he could feel as more kept attacking him. These memories…were Naruto's. Naruto had been happy in that village.
Had Naruto meant to show him those memories or had they been unintentional?
But then Kyuubi felt a cruel reality hit him, from what he saw in those images Naruto hadn't needed him. He had needed Sai and now Sai was gone.
He glanced at Naruto. It seemed that Naruto's eyes were still shut, his hands still caressing the soft surface of the box.
"Naruto we have to leave"
Naruto's eyes opened "No"
Kyuubi rose his voice "Naruto, we have to leave because they are looking for you"
Oh he knew who 'they' were and Naruto's eyes narrowed "I've avoided being detected under the vampire senate's radar before, they haven't found out about me and they sure as hell can't find me now"
Kyuubi gave a frustrated sigh "That's true but the senate has gotten stronger, and you alerted them of your existence with that little incident you pulled"
Naruto's nails scraped over the top of the mahogany cover in anger "What little incident?"
Kyuubi's eyes hardened "The incident where you destroyed that village"
Naruto's anger faltered " What are you talking about I didn't destroy any village"
Kyuubi's jaw slackened Naruto couldn't have possibly forgotten, right? That was absurd, you couldn't forget something like that, he would never forget what he had seen or the power that he had felt Naruto display.
"I didn't destroy anything" Naruto said his voice firm.
"Then come, and see for yourself" Kyuubi challenged.
Naruto stood up and eyed Kyuubi "Then take me there"
Naruto didn't know why but he felt something telling him to not go, to ignore Kyuubi's allegations.
He followed as Kyuubi led him up the flight many flight of stairs and out of the timeworn house and into the woods.
--
-
Naruto stood in front of the enormous crater that was on the earth, where he was certain a village should have been in its place.
He felt something bubble inside of him; anger, confusion and doubt?
It was a mixture of both and he felt the need to direct them on the person closest to him; Kyuubi.
"What happened!"
Kyuubi seemed to take in Naruto's anger with ease as he answered "I already told you, you did this. You lost control after Sai was killed"
Naruto looked at the ground. Yes, Sai was dead, he had witnessed it with his own eyes but he couldn't remember doing this.
He had felt a searing pain building in his mind, unbearably so, and he had been so full of hate and anger and then his vision had blurred but, how could he have possibly done this; destroy everything.
But, then he could have. Had more of his abilities surfaced during his breaking point where he had been powerless against himself and unable to contain his furious rage.
Yes, he definitely had done this and it left him feeling numb because there was nothing left, no remains just a crater. No bodies…just a crater. The only proof of the villages existence was a crater. Naruto's fingers twitched, he had killed so many people without even knowing how exactly he had done it.
"Let's go" was all that Naruto said as he gazed at the horizon past the destruction he had created.
Kyuubi nodded.
--
-
Itachi gazed at the tall building, it wasn't headquarters but it was one of the smaller bases the vampire senate had set up, it was one of many that were scattered all over the world.
Sasuke was a few yards away not at all happy about being near the building. Itachi could still feel the dark atmosphere that surrounded his younger brother. And if you couldn't feel the dark vibes then you could definitely know it by the look on Sasuke's face. He had a scowl marring his lips and his eyes were narrowed into a glare; he definitely not in a good mood.
Itachi noticed that Sasuke was conversing with someone to his surprise, because Sasuke wasn't one for social interactions. But as he scanned the nearby area he couldn't find or sense anyone near Sasuke to even converse with.
Who was Sasuke talking to?
'Sasuke' Itachi called.
Sasuke turned his gaze to his brother questioningly.
Itachi didn't talk to him telepathically but instead pointed at him and then to the building.
Wait, he wasn't saying what he thought he was saying, right?
And when he saw Itachi give a distinct nod Sasuke glared with all his might. No way in hell!
As luck would have it Sasuke's day just went from bad to worse.
Tbc…
Author's Note: Readers ignore this long winded rant. This rant is directed to a reviewer -who reviewed chapter two of this story- by the name Rakshasa. This is not, i repeat NOT an Anne Rice crossover. Though your ignorance to the fact that I had in fact stated -before I edited the past chapters a few months ago- in the first chapter that it was like Anne Rice, is partially my fault. Just so you know I got the prologue from the movie Queen of The Damned- you know based on the book by Anne Rice's- well that is about it, and the italics words in between are the actual thoughts of the main character: Naruto. These 'Similarities' that you speak of end there, so don't go declaring that I'm "ripping off Anne Rice", because as a fellow Anne Rice fan I feel annoyed by you. For all I care you can stop reading this fic, it doesn't bother me but think before you review.Idiot.