Stand in the Rain

I was in my car driving around not really sure where to go after leaving my house. It was a bad idea I know but I needed some time and space away from my hellhole. I am fully aware that running away will not solve anything and that I was being very cowardly, but haven't you ever run away at least one time in your life from problems? Because deep down you knew that if you didn't you would explode or lose your sanity.

That's exactly how I feel

She never slows down

She doesn't know why

But she knows that when she's all alone

Feels like it's all coming down

I had an hour before nightfall so I decided to visit a beach 10 minutes away from my house. After parking my car and putting in some quarters for the parking meter, I traded in my tennis shoes for flip flops that I found at the back. After I tied my hair in a messy bun I locked my car and made my way to the shore. Halfway there I took my flip flops off and carried them enjoying the rough texture of sand beneath my feet and the salty wind brushing my face.

When I was a little girl, my mom took me here. She saw it when we were driving to our new house a couple of miles away. My mom knew I was pretty upset when I had to leave all my friends behind and move into some unknown territory so she decided to make it up to me one day. There was a small forgotten cave off to the left side of the beach, past a "No Trespassing" Sign. It was seven feet tall and five feet wide. The whole cave was littered with seaweed and shells from high tides and sometimes you would see crabs scurrying here and there. If you looked to the cliffs above, you would catch a glimpse of seagulls waiting for the right opportunity to make a meal out of them.

As I entered the cave now, memories of the past began to trickle their way in my head. Annoyed, I pushed them back. I needed to think, and I couldn't be distracted with events from back then, even though a lot of them were some of the happiest in my life. What has happened is done, nothing could bring them back. Too much has changed. By dwelling in the past you become stuck, never moving forward and only back. So I keep those cherished in the back of my head locked tightly in a box. This way I could focus on my path and continue forth.

She won't turn around

The shadows are long and she fears if she cries

That first tear,

The tears will not stop

Raining down

Towards the back was a small pond. Water was brought in by a small stream that connected the ocean and this cave. It was probably about 3 feet deep and 7 feet wide with a couple of starfishes clinging to its sides. Small types of blue acara, angelfish, and clown fishes living in their sea anemones as well as many others swam about lazily in the water.

Making my way towards the edge, I sat down and gingerly dipped my feet into the water carefully to avoid touching the sharp coral and the poisonous anemones. The surprisingly warm water provided comfort from the frigid night of January. Some brave fish swam around my ankles and nibbled lightly on my toes curiously to see if their new intruder was dangerous. After sitting still for a moment they dismissed me as harmless, and swam around my feet as if I was just another part of the environment.

However the peace was short lived.

Out of nowhere, every important memory that I've ever lived through one by one flashed in front of my eyes until they overlapped one another. They were all as vivid as the day they occurred. It was almost as if an invisible key unlocked the box of memories sealed deep inside my mind. I clutched my head and gritted my teeth, helpless at the flood of emotions that threatened to spill as I was forced to relive every single moment.

"What's happening to me?" My cries were heard on deaf ears as my memories picked up speed, becoming one blur of color. My eyes began to blur with tears as I was unable to stop it all until it reached one particular memory.

.o0

At this very same spot four years back my mom and I were seated at the opposite end. We were both sitting cross legged on a blue and yellow stripped blanket eating ham and cheese sandwiches with iced tea. We talked about nothing and everything at the same time.

We usually did our bonding time once a month because my parents were hardly ever home before we moved to this new town. But since we moved to Los Angeles California where the sun appeared more compared to Washington, my parents were able to stay at home more, but we still carried our tradition nonetheless. I never knew exactly what kind of job they did when I was young. All I knew was that their job was important enough to have their constant attention. At one point I thought that they worked for the secret service, FBI, or the CIA. Now I know that I made up those heroic stories to give my parents a good excuse to leave me alone all the time or with a cranky babysitter.

"Hey Ino?" My mom spoke after a moment of silence.

"Yeah mom?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Since your almost 13 now, I think it's time for me to tell you the truth about your past and who you really are."

I gave her a questioning look but she ignored it and began her tale starting from the beginning, the very beginning. It was a history where she told of vampires actually existing. She talked about a man who sold his soul to the fallen angel, Lucifer, in exchange for eternity, Madara Uchiha.

I almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of it all. Vampires, really? I mean come on now mom. But one look at my mom's grave face was enough to shut me up.

"He wanted to protect his clan for generations past. He believed that he was the only one strong enough to keep them safe from those who opposed them." She talked of that man's brother who found out about his deeds and how he kept a close watch on him. After seeing him drain a one of their maids from her blood he realized what his brother had done and what he had become. He decided to rise against him. Through a series of careful observations he found out his brother's weakness and soon trained to end his life. Once he was finished, his work was not done. The maid was now just like him and spread vampirism from one village to the next. His brother trained many other to carry out his work in terminating the abominations and thus the first vampire hunters emerged. This is who we are Ino, and one day you will take our place in this world in your inauguration when you turn 17.

Even though at that moment the things that she told me hardly made sense, little by little it did. My questions on why my parents worked at night, why crosses were everywhere, why their guns had UV bullets, and why they worked less upon moving here were answered. It seemed as if the fate of the world was resting on my shoulders. But that day was the closest I've ever felt with my mom and my dad right after when he discovered our little cave and spent the rest of the day with just the three of us. After a while though my life began to fall into place, it held a purpose.

Remember this Ino. Cherish this memory…

.o0

So stand in the rain,

Stand your ground

Stand up when it's all crashing down

You stand through the pain

You won't drown

And one day what's lost can be found

Just stand in the rain

All at once the memory disappeared. I crashed back to reality gasping for breath and my eyes shot open. Soon I was aware that I had been holding my breath for God knows how long. I was also curled in a fatal position and my feet were out of the water. I let go of my head and moved to a sitting position leaning against the cave wall. My vision was filled with spots and I had to fight the darkness that threatened to overwhelm my consciousness. After a moment I saw things clearly again.

I looked at my watch. It read 9:07 p.m. Holy crap! I've been here for more than an hour? I had a little panic attack right then and there thinking about the five homework assignments that I forgot to do which were all due tomorrow. Just my luck. Then I remembered that today was Friday and I had all of Saturday and Sunday to work on it. I almost sank to the floor in relief temporarily forgetting the mental breakdown that I just had a few minutes ago until my phone started vibrating in my jean pocket.

I jumped startled and pulled it out. It was from our house phone. Anger returned and I pressed the end button sending my mom or dad to voicemail. Seconds later my phone beeped indicating a voice message. A feeling told me to check it out, to at least listen to what my mom had to say. Me being the queen of stubbornness, I ignored it, got up, slowly, because my head still hurt and stepped into my flip flops. Soon I was making my way to my car. I closed the car door and I immediately turned the heater on to medium after starting the engine.

Then the feeling came again telling me to check my voicemail but more urgently and this time I reluctantly gave in. I put my cell to my ear to hear what my parents had to say.

"Hey Ino, honey. Where are you? Your dad and I are home and… well we just wanted to talk to you. So, please call me back or come home. Soon.. Bye"

Huh. So it was my mom that called, and my parents apparently wanted to talk. Well I was more than ready to give them a piece of my mind. Now it was my turn to call.

After two rings my mother picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey mom it's me."

"Honey, where have you been?" Her use of endearments was annoying since she's never talked to me like that ever since they started acting weird. But that also meant that that she was in an apologetic mood. But I was not going to make this easy on her.

"I've been out trying to clear my head. Home hasn't really been a place of peace to me lately." I shot back at her sharply. I could almost see her wince and judging by the long pause at the other end, I had hit it home. But I did not expect what came next.

"I know Ino, both your dad and I are terrible sorry for what has happened but please Ino, come home soon. I promise that we will explain everything when you get here." Her voice was desperate, pleading, and… scared? I suddenly became very nervous. Something was up and I knew I had to get home. I started the car and pulled out of the beach parking lot.

"Okay mom, don't worry I'm coming home. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you Ino, I—" A loud knock came from the background and suddenly I heard a crash.

"Mom what was that? What's going on?" The nervous feeling spread throughout my body and I clenched the steering wheel of my car and I picked up speed. A sudden need to be home made me go even faster reaching well over the speed limit. I heard a thud and my mom must've dropped the phone on our carpet floor.

"Mom? MOM!"

She was no longer interested in our phone conversation. She was yelling angrily at whoever broke into our house. My dad's voice was suddenly there with her yelling as well.

"You told us that we would have an extra day to talk about this and say a final goodbye to our daughter!" My dad shouted.

"You can't do this!" My mom sounded more desperate and on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka, but I'm afraid your time is up." A new voice spoke. It was a man. His voice was deep, and very strange. It sounded almost lyrical and I could hear darkness twisting around those words. What-?

Sudden realization hit me. The shock almost made me hit the brakes.

A Vampire!

My mother's scream tore me from my thoughts and I heard a thud next to the phone. "Inoichi, no!" She was crying now.

"MOM, DAD!" I screamed into my cell. I heard my mom gasp as if finally remembering that we were just talking a few minutes ago. Footsteps muffled by the carpet were coming closer. "Please don't hurt Ino, please don't hurt my baby!" I heard her crying again.

"Don't worry we plan to take very good care of her." He said into the mouthpiece. I almost threw my phone out the window in disgust upon hearing his voice. "Get out of my house and stay away from my parents!" Anger fueled my words. I heard my mom in the background sobbing and trying to form coherent sentences.

"I-Ino, I'm s-s-so so-sorry, I lo—"

Beep Beep Beep

Silence…

I let my phone drop forgotten on the floor. Confusion, frustration, and anger settled into my stomach making me sick. Tears blurred my vision. A red light stopped me and a thick stream of cars blocked my path. I banged my fists on the steering wheel and lowered my head there. I whimpered in anger and hopelessness. My house was just 2 minutes away but I knew I would be too late. A cry of despair crawled its way out of my throat.

"NOO!"

She won't make a sound

Alone in this fight with herself

And the fears whispering

If she stands, she'll fall down

I parked, turned off the engine, grabbed my keys, and locked the car with inhuman speed. As expected the front door was busted in and I could see nothing but darkness inside. The metallic smell of blood hit me first. It was everywhere and it threatened to spill the contents of my stomach. My hand shook as I touched the doorframe where the wood splintered from the force that ripped the door from its place. I was scared of what I would find. The lights were off but I could see just as well.

Vampire hunters had to see well in the dark where their enemies loved to live and hide. Everything was eerily quiet and I tried to move stealthily past the foyer and into the formal living room. So far I didn't see anything yet and I glanced at the stairs to my right making sure that nothing was waiting to pounce on me. Seeing nothing I allowed myself a quick feeling of comfort before steeling up again to continue onto where the smell of blood was the strongest, in our family room.

Then I saw my parents.

My mom was leaning against the wall her head bowed, long curly blond hair fell forward shielding her face. My dad's head was on her lap. My mom's right arm was under it and her left hand lay on his right cheek. I almost gave into the illusion. They looked so peaceful and calm. I would've mistaken my dad being asleep while my mother cradled his head, as if she were singing a lullaby or whispering how much she loved him in his ear.

It all looked so believable if it weren't for my mother's throat gapping open in a twisted grin with blood all over the front of her shirt. She looked too pale and almost bluish and her hand hung limply from my dad's cheek. My dad had a puncture wound on his chest and his throat was slit open as well grinning back at my mother's exposed neck as if sharing a grotesque secret.

That was all it took for my knees to give out from under me and I crumpled first in shock and then in denial. Tears gushed down my face and I was on the verge of losing my mind and spiraling into hysteria. All of my emotions burst through. First I choked not able to breath, and then I started wailing and I punched the floor. I was so useless! What good was having a power that fixed things when—

Wait!

If I could fix things than maybe I could heal. I had to try even though I knew their souls long departed from their bodies. I wasn't thinking straight, grief and sorrow shock me to my core. I had to do something! Wiping my tears with my sleeves, I took a shuddering breath and placed one hand an inch from my dad's throat and the other on my mom's. Completely oblivious to my surroundings I didn't notice two figures behind me, watching me. Nor did I notice the smell of gasoline overtaking the stench of blood.

I closed my eyes and went to the very back of my mind where I could feel power coiling ready to spring to my need. I unleashed it and directed it from my body down my hands and to the wounds of my parents. I saw light and silver threads coming out of my hands and going to the injuries of my parents. They went all over their bodies, wrapping them in a cocoon of light.

Sweat formed on my brow and I gritted my teeth in concentration. Then all at once the power stopped coming and everything dissolved into darkness. I gasped as fatigue overtook my body and I was left shaking there like a leaf. It didn't work, I'm too weak and they're still dead! I turned away from the gruesome sight, angry tears falling once again down my face and I clenched my fists. Wait a second.

Looking down I saw two pairs of black shoes. Slowly I started looking up to see who they belonged to.

Oh shit…

"Ino Yamanaka. We've been expecting you."

A guy with ridiculously orange spiked up hair spoke to me in such a beautiful velvet tone that I found myself being drawn—

Stop it Ino! Looking into a Vampire's eyes spells death! I quickly lowered my eyes and gritted my teeth. I put up mental barriers so his voice couldn't control any of my thoughts or influence me. Momentarily I forgot about my parents.

"We both are very sorry that we had the pleasure of meeting you under these circumstances."

Both? That means…

Another shadow materialized itself from behind the tangerine haired man. This one had onyx hair which was rather long and tied back into a ponytail. Almost like—

My eyes widened as shock shook me to my very core and I was very aware of my slackened jaw.

"You're Itachi Uchiha!" The exclamation came out as more of a question and my brain still wasn't processing. It couldn't be. It just couldn't! But then the stories of this one man taking out his whole lineage in one night could only make sense if he was a... a... a vampire.

"Hmmm. It seems as if you'll always be popular to the ladies Itachi." Orange hair said in an amused tone. He said nothing in return but the way his eyes looked at me was as if he could see right into my very soul. They were cold and calculating and held no emotion at all. I had to suppress my shiver. "Well Miss Yamanaka, my name is Pein and we came here because we want you to come with us. We're giving you a chance to become powerful, to be like us."

I froze in stunned by his words. After a moment I found my voice and confusion slowly turning into anger. "What? You two are out of your minds. My parents and my ancestors hunted your kind's damned souls and so will I. You think I would abandon who I am, who my parents raised me to be, to become cursed like you?" Venom filled every single one of my words. What are they planning? Turning a Hunter into what they hunted was unthinkable on both sides and not to mention revolting. Vampires would kill a hunter in a nanosecond let alone turn them, and a Hunter would rather die than be damned.

"Well, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Either way, you're coming with us. So what will it be, Miss Yamanaka?" His eyes narrowed at me and all of a sudden I could see rings forming from his Iris and spreading throughout his sclera. Itachi's eyes transformed as well adding three more pupils that surrounded his middle which began spinning fast in his now crimson eyes.

I gulped and adrenaline pumped through my system. I knew I was going to die because no way in hell was I going with them or become a creature of the night. A wet sticky liquid pooled around my body and I gasped upon remembering my parents who were dead, with throats slit as if they were nothing more than dolls. My mom and dad were both gone, killed without even having a chance to say their last goodbye to me and it was their entire fault! Anger gave me courage to stand and now I looked defiantly straight into their eyes with my stance firm.

"You'll never take me with you and I'll make you pay for what you did to my parents!"

Pein cocked his eyebrow mockingly. "Really and how are you going to do that exactly?"

"By killing both of you!" I yelled. A massive amount of energy began forming around me, power I've never known I had. Then a soft female voice whispered in my mind.

Ino, let your emotions fuel your power and focus on the rising hate growing for these two men. Then release everything all at once.

She wants to be found

The only way out

Is through everything she's running from

Wants to give up and lie down.

I did exactly as told. I closed my eyes for concentration and felt the torrent of power rushing wildly around me. I then concentrated it all together and lifted my hands in front of me. As my eyes snapped open I unleashed it all along with a cry of despair and rage, my feelings voicing out, and used my arms to channel the power to the two stunned vampires. A burst of raw white energy exploded from my palms and it pushed the two hard against the wall. They fell to the ground dazed and weakened. The impact was so hard that there was probably an inch deep crater on the wall where they smashed against.

Out of nowhere dots danced around my field of vision and my knees buckled as if my feet were pulled from under me. My whole body was convulsing and I began retching spilling out everything in my stomach. Shakily I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and I noticed how weaker and weaker I got as the seconds ticked by. The vampires in front of me seemed to be having a hard time moving again almost as if I paralyzed them. Then Pein slowly took out a lighter from his black leather jacket and ignited a flame. He flicked it to the far left and the cream love seat immediately lit on fire. It spread wildly everywhere and I remember smelling gasoline all over the house.

Those bastards poured gasoline all over probably to erase the evidence of their murder! I found myself now lying on the floor with my energy almost depleted. Itachi and Pein now were able to get up. In a blink of an eye Pein disappeared with a dark look on his face. Itachi appeared suddenly behind me and leaned into my ear, his cold breath and icy tone sent shivers down my back.

"Yamanaka Ino, this is not over. You will join us."

Just like that he disappeared as well leaving me alone inside my burning house. As the last of my energy faded I was sent into darkness but not before I felt strong arms lift me up and take me away from my nightmares.

Mom, dad I'm sorry…

I was standing alone in a dark barren land with no one but me. There were bones everywhere and fresh blood soaked the ground. My mouth was open but no sound came out. A scream wanted to slash my throat open but I had no voice. My knees buckled and I fell onto the sticky ground which made a sucking sound as I sunk into it. I felt so angry and hopeless and for some reason I knew this Death Valley happened because of me. It was my fault. My own fault…

But why?

My fist clenched and I punched the earth over and over again. What happening to me? Soon my face became dotted with blood not of my own. There was so much anguish, despair, and misery everywhere. The ground was soaked with it, the scorched trees reeked with it, and the wind violated my nose with it. So confused and dulled were my senses that I didn't even notice the figure that materialized from a mere shadow gliding towards me until it was too late.

A hand as cold as death touched my cheek and I jumped back instinctively, but they held onto my wrist in an iron grip that prevented my escape. I looked up and saw a man with long hair as black as night and piercing crimson eyes that held four pupils in a mesmerizing circular pattern. Without saying a word he lifted up his other hand and wiped the blood and tears from my face. I shook involuntarily like a leaf. I couldn't even suppress it. All of my primeval senses told me to run, hide, flee, and do anything to get me away from his very reincarnation of evil. I could see only darkness surrounding him. It was as if he was fear itself but why did he look so familiar?

"Who are you?"

He laughed an empty sound that echoed in this forsaken land. "I am heartbroken that you do not remember me Yamanaka Ino, or should I say Amaterasu."

"What are you talking about? What the heck is that supposed to mean?" I tried to squirm out of his grip but it was no use. His hold only increased in pressure. "Let me go!"

"You have such a lovely face and though you look different now, your spirit is still the same." Gently he stroked my face with his hand as if I were some precious jewel. "Your soul sings for me."

I could feel his presence engulfing all my senses. His darkness like black tendrils suffocated me. He seemed to take my whole field of vision and I was drowning in the dark and in his blood tainted eyes.

No

No

NOOOO!

"Ino, Ino wake up!" I opened my eyes gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. "Calm down Ino, don't worry it's okay. Those vampires can't harm you here. You're safe with me."

After everything stopped spinning I tried to slowly get up. He immediately put his arm around my waist to help me into a sitting position. As my vision cleared I noticed that I was on a king sized bed with plush pillows all around me. The room that I was in had a soft crème color and was twice the size of my old bedroom. It was complete with a walk in closet, its own bathroom, a pastel white double dresser, a floor length mirror, and a balcony. Wow…

I turned to the gentleman seated to the side of the bed. He had a sharply defined face with high cheekbones, an aristocratic nose, and a complexion a shade darker than mine. His hair was blue-black and slightly wavy giving it the messy but cute look and the most striking blue eyes I have ever seen. "Who the hell are you and where am I?"

"Straight to the point I see. Just like your mother." He gave me a sad smile and I had to look down to stop myself from crying as he continued on. "I am Gabriel Constantine or Takeshi Yamanaka as I was formally known before coming here in the U.S." My eyes quickly shot up.

"Yamanaka?"

"Yes Ino, I'm your uncle, you're dad's long lost brother who has disappeared until today." He gave me a small smile.

"Wait, what, but, I'm so confused." I clutched my head and groaned. He reached over and ruffled my head. "Don't worry Ino, get some rest right now. You've had one heck of a day and I'll explain everything when you've had your rest I promise." With those words he got up from my bed and walked to the door. "Just call when you need anything and I or one of my maids will be here as soon as possible." And with a wave, he was gone.

I was left alone to recollect my thoughts. I wrapped the comforter around myself like a cocoon. I've never felt so alone in this world, even though I had my uncle with me now, it meant nothing. For all I know he could be an enemy waiting to strike me dead in a single off guard moment. All throughout my life I was raised to never trust those you did not know, even family because some vampires were gifted with Body Alteration to change their features to look like someone else. Then I remembered my dream. A black land filled with the dead and dying with blood everywhere

Ino you will be mine.

You can't escape it.

It's your destiny.

I WILL OWN YOU!

"ARGH, SHUT UP!" Unaware of my actions, I threw an empty glass at the wall in front of me and it shattered into a million pieces. My skull felt like it was on fire and it took all of my willpower not to scream bloody murder. I needed some fresh air to clear my mind because this huge room felt too stuffy and confining all of a sudden. Though still blinded with the sudden pain I managed to crawl off the bed and stumble to the double glass doors that closed off the balcony from this bedroom. I grabbed the handles and hauled them open. The crisp January air immediately took half the pain away as it cooled the sweat on my forehead.

When my mind was finally able to focus, I found myself surrounded by flowers of all kinds. Somehow I had managed to climb down the balcony stairs without falling and end up inside my uncle's huge maze-like garden in his backyard that I swear stretched on forever. A small drop that landed on my cheek stopped my thoughts. It was water.

So stand in the rain,

Stand your ground

Stand up when it's all crashing down

You stand through the pain

You won't drown

And one day what's lost can be found

Just stand in the rain

Soon after, many more droplets poured and I realized that it had begun to rain. Within seconds my white nightgown, that my uncle's maids probably put me in, was soaked through and through. I didn't care about being embarrassed because at that time everything came back to me. The two vampires who killed my parents, my mom and dad lying on the floor with throats slashed open, and the dream that I just had all came rushing into my head. I let my tears spill and mix with the rain. I cried and cried and if someone were to see me in my present state, they would see what looked like a fallen angle with white clothes and long golden hair weeping upon realizing that she would never ever be able to come back to heaven. So broken was this creature that there she was with nothing left to do but just cry…

…and stand in the rain

A.N. Yes chapter two is finally done! I'm very sorry that it took so long to publish. Things were really busy. I had my ideas down but just writing them and getting from one scene to the next was a hastle. I hope ou guys haven't given up on me yet. Also i made this chapter extra long to make up for it. But guess what? Itachi has made an appearance finally! ;)

Song: Superchick - Stand in the Rain (very inspirational)

.o0