Chapter 2: Oblivion

The enemy arrives
Escape into the night
Everybody run now
Everybody run now
Break into another time
This enemy alive
Divinity defines
Everybody run now

"Oblivion" – 30 Seconds to Mars

Naruto had no idea how he had made it. With the sun barely hinting at rising over the horizon, he stared out at the hardly visible fortress of Konoha. He had run at full speed through the night, using energy he never knew he had. In fact it was almost as if a flood gate burst open, allowing waves of energy to wash over him. The strange detachedness he felt was probably a side effect, as well as the vague awareness that his body was well beyond its limit.

He took a step forward, and then another, the vibrations from his feet echoing off the cliff wall behind him. He hurried along down the path, anxious to get to the city. He wasn't sure if Sakura was right and they actually closed the gate, but he still wanted to make it before any vampires started lurking around.

In the five great fortresses never once had a door been closed. People came from all over to hide in them from the vampires and occasionally they didn't make it on time. This was especially the case with the older people, the ones that the vampires didn't simply avoid.

Naruto was jogging by the time he reached the city gate, a towering structure carved with the intricate designs of the flame. Konoha was the city of fire, although fire was nothing special in the city. It had been long ago though, and people often hard a hard time giving up on traditions, even if they were mere decorations.

A subtle movement next to him was all the warning a shadowed figure gave before crashing into him. Wind howled in his ears as he stumbled and almost dropped Sakura. The jolt woke her up, and he could feel her stirring slightly. A wave of panic swept over him. The vampires were not supposed to attack before dawn! And the sun was not visible, only a dim red was!

He whipped his head around, looking vainly for their attackers when three figures materialized on the street before him. He could barely make out that the one in the middle was a blonde woman, the one to the left was a rotund man with long hair, and the one to the right very nearly blended into the surroundings. The one on the right was also familiar, as if Naruto had met him before.

"Give us the girl and we'll let you go," the woman said confidently. A small breeze blew at him and something told him she was too confident. It clicked and he knew that they weren't going to let him go. They just wanted Sakura unhurt, and then they would kill him.

"No," he snarled, glancing to see if there were any escape routes. He started to panic inside when he saw there were none.

"Suit yourself. We'll just have to kill you," she said, smirking.

"You're going to do that anyway."

"Yes, but if you hand her over maybe you'll live longer."

Naruto considered this. They would probably haul him back to where ever they lived and keep him in a cage until they were hungry. Naruto pictured himself, a huddled figure just waiting to die. He would prefer to die a quick death, not wasting away wondering when death would come.

It hit him then that he was going to die. He was going to die. Time would cease for him as he would be enveloped in eternal darkness. Fear washed over him faster than a rushing river as his feet practically melded into the ground beneath him.

A smirk followed. "Ah so now the fear is finally setting in. Do you understand now boy? Hand the girl over and you can live a nice long life." The blonde's eyes seemed to taunt him, her face becoming lighter with each passing second. Dawn would make its grand entrance any moment. They were out of time.

He should just drop Sakura and make a run for it, although he doubted he could get that far…

But then a calming wave washed over him as he felt a gentle breeze at his back. It was barely enough to rustle his hair, but he felt the reassurance. He didn't know where the wind had gone, but now it was back and it filled him up, destroying the fear. It whispered to him, a sweet song that blocked everything out, that locked the fear up in a tiny box in the corner. Naruto closed his eyes and drowned in the bliss, but the box burst open and he realized that if he didn't act, the vampires would kill him. They wouldn't kill Sakura, they would make her one of them, just like that silver haired one did to Iruka.

He didn't ask the wind for help, though the predicament was communicated. When Naruto opened his eyes a giant gust of wind rose up behind him, blowing at his and Sakura's clothes, but pushing neither of them forward. The vampires were a different story however.

The blonde was immediately thrown back, tumbling along in circles. The large one was pushed back, and the familiar one disappeared, although Naruto somehow knew that he had simply wrapped himself in shadows to avoid the wind.

While the vampires were trying to defend themselves, Naruto took the opportunity to run. Energy filled him as he ran towards the center, blue eyes searching for the correct path leading to the fortress. If he had any more of these energy bursts, he would die, his body would be all used up, and all limits would be breached.

After turning several corners that all looked the same, he found himself staring at the large closed doors of the castle. He looked at them in shock, the decorative flames facing him, faded from so many days in the sun. Sakura finished waking up on and she opened her eyes and yawned loudly. She blinked and looked around, and he could feel her tensing when she saw the door.

"I was right. It was closed," she said almost in awe. Then tears filled her eyes. "Why do I always have to be right? Why can't I be wrong this time?!"

Naruto gently let her down on her feet, not knowing what to say to comfort her. Looking at the wall he noticed something about the houses around it. "Maybe we could go over the wall? Some of those houses are pretty tall and I'm sure we could make it."

"No," she said miserably, "It's already dawn, we don't have time."

"But we have to try. If we don't that'll just be giving up and that's just stupid!"

She smiled slightly. "How can you be so confident? We're probably going to die."

Yes, but you'll live on after. He knew that the vampires wouldn't just kill her. They wouldn't turn him though, no, they would just slaughter him. No, he shouldn't be thinking about himself, he should be trying to protect her. But, why? It wasn't like she would be gone forever, like he would be. And he was very afraid of that. Not dying, just simply fading away, like he never existed.

"Well?" He looked up into her eyes. She was excepting an answer, hoping for a reassurance that they weren't going to die.

"Do you want to die?"

"No."

"Then we need believe we'll live. If we lose sight of that, then isn't that the same as welcoming death?" his voice dropped to a whisper as a sort of distantness floated back in. When she didn't respond, he grabbed her hand and started walking to one of the alleyways. Maybe there was a small room they could hide in or something…

"Psst. Hey you," a soft voice came from the shadows. "Do you need somewhere to hide?"

Naruto whipped around, eyes scanning the streets, now visibly brightened by the early morning sun. He vaguely wondered no vampires had caught them yet. Sakura tensed up and gripped his arm. Perhaps they had finally caught up.

The girl stepped out into the light and Naruto somehow knew she was no vampire. His senses were dulled; surely they would sharpen if a vampire were near. Her face was a forgettable one, as well as her voice and when this was over and they were safe, he knew he wouldn't be able to remember her.

"Come this way, I'll bring to a place where you'll be safe." She beckoned with her hand and Naruto followed. Sakura, however, had other ideas.

"No! How do we know you're not a vampire?" she demanded fiercely.

"Sakura, she doesn't…feel…dangerous. She doesn't inspire that…fear…" Naruto trailed off, unsure if he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Oh? You can tell?" the girl asked, curious. But then Naruto noticed her staring at his face as understanding lit up her eyes. "Oh, you're one of them." Her voice was almost hinting at disgust, but she motioned for them to follow.

"Naruto, are you sure we can trust her?" Sakura whispered urgently.

"I have no idea. But I do know she's not a vampire. So maybe she can help us…"

"Okay."

They followed her into the shadows, turning their backs on the rising sun.

­­­­

After navigating their way through several alleys, they entered the sewers and worked their way through numerous twisted turns until they arrived at a sort of underground town. The chamber was made out of entirely rock and there were many people, including hanging strings of lamps. There were also wooden carts, storing various things. It was bustling with people, although they all seemed to be hushed, as if trying to avoid speaking too loudly.

"Wow," Sakura whispered, "It's like a town. How can you stay safe here?"

"The sewer lines around here have been coated in garlic. It destroys a vampire's sense of smell, making it impossible to track us by scent. If they do happen to get close, we have a defense system," Nandi, the one who found them in the street, said. She grinned wolfishly and held up a bucket and Naruto's nose was filled with the scent of blood. He was still out of it, but the smell made his senses slightly sharpen, although not enough to rid him of the detached feeling.

"Blood?" he asked, confused as to why that could be used as a weapon against a vampire. He knew they hated blood from the elderly, but never thought it was possible for blood to actually be useful in defense.

"Yes. It's not a well known fact, but blood from a person about fourteen or younger actually harms a vampire. Apparently that blood is too fresh and it rots through their skin, turning everything to dust."

Sakura stared at the woman in horror and Naruto could understand why. A bucket that big would need a lot of blood-

"Oh don't worry. We didn't kill anyone or anything. We just take blood from anyone under fourteen we can find throughout the year. We then store it for ammo. The people who we take blood from aren't harmed or anything," she said reassuringly. Sakura seemed to relax at that and turned to speak to Naruto.

"Well I smell food so I'm going to go see if I can get some. I'll bring some to you," she said cheerfully. Naruto knew the change in her attitude was because they were finally safe.

He sat down on one of the crates nearby and took a deep breath. He was still out of it, so it took him a while to realize everyone was glancing at him, some even glaring. Naruto wondered why they were glaring, but decided to not think about it. He was tired and now that they were safe, he was going to get some rest.

He stood up and walked in the general direction Sakura went in and soon found himself in front of a large area with mats spread out. Around two thirds of the mats were full with sleeping people, so Naruto had a small selection of mats to choose from. He picked the closest and laid down, his eyes growing heavy. He realized how tired he really was and prepared to settle down into a nice long nap.

He woke suddenly and abruptly. He assumed it was the freaky feeling that woke him, and when he sat up he noticed several people eyeing him warily. He eyes them warily back and stood up. Apparently it was too fast because he immediately felt dizzy, although the smoky smell might have been part of the reason as well.

After the dizziness faded, he closed his eyes and just relaxed. The detached feeling was still there, although it was less evident than before. He supposed he would recover with time and plenty of sleep. He knew he should probably get some food, so he decided to head over in that general direction.

It was unnerving how everyone kept glancing at him like he was a creature that they were wary of. He spotted Nandi and wondered is he might know where Sakura was. She probably would know what time it was as well. At that point he really felt the need to return home. But strangely, when he thought of home, he drew a blank, as if he didn't remember what home actually was.

"Hey Nandi," he asked when he was close enough to her, "What time is it and why is everyone staring at me?"

She almost smiled and Naruto noticed that same look in her eyes as all the rest. "It's around sunset. Though the worst is yet to come, I fear."

She stared off in the direction of the closest entrance and was silent for a few moments before speaking again. "Vampires hunt at night, making this night the most dangerous. As to the stares, you really don't know, do you?"

Naruto shook his head. He vaguely remembered Iruka telling him something about his family, but he wasn't quite sure.

"Those scars on your cheeks mark you as one of the Uzumaki Clan. They were a family of vampire hunters and devoted all their time to destroying them. In fact it was this enormous hate that led to the last big war. But it's strange to see you here, as one of them, because they were-"

But Naruto didn't hear the rest of her speech. It was as if someone had suddenly flicked a switch within him. The world became bolder and more defined as his senses quickly sharpened. A sour smell wafted into his nostrils and the shadows became more prominent. But he visibly paled at the feeling that had caused this sharpening.

It felt as though the essence of fire itself was moving towards him. The burning blaze in the back of his mind was shooting towards the front, threatening to harm everything close. It was a terrifying feeling and he knew then that he needed to get out of there. He needed-

"Are you okay?" Nandi asked, noticing his paleness.

"It's coming," he whispered, "The fire is coming. We need to get out of here! He's too strong for you! We need to run!" With every word the panic and volume of his voice increased, until he was practically shrieking.

"Who's coming?" Sakura asked as she walked over. She was calm, and it was obvious she thought that he was crazy.

"The fire is coming. He's coming from there," Naruto said as he pointed to the entrance on the other side of the cavern. As he pointed his finger, the entire side of that wall erupted in flames.

Naruto wasted no time in grabbing Sakura and running while everyone around them was still screaming. Blood pumped through his body as he felt something more than simply adrenaline propelling him forward.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed from behind him, "I can't keep up!"

Without pausing, he hoisted her up onto his back and started running faster. Within moments he was into the tunnels, desperately trying to escape the flames trailing after them.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that this was a futile attempt and they were going to get caught and probably go through things worse than death. He turned left when they arrived at an intersection and started scanning the ceilings for entryways into the world above.

Sakura was gripping his shoulders hard and he could tell she was terrified again. He continued running, but came to a screeching halt when he saw that the way ahead was blocked. They were cornered.

Sakura gave a squeak of fright and the fear in Naruto only increased. He turned and time seemed to slow as he came around, only to see the flames in all their glory trapping Sakura and him in. He could see the silhouette of a man, but the most striking feature was the glow of his red eyes. They were so hypnotizing.

Naruto snapped out of it when he realized the vampire had moved closer. His senses tingled as he felt the sudden shift in temperature. If he didn't do something quick it would be all over.

An idea suddenly hit him. Even though there was no wind to speak of, maybe he could create some of his own.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered fearfully. He ignored her and took in a deep breath and blew. The vampire simply smirked, as if to say, 'Idiot, something that weak will never work against me.'

But the vampire was given the shock of his unending death as suddenly the tunnel exploded in a gust of air. Naruto had succeeded in keeping the attacker off for at least the moment. He quickly jumped up the rubble to where a very large hole in the ceiling had formed. He slipped, however, but was able to launch Sakura off his back and onto the streets above. He gripped the edge of the road and slowly started to pull himself up.

Abruptly he felt a cold hand enclose around his ankle and start to pull him down.

"Sakura! Run! You need to get out of here!" he said, eyes wide as with each passing second he inched further away from her.

"I can't just leave you!" she screeched, horrified at the thought.

"Just GO!" he yelled at he lost his grip and fell quickly. A sharp and large pain made its presence known where his heart was.

Or used to be, he thought as he looked down only to find an arm sticking out of his chest. He looked up into those red eyes. He vaguely noticed that they weren't entirely red, and they in fact had three whirling black tomoe in each eye.

Naruto fell back as the man retracted his arm. As he fell to the ground below, he heard Sakura's scream.

He heard as it stopped.

He heard the sound of struggle.

He heard...nothing.

A hole. Pain. Each second more pumped out.

Everything fading.

Everything whizzing.

Everything becoming so fast yet so slow.

Regrets?

Memories?

Moments?

Ready...

Set...

Stop.

A/N: Okay! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I was distracted, although the lack of reviews didn't help. Please review! I just want to know if you think this is worth reading. Pretty please? With SasuNaru on top? Anywho, next chapter will be a barrage of flashbacks, starting from when Naruto was a munchkin all the way up until the beginning of the story. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, this is unbetaed. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Ciao!