Slightly longer chapter. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. Boo hoo hoo.
Warning: some colorful language ahead. Not much though.
After leaving the comfort and safety of the red-eye safe house, the group of easterners traveled for another week and a half towards their destination. They crossed the border with no particular problems, but zigzagging around towns was a necessity in the country directly to the east, as internal conflicts involving red-eyes were commonplace.
The entire Zersvampirie household, the largest family of vampires, was red-eyed, and the majority of related sects of the mythical beings were also among the ranks of crimson-eyed specialists. Since the creatures of lore were feared due to their extensive history of violence, red-eyes were commonly associated with vampirism by the ignorant masses. Ironically, the isolationist creatures' traditions and habits of killing ceased upon their conversion to the red-eyed legions, but outsiders preferred to ignore that fact.
Naruto and his company spent days traversing the narrow and dangerous paths trickling through the rugged gray mountains. Reaching the home of their next hosts was a feat in and of itself. They were about one more day's worth of trekking towards the stronghold when Uzi stopped short, eyes burning as he garnered knowledge of interest to him.
"Hey, hey," he turned to the group trailing him with a sly smile, "Looks like we aren't the only ones who decided to take a little vacation."
"Oh," Hinata said as she cocked her head. "Is… another friend of yours coming?"
His eyes lit up when she read him like a book. "Yeah! It's Daemon; he's from the country up north. You know, the one where my comrades are mostly demon slayers?"
"Cool," she nodded. "He really went out of his way to come here."
"You bet he did." The bright crimson in his eyes softened as they continued forward. "He's actually one of the three apprentices."
"Really?"
"Yeah. All together it's him, Vahre Blus, and Sheila."
"Vahre… Blus?" She repeated the strange name.
"That's right; he's Master Sünden's apprentice. He's also a vampire."
"I see…" No matter how many times Naruto explained things, Hinata could never fully wrap her head around all the colorful red-eyed characters with which he associated.
They resumed their cautious prodding through the dusty footpaths for the rest of the day and reached the isolated stronghold the following morning.
The first sign of their proximity to the vampiric fortress was that of an aging stone tower built awkwardly on the side of a cliff to the side of the gray dusty road. When the weary travelers passed by the structure, Naruto looked up and waved with a smile. The Hyuuga woman couldn't see anyone inside the dark enclosure at the top, but she suddenly saw movement; presumably a hand returning the friendly wave.
They scaled an enormous mountain after several twists and turns between the hollowed out cliffs. Upon reaching the crest of the rocky ridge, Hinata's breath, not to mention a bit of Sasuke's and his crews' as well, was taken away by the sight. Naruto mentioned that the vampires' home was a fortress, but they never imagined anything as extensive as this.
It appeared that the mountains had been leveled for many miles to create an artificial basin. Smaller stone castles stood proudly along various points on the inside edge of the mountainsides, connecting to each other and the 'city' below by what looked like a series of honeycombed tunnels and bridges. The city itself was another ball park altogether. A large castle that's top was not visible below the defensive ring of rock almost extended to the very base of the manmade crater. The enormous structure had multiple open areas within its enclosure, presumably for other exterior buildings. There were noticeable changes in architectural style throughout the superstructure, indicating that it was ancient and portions had been added over time. The castle looked primarily to be made of mottled gray stone, but the newest additions were made of smooth dark granite in the forms of towering gothic arches and flying buttresses. The outward appearance of the aged structure merged with newer materials gave the impression of the new being incorporated into the old.
Uzi turned to face his awestruck companions with a fantastic smile on his face. "Welcome," he announced with outstretched hands, "To the Zersvampirie household!"
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They had approached the main gate of the superstructure and were greeted by the heavy wooden doors creaking open to their arrival. As soon as they stepped through, Hinata was dumbstruck once again.
As a child, the Hyuuga woman knew a comfortable lifestyle, if only in the physical portion of her home. After all, the Hyuuga estate easily rivaled any other in terms of luxury. But this made her old mansion look like a cardboard box.
The entrance hall resembled a massive cathedral without the rows of benches. The stained glass windows adorning the top of the halls seemed to be illuminated by a nonexistent fire, and the recent columns, upon closer inspection, were inscribed with writings on what appeared to be the complete history of vampires, ranging from their origins to the present day without skipping any family tree or the apparent life story of every vampire that ever existed. The very tops of the columns, however, looked to be made of old darkened steel and possessed sharpened iron rods. The hall was beautifully adorned by rich items and numerous paintings of what were assumed to be notable vampires throughout history, but the visual appeal was clearly meant to distract anyone from the fading yet distinct stench of blood. Generations of gory murder tends not to come out of the carpets too easily.
"Welcome…" spoke a red-eyed teen as he closed the doors.
"Wait…" Hinata thought as she witnessed what was going on. "He's closing that freakin' huge door by himself!!"
The odd boy finished his task and clasped his hands together. "Uzi! Long time no see!"
"Eran," Naruto held out his hand with a smile. "It's been a while. How's your son doing?"
"He's good, he's good." The loosely dressed vampire turned towards the other guests. "Who're your friends?"
"This is Hinata Hyuuga." Uzi put his hand on her shoulder.
"I am Sasuke Uchiha," the avenger introduced himself. As the rest of his team gave their names, Naruto started down the massive hallway with the Hyuuga in tow.
As they walked, Hinata noticed more of the decoration of the room. Behind each pillar was a square hole that disappeared into the ceiling. She didn't even want to know its purpose. The further they walked, the more red-eyed creatures of legend appeared and greeted their familiar comrade and his white-eyed companion.
After they exited the hall and made their way through what seemed like miles of corridors and large indoor spaces, they reached what seemed to be the oldest portion of the superstructure.
Hinata noticed quite a few of the legendary specialists up and about. "Hey Naruto," she inquired, "How many vampires are here?"
He took a quick glance. "Uh… Not sure, really. Hell of a lot more than this, though."
"What?" She asked, thinking she heard him wrong.
"Yeah, the rumors about them only being able to come out at night might be false, but they're night people by a long shot. Looks like most of them are sleeping right now."
She shrugged. Just another part of her former crush's world she didn't quite understand.
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The duo was led through more hallways by an older red-eye who introduced himself merely as 'the servant'. He was a kindly soul, although his clothes, much like all the other vampires, were several sized too large for him. He opened a door that led to a balcony high above the ground, revealing two figures seated on old wooden chairs. As soon as the relaxed pair heard the door open they turned their heads to meet the Konoha runaways.
"Hey Naruto," remarked the vampire red-eye, given away by his oily black hair and dark baggy clothes. His garments were held together by a series of interconnecting belts, wires, and zippers. "Haven't seen you in a while."
"Right back at ya Vahre," he replied.
"It's good seeing you again," the other man meekly greeted. He was dressed in heavy battle scarred armor from the neck down, one long smooth shaft of a sword that curved outwardly clipped to his back and two hunks of sharpened steel with two razor-edged barbs each clipped to his sides. His hair appeared extremely dry and he smelled faintly of smoke.
"You too, Daemon," Uzi returned.
"Who's the girl?" Vahre Blus asked.
"I'm Hinata Hyuuga," she bowed her head to show reverence to Naruto's elite friends. "Pleasure to meet you."
Daemon's dull expression perked up a bit at the familiar name. "The White Eyes of Death?"
She smiled. "Yep. Apparently I'm more popular than I thought." She added to the side.
"Have a seat," the vampire apprentice said as he relinquished his seat to sit dangerously on the balcony railing's edge. His example was followed by the demon slayer, who instead opted to sit cross legged on the cool floor with the railing supporting him.
"Thanks," Naruto said as he took the abandoned chair across from Hinata. "So what's been happening with you guys?"
"Not much," Daemon answered. "All the preparations amongst my followers are ready. We await Master Sünden's command."
Vahre Blus nodded. "Same goes for us."
"How is he?" Uzi referred to Sünden. "Is he here?"
The vampire nodded with what appeared to be a subdued smile, but he could have fooled them. "He's resting in his quarters right now. That seal has really come to bother him as of late."
The blonde's gaze drifted downward at the sad news. "I'm sorry to hear that…"
"It is unfortunate," the mythical red-eye sighed, "But everyone's time comes eventually."
"Yeah," the eastern red-eye's mood failed to improve. "You know…"
He didn't finish his sentence. All of a sudden, all three western specialists' eyes burned with deep crimson. As soon as their eyes returned to their normal glow, Naruto looked distressed while his brothers-in-arms appeared alert.
"What's wrong?" The Hyuuga asked innocently.
"Sheila's country is being invaded," Uzi answered her.
"Looks like the tyrant found out about the supporting forces there," Daemon added. "How did that happen?"
The gears turned in the blue-haired woman's mind. "Um…" She hesitated at her hypothesis. "I think I might know…" She was taken aback by the sudden attention she received from her present company. "Naruto is being targeted by someone named Itachi Uchiha. Apparently he's a dangerous criminal back in the east who needs him for something…"
"Needs him," the demon slayer interrupted, "Or the demon inside him?"
"The fox, of course," the blonde responded. "Anyway, continue Hinata."
She nodded. "Right. The Uchiha managed to sneak up on us before…," she struggled to recall the stealth specialist's name, "Geist found him. Even then, it wasn't actually him."
"Right, right," Vahre Blus interjected. "It was that… 'shadow clone', right?"
"Yeah. But if it took Geist to find a clone, then it might be possible for the Uchiha himself to track us without us being aware of it."
"This could be bad," Daemon turned to his fellow apprentice. "It'd make sense though. How else would that pagan priest know where to find them?"
Vahre Blus nodded as he thought. "I think we should move," he reached a solution after a minute. "Sheila's report indicates there to be a sizeable number of enemies including armored and walker divisions as well as heavy support. As cruel as it may sound, it would be best for us to move against the capital now while its attention is focused elsewhere."
"But…!" Hinata was mystified at the idea of virtually abandoning friends to their fate. "What about Sheila and the Agran brothers?! What about all the other red-eyes?!"
The apprentices stared at her with surprised gazes. "Well," Daemon began, "Despite their problems, they can take care of themselves…"
"But what if they need your help? You'd be too far away to…"
She was silenced as the vampire held up his hand with an understanding smile. "I know where you're coming from Lady Hyuuga, but they really can take care of themselves."
She regarded him with a slightly confused yet disapproving look.
"Let me explain: Just because Sheila is the only official apprentice there doesn't mean they're doomed. The Agran brothers are masters in their respective fields, in fact, they were once offered apprenticeship under our masters, but they turned it down in favor of commanding their troops. They're more than able to fight off an invading force."
Hinata took this explanation in with a grain of salt. All in all, it was a logical plan, assuming that the vampire was correct in the categorization of his comrades under fire. She shrugged to concede defeat in the argument, although she still didn't like it.
"Your concern for our friends is greatly appreciated, Lady Hyuuga," Daemon spoke as he got to his feet and gave her a warm smile. "Almost makes me think you're one of us." He strode to depart from the balcony. "I'm going to retire for the day; transport by lava is a bitch."
As the smoky demon slayer exited the scene, he left behind two brooding red-eyes and a confused white-eye. "What?!"
"Daemon makes a good point," the vampire apprentice stretched and yawned as he leaned back unsupported on the railing's edge. "I've been up for the last week straight planning things out. I'll meet up with you two later." He bowed his head goodbye and silently fell off the balcony. Where he landed was anyone's guess.
"How about it?" Naruto turned to his blue-haired companion. "Wanna grab some dinner and hit the hay?"
She smiled as her stomach growled in response. "Sure."
As the duo made their way back down the hall, Naruto felt the need to give her some… culinary advice. "Oh, yeah. Whatever you ask for, be sure to tell them you don't want any blood on it."
"What?!"
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The droning noise of the zeppelin's propellers, while proving to be a mere annoyance from the interior of the airborne structure, drowned out all but a howling of the wind on the flight deck on the bottom level. Silba angled herself steadfastly against the strong advance of the cold wind on the open deck, closely buttoned overcoat dancing in the air behind her.
"Colonel Silba," the PA system crackled, barely audible to any mere mortal ears on the open air deck, "Your presence is required on the bridge."
She nodded to herself, eyes still lost in thought as they stared at the sky high above the clouds. She boarded the maintenance elevator, as using the main one would take seconds longer and be a waste of power. When the doors clanged shut and closed her off from the outside world, she pulled a small photo whose frayed edges showed constant use from her heavy wool coat.
"I'll get him for you…" She whispered to no one present as a tear formed in her eye. "I swear it."
The plot thickens, I guess.
It's 6 a.m. I have a long day tomorrow. Must. SLEEP!!!!!
Oh, yeah, just to reiterate: this weekend will probably see a disturbance in the releasing (I didn't say 'force'... crap) of chapters, so don't get your hopes up too high for some immediate action.
On another note, no one has gotten what the yellow eyes are and why they're there, but one of you came pretty close (actually, he/she got what they are, just not why they're there)
C'ya'll.
