When Darkness Falls Ch 21

Two weeks of non stop training to get the vampires and the Akatsuki ready left everyone feeling a little apprehensive. They had to be ready and fight like they have never fought before or lose someone they loved. None of them were willing to let that happen. Madara and Hashirama thought it best to pit the vampires against the Akatsuki if that is how the battle played out. They needed to be ready to face anything.

They had picked the sparring partners themselves to avoid feeling getting in the way. They knew that they would hold back if they were put against their loves. Right now Sai and Hidan were facing off and so far they seemed to be holding their own. Hidan was enjoying this to no end. Sai was stoic and calm. He didn't care one way or another. All he wanted was for him and Sasuke to be standing when the battle ended.

Hidan landed a kick on Sai's thigh and made him stumble but not fall. Sai was quick to retaliate and landed a punch to Hidan's jaw. Kakuzu watched with concern as Sai snapped Hidan's head back with the blow. He wanted to jump in and protect Hidan. This of course was what Madara and Hashirama were trying to stop. They had told them time and again that going out there and protecting each other would get them killed. They needed to fight for themselves.

The tension in the room seemed to grow as Sasuke watched Hidan roundhouse kick Sai square in the side. It sent Sai flying back and he fell to the floor only to jump to his feet a moment later. Madara and Hashirama called off the sparring for the day. It wouldn't do them any good to go into battle beaten to a pulp. They had to say that they were pleased with the outcome of their training. They had come a long ways since they first came here.

Madara and Hashirama retreated to Hashirama's room. "Do you think their ready?" He asked Madara. Madara laid his head on Hashirama's shoulder. "I do. I just don't want to tell them so." He said wistfully. Hashirama rubbed Madara's back and gave him a chaste kiss on the back of his neck. He grabbed Madara's shoulders and pushed him back to look him in the eyes. "If you think they won't be able to do this just say so and we will figure out a way to get them out of here." He said firmly.

"No, I know they are able. I just can't believe that I brought this on them, on us." Madara said bitterly. Hashirama pulled Madara back to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. "You couldn't possibly have known I would return. You were doing what you were trained to do. I don't blame you and neither do they." He said reassuringly. Madara sighed and nodded. "I just hope this gets over with and quick." Hashirama couldn't have agreed more.

Kisame and Itachi sat on Kisame's bed. Itachi was going over the plans in his head once more and Kisame was watching him intently. Itachi caught his eye and half smiled at the blue skinned vampire. He flopped back onto the bed ungracefully and Kisame chuckled. He crawled over the top of Itachi and straddled his hips. He wanted to stay like this forever. He of course knew he could but Itachi on the other hand would not.

Sasuke sat placing ice against Sai's ribs. Sai had told him he was fine and would heal in the matter of hours but Sasuke couldn't help but fret. For one he couldn't sit still and two he was losing his mind waiting for this battle to take place. The plan was simple. Madara would call the ops team and tell them where to locate them. He would basically be handing them all over on a silver platter. It was all part of the plan to make the Ops team walk into their ambush.

Deidara paced back and forth as Sasori sat on his bed reading a book. Deidara was a fit of nerves. He looked over at Sasori and almost lost it. "How can you be so calm, un? I can't sit still and I want to scream." He said grabbing his hair and pulling on it. "If you want to scream them scream. I am sure everyone else here wants to do the same thing." Sasori said. Deidara stopped pacing and put his hands on his hips he glowered at Sasori and stormed out of the room.

Kakuzu sat on the couch with the zealot on his lap. They had been sitting here for a while just being quiet and enjoying each others presence. Kakuzu ran his fingers through Hidan's silver locks and he kept the Jashinist tucked under his chin. Hidan was soothed into a dream like state as he lay against Kakuzu's chest. He never knew that being silent could be comforting. He smiled a little as he concentrated on Kakuzu's fingers working their magic in his hair.

Zetsu and Tobi sat in the indoor garden that Zetsu had made. They sat on a bench watching the waterfalls run off of the rocks. Roses were in clusters all around them. The fragrant scent and the water were truly invigorating. Tobi sat with his head on Zetsu's shoulder and they held hands with their fingers intertwined. Zetsu talked quietly about the flowers and the plants in the garden and how he felt totally calm out here. Tobi could see why.

Pein and Konan sat in the dining room, he with a bag of blood and she with chocolate coffee. She carried the instant packs with her wherever she went. She sat staring into his eyes as he stared back. She was sure she had made a mistake that first night they had slept together and now she was thinking on a whole different plane. She was head over heels and they had so much in common other than the fact that he had been around for centuries and she was only 17.

Night came upon them rather quickly. They had spent the rest of the day basking in the company of their lovers. Now they were changing their clothes and strapping on weapons. Tonight was the night of the inevitable battle. Madara took a deep breath and picked up his cell phone. He dialed the leader of the Ops team and waited for the call to go through. Hashirama squeezed his hand and stayed close to him.

The voice on the other end was gruff. He began accusing Madara of treachery. Madara was quick to come up with a logical lie that the Ops leader finally bought. Madara began telling him where he and his team could find the Akatsuki and the vampires. As soon as the Ops leader heard that there were also vampires he was quick to agree. Madara hung up and turned to his team. Hashirama was doing the same, calling them into a different room.

"I know you guys can do this. I watched you grow as people and fighters. I am confident you guys will come out the victor. I hope to see you all on the flipside." Madara said as he gathered them all into a tight group hug. They held onto each other and bowed as if in prayer and Madara didn't doubt that some of them were praying. Hashirama had taken the vampires into the kitchen. He too was giving them a pep talk.

"You guys don't need me to tell you how good you are. You already know you guys are excellent. Don't let your feelings cloud your judgment. Be quick and be concise. Don't back down and don't let up. I will see you guys back here when this is over." He finished and drew them into a tight hug as well. They were his family and his friends. They all bowed as if in prayer too only they were simply building their esteem to the ultimate level.

They rejoined the Akatsuki and all took their lovers hands. They walked out to the garage and climbed into three different vehicles. They head to the rendezvous point which was an old abandoned building with a huge parking lot out on the edge of the city. No one would be there to interrupt them and no one would even know about it. Madara would arrive first. He would get out and meet the Ops team. He would then give the Akatsuki and the vampires the signal to attack.

He pulled up into the parking lot. He turned off the engine and the headlights. He got out and flashed a flashlight twice into the darkened shadows. A figure appeared and walked towards him. "So where are they?" The Ops leader asked. Madara stayed calm. "They will be here any minute. They are under the impression that we are coming out here to train." Madara said as if it were nothing but the truth. The Ops leader nodded.

A moment later a car pulled up followed by a second. The Ops leader was quick to disappear. He had his men in position to ambush them as soon as they walked into the middle of the parking lot. They exited the cars. Three in one and three in the other. The Ops leader frowned. There should have been a lot more than that if there were vampires among them. Madara smiled as the Akatsuki walked up to him.

Madara turned and called out the Ops leader. "Here you guys can have them." He said walking back towards his car as if he had followed the deal to the letter. "Wait just a minute. You said there were vampires with them. Where are the vampires?" the Ops leader demanded. Madara turned back and shrugged. "You know how vampires are." Madara said casually. The Ops leader scowled and called out his men to take the Akatsuki into custody.

The instant all the men were out and in the center of the parking lot the vampires began advancing on them. Madara gave the signal and the vampires closed the gap. The Akatsuki were quick to jump into action and the battle began. Hashirama joined the fight next to Madara. They looked at each other and nodded. This was it.