When Darkness Falls Ch 22

Itachi kicked out as a guy cam at him with a blade. His foot connected with the guys' stomach and sent him back. Kisame was only a few feet from Itachi and he was taking on a guy who could have passed for the Incredible Hulk. The guy was short and stout and had leverage on his side. Kisame had speed and strength but was at the disadvantage for low attacks.

The guy Itachi was fighting was no bigger than Hidan in weight and height. Being a couple of inches taller than Itachi made them a perfect match. The guy swung his blade at Itachi's face and left a faint cut across his cheek. Itachi dropped down and swept his leg out bringing the guy to his knees. He jumped back up and kicked the guy in the face effectively knocking the knife from his hand.

Itachi picked it up and thrust out with it. The guy dodged it quickly and threw a punch into Itachi's abdomen. With the air knocked out of him the guy had the upper hand and went for his knife. He grabbed Itachi's arm and in an attempt to break it was surprised when Itachi turned the knife around and stuck it in the guys' stomach. The guy let go and stumbled before he dropped to his knees. He was about to reach for a hidden weapon when Itachi made a call and slit the guys' throat.

With his man down he turned to help Kisame with his. Even if all he could offer was a distraction for Kisame to get the upper hand. Hidan had his guy on the ground and was kicking the living shit out of him while cursing him every other second. Kakuzu fought his own guy next to him and was having about as much luck as Kisame. The guy was huge. Kakuzu was a good match for the guy but they were almost too evenly matched.

Hidan finally took a breath and the guy took that moment to stab Hidan in the leg. Boy these guys sure did like to fight with knives. Hidan howled in pain and then kicked the guy in the head. It took a couple of kicks before the guy let go of the knife. Hidan pulled it free of his leg and frowned as the blood poured from it. He turned around and stabbed the knife into the guys' eye. He was pissed to say the least.

Deidara and Sasori were having difficulties considering that their opponents kept switching back and forth. Deidara would get a hit in on his guy and then the other one would hit him. Sasori was in the same boat. They were beginning to get dizzy from all the movement. Deidara reached out and kicked his opponent who turned around and went after Sasori. Deidara was getting frustrated.

Pein and Konan were taking out a guy and a guy who might have been a girl. Konan wasn't up for asking. Konan was able to take the guy well enough. Gymnastics had taught her enough to be able to pull a few tricks out of her sleeve. Pein was just good at hand to hand combat and he was doing a number on the guy he fought. Konan dropped into the splits and punched the guy in the groin. He didn't see it coming so he dropped like a ton of bricks. Pein kicked his guy in the side and sent him reeling on top of the guy Konan punched. He and Konan took their stances again.

Sasuke and Sai fought side by side. They never got away from each other. Two guys came at them from the front while another tried to sneak in from the back. Sai was too clever for that and was able to stop him from any sneak attacks. Sasuke was able to kept he guy at bay while Sai took on the other two. They all brandished knives and tried to intimidate the boys. The only problem was that Sai was a vampire and Sasuke was an Uchiha. Intimidation wasn't in their vocabulary.

Zetsu had his guy in a choke hold with a thin wire he carried. It was wrapped around the guys' throat and blood was seeping so he knew he was getting somewhere. Tobi was the one being held down on his end. He thrashed at the guy and tried to kick free. It of course only made it easier for the guy to hold him. The guy pulled out a knife and reached up to slit Tobi's throat.

Kakuzu gave a kick to his opponent and the guy went flying. As luck would have it the guy flew into his own comrade and knocked him off of Tobi. Tobi would have did a dance for joy if he didn't have to get to his feet and over power the guy so he wouldn't get the best of Tobi again. He drop kicked the guys' face and then crushed the guys' hand that held the knife. The knife fell from his now crushed fingers and Tobi picked it up. "My turn." He said as he shoved the knife into the guys' ribcage.

The guy coughed and sputtered and tried to grab Tobi's ankle. Tobi kicked the hand away and stood watching the guy die. Another guy came out of nowhere and waylaid Tobi. He fell to the ground with a hard thud and stars filled his vision. He shook his head to gain back his sight and grabbed the guy by the head putting him in a choke hold. Zetsu finally managed to cut through the guys' throat with the wire and then moved on to his next opponent.

Sasori finally outsmarted the pair by switching sides with Deidara. Now it was there turn to play this mind game. Deidara jumped up and spin kicked the guy he was facing. The guys' head flew to the side and blood flew from his mouth. Deidara smirked to himself. He had finally gotten this guy. "Deidara, watch out!" Sasori hollered as the other guy grabbed Deidara and picked him up. He flung Deidara across the blacktop and then turned to Sasori.

Deidara hit the ground and a snap could be heard. Something was broken. Sasori barely got a glimpse of Deidara before the guy ascended on him. Deidara as far as Sasori could tell was not moving. His panic began to kick in and then Madara's training and words came back to him. He had to block Deidara from his mind if they were to win this fight. Sasori bared fangs and lunged for the guys' neck. He sank his teeth into the guys' shoulder and ripped flesh.

The scream the guy let loose was ear drum piercing. The guy that Deidara had kicked was now over by Deidara. He was kneeling down by the blond getting ready to slit his throat. A moment later he was the one with blood running down his body and dying on the ground. Itachi glared at the guy whose throat he had just slit. He kicked the guy away from Deidara and checked for a pulse. It was there but Deidara was unconscious.

Kisame joined Itachi as he rolled Deidara over onto his back. It was clear to see that Deidara had broken his arm and hit his head rather hard. Kisame grabbed Deidara and picked him up. He ran to one of the cars and placed the blond on the ground behind them out of site. He rejoined the fight and helped Kakuzu take down his guy. Itachi was joining in the fight again as well when he noticed that the guy that Kisame had been fighting and had taken down was gone.

He looked around for the guy and couldn't see him anywhere. He was sure the guy had been dead. He turned to look behind him and was stopped by a sharp pain. He looked over his shoulder and seen the guy standing there with a knife buried in Itachi's back. Blood could be felt running down his chin as his world began to tip. He dropped to his knees and the darkness closed in. The guy pulled the knife free and kicked Itachi as he moved on. He turned to take on Hashirama who had taken down his guy a couple of minutes before.

Sai took out one of the two he was fighting and focused on the other one. Sasuke was doing well by getting some hits in. The guy had almost gotten him once or twice with the knife but he was quick enough to get clear. Sai was moving quickly and trying to confuse the guy so he could end him. The guy decided to play dirty and pulled out a cross. He threw the cross onto Sai's arm. The flesh burned and smoldered as it made an imprint into Sai's arm.

Sasuke moved closer to Sai and yanked it off his arm quickly. It dropped to the ground with a clink and Sasuke went back to his fight. Sai smirked at the other guy who was annoyed by Sasuke's interference. Pein was able to take his guy down only because he made the mistake of paying attention to Konan. Pein ripped his throat out and turned to face Konan and her opponent. He was covered in blood as Konan used her strong legs to kick in his face.

Madara was holding his own against another guy when he noticed Itachi was down and not moving. He berated himself for wanting to run to his aid. He had preached to them to block their feelings and yet he wanted to throw out that rule. He turned back to his guy and threw another punch. The guy was slipping but not enough for Madara to finish him.

Zetsu came to Madara's aid and wrapped the wire around the guy's neck. Madara made his way to Itachi as Kisame noticed his lover not moving and blood all around him. Kisame moved to his side and looked at the wound. It was deep and blood ran as though it were water. Itachi was bleeding to death. Kisame could still hear Itachi's heart beating and took comfort knowing that he had that ability.

Madara looked at Kisame. "I will stay with him and hold pressure on the wound. Help the others." He said almost pleadingly. Kisame reluctantly stood up and turned back to the fight. He fought blind and he fought dirty. He came to Sasori's opponent who Sasori had ripped apart by this time but the guy refused to drop. Kisame dug his fingernails into the guys' neck and in a violent rage tore the guy's head off.

Sasori grinned at Kisame in thanks. They both turned and when Kisame seen the guy he had taken down he was once again angry. It was this guy who had taken Itachi down. The guy was engaged in battle with Hashirama. Covered in blood and a few minor cuts Kisame and Sasori lent a hand and attacked from both sides. The guy never knew what hit him as the vampires ripped out his throat. They had found that the Ops Team had poisoned their blood. Hashirama was impressed.

They wanted to make sure that none of them drank their blood and lived. What they didn't know is that these vampires could fight off the urge to feed and not swallow the blood. They of course used it to their advantage. Kakuzu was about to finish off his guy when he noticed Hidan had dropped. His attention was on the zealot and not on his opponent.

The guy pulled out a stake and was prepared to stick it in Kakuzu's heart. Sasori came out of no where and blocked the stake. It ran through his shoulder and out his back. Kakuzu turned to attack the guy. The guy smirked as he ripped the stake back out. Sasori closed his eyes as the pain coursed through him. Kakuzu lashed out and grabbed the guy, yanking him off the ground. The guy dangled for a moment before his face connected to the blacktop.

Sasori was quick to slash through the guys' neck with his fingernails, leaving the guy bleeding profusely. Kakuzu finished the guy off by yanking the stake out of his hand and shoving it through the guy's chest. Madara dodged kicks and fights going on around him to keep the pressure on Itachi. The blood hadn't slowed much and he was hoping this would be over soon so that he could assess the damage to his team. He had only just realized that Deidara was missing and cursed under his breath.

He looked around the battle ground for him and didn't see the blond at all. He noticed that Hidan was down as well. Konan was wrapping her leg up with someone's shirt. A gash went horizontal down her thigh and she was losing blood quickly. Sasuke's neck bore a cut across the jugular. It wasn't as deep as it could have been but still his vision was getting cloudy. Madara cursed again. The vampires were having to fight this on their own. Sai grabbed Sasuke's arm to keep him upright as he finally finished off the guy he had been fighting.

Pein took down his guy and turned to help Konan. Blood ran onto his fingers and he tried to resist. He was trying so hard to focus on wrapping the wound tighter and yet his instinct took over. He put his fingers to his lips to taste the crimson liquid. The instant the blood touched his tongue his eyes went wide and he jumped to his feet. He turned to find Hashirama close by. "Hashirama, they have been poisoned. The knives they use are covered in poison." Pein said frantically. Hashirama turned to look at the humans.

Any one of the Akatsuki who had been stabbed or cut was now poisoned and that was why they were dropping like flies. The Ops Team had thought of everything. Hashirama thought for a moment. They must have an antidote for it. They would never be stupid enough to not make one in case they themselves ended up under the knife instead. He said as much to Pein. Pein nodded and left the battle field in search of their vehicles.

Sasuke could no longer stand and dropped to the ground. It seemed as though they were done for. They had put up a good fight but it wasn't good enough. Tobi was now the only member of the Akatsuki still standing. Konan had closed her eyes a couple of minutes ago and didn't seem about to wake up anytime soon. The poison was slow moving but the more the Akatsuki pushed themselves the quicker it ran through their system.

Madara looked around the battle ground. Five Ops Team members were left. Hashirama was taking care of one while Kisame was taking care of another. Kakuzu was tearing the third to shreds and Sasori was playing cat and mouse with the fourth. The fifth stood looking around for any easy target. Tobi was his target. Zetsu moved in on him and wrapped the wire around his neck before he could even get to Tobi.

Pein tore the vehicles apart. He searched everything he could find. Each vehicle was as useless as the next. The lead vehicle however had a case in the back. He pulled the case out and opened it. A green liquid filled about fifty tubes. This had to be it. He opened another one and looked at the contents it was a weird purple color and Pein opened one to test. He touched his tongue to it and the bitterness made him cringe. The green was definitely the antidote.

He dug around until he found the gun to inject the antidote and he ran back to the battle ground. He loaded a tube into the gun and injected the liquid into Konan's neck. He changed the tube and the needle and injected Itachi. Madara nodded that he was good. Pein moved over to Sasuke and injected him. He made his way to Hidan and injected the silver haired teen. He looked around to see if he missed anyone and was surprised to see a blond flash of hair.

Deidara had come too and realized he had been moved to safety. He got up and made his way back to the battle ground and had snuck up behind Sasori's opponent. He picked up a discarded knife and rammed it through the guy's back. The guy fell in a heap and Sasori smiled at his blonde. "I was worried about you." Sasori said taking Deidara into his arms giving him a hug. Deidara shook his head as if to say 'don't count me out.' Zetsu finished off his guy quickly and turned to Tobi.

Tobi was covered in blood and dirt but he was in one piece and uninjured. Kakuzu ripped his opponent's head off and turned to check on Hidan. Kisame was just finishing up with his guy and Hashirama rammed a stake through his own opponent. The Ops Team was down but so were some of their own members. Kakuzu sat next to Hidan. He picked up the Jashinist and held his hand. Hidan was ice cold. Kakuzu could still make out a heart beat but it was so slow that it was almost non existent.

Kisame felt Itachi's hand and his too was ice cold. Pein checked Konan and she was still warm and the color was coming back to her face. The antidote was working. Sai held Sasuke on his lap. Sasuke was doing well with the antidote as well. Kisame listened to Itachi's heart beat and it beat so very slow that it was on the verge of stopping. Madara moved over to Hashirama and laid his head down on his lovers shoulder in sorrow.

It was plain to see that two of his members weren't going to make it. Hidan had been poisoned too long and Itachi had lost too much blood combined with the poison. Kisame growled in anger. He wanted to kill the Ops Team all over again. Kisame made a brash move. He picked up Itachi's wrist and bit into it. Hashirama lunged forward. He reached for Kisame only to be stopped by Madara. He turned to look at his lover. Madara shook his head. Hashirama closed his eyes and turned his back on the scene.

Kisame bit into his own wrist and dripped blood into Itachi's mouth. He had had to roll Itachi onto his back and his chest tightened when he felt the blood run faster out of the wound. A couple of minutes later Itachi's heart stopped all together. Kisame held Itachi against him in hopes he had been quick enough. He had taken the poison into himself. He only hoped that the antidote had stopped the poisons potency.

Kakuzu bowed his head and followed Kisame's forbidden act. He couldn't lose Hidan now. He needed him. He bit into the zealot's wrist and then his own. He dripped the blood into Hidan's mouth and listened as his heart beat its final beat. He too held his lover against him. The sun was going to be up in an hour, they needed to get out while they could still get home.

Deidara and Sasori took Kakuzu and Hidan with them. Kisame held Itachi in the backseat of the car Zetsu and Tobi were in. Sai and Sasuke were in the car Pein and Konan were in. That left Hashirama and Madara. They took the leader of the Ops Teams vehicle. It would be a nice adage to the ever growing collection of cars.

Madara and Hashirama stopped at the battle field. They walked around dropping a canister on each of the bodies. The canisters were on a timer and as soon as the timer went off the canister opened up causing a mist over the area. The bodies dissolved into nothing. It was the only way to cover their tracks. They drove home to the mansion and to their family. They only hoped that the family would be whole once again.