Hurray! Another chapter for you and your lovely faces. You're welcome…Regular PV
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The bar was dank and depressing on the outside, it looked as though it hadn't been renovated at all in this century, or at least, that's what the glamour made it appear to look like. They had done this so the humans would be detoured from entering but, with a trained eye, one could see the lavish old wood that seemed to be in pristine condition. The wrought iron bars on the windows and doors were nothing more than an illusion to cover the frost glass that displayed the moon and the rise of the Otherworlders.
The inside was lovely, covering in deep tones of red and browns, giving it a classic feel. The hard wood that made up the bar, walls, and floor even made it acceptable for even the occasional faerie to enter. The music was soft as the murmurs of Otherworlder's mixed into it. They sat in separate sections for the most part; maybe the occasional mix of Vampires and Warlocks but no real intermingling. Two vampires stopped mid-conversation to stare at the door, they could smell the wolves through it; their mixture of wet dog and Wolf's Bane was hard to miss, especially since it was the smell of the enemy. Their fangs started to slip out but they received a warning hiss from a large blue and purple man; his eyes were red and cat-like with slits down the middle. He was a non-magical warlock but, he was obviously still powerful from his large muscular build. He could easily snap the necks of the vampires if they caused any trouble. Even Otherworlder bars needed bouncers.
The two wolves entered, their faces masked with cloaks. Everyone either stared or didn't notice; this was considered a non-fighting ground so if anything did happen, the Otherworlders would take it into their own hands and get rid of the problem. There were few places where feuds between them were forgotten with mixtures of colorful, magical drinks.
One of the vampires turned as the wolves passed their table, his long black hair brushing over his neck as he looked at the two of them. The dark hair passed over his deep purple veins that seemed to stand out over his pale neck and he scowled, looking at his companion, who was glaring at the wolves as they seemed to take a seat in the Vampire section, with one of their own. His sunken in green eyes, hidden by his chestnut hair, took the three of them in with contempt and he snarled a little.
The vampire they sat with also wore a hood to cover up his face, it was for obvious reason; if his clan found out he was associating with wolves, he would no doubt he torn apart for treason. The wolves didn't take off their hoods either; all of the people in the bar seemed to be staring at them now. It was rare to see vampires and wolves sitting together without sensing any evil or feuding auras around it.
"Hm, I thought you'd be alone." The vampire said as he grabbed his hood and lowered it showing his long, fiery red mane of hair. Kyuubi smirked a little as the wolves took off their hoods as well. Itachi and Sai stared back at Kyuubi looking around anxiously.
"Is it okay for you to do that?" Sai asked a little hesitantly as he saw the shinning eyes of other vampires taking him in. "I mean, you aren't exactly a lower ranked vampire."
"We're all shadows here, little wolf." Kyuubi said as he smirked a little. His pointed fangs giving him an almost childish look as they slipped over his lower lip. "My clan has to obey me and I have already proved to them that I am the top vampire there, no one can defeat me. Besides, this is for them too. We cannot allow Orochimaru to keep running around; we need to set petty feuds aside and work together. He isn't just going to go for the wolves, it will be an all out war between him and all the other Otherworlders and Mundanes. The problem is, the mundanes won't know what hit them. We need to protect them the most." A glass of thick, red blood was set down in front of Kyuubi. He grabbed it and took a small drink. Sai felt the urge to vomit rising in the back of his throat but kept it down. Kyuubi, unlike most vampires, was not a blood hungry monster who cared nothing for the lives of humans. Or, that was what Sai had to keep reminding himself.
"What makes you say that?" Sai asked in a questioning tone. "What do you know of Orochimaru's motives?"
"He knows, Sai, because it was Orochimaru's original goal before he disappeared." Itachi stated as he leaned back into the black leather seats. "He was insane, thinking that werewolves are the superior race, to any race, yet, we hide in the shadows until mating season. He thought that was foolish of us and wanted to rise up and take over the world. Putting the spot light on us would also draw out all of our enemies so we could take them all out at once. A suggestion like that would only lead to the destruction of the world, nothing would be left. Plus, we would pull in all the innocent mundanes. All the Elder wolves were against him and that's why he started to slaughter them…"
Sai was silent as he sat there, taking in every piece of information. "I think Orochimaru is building a large clan." Kyuubi said as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands. "He's been in hiding for a couple years now and in that time, you can Turn quite a number of people. And there's been a recent stir inside my clan. I heard a couple of them the other day complaining that your clan of werewolves is getting much larger which is impossible because only a few of your wolves don't have mates, the rest are solitary or already mated. Another argued that it wasn't your clan because they didn't smell of the Uchiha pack that this was a pack of rogues. Which is also impossible because rogues never form packs with one another. I asked them what exactly they had seen and they reported that there were wolves, some disfigured, some normal, were inching in on our feeding grounds. I think Orochimaru is trying to box in us vampires so we'll have no other choice but to protect ourselves from them; it'll start spreading around that we're killing wolves so other packs will come in and attack us; he's trying to clear us out. One race at a time, it seems."
Sai felt a pull in his stomach and wondered then if he was going to be sick. Orochimaru was using wolves to start a war, sacrificing them like they were nothing but pawns in a sick game of chess. "Orochimaru's a monster…"
"No, little wolf, we're all monsters." Kyuubi said as he took another drink of the blood. "He's just the best at it."
"Indeed he is." Itachi agreed as he stared at Kyuubi. "If you want, I'll send a message to Sasuke to send out our own wolves to the area and start dealing with the rogues. My pack is well aware that Orochimaru is back and will more than likely fight with the wolves and drive them away. They're itching for blood, I could feel it as soon as I announced it to them."
"No. I won't allow you to sacrifice your pack for my clan; if push comes to shove, we'll leave the area. There needn't be any unnecessary blood shed on that ground. Besides, I don't think my clan will think too highly of themselves if wolves swooped in and saved them. Their hubris(1) will be their downfall."
"Hopefully it will be Orochimaru's as well." Itachi said as he glared a little bit.
A silence passed between the three of them and the buzz of the bar seem to be steadily increase which meant that the attention was being diverted away from them. It was a good thing, no one needed to react on anything they had been saying, it would cause a variety of problem before the real war had even started. Kyuubi sat back for a moment but then tensed a little, looking to the side as a wolf passed by their table. Both Sai and Itachi noticed it but made no motion to look. Itachi's eyes tilted a little taking in the figure of the wolf as he sat at the bar, the seat closest to their table.
"That wolf…" Kyuubi began in hushed tones. "Gave me chills. And I'm dead so that's really saying something."
Itachi sniffed the air a little bit and his eyes widen for only a fraction of a second before he stood up. "Sai." He whispered urgently. "We need to go…Now!"
Sai instantly stood up and started to walk through the bar, he didn't increase his speed so no one would be suspicious of them. Itachi put his hand on his shoulder so he wouldn't look back as they walked calmly through the door. But once they were outside, they turned back for a moment and Itachi sniffed again. That wolf was on the move as well. Whoever it was, he was following them. He could tell the wolf had slipped out the back as soon as they walked out but was trying to keep a gap of time and space between them so they wouldn't pick up his scent again but it had already been too late. Itachi's fangs started to form as the wolf appeared from the shadows, his face covered by a hood.
"What do you want from us?" Itachi growled lowly and the wolf only seemed amused because he scoffed audibly.
"That would ruin the fun, wouldn't it?" He said as he approached them; he stood at odds with the two of them. He could not mask the amusement in his stance as he looked at them calmly. "Though, it seems that the fun had ended as soon as you picked up my scent."
"You're one of Orochimaru's underlings…" Itachi muttered. "I could kill you easily yet you show no fear of me. You're either very brave or extremely stupid; now make this easy for me or your blood will run in the streets."
"If you were so set in your threat, I would already be dead." He said as a sphere of light appeared in his hand. He tossed it towards them and Itachi barely had any time to push Sai out of the way before it was right next to them. He laid on top of the other wolf who was moaning due to the fact he got his head slammed on the ground, but he recovered quickly, getting to his feet. He lunged at him but was repelled by a large, red barrier. Sai whined with pain as he skittered across the ground to Itachi's feet. The other wolf leaned down, trying to help his comrade up when yet another sphere was thrown at them. Itachi grabbed Sai and leapt to the side, placing Sai's unmoving body out of harm's way.
"Leave Sai out of this, your fight is with me." Itachi muttered as his claws extended. "Though I've never seen a werewolf who was able to use magic."
"Orochimaru has picked up a few interesting underlings, don't you agree?" The wolf said with a laugh. "But I don't know what he sees in you, you're so bent on protecting your underlings it's almost sickening. A strong Alpha should only care for his own wellbeing."
"You're wrong, a strong Alpha is only strong because of his pack; his life is only for the wellbeing of the pack and their protection. All Alphas that fight for themselves and sacrifice their pack are weak." Itachi said as he morphed into his wolf form. His glistening black fur shone in the moonlight, his yellow eyes leered at the other wolf; he smirked a little, seeing the full beauty of Itachi. The Uchiha ran towards the wolf, dodging the magical sphere with precision and agility. He was atop the other wolf in an instant; he pinned down his arms and howled loudly in his face as pearly white fangs were bared in his face. He bit down on the man's face, ripping skin and the hood away as he went in for a second attack, loosing his grip on the wolf's arms enough to get better leverage, but the pinned wolf was able to move them and stopped Itachi by the same red barrier that repelled Sai.
He skidded backwards, his transformation instantly nullified as he skittered across the road. Itachi growled as he got onto his human feet, wondering how the hell he was changed back. The wolf stood up, laughing a little as he held his bleeding cheek. Itachi had also managed to crack his glasses. "Well, well, never underestimate the power of an Alpha I guess." His gray hair was tied back and slightly stained red with the blood from his face. Itachi had taken a chunk of flesh from his cheek, showing some of his teeth. He smirked though as he brought his hand up to his face, a green light encompassing it. The skin was instantly healed and Itachi's eyes narrowed. He had never seen a wolf do something like that before.
"You're a hybrid wolf…" Itachi muttered as he stared at the wolf before him. He started to laugh a little bit.
"That's right." He said as he bowed a little to Itachi. "Half demon, half wolf. Not quite a Warlock, but not quite a Werewolf." He laughed a little as he stared at Itachi with reddening eyes. "Allow me to properly introduce myself, Yakushi Kabuto, Orochimaru's Beta. Though, he doesn't quite know of my full magical prowess. I have to have some kind of back-up in case Orochimaru decides to betray me, don't you think?" He quickly got behind Itachi, holding a blade to his throat, making Itachi cease all movement. "I think if I bring you to Orochimaru, he would be quite happy with me."
Itachi ducked within a moment and kicked Kabuto's legs out from underneath him; he grabbed the wolf's arm and threw him to the ground. Itachi got on top of him, pinning his arms down with his knees and grabbing the knife, holding it Kabuto's throat with a vicious snarl on his lips.
"What a predicament. You seem to be quite strong." Kabuto muttered as he struggled to move his arms that were pinned firmly. Unlike last time, there would be no way for him to use them. "And quite beautiful if I do say myself, no wonder Orochimaru desires you so much."
Itachi's eye narrowed a little as he tossed the knife aside; it made a clank as it fell into the sewer grate. His claws extended as he grabbed Kabuto's throat; the nails bit into his skin, making drops of blood fall down his skin and soak his cloak. He smirked a little as he concentrated a good bit of power into his hand. He flicked his wrist a little sending the ball of magic towards Sai, who moaned, turning to the side. Itachi got up in an instant, running over to Sai and taking the sphere for his Gamma. Itachi whimpered loudly as the other wolf's eyes flew open, he sat up shakily staring over to where Itachi laid, blood pouring from his shoulder; a chuck of flesh missing, blood was splattered all over the wall behind Itachi. Sai got to his feet quickly and ran over to his Alpha.
"Itachi, let me help you!" Sai said as he put his hands on Itachi's shoulder. He whined as he removed his hand started to lick the blood away, making the wound heal a little as he continued to clean it.
"Sai, get off of me. The other wolf is still on the attack." Itachi said pushing the other wolf away and getting to his feet. His entire chest was stained with blood and since his clothes were ripped off when he transformed, there was nothing to wrap his shoulder with. Kabuto was on his feet and smirked at Itachi who holding his shoulder with a slight look of agony.
"You look beautiful when you're in pain too." Kabuto said as he launched himself towards them. Sai stepped in front of Itachi, his claws and fangs extended as he growled at the incoming threat but a blur of red passed the two of them. Kyuubi let out a roar as he punched Kabuto in the face, launching him into the air with the sheer strength he possessed. He hit the ground hard enough to crack the asphalt and pavement of the road; he bounced before landing on the other side of the road, struggling very much to get up.
"Sai, heal Itachi. I'll handle this guy." Kyuubi said as he moved with lightning like speed. He jumped up into the air and held out his foot as he landed on Kabuto. The sheer pressure of the hit crumbled the concrete and broke the windows of the surrounding windows. But when Kyuubi looked down, Kabuto was gone. His eyes narrowed as he looked around. He grabbed Kabuto's cloak and a sheet of paper fell out; it was addressed to Itachi. He placed it into his pocket before jogging back to Sai and Itachi; the Alpha was pale as Sai continued to lick and suck at his wound, spitting the blood out. It was black.
"He's been poisoned by the magic." Sai said, the blood on his face black as well as he continued to suck on Itachi's wound.
"Outta my way." Kyuubi said, pushing Sai to the side. He pressed his fangs into Itachi's shoulder, making the wolf cry out with pain but the blackened blood started to dissipate as the wound healed. Kyuubi stood up as Itachi's wound steamed and healed itself. Kyuubi handed Itachi the long cloak on his frame and the Uchiha nodded his thanks as he covered his body. Kyuubi turned away from them for a second before falling to his knees and retching up black blood. He was coughing and choking on it as it came back up but after a few seconds he regained his composure and stood up. "Yep, that blood was definitely poisoned."
Sai nodded a couple times before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out. Itachi caught him with ease and placed him over his uninjured shoulder. "He must have ingested some of the poison when he was cleaning my wound earlier. The next few hours are going to be critical…""Come with me; I know a safe place where we can treat him and rest." Kyuubi said as he headed out into the street, watching for any movement. For right now the three of them were vulnerable; they needed a place to hide to get rid of the poison that was undoubtedly affecting the three of them.
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ELSEWHERE!
Sasuke bit the side of his thumb as he paced around the meeting room. Itachi had sent him a message two days ago about announcing his resignation as Alpha for the time being. But Sasuke was nervous about saying that he was going to be temporary leader; the pack was exceedingly loyal to Itachi and if they decided that he wasn't fit to lead them, they may revolt against him and try to find Itachi. And that would be detrimental to whatever Itachi was trying to accomplish; if he had the entire pack following after him, nothing would get done. Sasuke sighed loudly as the pack started to file into the meeting room.
Shino put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder and directed him towards the podium where Itachi usually sat when he spoke to the pack. Many of the wolves were whispering amongst themselves as they saw Sasuke getting closer to the podium.
"Come on Sasuke." Shino said as he tried to make the Uchiha sit down. "We need a leader and since Itachi isn't here, that means it's you. Itachi has entrusted the pack to you and I know you won't let him down; now quit postponing the inevitable."
Sasuke nodded and sat down drawing the attention of all the wolves. They were all silent, expecting some kind of explanation for the absence of their Alpha. "My fellow wolves, I have some news regarding Itachi." A mumble of words filled the air as the wolves started to discuss what could have possibly happened to their leader. Though, much to Sasuke's surprise, some of the wolves were staring at him with the same admiration and love that they would give Itachi. He could feel himself getting stronger from those choice glances and sat up a little straighter. "Itachi, our Alpha, has temporarily handed me the reigns to the pack."
There was a silence before a loud outcry and Sasuke felt the instant disapproval of his words, even though some had already accepted it. A few very fervent Itachi lovers still remained completely miffed about the words. A few wolves stood up yelling and shouting at Sasuke with folded arms and disapproving eyes.
"You? Alpha? I don't believe it!" One yelled shaking his fist.
"YEAH! Itachi would never give you full control! I want proof!" Another hollered.
"Proof you say?" Sasuke asked as he glanced pointedly at the wolves who were standing in the crowd. They all fell silent as Sasuke procured a letter from his pocket and stepped down from the podium. "Anyone who doubts the truth of my statement, come forward and examine this document with your own eyes. It has Itachi's scent and writing on it." Three wolves stepped out of the crowd seizing the document and looking it over. They all sniffed it and nodded to each other, confirming their thoughts.
"He's telling the truth!" One said as he handed the letter back to Sasuke. "He is our new Alpha…"
"No. I'm only a replacement for Itachi while he's gone." Sasuke said as he stepped back up to the podium and had a seat. "One thing we must all remember is that Itachi has not abandoned us; he is merely absent from our sight. He will be sending me messages and commands from the sidelines until he decides he is ready to come back and share his experiences with us. I will be his eyes and ears; his right hand. I will obey his every whim, no matter how insane because, no matter what, he will always be my Alpha." The wolves hung on Sasuke's every word; he was able to hold them at rapt fascination. "But remember, my orders and decisions will be based on what Itachi has told me. You have to obey me because if you don't, you will not only be ignoring me, but disobeying Itachi. We do not want to disappoint him in his absence, do we?"
"No way!" One wolf said with a fist pump to accompany his words. "But…Is our Alpha alone? I mean it's kinda dangerous now with Orochimaru and all…And we don't even know where he is, so we can't exactly help him if he gets in trouble."
"Indeed." Sasuke said. "Even I don't know where Itachi is at the moment but I wouldn't worry. He didn't leave alone. He brought Sai with him and we all know that Itachi is far more than capable of handling anything that comes his way so, until I hear otherwise, we shall not worry about him. He is our mighty Alpha, one of the Elder Wolves."
There was much cheering in the crowd as Sasuke spoke highly of Itachi. He was trying to get them to put their doubts aside and accept that Itachi was going to be fine without them. But the question remained in Sasuke mind, though he had everyone else convince otherwise, would they be able to cope without him? Sasuke had never really lead any of the wolves before so this was a huge amount of responsibility being laid on him by his brother. And there was always the added strain that they were vulnerable without Itachi's leadership, especially if Orochimaru decided to attack them. They may have a large number of wolves but without proper guidance, it wouldn't mean anything.
Sasuke may have not know the answer to that question now but, he knew that he would at least be able to convince the others he did. His speculations only brought hesitation and fear and a truly good leader never showed that on his face. Sasuke sat there stoic as a stone and Shino couldn't help but think that he looked like a miniature version of their Alpha.
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Back to Itachi and Sai and our favorite Vampire, Kyuubi :D
Kyuubi was sitting on the edge of the bed their host had been kind enough for Sai to use. He was dipping a cloth in cool water and placing it on Sai's very heated forehead; his cheeks were flushed with fever as well. The poison was wrecking havoc in his system causing the wolf to vomit, sweat, and hallucinate. He was lucky that he was a werewolf though, any mundane would have been much worse off at this point, probably already dead.
There was a knock at the door and Kyuubi grunted his acknowledgement as he still tended to Sai. He felt that if he left the boy, his condition would take a turn for the worst within moments, even if he knew it wasn't true. He believed it to be the big brother instinct in him. A female warlock with a large bust and blond hair walked in; the only abnormal thing about her was the blue diamond in the middle of her forehead but most would think it was just a tattoo. She was carrying two bottles; one, from the smell, Kyuubi determined, was sake. The other was an unknown but as soon as she placed it on the small side table next to the bed, he knew it to be medicine.
Kyuubi looked up at her with a smile. "I really appreciate you taking us in like this Tsunade. I don't doubt that he would be much worse off without your magic."
"I agree." She said with a blunt tone and a shrug. "Though, I've never seen a unique poison in my life. It seems that it lays dormant until it can crack the host's immunity system, which must be pretty quick because Otherworlder's have much strong immune systems than humans; you're actually lucky you're a vampire. The poison only caused you to vomit it back up. For this and the other wolf, I had to actually make an antidote. The other one is much luckier than this one though, he didn't ingest anything."
"So Itachi's okay then?" Kyuubi muttered to himself with a slight smile. "That's good."
"Make him drink that entire bottle and let him rest up; if I'm correct, he should be feeling much better after he gets a good night's rest."
"Thank you for everything Tsunade…" She just nodded and headed back towards the door. Though she paused in the door way, tapping her closed fist on the frame before looking back at the red haired vampire who was opening the bottle.
"Werewolves huh?" Tsunade said with a pointed glance towards Kyuubi. "I never thought I would see the day where you two groups would get along, let alone help each other."
"TImes are changing Tsunade, we can't let petty feuds slow down the new generation." Kyuubi said as he shook Sai gently, attempting to wake him. It wasn't working. "I do not wish to bring new vampires into this world if there is going to be nothing more than bloodshed and death waiting for them; Itachi feels the same so we have called a truce and become friends."
"Ha. I see." She said as she walked out. "May your choice not end the world."
Kyuubi shook his head a little as he sat Sai up. The wolf blinked his eyes, coughing and moaning as he shut his eyes quickly. The light was stinging his eyes like no other so Kyuubi got up and shut off the lights, making it more comfortable for the wolf. He returned to the bed and placed his hand behind Sai's back to support him. "Here." He said handing Sai the bottle of medicine. "This will help destroy the poison still remaining in your body."
Sai was silent as he drank the medicine but made a face as he finished it. He coughed a little and black gunk covered his hand. Kyuubi grabbed the hand towel he had been using to wipe down the sweat from Sai's body and handed it to the wolf so he could clean up a little. He nodded his thanks and grimaced a little as he the removed the black ooze from his palm and fingers. Sai suddenly got a dreamy look in his eye and laid back down suddenly. Kyuubi felt his face with both hands and the wolf sighed contentedly. "You're so cold."
"I am dead…" He muttered as he cupped Sai's face, trying to comfort him as best as he possibly could.
"I can see why Itachi loves you." Kyuubi froze a little as Sai smiled sadly. "You're kind, funny, and you care about things you don't have to. And it doesn't hurt that you're kinda hot."
"The only thing hot around here is you, little wolf. You're burning up, so shut up and go to bed will ya? You're delusional." Sai chuckled a little and tossed the blanket on his body to the side. The sheet underneath him was drenched in sweat but he didn't seem to mind because within a few moments he had fallen asleep again.
"How are things going?" Itachi asked as he entered the room. Kyuubi stood up and shrugged a little; Sai's words weighing heavily on his mind. He knew that he was in love with Itachi and that, at the very least, Itachi liked him, but love? He wasn't so sure about. He glanced back at the sleeping wolf, thanking whatever god there was that he couldn't blush anymore.
"Fine. Tsunade gave him so medicine for the poison and he fell back asleep." Kyuubi said and Itachi nodded a little. The wolf had taken a quick shower to clean himself of the poisonous black ooze that covered his shoulder. It had been what Tsunade took a sample of and used to counteract the poison in Sai's body. "How are you feeling now? Better?"
"Where you bit me still hurts but I think that's mostly due to the Vampire venom reacting with my Werewolf virus. I forgot how much it stings when they try to fight it out." Itachi muttered rubbing his shoulder a little. "But, I should be better by morning. Nothing to worry about."
"Technically there's a lot to worry about; your shoulder just isn't at the top of your list." Itachi smiled a little at that. Kyuubi always did that, always brightened the mood no matter what. It was one of the things Itachi liked most about him; he was always positive. Itachi stepped closer to the vampire and their lips met briefly.
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1. Hubris- Another word for pride.
And that's where I'm stopping this!
Kiba: This chapter was all about Itachi!
Me: I know...So what? Cool stuff happened!
Kiba:...
Me: What? What's wrong?
Kiba: Are you okay? You sound like a man.
Me: I MAY have a tiny, little cold. Nothing to worry about.
Kiba: HAHAHA! You sound so funny!
Me: SHUT UP! IT'S MY STUFF NOSE!
Shino: Almost as funny as when you sounded like Orochimaru when you lost your voice.
Me: THAT WAS A HARD TIME FOR ME!
Shino: Sure, whatever. This was Hitoko-sama.