The Lineage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


The Lineage
By 11


Chapter 11
Blood Thirst: Fight or Flight

The masses come from all sides, pouring from every side drain and orifice of the tunnel to pour down the main way towards the three of us. The silent sound of Sakura’s blades and Sasuke’s wire reach my ears even amid the din of screeching cries.

For the first time I ponder getting myself a weapon other than my bare hands. They are sticky and smelly after a while, and probably slightly less effective than a sword or garrote.

Horrid faces contorted into expressions I can’t even decipher at their current speed rush to us. We don’t even wait before meting the mob, proactively moving to annihilate the front lines of the attack.

My arm locks with another and tears it from the shoulder, dropping it to the ground; Sakura’s sword swishing by missing me, decapitating the enemy as I rush to meet the next one.

I’m on my own this time. The parasite just laughs at me, as if I’m such a child. My hands reach and tear a throat, penetrate a chest. But their bodies keep flying past me; and I wonder why the blows are not returned. The thrill, the panic; it’s all gone now. Why?

I slow my movements, and hold my arm out straight, I’d have crushed another’s windpipe but he moves around me. But he doesn’t attack my side where I’m left open. I shudder slightly as they pour by me in the thousands.

Why? It makes no sense. Why aren’t they attacking, why are they just running by? Sasuke and Sakura have even missed some, glancing back. They just keeping running down the tunnel. They’re running… being called? Or are they fleeing?

It’s only then I get a clear look at their faces. Contorted as they are, their eyes are wide and bright with fear. Something is wrong, and they’re fleeing because they’re afraid.

My first thought is Jiraiya, but then only a hundred of them weren’t worried about two or three of us. It doesn’t add up. What could cause a nest of Regen vampires this large to flee their own nest with such speed?

My parasite laughs and sniggers, nodding to itself at my thoughts. That’s right, he purrs, whatever could cause them to run like that. Kit you are too much.

Shut up, parasite.

He just laughs more. I am momentarily drawn back. My parasite, it actually responded to me? Actually it did that before earlier too didn’t it? The shock freezes my thoughts and the parasite seems to roll his eyes.

Did you just realize that? Your intelligence is amazing.

Shut up! This is insane to begin with! Is this even normal for vampires to have a parasite in their head?

Parasite? Parasite?! You have any idea how many times over you’d be dead and gone if not for me! Parasite indeed!! Stupid brat – you know nothing!

My apologies. I apologize, without really meaning it. My parasite knows and scoffs at me. I glance back at Sasuke and Sakura; they’re still taking down as many of the Regen as they can before they’re gone and past them.

So could you hear me all along, jerk? I wonder at that thing inside me, still on guard, looking out in case the Regen horde decides to start attacking.

Brat! You only started talking to me a little while ago! Unlike you – I have never ignored you and told you to ‘shut up’ spoiled prat!

My parasite is an arrogant jerk; great. A parasite in my gut that tells me to do lewd and gross and dangerous stuff is an asshole and I have to live with his voice in my skull.

This will be lovely; why did I ever have the errant thought that I wanted to communicate with this annoying beast?

Quit whining kit, it’s downright abhorrent!

Where did you come from anyway? I wonder in exasperation.

I just woke up; I tasted blood so I opened my eyes. It’s strange, I should think I opened my eyes before this but I can’t tell.

Do you even have eyes?

Of course; I can see those regens for example, and darkeyes’ fuckable ass. Hey – you could tell him that the regen aren’t trying to kill us and then maybe drag him into a closet sometime.

Shut up! That’s stupid. He doesn’t like me. I huff, tearing my errant eyes away from where Sasuke, and Sakura, are. Though I really sometimes think he does express interest, he’s never acted on it.

Cocktease then.

Shut up!! That is so not appropriate right now?

Well what is? We’re just standing here, not fighting, not talking; and there’s a sea of fleeing Regen all around. What do you want to do?

The taste of blood… I ponder to myself this time. I feel it well up and deflate, like an exasperated sigh within me. That was about the time I first started hearing the parasite; after I drank blood. But now I can speak with it; what triggered that? My first kill?

First several more like. Who knows, who cares; I don’t.

I growl to myself and resolve to ignore him.

Whatever it was, the barriers between us as vessel and essence are growing thinner, that is for certain.

I felt this thing inside my gut even before I turned into a vampire though. So what’s up with that? I just don’t get it.

“Sasuke!” I call out to Sasuke, and dark eyes glance up to me. He starts when he sees I’m standing there and they’re not attacking. Turning to his own paused attacks, his wire may be outstretched before him, but he’s not attacking. His eyes widen when he realizes that the Regen are not attacking him either.
Sakura glances up and stops as well for only a moment, she sees that they aren’t attaking her either. But apparently that doesn’t matter she cuts into the ones with ease that comes towards her. Practiced simple movements, to cut down their numbers.
“They’re not attacking, they must be running from something, don’t you think?” I ask Sasuke, watching Sakura work idly.
“What could they be running from though?” Sasuke wonders more to himself than to me; then he turns to Sakura. ”Sakura, maybe we should get out of here too.”

The screeching swells around us as the cracking lightning sound of crumbling rock and cement reached us. Just a bit farther up the tunnel the whole structure is collapsing, and the Regen fall in the sunlight, screaming their last.

Their flesh burning off their bones bleaching to sand in minutes as they are caught in those deadly rays. And beyond them figures in dark cloth, with stony masks and steely weapons cleaving down the fleeing Regen.

They sprang from the dust and the daylight world above. I wondered idly if that were the legion from the Order, but then they didn’t look to be vampires. They were fast, but not that fast.

Their strength was primarily due to their tools than any actual power their bodies may have possessed. The sunlight was their weapon more so than anything else. I think, they might even be… humans.

“The Hunters!” Sakura exclaims half in anger, half in something like panic, “They sure are ‘late’ enough!” she scolds, then to Sasuke. “Now what?!”

“We move out. The hunters won’t care if we’re Regen or not, they’ll cut down any vampire they come across, better get moving.”

Sakura frowns, “The tunnel ahead is already blocked with hunters though.”

“And behind is a dead end, I was there.” Sasuke replies, “There are cracks in their sweep, we need to slip through those breaks in the attack wave to get behind them.”

Sasuke tosses Sakura his cloak; she will need it. She’s the only one of us three that can’t be in the sun – or she’ll burn up just like those regen. Not a pretty way to go by the looks of it.

Sakura takes it almost angrily and glances at me in meaningful upset before she throws the cloak over herself and the three of us takes off towards the attack wave of hunters. So she still doesn’t believe me about my age.

Geez, isn’t that suppose to be the other way around? Women lie about their age or something not men? I dunno, it just doesn’t seem right to me.

Sakura took off in some direction, I guess she saw a wider gap, I head for the center where the most confusion is.

There’s at least 20 hunters in the area, but they’re so spread out they shouldn’t notice a thing. They’re all so busy cleaving up the fleeing Regen. Sasuke is right behind me.

I don’t think they noticed us, we ran through pretty quick, if they did see anything, I’m hoping their Regen ‘hunt’ will keep them busy. ‘Hunt’ funny word since in the sun like this it’s more like slaughter; these new ones can’t even attempt to fight back. What a waste of strength…

My parasite suddenly curls in me, like it’s noticed something distasteful. “Naruto,” Sasuke calls to me, so I glance back. Oh shit.

There’s five of them, no six. Those hunters are tailing us; apparently they weren’t busy enough to ignore us. Hope Sakura got by safely. I shouldn’t be panicked in the slightest, really. But they look just plain creepy.

It’s daylight and they’re wearing those masks and dark clothes; and it’s like ghost ninja zombies or something. I don’t think a single one of them has been killed in this ‘skirmish’ yet.

“Can we outrun them?” I ask Sasuke. He frowns. They’ve already closed in pretty close. As soon as they’re in range they start shooting these tiny explosives!!

Sasuke and I take back to the ground after a few shots explode right near our heads. One went off not a few feet from my ear. Shit! If I had been any slower, half my head might be gone. Tiny explosives, they’re still huge bang.

“We might be able to if we can get an opening.” Sasuke muttered as we braced ourselves on a side of a fallen slab of concrete, the hunters moving in from the other side covering every potential escape route. “That’s doubtful though.”

My parasite bristled as I chewed my tongue. They’re swords were already out, and they rushed to meet us as soon as we weren’t moving. I guess the bombs are only to stop us from running; and likely destroying the tunnel – so they want to keep as many of them as they can.

Sasuke’s wire flashes as he catches his attackers blades and attempts to thrust them together, rip them away as he leaps overhead to their other side. The hunters brace their arms and swing opposite.

There is the sound of metal scraping together. They rent their blades back out from the wire. The wire leaves minor scratches on the finish on the sides, and only sharpens the edge.

There’re three of them on me at once. Their attacks are playing off each other. It’s all I can do to avoid my limbs being hacked off. These guys are much more skilled than the regens.

They act in unison entirely for the purpose of decapitating me. My parasite has withdrawn its thoughts and sits anxiously at the edge of my consciousness. I won’t die; I refuse, these guys are only human. Even if they’re vampire hunters, I can’t die here.

Again I fall to avoid the dual slice that would strike through my throat. Then I leap to avoid the third blade moving to sever my legs. They’re only human. How are they so fast?

Out of the corner of my eye I catch bits of the massacre just beyond this concrete shell. The regen are easily torn down, but every now and then they catch an opening and slash an arm or a leg.

One actually manages to get near enough to neck to catch the fabric of the hunter’s mask, ripping it upward, even as the hunter slices through his middle and chops his head from his shoulders.

I turn back my attention in time to duck around a concrete slab to avoid the heavy steel blade flying towards me. But I look back again, the hunter without a mask… brown hair drawn back; long face… I know him I think.

No way… Shikamaru?

I don’t even notice I’m left open. One of my attackers swoops in for the kill. My parasite screams. The sound fills my skull. I turn to see the attack. I know how to stop it. But he’s already too close for comfort. No I don’t think I can block it. Shit.

Maybe I could fall back. But he’d follow me wouldn’t he? I can’t think! Stop screaming, parasite!!

Then something drowns out the screams: “Naruto!!”

I can’t even see him as his body rams into me like a boulder. We’re falling sideways, and we’ve left the hunters behind.

My back strikes into a wall and we keep falling until we hit the hard ground. The smell of dust and blood reaches me.

There’s debris everywhere and dim light from the sun as the tunnel continues to collapse. Sasuke’s back is dark with blood, his body took the strike meant to cleave me in half.

There’s no way he can fight like that. I can feel his body heaving itself. It’s taking him so much effort now just to stand back up. I rise with him to lend my support.

He’s bleeding too much, and his skin is slicked with sweat and dirt. The smell of crimson is driving me crazy. Already the six of those goddamn hunters are leaping through the cracks after us.

Sasuke lifts his arms and his wire lashes forth. It writhes like a steel snake. It lunges out and strikes at each of the hunters in turn. They draw back every so slightly and block the steel with their swords. They still edge in closer every chance they get.

This is taking a toll on Sasuke though; his breath is getting shorter, and I can feel his blood flooding down his backside. Now is so not the time, but I really, really want him, and my parasite writhes inside me with similar want and need.

The hunters seem to be able to take their time now. They know that Sasuke won’t be on his feet for too much longer while he keeps bleeding. The smell is making my mind fuzzy.

I can’t even perceive that Sasuke’s eyes are darkening. All I feel is his hard body next to mine, and his blood pouring out of him, calling me like the sweetest drug of the world.

My eyes burn and I know that they’re red. My parasite coils inside me and presses against my skin from the inside; he’s in my head surging through my torso.

The burn extends to a ring of fire circling around my skull stemming from my parasite coursing through my veins all through me.

Let me handle this. He tells me, his voice resounding in my skull and blood.

I can’t stop him, and I’m not sure I want to; something has to be done, and my parasite has helped me before. My will cannot stand next to his – and I don’t want to fight it.

I can help. He promises, easing the last of my fight from my body as I let the dull burning fill my insides. I will give you such power, he continues, that you will never be this weak again.

I want that.

Then the burning grows stronger. I’m not even aware of myself as it feels like every cell of me catches fire and is burning from my body and bones; my blood roaring to an angry boil.

My flesh sears, it’s melting off the bone, and I can see red all around me; everything the loveliest shade of crimson fury. It covers my arms like flames, they rush and flare in vibrant red like blood.

And I can’t stop; I sink my head to Sasuke’s throat. My teeth tearing easily through his thin pale skin.

The thick taste of him fills me up and feeds the racing hunger flowing through me. I can’t stop, I can’t think; the taste is too much. It’s so thick and alive, metallic and sweet, bitter and filling.

There’s sound, I know, but I can’t hear. I think he’s screaming, the muscles in his throat working over my teeth in the sweetest way.

I have the urge to rip it out, to tear his throat and devour every part of him. But just as soon as it crosses my mind it is gone.

I can hear his scream so clearly now, even amid the din of the massacred regen, the burning smoke of their charred bodies, and my own fervent heartbeat beating a rhythm in my skull through the fire and blood flowing into and all around me.

Everything is so attuned to Sasuke, his smell, taste, his blood coursing into me. Then I’m falling, far away. The burn receded and my body is not my own.

The parasite must be in total control now, and there’s so much pain in emptiness. It’s like I’m dying. But I can still taste Sasuke’s blood on my tongue; so I hold out. Just a little longer in this dark space.

This off-reality where I have no body or mind for my own yet I can still feel that same body burning away in agony and blazing flames and pain. I can still feel it burning and dying although this bodiless me.

And then his taste is gone.

I feel so sick, I’m dying. My body, and I are dying. My consciousness is pulled like a spring stretched too far; and I am thrust back into my body. My chest heaves again as if it has never take breathe and my muscles ache. The flames recede from my body.

My parasite coils within me, settled back at my center. My mouth is full of blood, but it’s not Sasuke’s, and there is something warm and pulsing on my tongue. My eyes take it in... this scene of carnage.

I spit out the pulsing vein and muscle and all the blood I can manage. It flies in globs and bits and I gape aghast at what is before me. What I’m doing.

I stand over one of the hunter’s, his body is gutting, and my hand has already half torn out his intestines, his heart sits beating before me; his ribs broken open his skin pulled back. And yet he’s still breathing, a gargled gasp and groaning.

He is in so much pain. In a single swift movement I crush his skull – it was the fastest way to kill him. To save him from his misery, no amount of surgery could fix what I’d already done to him.

I feel myself shaking as I realize even without the brain his heart is still beating. I crush that too. It unnerves me too much to leave it beating when I know he’s dead.

I don’t want to, I already know what I’ll find, but I glance around anyway. The other five of them are strewn over the concrete slabs. Torn open, one’s head floats in the sewer water just a short ways away, his neck bleeding red all over the concrete and dust.

They’re all cut apart brutally and parts of them are missing. Did I swallow anything?! I fall forward and my insides squeeze themselves in sickness. I vomit all over the ground; and my fears are confirmed as red and bits of flesh fall from my throat.

I retch until there’s nothing but the stinking smell of bile and the clear liquid of spit and stomach acid falling from me.

Internally I’m screaming, at my parasite, disgusting with myself; horrified and shocked that I allowed this to happen.

What did you make me do!!

I saved your life. My parasite hisses back at me. You could at least be grateful. He hisses.

Bastard!!

Six bodies, dead, torn open; and ingested pieces. I feel so sick but I can’t vomit anymore; my throat is to raw. I’m still dry-heaving though and I feel like falling into nothing; just so I won’t have to see this anymore.

Without the flames there is the tingle of cold left behind with the receding burn. Refusing to reply my parasite curls up inside my center, satisfied with its carnage.

Listening closely, I realize that we are now entirely alone, the rest of the hunters have moved on down the tunnel. The regen are all that’s left besides these six, all are dead. Nothing is alive here…

I turn then to look back at Sasuke; surely I didn’t kill him. It’s not possible, I’ll kill the thing if it made me kill him… but he is alive. A wave of relief washes over me.

He sits slumped against the last slab of concrete. Dark eyes more focused than before, he’s gripping the side of his throat where I bit him. He’s watching me, with an odd look to his eyes. His mouth is open, he’s breathing hard.

His lip is slip, a single drop of crimson edging from the crack. I remember that his back is torn open too, and there’s a cut on his stomach from earlier too. The wound at his neck is still fresh too.

The scent of his blood reaches me, and arousal swells in me, despite the disgust still left over from the corpses not far away. His blood is still flowing and I want it all inside me; I want him beside me, that hard body against mine again.

I want to taste him again, to wash away this putrid taste of human. I wipe my mouth and step towards him; his scent is so strong, or perhaps I’m just so attuned to it. Sasuke watches me, that same imperceptible look in his eyes.

He jerks back against the stone as I approach. I stop, and watch him in turn, darkeyes staring back at me… wary? It’s not fear, but he doesn’t want me to come any closer. What’s up with him? Oh yeah, I just went psycho.

“Are you okay?” I ask. It’s probably mostly my fault he’s bloody to begin with. All the places he’s bleeding from; they’re my fault. Because he helped me, and of course because I bit him.

That wasn’t very polite to the guy who’s saved my life probably around twice today.
“I am.” He answers, his voice husky and raw.

I shudder slightly at the sound, and despite myself a smile tugs at my mouth. His scent is so strong, and I can’t stop myself as I step closer towards him. Sasuke scowls at me, glaring into my eyes. But I can tell he doesn’t mean it, it’s all there in his abyss-like gaze.

I kneel between his legs, and I can fee his body quivering ever so slightly; but I can’t smell fear, only excitement. His eyes are angry, but not afraid. “Leave me alone.” He growls at me. I only grin.

“You realize I’m half dead from blood loss, right?” he warns.

I know that, I won’t take it out of him, but there’s plenty that’s swelled to the surface; that should be fair game. “Don’t worry,” I tell him almost coyly, “I won’t let you die.” Besides that I can’t really help myself.

I lean slowly to his neck, pulling his hand away. My tongue laving over the open wound. Sasuke hisses, and I caress the skin again, taking up the red and savoring the salty flavor to his skin.

I trace the muscles up his neck with my tongue and press my lips gently across his veins. He moans, and I nuzzle into his hair, my mouth still playing across his skin, licking away the traces of crimson across porcelain flesh.

I move my tongue back to his jaw, my hands moving to his waist and hips; tracing the hard bone. He gasps and his body shivers against mine. My chest now pressed to his; that body cool and stony, with the top layer soft and sweet; like the cream on a cake.

I lick across his throat again, my hands kneading into his hips, my leg edging closer to the junction. His skin is so very much like cream. Hm, Sasuke and cake…

He whimpers slightly and his hips move backward as much as he can when my leg starts to press against his loins. He’s hard, and I could feel his pulsing internally I feel some pride at that, that I could have such an effect on him.

I move my one hand to peel back the fabric from his shoulder, and bare his skin to my mouth. He moans again his breath quickening. His tongue flicks across his lips, and pale skin starts to redden beneath my touch.

It’s amazing to watch as color starts to flood into him. He’s so sensitive to everywhere I move, and with the smallest motion it seems to make him no longer even capable of thought.

He groans as I press my leg back against his crotch, my mouth moving upward again across his skin. My other hand pins his hips in place. He turns his head and thrashes against the wall; and the sounds he makes…

They echo and thrill me, singing into my blood as it flows faster through me. He’s panting and keening now; and I can’t keep my hands from moving over him.

My one hand dips into his sleeve over his arm, the other up his shirt. My leg pressed ever so slightly harder against him, and his growing heat pulses faster.

He cries out and throws his head back against the stone, panting uncontrolled, his body quivering like a strung bow. I move my mouth to his, my tongue swiping at that single ruby jewel of blood at his lips.

Dark eyes are dazed and clouded with lust, every feature lax and strained in pleasure; and then he stiffens against me, breath hitching.

A cool hand seized me from behind, and I am tossed like a ragdoll across to the opposite wall. My back strikes stone, and I fight to make my mind tell me what is going on.

I am picked back up again from behind, and my arms are pulled tight behind me. I am forced to my knees, and I look hurriedly over at Sasuke; he’s okay, but he still looks too dazed, from what we were doing or blood loss? Probably both.

There’s a whole group of them here now, vampires; in dark clothes outlined in silver and green, or red, a few in gold. What is this?

“Filthy regen.” One voice, behind me, holding my arms.

“Kill it quickly,” a gold one order as he moves towards Sasuke, “Sire, are you alright?”

Get the hell away from Sasuke!

I don’t even have time to think it before my attacker releases my arms and puts either hand on the side of my head; I already know with one quick twist he’ll break my neck, snap my spine and kill me.

No way in hell! – My parasite and I rise up.

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