The Lineage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


The Lineage
By 11


Chapter 28
Finality: Of Endings

So here’s where Darkeyes was; fighting off three Hunters, but this is just within the past few minutes. He’s already got old blood in his sweater, and on his weapon.

His wire flashes and turns as it catches over two of the Hunters – but the third catches the thread on a metal shield at his arm – metal grinds over each other.

Sasuke’s wire whips back to him and he leaps to the side avoiding a grenade blast – it would have taken off his leg – the wire shoots back out – I watch as the Hunters dodge around the thread and fire short flare shots back at him.

He spirals through them like a snake, silver and black following ribbons of red as the wire slashes kevlon and steel – but I don’t have time to let him fuck around.

One of the many crimson arms lashes out – a body snatched into the air is crushed in my grasp. The other two pause momentarily at their comrade – Sasuke’s wire slits through their throats – a moment of distraction.

Their bodies crumple and I stand before Sasuke – the storm whipping red and angry around us, isolating us from the scape for the single instant it takes me to step forward and gather his body into my arms.

“What are you doing?!” he snarls – shoving me away from him – red black eyes burning furious.

I smile, “It’s over. Or it will be soon – Itachi and Orochimaru have agreed to withdraw, Tsunade and Jiraiya are gathering troops back at the lair as well.”

I confirm this reaching out as the swarms retreat – my blood holing back into that stinking crypt. I’ll rip it open soon enough.

“Not yet!” Sasuke snarls – whipping his eyes to the side as if searching for his brother – “What are you doing?! This war is still just! We would have won!”

I groan and roll my eyes at him, “Not necessarily,” I remind him mockingly – and for the first time the burning in his eyes seems to want to exude across his skin as well – but that glow is held in check and squashed out. How like Darkeyes…

“It’s time to stop fighting.” I tell him, “Gaara’s called the wolves off, regen and pures are both retreating-”

“What about the hunters?!”

“In a moment,” I shrug, “They aren’t so hard to take care of.” I point toward the ashen flesh of what used to be alive.

“Naruto wouldn’t have so thoughtlessly killed,” Sasuke scowls, “Naruto didn’t want to kill living things, even when I took him hunting worthless humans – he wouldn’t even kill a single regen because the fight ‘wasn’t fair’.”

“Good thing I’m not completely a pussy then.” I snarl back – why is he ‘trying’ to get on my nerves?!!

“You’ve lost yourself!”

“I’ve only just become this self! I’m still me!”

“You?! You’re not Naruto – not one bit!”

“If it was ‘Naruto’ do you think he’d have ‘sided’ with you?”

His face contorts – my face crushes backward – the cartilage snapped – my body staggers backward a bit – I’m still upright – warm blood trickles down to my lip – salty sweet red…

“Bastard! It’s not like I needed him! Not really! I just wanted him; okay!!”

It took me way too long to notice that he fucking punched me!

“I am Naruto! I’m just something else too!”

“No – you’re not!” he snarls – and I have to physically leap from my place so that his lunge and strike don’t connect with me – bastard! Just listen to me!

“You’re not being understanding at all!!” I yell back at him, “What about last night?!”

“What about it?!!” – shit he’s using his wire now! I leap back and around, dodging through spirals of coiled steel – why the fuck is he so upset?

Yes he thinks I just destroyed everything he’s been working for… probably ever since he became a vampire but still--!!

“Didn’t that mean something? Didn’t that remind you a little of the first time?!” Shit can’t he just calm down!!

“The first time – Naruto didn’t ditch me in the morning!”

Oh fuck… I did do that, didn’t I?

Yes, yes I did. Shit.

I dodge another coil of steel – Sasuke’s angry metal snake coiling in the burning space – and I reach out – a thousand fiery arms grasping at the weapon pinning it down enough to create an opening.

My claws sunk into his skin and he yells out – but at least I’m holding him again – angry irises boring into me, and muscle straining beneath my hold – I have a few good seconds before he breaks free.

“I wouldn’t have under any other circumstance! But there was the war thing! I had to be here early you know!”

There’s blood dripping down his arms – and my grip is faltering.

“Right.” A gentle hiss, “I understand – you had to be sure to crush any hope there would ever be of the vampires rejoining – now we’ll be fighting each other for another century!”

His arms break from mine and his crushing grip settles itself around my throat – his blood is starting to burn – and the heat extends up his arm – he’s shaking but his voice still snarls and bites at me.

“This may have been a bloody way to settle it – but at least it would have ended here!!”

He’s right, it might have… but my way, the fucks I don’t want dead don’t end up cadavers.

His fingers loosen and he steps away – he wouldn’t have killed me, but his eyes are still hard – “I’m going to find my brother – and Gaara – this isn’t over yet!”

Then he’s ripping through the edges of my flesh manifested – the torrent of red would never hold him – and he’s disappearing fast from sight. So he won’t stand down? Fuck – I need to clear out the Hunters – time to sweep it all away.

Fifty, sixty still living – my storm turns to them – fists of flame leap out – a grenade detonates. Claws twist through smoke and gas-lit red – the crunch of bones through these fingers – five down.

Fuck – why won’t he just--!! Ugh!!

Stragglers – destroy – the fire sweeps the stage – ten down – run away – but still some so stupid – one charges through – a grenade – a lash of metal. Silly human – but I’ll let her in – enough to hear her scream.

Fuck him!

My leg sweeps up – catches her in the stomach and her roar lurches in her throat – body tossed back, and in another step my foot would go through her ribcage – a second grenade detonates.

Fuck Sasuke!

My foot falls through air and smoke clouds my vision – the vague burning of an artificial flare – and a second hunter stands nearby holding the stupid one. My arms rear back – flame jets – incinerate them…

“Naruto!”

Shit.

“Shikamaru?” my voice sounds fucking retarded just then, “what are you doing here?! I thought you left.”

He pushes back the hood, the mask shoved to the top of his head – and for the first time I notice the girl’s blue eyes – tufts of platinum hair trailing beneath her hood and mask.

“Well I had to come back for my girlfriend.” He grins at me – and there’s no way I’m angry – not with him anyway. In fact my insides are bubbles – a bunch of fucking bubbles and laughter foams out at my mouth, my body shaking with it.

“She’s that good huh?”

He doesn’t skip a beat, “You have no idea.”

“You’re destroying everything! Your own kind! What is this?!” Ino shouts, shoving her mask away enough to effectively glare at me – hah, she is kind of hot when she’s angry – lines across her face and pure emotion all through her eyes.

“Nothing – just no need for anyone to be out here anymore,” I shrug, “yes, everyone’s dead, or they will be.”

“Nothing?!” she shouts aghast, “But you’re killing them all!”

“Some retreated, the rest I don’t really care – if you want to live you’ll get out of here too.”

“We’re going,” Shikamaru asserts.

“What?!” Ino looks at him furious – ah that’s why she’s pretty – Sasuke didn’t understand either – but he will – if I can find him again. Shitty bastard running off like that.

“So I’ll ever see you again?” Shikamaru wonders, bringing Ino to a stand with him – turns them back towards the forest.

“Does it matter?”

He shrugs, “Maybe not.”

His too-old eyes lock with mine for a moment, and I know he understands this. Naruto never really belonged to that world anyway.

“And what should I do now?” he wonders aloud, “and after?”

I snort, but he’s grinning, as if it wasn’t obvious. “Whatever you want.” Fuck – that’s all anyone ever should do! “Tell you what; if I ever go back to that world to visit – I’ll come find you.”

“Till then.” – he takes off, Ino half dragged until she twists around and starts running on her own – shouts are exchanged and slowly the wave of kevlon and steel moves back the way it came and the scape empties itself – dead ground.

The maggots have gathered as well – Itachi and Orochimaru are listening now, and they’re hesitating but moving toward the Lair as well. I turn toward the lair – there are some ground rules to set.

A snarling greets me in the woods and my brothers crimson hide ripples alongside me – “You’ve really matured,” he snickers, “you’ve become more of a monster than any of them.”

I laugh, “Is your lust for blood not settled yet?”

“Never.”

I grin and halt – his paws thundering to the ground before me body tense and still, “Then why not fight me?” I ponder.

Black lips pull back in a wry wolfish grin, “I have no desire to let you carve out my insides, since you’ve become like this.”

He crosses to me and thick fur sheds from milky skin – pale pink lips and teeth devour against mine – a violent clash of mouth and tongue – claws planted into my hair against my skull pressing closer.

Then he breaks from me and withdraws an arm’s distance – hand visibly itching to be buried in me, “This is the only battle I want to do with you, if you’re interested.”

I grin and giggle to myself, “I must decline.”

He shrugs and the itching hand sinks itself into his own arm hard enough to draw blood – viscous vicious sweet red. “I’ll be sure to stop by often then, to find you.”

“Feel free, little brother.”

Then I’m gone – and the Lair awaits –


– Jiraiya and Tsunade stand in violent opposition as the Regenerate army approaches the lair, Itachi and Orochimaru remaining a safe distance from the hotheaded purebloods.

All my marked still standing divided – pathetic – maggots, but where’s Sasuke? I know he didn’t get to Gaara, so where is he?!

I stand between the four of them, and beckon the regenerates in – closer – my flames have drawn back inside, but my skin still boils at it’s rifts and tears where the red waits to overflow.

“What is this?!” Tsunade hisses angrily, about to speak again, but I cut her off – it’s a very simple order really.

“The Order is disbanded as of now.” I command.

“What?!” She bellows at me, furious – as if it were a request. “The Order has been in place ever since the vampires conception millennia ago! You can’t disband it--!!”

“Can and will.” I correct her fluidly, she’s about to speak again but stops short her blood still and curdling – my mark burning at her shoulder. I smile at her, though she glares at me like a slug unworthy of existence.

“You’re not so concerned with blood limits, or with the politics of preserved bloodlines – I know you,” I remind her, her mind ever open before me, “What you care about is order, balance, and rules – that respect is given where it is due.”

“What’s important to you is regulation and deference.” I remind her, which is why I haven’t killed her, “For that I know I can trust you to keep my rules in place, to maintain peace and control.”

She purses her lips but remains silent – she’s still angry, but she won’t question my decision, my rule – this is new to her, and it’s offensive that she wasn’t included in any decision making. But no one was – she’s not alone in that.

“Jiraiya – you used to be my master, and I know you have no great love for either pure or regenerate vampires – I trust your ability and your power – your influence, your indifference to the reasons behind this war.”

“Itachi – you said you only want a world where regenerate and pureblood are not differentiated,” I turn back to him and his kind, “so I’ll leave it in your hands to help regulate these changes.”

“Orochimaru – you share these ideals it seems, and moreover you’re sympathetic to both sides despite the one you ‘chose’ for this war,” these four, “So I trust you’ll keep reverse discrimination in check – and between you and Jiraiya and Tsunade help keep these pureblood high-headed lords in check.”

“With the Order system abolished then – who has the power?! Who will make the decisions previously decided by the Order? Who and what do we turn to for disputes and matters of state and outlay?!”

“That’s what you four are for!” I sigh, exasperated, “Jiraiya – Tsunade – Itachi – Orochimaru – The Four Kings – poetic enough for you? There will be some ground rules I’ll set down, and I’ll leave it to you four to figure something out.”

“I don’t care if you vote or attempt a four-way battle or tournament for every decision – but I trust you to figure it out. You guys are like family!” even though smiley weasel still seem kind of weird to me.

“And disputes over the ground rules?” Tsunade wonders, “Specific cases and circumstances can be tricky – are we supposed to duke it out about that too? Where these ground rules are questioned or situations where they could be bent?”

“If it’s so difficult – come ask me! It’s not that fucking hard.” I sigh and roll my eyes, stalking past the masses, regenerate and pure – “Any of you kill each other within the next year though I’ll decimate everyone pure and regenerate!”

The four kings follow after me as I stalk within the belly of the lair – and my skin boils over – I let it overflow again, the stone giving way – the crack and bellow of earth and gravel coming apart shooting upward.

Dust and rock snakes into the sky – a great crash and bellow of stone and dirt – dust billows out – and there are several shouts and yells within the din as the armies follow after.

I breathe it in, looking up through the belly of the lair and the sky is turning gold and pink and pale blue to the east – the sun is starting to rise.

“What have you done!! It’s all open in here! What about the sun!”

“Then hole up on the insides or wear cloaks and umbrellas like you normally do – it reeks down here and the air gets stale,” I roll my eyes, not to mention the open rift makes a giant coliseum – it’s very aesthetic.

Despite the fact I’m too lazy right now to tunnel out another series of mountains and just bury this one completely: a new lair deserves a new name.

“This is now the Archanum,” I always liked that name better than ‘the high lair’ such a pompous name, bleh! “Or the Lair. Any other name is probably going to be just plain silly. See to the wounded, take them down to Hinata – she can patch up anything – leave the dead for the sun.”

“Wait! Where are you going?” Itachi grabs my shoulder as I head back toward the exit, “I’m going to find your brother – he’s pissed at me and I need to fix that.”

“Ah, well good luck!” he smiles, releasing me.

“Wait just a moment! What about us?!” Tsunade calls after me angrily, “You’re just going to leave us here like this? Together?!”

Uh, yeah?!

“Yes I am,” I tell her, “I trust you to figure it out for now – get everyone into the alcoves for now – we’ll deal with your ‘official’ things in the morning. ‘kay, thanks, bye!”

“Naruto!!” she bellows after me, but I’m already speeding out the way I came in – they’ll be fine – they got the basic idea – they’re in charge and everyone’s going to live together and we got a cooler name. I fail to see the problem?

Anyone who has a problem can talk to me - which means this next year should be fun chock-full of headaches and eyesores. Which is why I need Sasuke. Where is he?!

The dead land and among debri and bloody dusty corpses great and small, Darkeyes crimson eyes glaring out at me – pierce into my insides, the faintest burning along his skin, held quietly in check.

He knows now – it really is over. This is the angriest he’s ever been – that cold fury gone and he’s truly burning on the inside. I’ve never wanted to sink myself into him more.

Then it’s his nails buried in my shoulder – twisting around nerves and shredding through muscle – and the pain rips through me and I scream leaping back as his cold starts to burn into me.

Thick cords of red trail between us – and his eyes stare like ruby black stones – pale face contorted in rage. The sun begins to spill over the horizon and he screams out lunging toward me again.

“Why?!!”

Claws slice the muscle of my arm – raised to block his strike – “Sasuke,” my arm twists and knives lance up my arms at the muscle strains and cracks, but my fingers close hard around his wrist.

“The war is over – that’s all!”

His wrist wrenches free from me, and his body plows forward – my legs kicked out from under – my back collides with stone and dirt – the sun paints him red and black – his fist launches toward my face.

I don’t stop him – then I hear the bone in me cracking for the second time this night. The fist rears back again and flies toward me again – darkstained knuckles bury hard into the earth beside me.

An angry hiss breathes out from him, ruby black eyes still glaring down at me, his body hovering in hostility just above me.

“It’s over Sasuke – and it’s going to work out now – and if it doesn’t, I’ll make it.”

“Really?” his voice is raw and hollow, And how’s that going to work?”

“I’ve marked them all Sasuke,” I tell him, keeping my voice level, “there’s a mark on every one of them – pure and regenerate – they’re bound to me, I’m embed inside them, their blood, their bodies.”

He snorts, the remnant of a sneer and smile crossing his lips, “I remember, and you tried to mark me too.” His eyes harden, “I will not be marked.”

A sinister voice bleeds through him and his eyes – so familiar and snakes chill through my thudding veins.

His claws turn to twist into my hair, yanking my head back baring my throat to him – and I allow it.

“Not unless I can mark you too.” – and his teeth sink into my throat – and I let him – invading into my mind, where I stand bare with two dual shadows – and he and his specter stand at the threshold looking in at me – eyes burning deep inside me.

I’m bare before him in my mind and I let it – as his insides rip through me leaving me only after leaving a mark deep enough inside my body and blood – I follow him back into his mind and my jaw latches into his throat as well – burning into him until I hear him moan.

When I turn us over his throat bleeds red down his shoulder and into the black-stained earth, my own blood trailing rivulets down my collarbone and chest – red and black eyes stare back at me, a strange sneering smirk as he looks up at me.

I grin, licking his mouth tenderly – so he’s marked, and so am I? “Kinky.” And with a growl his lips seize mine, claws wind around me, tugging down insistent and harsh.

I hate you. – A chilling whisper in my mind, a hot voice at my ear, “I love you,”

Bastard. Not like you’re a fuzzy ball of love either.

My fingers press into his skin, dragging him closer in to me – my body lunged forward toppling us over and my hips ground against his into the earth.

A snarl and yelp, and his lips buried against mine again until my tongue tightens and bites and withdraws - “I love you too, and have for a very” infuriatingly! “long time now.”

He grinds back against me and I meet his hips – growling at the hard pulse pounding between us – but there’s still some things to take care of – it won’t be long probably, but it needs to be done – sooner the better.

I force myself to my feet dragging him up with me. Darkeyes scowling slightly glancing toward the Archanum, as I step in it’s general direction – “Now what? You said it’s over right?”

“The war is,” I confirm, offering my hand back toward him – a vulpine grin mars my faultless face. Still he frowns, and I find myself laughing again.

“Come on Sasuke, don’t you want to help recreate our world?”

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