Empty Eyes: The Sequel

Chapter 35

My anger and discontent fueled me for hours as I ran through the seemingly unending desert. Near midday, judging by the sun's position in the sky, I came upon what appeared to be a massacre, and it worked wonders to make my rage morph into worry.

If the number of soldiers Gaara sent was fifty like he said last night, then almost every one of them died in this spot. The fort isn't even on the horizon yet, which means the others might not have even made it there. I frantically searched each corpse for clues on what happened and to verify whether they were still alive. Alas, none had a pulse, but I could deduce by their familiar-looking injuries that the Amegakure vampires had done this.

I sniffed the air as I walked around the vast battlefield, trying to pick up any familiar scents. When I caught a whiff of Sasuke's blood, my head snapped toward the southwest, not precisely in the direction of the fort but also not straying too far. They must've been in a rush.

My feet began moving again, less quickly, this time without my rage present to fuel me. I'm far too concerned to be capable of focusing on happy memories, either.

My mouth is dryer than ever, and I can tell my shoulders and face are sunburnt because I didn't bother changing into clothes suitable for traveling before fleeing the castle. I don't care, though. I'll heal the damage when this is over, or I'll die. Either way, it doesn't matter. What does matter is finding Sasuke and the others before something terrible happens.

Another two hours passed before the rundown fort finally came into view, and I knew upon arrival that I was too late. The stench of blood was hard to bear in my still-newly-turned state. Even so, as I crouched low to the ground outside the tall barrier surrounding the stone building, I couldn't hear or see anyone.

There are too many different people's blood to tell precisely who's is who's, but I know for sure that some of it is Sasuke's and Hidan's. They couldn't have done the damage to one another, or else it would've affected me, too, but that doesn't offer much solace.

I took deep breaths as I tried to calm down and focus. Happy thoughts. Happy memories. I don't know how, but I managed to cool the fire in my blood with the colder waters of my controlled energy.

With my heartbeat no longer flooding my hearing, I finally picked up on the soft sound of multiple people on the other side of the stone wall I'm leaning against. They could hear me if I could hear them, so I swiftly began moving. It was the right thing to do since the barrier exploded right where I'd just been, Kisame and Hidan coming through the massive hole to begin chasing me.

"Come on, baby! We've been waiting!"

I gritted my teeth, grabbing onto their legs with the sand and tripping them before turning tail and sliding under the barrier on the opposite side, where it'd been cracked and broken prior to my arrival.

I ran into Kakuzu's chest, and the two of us jumped back in surprise, only snapping out of it when Nagato yelled, "What are you doing? Grab her!"

I froze the tall man before me, whispering where only he could hear, "I'm sorry, but I need you to hold off those two while I kill Nagato."

Unable to defy my orders, the man exited the area via the entrance I had just used, leaving me to face the redheaded vampire across the clearing. My eyes darted around as multiple scents filled the site, but I couldn't see anyone except him.

"Surrender now, and we'll leave Sunagakure immediately. No one else needs to get hurt." I took a few slow steps forward, trying to order him to remain still, but I wasn't strong enough because he just winced as he disobeyed.

"I know Amegakure's plans, and I won't let it happen." His odd-colored eyes swirled as he studied me, but he didn't say another word.

Brow furrowed, I offered in a less threatening tone, "We don't have to do this. I know how he treats you, Nagato. We can defeat him together."