Warning to all, this gets dark. I haven't really gotten the chance to display the darker side of my literature before, so here it is. Simply put, I have always loved Vampire novels. For all those who are yet unaware this will be nothing akin to Twilight or its sequels. Read at your own risk. Rating may change as darker themes are introduced. When I say this gets dark, I am referring to something as Stephen King.

Genre: Romance (lots of it.)/Horror

Pairing: Madara/Naruto

Setting: 19th century England

Warnings: Future: Torture, Gore, Vampires -so a form of cannibalism-, Death, Abuse.

Starts very much PG-13, will likely become NC17

Karin Uzumaki was by no means a gossip, even among women her age, she never pryed, for she held no particular inclination towards such action. However, the young man she was presently focusing her thoughts upon was the alternate type. While not in relations or even attuned onto the social powers of gossiping ton he was a social power within their small group of servants. He was an odd one though, and no one could disregard that simplistic fact, the Lady of the House liked him well enough and indulged him in his almost fanatical ways.

Being a kind man, he would always seek to aid those around him, though Karin knew that were he born into higher a station he would be one of the more magnanimous persons within the ton or indeed as someone of middle class. Naruto, or Naru, as he was called among them was an open and eccentric man, if not slightly brash and unobserved at times, he held the wit of a servant that much was to be sure, however he had a type of odd grace that never left him which made him appear as a noble would.

He was not a calm individual by any means which did separate him slightly from his impressive personification of a noble, he was loud and clumsy, and thus did not carry with him the air of nobility or good status. It was the way he carried himself and thought of certain things in such a light that Karin herself sometimes stood aghast at his intelligent analysis. True, he did not carry the air nor poise of a noble, but what he lacked in position and calm presentation, he regained equally in loving nature, and fierce passion which made one think he ought to be a part of the ton regardless of the reality.

"How now! Our noblewoman has arrived!" Came a shout from the kitchen, and Karin glanced from her polishing's to see said man walk through the kitchen doors, a basin of laundry resting on his shoulder and a scowl on his marked face.

"Quiet you! I am no lady!" In response as he walked by the other servant brushed by him in a way not well intended. Which had the poor lad sputtering in discontent.

"Karin! Honestly, listen to their fodder! I am no woman no matter my garments, honest, you do not think such things do you?" He said, his eyes clear on the doorway where the other had just passed through, something she could not see causing a flush to his neck.

"Oh now love, no need to rile yourself up now, 'ee got a keen eye for the pretty one's that man, best take it as a compliment." She answered, and was given a generous stare in return, still the man did not waste more time in heading to the gardens to do the wash.

Karin did have eyes herself, and was not blind to beauty when she saw it, and while she was by no means attracted to his clothing choice, she was aware that he was quite the gem to the eye for many young gentlemen among the household, and indeed outside these walls, when he saw fit to pilfer out.

With tight curled hair one would find more common of someone of darker tone, peaking under a white lace and cotton bonnet as sunshine through the trees. A simple maid's dress of black with a white apron over top to avoid the spills, and what Karin had no doubts of a corset hidden underneath. He was rather plain in attire, it was his beauty that attracted so many a stare. With skin of a slightly golden yet almost brown colour, and eyes of bright bay blue, he held under his clothing; a slender figure that put the ladies of the manor to shame, and muscles from years of servitude that made many of the visiting gentlemen who saw him lose a slight bit of their pride. Naruto was quite the exquisite man, were it not for the fact that his skin tone was not as pale as what was considered desirable, and were his face not marked with scars he would have been sold to the trade, Karin thought. He would have gained quite the profit too, if done discreetly.

Although his personality did hinder that prospect. As by nature, he was simply to brash, too witty, and rather had the mindset of a child, with wonderment in his eyes, which was not desired. Needless to say, nor were his affinity to prank any who crossed him with a bucket of ice cold soup water or a piece of molded bread within the new at breakfast. Karin believed herself to be one of the few fortunate as she had never been the focus of his ire.

Indeed Naruto was a unique bird amongst them boring squirrels. Still Karin could only hope he refrained from being quite so eccentric whence the young Master of the house; Duke Willard "Madara" Dregen nee-Uchiha visited later this evening. Whom from what she had heard was quite the stern man, with a history within the royal navy, someone she was sure, not to be crossed in any regard, and despite his good intentions and kind nature, Naruto was almost certain to achieve such a thing.

Still in a manner unbefitting of any man, Naruto was acting today as if he had been blessed with a great gift, his smiles ever so wider, his skin aglow with something that Karin could scarcely identify, however were she too guess, she would have to say it was the jubilation of a courtship. Though many would have him, she had not heard rumours of any such union. For surely it would have spread over the grapevine by now if he had someone on his arm, no one was safe from the servant's eyes that was for certain, nearly as applicable was the fact that Naruto was quite popular around the estate and numerous property's owned by the Dregen lineage.

Which is what brought her to this circumstance now, standing just outside of the other's ajar door, and peering inside as some sort of snoop. For shame! She chasened herself.

Yet her eyes did not stray from the sight of a clearly besotted man dancing alone in his room to some sort of invisible ballroom dance. Not being particularly ignorant, Karin could recognize that it was a respectable form of waltz, not one that could be simply observed and copied, but instead one that must be taught for the footwork was a hassle and difficult to accommodate. However, by the way her companion was swaying, angling himself in the most elegant of stride's it would appear that he had indeed been taught. Though the red haired woman could not think of one person he would have learned it from. Perhaps, she concluded, perhaps he does have a secret lover, one of higher status?

Despite her own prided self-control, for someone like Naruto whom she had known many years, and who she had admired for nearly all of those years, she could not simply ignore such a mystery. Naruto was one of the few of the household with recognition among the nobles, with the grace and demeanor fitting of the ton and a outgoing personality only a serving boy could bare. He was someone who other servants, such as herself, aspired to be. So in light of this understanding, and despite her rather coy nature amongst gossip, her mind drove her to know more, as much as she could from the strange boy.

It was upon this mindset, that she burst into her idol's room without a hint of hesitation, with a lit flame lingering in her red eyes, and a slight breeze from her rather forceful entrance.

Of course the banging of the door, and with the sudden entrance of a fellow servant, Karin watched as the boy, lost his footing as he jumped, and slipped upon a patch of dirtied water laying from the bison in his room, landing rather ungracefully on his rear end in the middle of his floor.

"Karin! What has got you so riled?! I could have hurt my head were I any more clumsy then I am." Although said in an angered tone, the polite demeanor remained, and his refined way of speaking did not cease, which was strange in Karin's view as she was sure he once had all the manners of she when he had been here just a year ago. That being said, he had been in the Western estate for nearly a year before now and had only recently returned four months ago from his trip. Perhaps he had picked up on the tongue of some passing noble there, it wasn't exactly hidden knowledge that the Western estate was one frequented by the many acquaintances of the Dregen's. In any case it wasn't a inconceivable notion.

"Quite the dance you got there, where'd a young lad as yourself pick up such a fancy step?" Something in resemblance to a guilty expression, as he cast his aquamarine eyes down and bit his lower lip in hesitation, such action made the young woman very aware of the fact that she had captured at least part of the reason for her companion's strange mannerisms as of late. While it was not astonishing that of everyone Naruto would manage to find himself a lover within a higher circle, it was the petty socially driven side of herself that did stop the redhead from aiding her coworker from his position on his floor, even if it had been of her doing that he had fallen at all.

To his credit, he gave her no under edged glare and no frown emerged on his pretty features. Instead he stood with all the grace she envied, and offered only a smile. Unnaturally beautiful as he was Karin could not help her gut from filling with a pull of anger before she stifled it with her rational mind, it wouldn't do to yell at someone who got rotated from estate to estate as Naruto did. He obviously had favour with the Master's and Mistress of the House. Other then that it wasn't as if Naruto was unkind to her, quite the opposite and she often times acted like a spoiled child around him because of her jealous manner. She was lucky he never seemed to bare a grudge, at least, not upon her as of yet.

"You asked of my dance? Well, I if do tell you such a secret, do you swear unto me that you will not tell another?"

"I am no gossiper Naru, even you ought to 'ave picked up on that." He gave a sharp nod as confirmation of this, yet, it was unmistakable that his hands were twisting around themselves in uncertainty, though there was a jitter to his leg which gave the impression of someone unwillingly holding back a secret. If nothing else, Karin reasoned to herself, she would promise solely for the boy to get the news off of his shoulders he did seem keen to tell someone at the very least. "I won't say a word, now will ya tell me lad? Ya, look as a t'ief who've caught by 'em palace guards." As if having the opposite effect them what she had intended the boy's small shoulders seemed to hunch over, and his head dropped suddenly.

However whence she opened her mouth to apologize for anything she unintentionally said to upset him, she was swept -nearly off the floor- as she was tightly grasped into a sudden embrace, and blond curls were directly under her nose, near making her sneeze indignantly.

"Oh Karin! You cannot possibly imagine! He is a romantic! A true romantic I say! His heart is that of a mountain, large and unyielding yet mysterious and hidden, his mind is as a trove of knowledge, and he looks upon me the way I have only read about in whimsical books. He would come to me at night, when no one wondered the halls, and pick me off my feet only to spin me in the halls as the moon gazed through the large windows of the estate. He taught me how to dance the way of a noble, and kissed my cheek in dim candlelight!" Cooed the quite infatuated servant, making clear onto the other maid that his secret was one truly not to be shared.

Giving slightly to a more maternal nature the young woman worried herself who this other man could be, if he was one that Naruto should give his heart to, Naru was of special nature after all, and though Karin could attest avidly to his more sociable way of presentation it had not occurred to her that a lover could truly be the reason for his new persona. Oh, she had indeed entertained the thought of it, however, more in humour then true speculation, such a thought brought a chill into her very blood. It was more of the fact that he very well could be a far higher member of society then considered agreeable, and that was a frightening premise.

Knowing how Naruto's charms could work on a mere passing gentlemen of palate, her instinct inclined her to believe that Naru had attracted the attentions of a gentleman who was not of their class. As it were, though envious, Karin did not much enjoy the thought of a broken-hearted boy to tend to, though were it to come to that she had no qualms of aiding in his grief. As it were she simply did not delight in the idea that it was a possibility at all, she could hardly imagine herself fit to see someone so joyous taken in by the fire of pain and the ache of loneliness as she had, it would require strength of will she was uncertain she ascertained currently.

Though in her more tender eye, she could see why Naruto would forfeit honour for a mere glimpse of love, he was a boy shrouded in mystery, his parent's deaths notwithstanding, he held high place as a respected member of the household among both the serving crew and high class visitors alike. He held an almost natural place round them and could play host just as well as her ladyship could. Only lacking in the stifled idealizations those of the higher class held. He could not understand the need of covert dealings or practical relationships based on nothing more than lies and distrust between different ruling families. So even for someone such as her, with no practical knowledge of how to play host as Naru could, Karin was well aware that were the opportunity to present itself Naruto would jump into the arms of a charmed stranger without a thought of their intentions, for he simply could not see a reason to be nefarious.

It was this lack of understanding and ignorance that drove Karin to believe that her companion was not aware of the implications that applied to having such an affair with someone from a more respectable form. She could only hope to suade him to be more cautious, for attempting anymore would only spark his ire, and dear Mary the boy had the temper of Agnus Finn when directly invoked. If not worse. Still, she stood concerned for his own welfare.

Then of course there came a large resounding bang, breaking them both from their self-made contemplating silence.