Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Any character or event in this story resembling someone or something, dead or alive, real or fictional, is purely coincidental (other than the fact that, you know, these are Naruto characters…I mean other people outside of the realm of Naruto…well…you know what I mean).
Warning: My vampires do not sparkle. My werewolves do not look huge, hairy or grotesque in their human form. This story is rated for violence, gore, sexual themes and lemons in later chapters. Also, this is a yaoi, meaning boy-on-boy action. Don't like? Don't read.
Jayden would like you to note…that she just lost the game and thus, you did too. On another note, I decided that I couldn't continue on with the plot the way it was and have done some intense revising. Without further ado, Love Bites (V.3.0)!
-.X.-
Missing
-.X.-
Thunder rumbled overhead like a distant battering ram pounding on the gates of heaven. The sound of pounding rain echoed into the room through the single open window. Half a dozen richly clad men and women knelt in two rows before their Hokage.
Tsunade's harsh gaze washed over each and every Anbu. "Konoha has always been known for its diplomacy and cooperation with other villages. Its secrets and citizens have always been protected." Tsunade paused for a moment, allowing the elites kneeling before her to consider her statement. "It has been brought to my attention that there has been a breach in security. Onbe of your fellow Anbu, Sakura Haruno, has been kidnapped. Intel says that she is currently being held as a prisoner. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to infiltrate the Village of Sound and rescue Haruno."
In a rehearsed fashion, the six members of the Anbu gracefully fell to both their knees and bowed to their commander. The Fifth Hokage smiled approvingly before barking, "Team Aburame, you will work alongside Team Nara and retrieve Sakura Haruno from the Village of Sound. Use whatever means necessary to bring her back alive."
The Anbu began to rise to their feet when Tsunade spoke harshly, "Inuzuka, you are being replaced with Lee for this mission."
"If I may have permission to speak freely, Hokage, why am I being replaced?"
"The full moon is approaching and we cannot risk a transformation in the Village of Sound. We will be discovered. You will be slaughtered and war will be declared. This is a delicate situation; we will avoid a war. More lives need not be thrown away."
-.X.-
The moon and stars illuminated the midnight blue sky. Luckily enough for the two teenage boys sitting on their tree branch, there were no clouds to blanket the shimmering orbs of light.
A small smile crossed the blonde's lips as a yellow-green ball of light landed on his best friend's nose. With a light burst of air from between the blonde's lips, the firefly removed itself from the raven's nose. Both Naruto and Sasuke watched as the glowing insect floated back to the quaint, muddy pond.
The small body of water positioned at the base of the tree teamed with life; cattails surrounded the pond and the lily pads were always in bloom. During the day, tadpoles swam to and fro and through the aquatic vegetation, small carp leapt into the air to catch unsuspecting insects. Dragonflies buzzed about, tending to whatever kind of business dragonflies needed to tend to.
Nightfall was Naruto's favorite time to go to the pond. Night was when it really came to life. Frogs sang in chorus, throats expanding and depressing. The white flowers atop the lily pads always let off an eerie iridescence Naruto, for some reason, had always adored. The shore surrounding the muddy pond was blanketed with tiny, yellow starflowers which would only bloom and glitter under the starlight. And the fireflies-they were gorgeous. The teeny glowing orbs floated aimlessly, hovering above the water's surface; they resembled wandering spirits, Naruto thought. But the best part about sitting at the pond at night was not the flowers nor frogs or even the way the starlight or moonlight would reflect off of the surface of the muddy water. No. The best part was that he would always find his best friend there, always sitting on their low branch, always watching the scenery. And it never got old.
Ever since he could remember, Naruto and Sasuke would meet up at their tree and talk about anything and everything after sparring together. That was, at least, until Sasuke's family was murdered by his older brother, Itachi. After seeing his entire family slaughtered, it was rare when Sasuke would meet up with Naruto after training. Nights when they would meet up were special and Naruto held them close to his heart. They didn't talk much anymore, if at all, on those nights. To both teenagers, silence was golden.
Tonight was very different from the rest, though. In all of Naruto's nineteen years, never had Sasuke worn a distressed look without uttering a single word. And whenever a firefly would approach Sasuke, he'd catch it and watch it crawl to the tip of his finger-he'd never allowed a firefly to land on him. Furthermore, Naruto's playful gesture had no effect on him.
The silence between the two was heavy, awkward even. And the way the Uchiha's jaw was tightened worried Naruto. In fact, Sasuke's whole body was stiff; this wouldn't help with the mission they were to embark on the next day.
In order to successfully take out the small group of kobolds terrorizing a local outpost, they would need everyone in their peak form; the team was only as strong as the weakest member. At best, even if Sakura could manage to put aside his obvious stress, Naruto wasn't sure he could. Being in Sasuke's presence when he was like this would only create discomfort which, needless to say, was terrible for teamwork.
Suddenly, Sasuke turned to face Naruto and drew in a deep breath. He clenched his fists and slowly exhaled. "Hey Idiot," he quietly began, "Can you take a look at something for me?"
Dumbfounded, Naruto blinked and nodded. He wasn't caught off guard by being called an idiot; coming from Sasuke, it was a term of endearment and, in return, Naruto would usually call him 'You' or 'Bastard', the terms completely interchangeable. The thing that really threw him for a loop was how soft and serious his voice was.
"You have to swear to me, Naruto, that you will say nothing to anyone in Konoha," he hissed, crease forming between his eyebrows.
"I swear," Naruto quietly promised, holding out his pinky finger.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at the childish gesture before leaning forward. "Do you swear on your life…? I will not hesitate to kill you if I find out if you've told a soul, Uzumaki."
"Geez Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands up exasperatedly. "You don't have to threaten me with my life. I've never told anyone any of your secrets. I don't even keep a written record."
The Uchiha nodded and released another sigh. "I don't know how much longer I can stay in Konoha."
"You're not going after Itachi, are you…?"
Sasuke shook his head and crossed his arms. "No."
The blonde nodded, relief washing over his face. "Good because you know that Sakura and I will be there when you do-"
"Itachi is my responsibility alone. Never mind him right now," he snapped. "Just tell me if you see anything." He reached up and tugged the collar down on his blue shirt.
Naruto scanned his best friend's shoulder and frowned. "That's a curse mark." His gaze flickered upward to meet Sasuke's. "How long have you had it?"
Sasuke averted his stare to a dancing firefly, face expressionless. He pulled the collar back up and leaned back ever-so-slightly. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling.
Naruto paled. "Sasuke, how long have you had that mark?"
"None of your goddamned business, Idiot."
"Bite me!" Naruto snorted and leapt off the tree branch. He turned back to his friend and crossed his arms. "Seriously, Sasuke, you never let me in anymore. What's the deal?"
Exasperated, Sasuke followed Naruto to the ground and stepped very close to him. "None of your-"
"Yeah, yeah. 'None of your goddamned business, Idiot!'" Naruto deadpanned, his face mere inches away from Sasuke's. They were so close; he could feel his friend's breath and Naruto had to swallow a knot building in his throat.
"Whatever. I'm out of here, Idiot," Sasuke shot back and turned away from Naruto. He paused and shook his head. "You need to grow up, Naruto. You mean nothing to me. And you know that I don't have to explain myself to you."
-.X.-
"Tsunade?" Naruto questioned as he approached her desk. "Have you seen Sakura? She didn't report for our mission today; we couldn't leave." His blue eyes searched her golden ones for an answer; finding nothing, he crossed his arms and silently waited for an answer.
"I haven't seen her," she replied, a look of concern splashing across her face. "It's very unlike her to not show up for a mission."
"I know," Naruto responded, "Is she sick?"
"Perhaps. But since when has illness stopped Miss Haruno from work? It is quite unlike her I'll look into it," Tsunade said, a wrinkle forming between her brows.
"Thank you, Hokage," the teen uttered, taking a deep bow. If anything were to happen to Sakura, Naruto would never be able to forgive himself; she was like his sister and he cared for her very much. He turned to leave her office.
Shortly thereafter, he found himself walking down the cobbled road. Near the ramen hut, Naruto saw Kiba sitting on a bench; he looked very depressed. He sat down next to the teen wearing an ear-to-ear grin. "Hey Kiba. Why the long face? Oh wait! I forgot! You're such a dog!"
Kiba merely shook his head which caused a pique in Naruto's curiosity. "Where's Shino? Aren't you two normally together?"
Kiba released a heavy sigh and shook his head again.
"Did you two have a fight?"
"Do you have to butt into everyone's personal business?"
"I'm just trying to help, you know," Naruto retorted, folding his arms. "I mean, if you guys did get into a fight, you should probably make up. I've got a bad feeling about tonight."
Kiba frowned. "What do you mean?"
A dark expression fell over Naruto's face and he drew in a deep breath. "Sakura's missing."
-.X.-
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