This is my new fic. I was in the middle of thinking about a new idea of fic. The idea of love between Vampire and Werewolf is getting slow. So, I thought what can I do now for a new idea. So, viola. Here we have something.
Diclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me. *Sobs*
In the seventeenth century, Sasuke found himself iin The Great Britain. It was alright for him because he surely needed a break from Japan. Living in one country for two centuries does get on people's nerves. It was a fresh change. After all, this country is counted among the big powers. He wanted to visit France too but he hasn't still learned French language quiet fluently. His idea consisted of only travelling this part of the world. Maybe he can spend the next century in this place. The prospective was not bad. The population here certainly did not lack. There would be no problem of finding food here. He was exercising control himself, trying to fulfil his appetite only once in one and a half week. He certainly did not like killing people for fun.
His brother certainly did not like this idea of him moving but there was nothing he could have done to stop him. There was so much you can take of your big brother hovering over you. It was not like he did not enjoy the company, certainly he was grateful for it. He had seen others like him who wanders around alone; in the end they either get insane and kill themselves or become Devil themselves. He was not thinking of becoming either. Yet, some alone time was not bad in his eyes. There was something free in being with only you. He just wished his brother won't kill him for not telling before coming here. It's not like Itachi didn't knew that he was thinking about this. Itachi was smart and Sasuke can swear that Itachi would have thought of this possibility before half a century. His brother was intuitive and calculating like that. But the best thing is that Itachi understands. He maybe protective but he also knows when to give him space, which Sasuke was grateful for.
Currently Sasuke was sitting in one of those big halls that are reserved for plays. This week was showing different Dramas of Shakespeare. Today Sasuke attended to see what was so big about Romeo and Juliet. He have heard great praise of it and wanted to see it for himself.
Sasuke inhaled and soon the smell of different expensive perfumes greeted him. The sensitive sense of smell that he had, made it impossible for him to not cringe against the attack of those things. Through the dense atmosphere of these scents, he tried to find one that would not make him cringe. It was a dangerous thing to do. He didn't know when an inviting smell would come and he'll be lost to the temptation. But he also had confidence in himself; he was not merely any Vampire. He have lived two centuries and trained with his brother to not give in to his nature. This was easy for him; he knew how much concentration should be given to a search of smell and how much to thinking and calculating.
A slight smell did reach him, just before the curtains withdrew. The scene in front of him unfolded. He was sure the smell was coming from someone onstage. He looked towards the actors who were playing out the role of Romeo and Juliet. There was nothing interesting to catch his attention. The girl, as all the others was some petite and beautiful girl and the boy was handsome. Nothing out of the ordinary to see in a drama where looking good was one of the things. After living so long, he had become indifferent toward the beauty of a body. He had seen too many people in his lifetime withering away. He had more belief in souls. Body grows with us but it leaves us when we die, only soul stays. Body is made of earth and it will go back to it so what is the profit in admiring the outside, skin deep beauty.
He had to say that the Drama was not bad, it certainly had good directions, and its actors knew what they were doing. He focused his eyes on the current scene, Romeo, a blond, blue eyed boy, was standing under the balcony while Juliet, a dark haired girl, looked downward toward her beloved.
After some more time, the play was on the brink of it ending. Suddenly he caught the smell of blood. The alarm bells in his head made it impossible for him to hear anything else. He hadn't gone to hunt for a week now, the smell had caught him off-guard but he maintained his control. The sweat smell, the warmth that that blood could give him, enticed him. He could already picture the red liquid running down his throat and filling his stomach as well as his desire. He had smelt more potent smells in the last two centuries but right now he was hungry and he did not had a brother by his side to stop him. Since the Play was going to end in five minutes, he thought that he would simply find the source after this and satisfy his thirst. He could easily control himself for a few more minutes. Besides there was something really sinful in waiting before plucking the fruit of his patience. To know that every drop was a reward of every second of restraining himself. The rush that filled him while quenching his thirst, the feeling of freedom, of flying without wings, of enjoying the warmth without a sun. Yes, patience gave its fruit and it certainly was sweat.
The last scene folded and everyone started gathering themselves. They would be going to dinner or their own home after this. Sasuke knew that the opportunity for him has come. Instead of going to the gates, he advanced toward the stage. The scent was potent; he could sense that the person was not very far from backstage. As he strode, he chanced a glance toward a girl walking toward stage too. He paused on his way and stayed at his standing point until the girl disappeared. During a hunt he has to be careful to not arouse suspicions of others. If someone saw him with the victim before his death, he knew the authorities would be after him. He again started walking and climbed on the stage. He drew away the curtain a little, chaos was apparently prevalent there. Everyone was preparing to leave, shutting off lights, putting props back and everyone screaming direction. He grimaced at the state; there were still too many humans to find one. As it was he stepped in and started searching for the scent, many people looked at him weirdly but they didn't have time to voice questions. It was late after all. The warm scent lad him to some rooms that were backstage. After reading the signs on them, he found that they were allotted to the actors.
He stopped in front of the room that had Romeo written over it. He could clearly hear the voices inside, it seemed like someone was arguing.
"Your company had been with me since I had known walking. To stumble and balance, everything has been with you and yet you ignore my love. Had there been no love when you aided my wounds? Had there been no feelings when you made me happy doing anything and everything? Tell me Kurama, had no emotion of love penetrated the hard walls of your heart?"
Sasuke supposed he should not be listening to the conversation but he can't let his victim escape besides it didn't matter, it wasn't like he was going to tell anyone about these things to anyone. The girl sounded distressed, he could almost hear the tears in her voice.
"I will bear admiration for every quality of yours but I won't lie and give you false hope. Love is not made for a person like me; neither have I felt love for anyone. The friendship that we have procured since childhood had been my most precious thing but I have never felt what you may be feeling at this time. Everything I have done had also been done by George. We have grown up and now he is aspiring to be the happiest person in the world with you on his side. I cannot give you back the affection that you hold for me and me only advice you to forget me." Sasuke could hear the determined low voice in the room of a male.
"Horrible, horrible man for even suggesting such an atrocity." The girl cried out.
"Horrible are those who for the purpose of pleasing others do things they do not want to do. I have been alone at my birth and had understood that pleasing others is only a mistake that fool commit and I am not a fool."
"I terrify at the notion that I may love you still even when you have said these unpleasant things. But I do still love you, it cannot go away, I don't want it to go away."
"Then I pray for your health and strength to love a person who will never return it." The tone sounded final and Sasuke hid behind a pillar made of cardboard as the door opened.
The girl ran away while furiously wiping his cheeks yet still sobbing. Sasuke chanced a look inside and found the boy in a chair, his hands over his face. He could see droplets that were dripping on his clothes.
Sasuke always knew that humans were too emotional. They did not know how to take decisions practically and always did things what their heart told them to do. He was mostly bored with the scene that had unfolded before him. He did not feel compassion for either of them; it was hard to feel anything but hunger for the blood. The scent of blood was still their like the person who had gotten it had still not cleaned it.
Sasuke waited outside for the actor. Some people had seen him in the backstage and if the actor was to be found dead in his room, they can get suspicious. It was better if he waited till the blond male got outside. Besides as it was getting late, the streets would be devoid of any life. It would be good if he can take the cover of dark because he had to bury the body somewhere too. He may kill people but he tries to give proper attention to the body and did not let it rot in a ditch or somewhere.
A half an hour later, Kurama emerged from the room with a bag slung over his shoulder. His face was lit with a big grin but his eyes betrayed him as the sorrow of the earlier conversation could be seen in them. Sasuke saw him bidding everyone Good night and then followed him at a distance. The place was mostly deserted, only 4 or 5 people left and they were also done with their task. It was time for his hunt.
After passing several well lit roads, Kurama turned to a dark alley. Seeing the opportunity, Sasuke closed on him. He used his speed and strength and had Kurama in his hold in just a few seconds.
"Don't bother struggling; it will not do you any good." Sasuke hissed in his ear.
"What do you want?" Sasuke praised him for having such a steady voice in the face of danger.
"Nothing that could save your life." And he barred his teeth and sank them on Kurama's pulse point.
Sasuke moaned at the taste of his blood. It was nothing he had experienced before. The blood was not warm but hot that scorched his throat on its way to his stomach. Yet he relished this heat. It felt like living again, like he had some body heat still left. He thought his heart would start beating again as the blood flowed in his mouth. It was pure ecstasy. He could die for this. If this was how every Europeans blood tasted then he might just settle here.
His hand gripped the victim's neck in a chokehold and sucked the blood for all it was worth. He heard as the heart rate slowed of this person. He wanted to stop himself, to save some for later. The prospect of never finding blood this potent was intolerable, to never feel this alive again, he could not even think of that. But all the years of practice proved futile as every drop of the boiling blood was sucked and the body became heavy in his arms. He held the body as he tried to catch his breath. He wiped his hand on his cheeks and found tear tracks there. He hadn't cried ever, not even when he had become a vampire and found his family dead. The feeling of life inside of him after almost two centuries had become so unbearable that it had flowed through his eyes in the form of tears.
He turned the body over and noted that it still had warmth left in it. He knew that this was not some normal body of a human but it did not matter anything now because he could feel that this body had nothing left in it. He could dismember it and it would be equal to this result.
He carried the body in his arms and jump toward the roofs as it was the safest travel with all the streetlight on the road. It was a full moon and Sasuke could see the glow of moon on the young men's face. Although he did not consider outside beauty anything but he could appreciate art. And the face with moon light did certainly made a good picture. He was surprised as his mouth formed a sentence that he had heard in the play.
"Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty."
He was certain about one thing that he would never in his existence ever forget about this face and the blood that has brought back his life for a few minutes.
Sasuke sank his sharp canines in the victim's neck and as the warm blood flooded in his mouth, his thoughts wandered again toward that blazing blood that he had tasted a century ago. The feeling, memory even the taste was still imprinted on his mind. No blood had satisfied his thirst after that. He couldn't find any substitute to that nectar of gods that his fate had given to him. He alone knew how hard it was for him to get over that phase of obsession. His hunting habits had gradually changed due to that incident. He had started hunting twice a week for the thirst that he had regained. His predatory instincts had become alerted so much that if he even lost his thought process for one second, he would have attacked some passer-by. He didn't know if he wanted to find that type of blood again or not. The life that he had experienced for those few minutes that he had sucked that sizzling blood had felt like heaven and ecstasy yet the result of that was the loss of his control.
Well, he didn't have any choice in the matter either way. He had not found that type of blood in the last 100 years and he had lost hope. Although because of the lapse in his control that he had faced had forced him to go back to his brother. He didn't want to kill without a reason and as hard as he tried, he wasn't able to control himself. His brother had got him back on line with such severe punishment that had he been a human, he would have died a thousand deaths. He knew that Itachi had suffered with him. But his brother felt too much for the mankind to let loose his brother on them. That decade he had cursed and abused his brother so much but Itachi took it without any protest. The end result was of course good, he was back on track with his diet. Now that he has a rational mind, he thought how his brother could have forgiven him for talking to him like that. He had come back to Europe because his plan to wander had not been cancelled because of those circumstances. Although he knew that Itachi had corresponded with some of his friends here to keep an eye on him. Sasuke was not bothered by that. It was good in a way; he did not want to be responsible for innocent lives.
As the body became lax in his hold, he cradled it and moved toward the graveyard. It was good for him that he found this human quite near the graveyard. He spent some time digging the ground for the body; his extra strength helped him in this task. After hauling the body in the ditch and dumping it there, he filled it again with earth. In his mind he repeated some of the prayers that he had heard Father of the Church say in funerals. He considered his duty to pray for the souls whose body he had killed.
After getting finished with his hunt and the duty afterwards, he made his way at the settlement he was living in. The dirt on his cloths was a giveaway of what he may have been doing so he decided to change it in something clean and then go for a stroll in the streets of Paris. Yes, he was in France. After living in England for almost 70 years and learning French, he had decided to wander the plains and sites of France. His plan for today was mostly just to sit in a café house and read a book. He was leaning toward Rousseau's 'The Social Contract'. The people that he has talks with now and then had suggested this book.
Strolling through a garden, listening to the whisper and watching the suffering of people around him, he was sure that this country was on its way of a revolution. He just planned to be far away from here when that would occur. Revolution, Battles, etc. were not meant for his kind. His kind was only there to watch human destroy human and then walk forward in the next century. The death of so many people of course meant plenty of food for his kind.
He settled in a café house whose coffee he liked the best. He sat outside to enjoy the view. The atmosphere was cool but sun was shining brightly so it combined made a good atmosphere. He checked his pocket watch, his ticket to enter in sun. His brother had met an ancient witch two centuries ago and had persuaded her to make these for them. Witches are mostly known for their cunning and he didn't know how his brother managed this favour but this watch was very much important for him.
He put it back in his pocket and concentrated on his book. The book was certainly very good. He could see the inspirations and philosophies that could make people interested in it. He supposed it as one of the books that would be popular in future among readers who like classic reading. After a while his concentration shifted toward his surroundings. People walking about, children playing. He noticed that there were clouds gathering around the horizon. He frowned at the sudden change of weather. The clouds were advancing rapidly, it looked to him that there was going to be a storm. He sighed and went back to his book. When the shadow of dark clouds got to his book, he decided he may as well go back to his apartment. He looked toward the coffee that he had asked for and unwillingly started sipping it. A sudden force behind him made him loose his posture and his coffee spilled over his coat. The kid who had obviously got knocked over his chair started apologizing to him profusely. The kid who had knocked him was in front of him with tissues clutched in his hand and was trying to clean his coat. He stepped back from all this chaos and in a forceful patient voice told them:
"It was a mistake, do not fret over it. I forgive you and forbid you to apologize to me again." Sasuke then nodded and so the kids then trudging back to their own way.
He went inside and paid his bill. The manager working there exclaimed in surprise at his ruined coat but he told him it was no big deal. When he came out of the shop, he saw that the sky had darkened with the clouds and he could perceive that there would be some rain in a little while.
When he got back to his apartment the first thing he did was change his clothes and then sit beside the fireplace. After the cold air of outside, the warmth of fire did wonders. After becoming a vampire, his love for fire had increased. The cold body of a vampire craved warmness and they get it from this source. Thinking about fire, his thoughts again went to that blood but he blocked his thought process in between. It would do no good to him.
Before giving his garments to wash to the women who took care of these things, he emptied his pockets and as he was doing that, his attention was drawn toward a thing that was missing. His watch. He cursed and made an attempt at trying to find it in his apartment but could not succeed. His brain recalled all the activities of that day and he thought about the last time he had checked his watch. In the café house he had checked it before reading his book. He remembered those children who had spilled his coffee and cursed again thinking how blind he had behaved in that matter. He didn't even realize it when those kids have got his watch.
Drawing his curtain open, he saw the downpour of rain outside and could not help but become a pessimist. The rain would even wash away their scent; he would not be able to track them. He rubbed his face and disappointed, sat down on his bed. He thought what his brother would say in this context. He would surely be disappointed. Two centuries in a row he had created troubles for himself.
The weather outside reflected his emotions perfectly. The turmoil of emotions for the loss of his most prized possession. His sadness turned into anger and he started flinging inanimate things here and there. Lamps, clothes, bed sheet, nothing could be saved in front of his wrath and when he cooled down that before telling his brother about this and getting humiliated, he would himself try to find it.
A week passed but no result could be found of his search. He went as the sun set and tried to find the culprits till sunrise. Every day he came back with empty hands and increased anger. He was beginning to think of writing a letter to his brother about this but could not bring himself to do it.
Some of his acquaintance had come to acquire about his health but he had just told them that he had fever due to the recent rains. He was sitting on his bed thinking about his action in future when a knock disturbed him. Expecting his housemaid, he sighed and went to answer the door.
"Forgive me, but I would not-"He cut short his sentence when he saw the person outside his door.
A kid of 10-11 years was standing outside with a nervous expression on his face. What made Sasuke pause was the face of the child. Blonde untamed hair crowned his head, while blue eyes peeked under eyelashes. The glimmer in those eyes spoke of mischief but also of intelligence. He could identify that face even in his darkest dreams. Last he had seen that face, it was under the moon light. The whiskers on each cheek were a give-away but it was not possible. The person that he had killed a century ago was almost 16 at least and he had died, he had made sure of that. He remembered burying him in a graveyard and praying for his soul but now a kid was standing in front of his gate who resembled that male in appearance so much.
"Mister, are you Sasuke Uchiha?" The nervous tone of the kid's voice broke his trance.
At first he stared at him for a couple of minutes then nodded his head. He inched his door open a little more and waited for the boy to speak again.
He noticed a bag on his side and the shirt he was wearing; it looked like it was made of rags. The blond did look like of slums, dirt was in his hairs and on his face. Yet there was something in the way that the kid held himself. It was some kind of dignity and pride that could not be hid behind all the dirt and grime. The kid emptied his pockets on the floor in front of him. First came out a mouse and Sasuke had no idea what to think of that but then broken biscuits, a coin and a suspicious dirty lump later he took out Sasuke's watch. While he tried to find the watch in his pocket, he explained the situation to Sasuke.
"I was sleeping last night in a corner alley when I had the chance of hearing two boys yelling at each other. I pretended to sleep and since I was in a dark corner, they did not see me. I soon found out the matter of discord and saw as they fought over a watch." He struggled with his rat a little. "They started to use arm power to win over this prize and soon only scuffles could be heard in the night. As they fought, the watch was snatched by one then the other and in this tug of war it slipped from both hands and fell in my corner, both tried to get to it before the other but before the fight could reach its climax, a group of big kids came and they had to silently run away from there. Those big kids are bad; they sometimes hit us without any reason." A blue eye peeked toward him, begging him for some understanding. "I got hold of it and before those two boys could come back, I fled away to some other place from a great distance of my previous sleeping abode. I saw the carvings on the watch and tried to find you. It took me a lot of time but I did it" At that time he gave such a big grin that could eclipse sun.
At last Sasuke saw his watch and he hurriedly took it in his own hands and he felt like his still heart was going to come out of his chest, so happy was he on this progress. The watch was still the same but its value had just increased. He would most definitely take care of it like a diamond or a crown. He sighed heavily as he pocketed it back in his coat, feeling the same weight settle their. He didn't know how he could have been so careless in the first place.
The kid however looked and waited for any gratitude. He didn't if he should wait or just go back to his work. The kids in his alley had told him that rich people are bad and they were only cruel to people like him. He fidgeted nervously and to occupy himself he started stuffing back all the things that he had taken out from his pocket. His rat was giving him problem. He started squirming away. He may as well leave it alone. He had taken the rat because he thought he may find a companion in this alone world. He knew that life was really long but his life of 10 years still felt like eternity. He knew that he could find people who loved him whenever he wanted but for now he thought it would be good to be alone. Beside he was used to it. He sighed as he contemplated giving freedom to the rat. It was not a happy thought.
After sometime in the happy world, Sasuke registered the kid. He frowned, he knew that it all should not be related but his instincts told him that they were. He was known for going with his instincts.
"What is your name kid?" Sasuke asked.
"Naruto Uzumaki." The boy replied with a big grin.
"Thank you for your help." Sasuke said and started closing his gate. He knew what he had to do to know the truth.
Naruto first smiled then his smile faded as the door inched closed. He stood in front of it for a long time waiting but not knowing for what. He should be happy that he at least heard a Thank you from the man but this felt like this was just 'It'. He thought that maybe something would change but he always had been hopelessly optimistic bordering on masochism. He sighed and hauled his bag up, he had work to do.
Sasuke listened to the retreating footsteps. He hurriedly started getting ready, safeguarding his watch and calling out for a maid to clean his room. His plan was easy; he would follow the kid and try to know if all the dots connected or if they were just that, Dots. He thought and took to the roofs, it was better if he did that, if the kid went into an alley then it would be hard to track him.
His day was busy watching the blonde skipping over the roads of Paris. Apparently Naruto was more of a hard-working boy then a mere thief. He sell match sticks, Sasuke didn't think it would have been enough for the child to live off of it but the blonde looked happy doing it. He saw the same pride and dignity that he had first seen on the dirty face. He was surprised to know that an orphan boy could have those qualities. Although he wasn't sure if Naruto was orphan or not but his story of previous night had told Sasuke that he was alone in this world. It was just picking on little details. It was evident that although the he was not welcomed by rich people but Sasuke saw as elders greeted Naruto and kids ran up to him to talk to him in his own alley. He saw as aside from the matchstick selling, he helped in people's little shops or helped ladies by fixing small knick knacks in their house.
The work of one day become his daily ritual, he would wake up and track Naruto, watch him among others, notice small things about him then watch as Naruto chose a new bedside road every night and went to sleep with a smile on his face and would start snoring in a matter of seconds. He would come back to his own place and sleep. He was glad that no one he knew was around him or they would send him back to his brother seeing the obsession that he had created for himself. But he couldn't ignore the result; the boy was a normal human and did not relate to the person he had met a century before. Naruto couldn't even lie properly, so acting was a far cry. He was clumsy. Whereas Kurama had shown his cruel side, Naruto was just so likeable that no one could hate him. He went about his business helping others and then doing his own work. He was disappointed by this progress, although it would have been better if he would not touch that blood again yet just the memory burned his veins with warmth. He couldn't neglect the throbbing of desire yet he knew that it would not be good for him to give his restraints up.
The new daily routine had also come between his hunting rituals. He hunted every week but he had been neglecting his hunt for so much time now that he might just snap and drink the next person's blood. After a lengthy battle with himself, he decided that he would go to hunt after he had seen Naruto's sleeping place for that night. Although hunting at night was difficult because not many people were out and about but it seemed that he had no choice.
After watching Naruto settle for the night under a lamp and hearing the snores, he went into a search for a human. He was lucky as he did not have to wait for long. A startled scream was heard in the still night and he went in that direction. He knew what he would find and he was not disappointed. He could see the man with knife and a young girl struggling with him. He moved quick and held the hand containing the knife and signalled the blonde girl to run. The bearded and ugly looking man rounded on him, lashing out with his other hand. Sasuke took hold of his fist and bared his teeth toward him. He always relished in seeing the faces of the tormenters of the human society. He could almost hear their thoughts as they thought that there were far more dangerous people than himself. Seeing that look of terrified certainty on his face that he would not live long. Sasuke sank his incisors in his neck and enjoyed the arm liquid running down his throat.
After depositing the body as he normally did, he noticed that it was late and decided to head back home. He was full and he could continue his watch now for at least a week without any interruption. He slept soundly after that.
He woke up to the birds chirping and sunlight slanting from his window. He got ready in record speed and was out of doors before his maid could ask him for breakfast. He jumped from roof to roof to go to the place he knew Naruto had taken aboard at. As he got there he stopped short stunned.
There was a big crowd surrounding the area. Everyone speaking at the same time. He could hear everything and yet nothing. His mind has become numb as he watched girls cry and boys standing in a corner looking like they were going to cry. Men were angry and were trying to figure out the circumstances leading to this. In this all chaos, Sasuke couldn't take his eyes away from the small body that was lying in the middle, a white cloth draped over it. He had a sinking feeling and he could not help as his knee buckled under him. He could not understand his own reaction. Naruto was nothing to him. But he had become something without him knowing. He just couldn't believe what was happening.
"So good and helpful…." A woman sobbed.
"Had the characteristics of a future leader..." A man shook his head sadly.
He couldn't do anything. He couldn't go there and see the whiskered face for the last time. His secrecy held him and he hated that he was a vampire because he did not want to care but he had to.
For the rest of the day he sat on the roof looking at the white covered body, remembering those small details again. The twitch of nose when he was irritated. The 'Fox' face he got when he wanted to do a prank. The way he sometimes clumsily falls while walking with nothing in between the road. Sasuke was missing those things. He did not like it.
He listened to the tales that people related to each other. They laughed and then started crying, he wanted to cry but he couldn't. It was time to bury his body and Sasuke could not bring himself to face that last goodbye. He stayed on the roof and listened to the retreating footsteps. He listened to everyone's breath but the one he really wanted to hear. He was sitting there when he heard it.
"Can you believe how they were crying for that wretched good for nothing boy? It was pathetic." He remembered the voice and the figure immediately. He was the one who stole his watch.
"He had it coming. How dare he steal our watch and give it back to that man. He would be regretting it now in heaven." The second one said.
"If he got to heaven that is." The first one said and snickered.
Sasuke then saw red. Those boys had killed Naruto. He couldn't help but want to kill himself too. If he had been careful and hadn't lost his watch, this all wouldn't have started. Naruto would still be alive. But he was not and those boys were. He would make sure to remedy that situation. Naruto deserved justice and Sasuke would get him that.
Next day it was reported that two boys had mysteriously disappeared and the case was closed with minimal effort by saying that they must have run off. Sasuke's time in France was finished.
Reviews are welcome. criticism appreciated. Thank you!