Author: I'm extremely happy with the feedback this story's getting. So, I shall continue! YAY! This chapter took me forever because my computer was retarded and kept erasing everything. This chapter's a bit incomplete. But i'll update it anyway.

She woke up somewhere unfamiliar. Somewhere strange. Not that Hinata was uncomfortable. This bed was so unbelievably soothing and soft, and the silk pillows felt like whisps of cloud beneath her head, and there were black satin sheets and black netting around the iron bedframe. Hinata tried to sit up, but found she couldn't move. Her eyes widened in panic. She opened her mouth to cry out, but her voice was gone. As her heart rate began speeding up, she felt a gentle touch on her arm, and flicked her eyes to the side to see a pink-haired girl kneeling by the bed.

"Calm down. It's just the venom." The girl told Hinata smoothly.

Oh the venom. Yeah. That made her feel much better.

"It's in every vampire's fangs. Keeps the victim from moving. Swallow this, it'll nullify the effects." The girl lifted a cup to Hinata's lips and she drank, then coughed and sat bolt upright, breathing heavily. "Gaara sent me in here to give you the antidote." She stood, as if to leave. "But there are other things I must attend to."

"Wait!" Hinata rasped, catching the girl's wrist. "Who are you? Why are you here? Are you a vampire too? And who is Gaara?" She blurted.

The girl blinked emerald eyes and smiled faintly. "My name is Haruno Sakura."

"Hyuuga Hinata."

Sakura nodded. "Make sure you tell Gaara that. He still doesn't know your name."

"Who is Gaara?"

Sakura's grin spread. "The redhead who brought you here. He wants to keep you, most likely make you his mate."

Hinata swallowed. "Are you his mate too?" She whispered. Sakura laughed bitterly.

"No. I'm Sasuke's. But not even his mate. I'm his slave." She hesitated, wondering how much to tell Hinata. "Sasuke and his brother Itachi run this castle, they're the highest rank of vampire lords. Gaara's one rank below them. In a way, you're lucky. Gaara may be cruel, but he definitely has a better heart than the Uchihas." She bit her lower lip, and Hinata realized Sakura must not sleep very much, for there were dark lines under her eyes. "If you can, don't let either of the brothers see you. Your blood smells really good."

"How do you know?"

"Sasuke turned me, so i'd have no choice but to follow his orders. Fledglings have to obey the vampire who turned them until the vampire releases them."

Hinata touched her neck where Gaara had bitten her.

"Don't worry." Sakura said over her shoulder as she started towards the door. "He hasn't turned you. You'll know when he has. Trust me." With that, she left Hinata alone in the room, confused and slightly dizzy.

She lay back on the pillows, suddenly drained of energy, and let her eyes slide shut. What was she going to do now? She must have fallen asleep for she woke up a while later. There was a pair of seafoam eyes staring at her from the darkness. She let out a yelp of surprise and bolted to her feet, flinging her right hand forward, fingers curled into a fist. Someone caught her entire fist, stopping the punch without any effort. Hinata gasped in pain as the person squeezed her fist, then twisted her arm around her back and pulled her into his chest.

"Hyuuga Hinata." God. That voice again. She closed her eyes as if that could stop her from hearing it. It was intoxicating. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck and his other arm around her waist. "My name is Gaara."

Gaara. His name was Gaara. Who was she? Oh right. Hinata. That's what he called her. That was her name. She couldn't even think with him this close to her. She felt as though she was drifting away, about to slip into the void, leaving her body behind. No, she couldn't do that. She couldn't give up. She couldn't run away anymore.

No.

No.

No!

NONO!

"NO!" Hinata cried, prying herself away from Gaara's embrace and darting to the other side of the room. In the semi-darkness lit only by the moon and stars, she could see surprise on his handsome face.

"You are strong," Was all he said. He motioned to a wardrobe on the other side of the room, beside a door she hadn't noticed was there. With that, he turned and left through a large iron door. The moment he was gone, Hinata bolted for the second door. It was only a bathroom, no windows. The one window in the main room was high on the wall, she couldn't think of any way to reach it. She looked down at herself and realized why Gaara had pointed out the bathroom. Her skirt was covered in mud, and her shirt was slightly torn. Shedding her clothes, she left them outside the bathroom and stepped into the shower.

There were no faucets. Hinata scowled. Well that was good. She started to reach for the door of the shower, but then a jet of water fell from the ceiling. She let out a small sound of surprise, squinting and looking up. Huh. The faucet seemed to be automatic, set in the ceiling so it gave the impression of showering in the rain. She smiled, despite her feelings, and when she was finished, stepped out of the shower. She assumed the faucet would turn off when she opened the door, and she was right. The jet of water stopped immediately, and Hinata felt suddenly cold. Reaching out to grasp the soft white towel hanging on the wall, she wrapped it around herself and stepped out into the main room.

She shivered slightly. The room seemed deathly cold. More so than it had been when she left it. She felt like she wasn't alone, and searched the room quickly, but saw no one. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling, and reached for her clothes. But they were gone. Feeling even more anxious, she remembered the wardrobe Gaara had pointed out. Opening it, her eyes widened. It was a simple dress, completely white, with black lace around the hems and sleeves. She looked over her shoulder again. There was someone in here, she was sure of it.

And she didn't want to change out of her towel with someone watching her. She tried the door to the bathroom, but it was locked. She shoved her shoulder into it, thinking it was stuck, but it still didn't budge. She could feel someone's eyes on her. Their gaze was so intense it was as if they were right behind her. Fear welled up inside her and she spun around. No one was there. Swearing under her breath, she hugged the dress to her chest, looking around the room once more. She heard an almost feral growl from one corner and swallowed as a pair of obsidian eyes materialized.

He had slid into the room in the brief time the door had been open. Gaara had left it open, the fool. As a vampire lord, he could desconstruct his atoms to the point where he was invisible. He had noticed Sakura coming back a little late from her rounds, and had pushed her until she revealed that Gaara had brought home his own slave. Sasuke hadn't believed her. Gaara had never brought home anyone. But once he was in the room, he knew. A sweet, tantalizing scent hung in the air. It had to be the girl's.

That in itself was another surprise. He had assumed Gaara was gay, since he never showed any interest in the fairer sex. But whatever. It wasn't his business. This, however, was his business. He wanted to see this girl that could actually tempt Gaara. Just her scent, the scent of her blood, was enough for him to understand. God. He had never smelled anything like it. It caused his fangs to quiver in their sheaths, but he surpressed them, raking ebony hair from his face with one hand as the girl stepped from the bathroom.

He felt a different kind of arousal when she emerged with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body. Damn. The material clung to her wet skin, every curve, leaving nothing to the imagination. Her long dark hair hung past her shoulders, and when her face turned to survey the darkness for him, he realized she could sense his presence. Impossible. Mortals couldn't sense the presence of a vampire. A smirk touched his face. There was definitely something different about her. And she was so hot.

When he sensed her fear reach it's peak, he couldn't contain himself any longer. His fangs slid from their sheaths and he lost concentration, so that he became visible. Her chest was heaving in panic, understandable panic. His very presence was enough to disturb even vampires. It was actually impressive that the girl was still awake. He stepped towards her, brushing her hair from the creamy skin of her neck and leaning down.

Hinata was trembling as the raven haired man approached her. He had the same unearthly beauty as Gaara, but it was different. More dangerous. Deadly. She tried to take a step back, but the moment she looked into his eyes, she couldn't move. Panic began racing through her blood, and she could feel her heart pounding. His hand brushed against her neck, and she shivered. His skin was so cold. Her breathing was ragged, and as he lowered his teeth to her neck, she heard him hiss and reel back.

"I see Gaara's already fed off you." He growled. His voice, like Gaara's, was intoxicating. But it wasn't a pleasant voice. It was terrifying. "That'll make things more difficult."

If Gaara had already bitten Hinata, he had claimed her as his own. Any other vampire would know this, and it isn't as though this would stop Sasuke from biting Hinata, it simply meant that if he did, he would be directly challenging Gaara. He knew he couldn't do that. At least not yet. But he'd have to move quickly, since if Gaara made this girl his mate, Sasuke wouldn't be able to touch her.

"Sasuke." A voice from the door caused him to whirl around and he snarled slightly at his older brother.

Hinata's eyes moved from one to the other. They shared the same beauty that she now suspected all vampires had, but their eyes were identical. It was apparent that the one in the doorway was older, and she reached into the depths of herself, finding the same strength she had used to pry herself away from Gaara, and shoved back the younger Uchiha.

Sasuke chuckled. "I'll be back." He whispered in Hinata's ear, before striding out the door. Itachi looked briefly at Hinata, then followed Sasuke. Whether on purpose or by accident, he left the door open. Hinata changed quickly into the dress, then made her way silently to the door, listening and watching through the small crack between the door and the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The elder hissed. Sasuke's back, the younger one, was towards the door, and his brother was facing the doorway, gaze fierce.

"I have as much right to that girl as Gaara." Sasuke's voice was quiet, and Hinata leaned closer to the door.

"Yeah, but he's already fed off her. You really want to challenge him? What, is she really that good?"

"Can't you smell her blood? And her body, her skin..." His voice trailed off into a low purr and Hinata shivered.

"You don't think i've noticed? I'd be the one to take her anyway, i'm the oldest."

There was a slight hiss, and something about Sasuke's stature changed. Hinata's eyes widened, watching the older brother bare his teeth. His eye teeth elongated and sharpened, even more than Gaara's had. Hinata gave a sharp intake of breath as the elder seized Sasuke's arm in a crushing grip. Hinata shut the door to the room quickly, sliding a bolt across it. She backed away, terrified, and felt her shoulders touch the wall. She looked up to the window, then crouched down. Her muscles tensed, and without realizing it, she drew upon that inner power once more.

Her legs bunched up and she jumped. Somehow, her fingers closed on the windowsill. She didn't think about how it was impossible for her to have jumped so high, all she thought about was getting out of there.