Author Notes: Happy to have Chapter 4 up!

Ratings: M for adult themes, situations, and language

-- CHAPTER 4 -- WHILE TURNING --

"Naruto! Naruto!" a chipper female voice echoed through the halls of the blond's apartment building.

"I have great news!" Sakura paused in front of Naruto's apartment catching her breath. "You're no longer under house arrest!" She knocked on the wooden door. "Hello! Naruto!" Nothing. "It's me, Sakura." She knocked louder. Still no reply. "Hm?" She raised a slender pink brow. Reaching into a deep pocket on her green cargo pants, she withdrew a tiny silver key. "Glad I have this." Sakura gave it a small kiss and stuck it in the lock.

"Time to wake up sleepyhead!" Sakura shouted while stepping into the cluttered apartment. Her eyes went to the black couch that was hidden by a sprawled out orange blanket; a large pillow leaning against it. "Another late night movie marathon?" She smiled tossing the pillow back on the couch. "Naruto?" she called once more walking towards the blond's bedroom.

Sakura darted her jade eyes around the plainly decorated room. There was a ramen poster on one wall and a group of plants were placed in another corner. The bed was next to an opened window, which was emitting the fresh smell of morning dew into the room. Upon the bed was a black comforter and an orange pillow. A night stand held up an alarm clock that flashed 7:15 am. "Looks like Naruto didn't sleep here last night." Sakura sat on the plush bed. "Where'd he go this time?" she sighed falling back against the cot. "Well, he better show up soon. He knows I hate lieing for him." Her oval eyes glanced at the clock. 7:30 am. "Naruto's lucky it's still early." Sakura let out a loud yawn, placed her head on his pillow, and drifted off to sleep.

"Naruto!" an older woman's voice called out. "Naruto!"

Sakura moaned as she squinted one eye open. "Wha?"

"Naruto!" the voice sounded once more. "Geez...would it kill him to clean this place up every once in awhile?" The woman muttered stepping over some clutter.

"Why does that voice sound so familiar?" Sakura scratched her bubblegum hair while focusing on the clock.

"11:00 am!" She jumped off the bed and looked around hoping to spy Naruto lying on the floor somewhere. "Crap! He's not back yet!" She ran over to the small mirror to straighten her light green t-shirt and brush her hair.

"NARUTO!" the intruder stamped her foot causing the whole apartment to shake.

"Just a minute." Sakura yelled from the bedroom.

"Sakura?" The woman crossed her arms across her large chest.

Sakura dashed into the living space of the apartment. "Lady Tsundae?!" Her mentor was dressed in a casual gray business suit. High heeled sandals covered her feet and a small blue diamond appeared on her forehead. "What are you doing here?"

"Maybe the better question is what are you doing in Naruto's bedroom?" A coy smile crossed Tsundae's face. "Finally get Naruto?"

Sakura's face deeply reddened. "Ah...um...well...Naruto is downstairs doing his laundry." she quickly blurted out.

"I see." Tsundae flipped one of her long blond ponytails behind her shoulders. "When will he return?"

"He just went down, so maybe an hour?" Sakura confidently stated.

"I don't have time to wait." The blond woman dropped her brown suitcase on the floor beside her feet. "This is somewhat of a pressing matter." She opened it.

"What's going on?"

"It's about the missing ninjas." Tsundae spoke while rustling through paperwork.

"You found them?" Sakura asked excitedly clasping her hands together.

"No," came a flat reply. "Now, where is it?"

Sakura's shoulders drooped. "Where could they be?"

"..."

Feeling a bit awkward by Tsunade's lack of reply, Sakura asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

"That would be nice." She wiped her brow. "Just make sure that it's not expired."

"Don't worry, I know where he keeps the good stuff." She ran into the kitchen to retrieve her mentor a drink.

"Here it is." the blond woman raised a small scroll above her head. "I knew I didn't forget it at the gambling hall this morning."

"Lady Tsunade." Sakura placed a glass and a bottle of sake in front of her teacher. "Gambling during the midmorning?"

"Rookie players are out then." Tsuande cracked her knuckles. "They increase my chances of winning"

"Uh, huh." Sakura crossed her arms.

"Don't concern yourself with me, Sakura." Raising a brow, she added, "By the way, should I even ask why Naruto has alcohol in his apartment."

"Ahh..." Sakura spit out her tongue in a sheepish way and linked her hands behind her back.

"No matter." The woman downed the glass. "I never pass up a free drink."

"What does it say?" Sakura questioned.

"Ah yes, the scroll." Tsundae unraveled it, reading its contents aloud:

"Attention All Villages -- Be advised.

All young people are to remain in their respected villages until further notice. Too many teens have gone missing and the only lead we have thus far is that the victims receive some type of note. Highly encourage anyone who has recently obtained a strange letter, to bring it directly to their hokage. NOT follow its instructions.

The Ninja Council

"An invite?" Sakura scratched her head recalling the past couple days. "Sai got one of those."

"When?" Tsundae poured herself another drink.

"Two nights ago, but he wouldn't tell Naruto or I what was on it. All I know is that he left that same night to go somewhere." She rubbed her arms as a sudden chill swept through her. "I hope he's alright."

"I'm sure he's fine." Tsundae rolled the scroll and slapped it in her hand. "In fact, I had a feeling that he'd get one of those invites, so I properly prepared him."

"What do you mean? You let Sai go somewhere that's dangerous! By himself?"

"He's an anbu, Sakura." Tsundae downed another glass. "Sai knows what he's doing and according to a theory of mine, Sai was a target from the very start."

"How did you know?" Sakura nervously chewed her lip.

"Well..." Tsunade began. "I was looking through the missing ninjas files and found a way that links them all together."

"Really? What?"

"They are the best of the best ninjas from each village." Tsundae's coffee eyes narrowed. "I'm extremely worried about what awaits these young talented ninjas. That is why I have personally come here." Tsundae drank more sake. "I think Naruto may be a target."

Sakura's eyes widened. "Naruto?"

"Yes." Tsundae swirled the reminisce of her drink around her glass in a mesmerizing manner. "He hasn't received an invite recently, has he?"

"Not that I know of. But if he does, I'm sure he'll tell me."

"Good." Tsunade placed a hand across her large chest and sighed a breath of relief. "I'm glad you two are such close friends."

"Yeah, friends." Sakura muttered under her breath.

"Oh! There's something else I forgot to mention." She opened the scroll once again. "But I have to warn you, I don't believe it myself."

"Believe what?" Sakura furred her brow.

"The message goes on to say that vampires are behind this."

"Vampires?" Sakura's mouth dropped.

ooOOoo

An eerie creek sounded as Sasuke opened the lid of his glossy, jet black coffin. The inside was lined with a deep red velvet plush material. A small soft pillow lay beneath his head as Sasuke stretched his arms. He leaned up and blinked his onyx eyes reflecting the decor of his Victorian chamber. The large windows were blocked by mahogany curtains, which matched the paint on the walls. Two nightstands containing the same arrangement of black roses were placed on each side of the king-sized bed. The elevated mattress was covered with black, silk linens and four dark red, velvet pillows sat at the head of the bed. At the base was a large matching blanket that was folded widthwise across the bed. Dark brown wood locked the mattress in place. A canopy containing the same wood and deep red curtains hung above the bed. A love seat was placed at the foot of the bed decked in a similar style to that of the bed. A large, black and red rug occupied the center of the room and a huge tapestry covered the wall directly across from the bed.

Lying on the floor, on the other side of the room, was another coffin. This one; however, was nothing like Sasuke's. Simple and poorly crafted, the casket's weak design was covered by a black sheet containing the Uchiha family crest. Sasuke smiled as he thought of its contents. "Still asleep, huh?" He fully rose from his coffin tieing a blue bandanna around his black locks. Walking over to the adjacent coffin, Sasuke licked his lips in anticipation. "I can't wait until your first feeding." The raven stroked the silk material wishing it were the blond inside. "Grrr...turning takes too long." Sasuke let out a sigh of frustration. He drummed his fingers against the wooden casket until an idea hit him. "That's right. Someone needs to be punished."

ooOOoo

Hinata hesitantly moved down the dark, damp passageway that led to the dungeon, or as the slaves call it, the torture room. She tightly held herself as her lilac eyes followed the scurrying shadows along the jagged edges of the stone walls. "Don't let them touch me! Don't let them touch me!" she repeated over and over again to herself. Small torches provided minimal light as she neared an iron door with evenly carved out windows throughout it. "I hate this place."

"Hinata." the geisha girl jumped at the sound of her name.

"Master Sasuke." she bowed.

"After much thought, I've decided on the perfect punishment for you." The raven's words contained no emotion.

Hinata paled giving Sasuke access to the iron door. He easily opened it with a loud click. "Come." Sasuke gestured for Hinata to take the lead. The frightened girl nodded and placed her foot on the first step of a descending staircase that would take her deeper into the dungeon. The stairs were so narrow that Hinata would have fallen if not for Sasuke's quick reflexes.

"I forgot." The raven furred his brow catching Hinata yet again. "You don't come here as often as others do."

"I only live to please my master." Hinata quietly spoke.

"And you will." Sasuke brushed his cool lips across her ear. "This will please me greatly." Lifting her back to her feet, Sasuke and Hinata continued until they reached the bottom. "That way." Sasuke pointed to a corridor on the left. Hinata looked down the torch lit hallway. She swallowed and obeyed. As they traveled down the corridor, the girl saw iron shackles hanging from the sharp edged walls. They hung off other chains and were set at different lengths. Some were even connected to a large wooden plank that was bolted against the wall. Other objects casted ghastly shadows, but Hinata didn't dare ask what they were. "Stop, Hinata." She gazed into the small cell in front of her.

Since a covered window occupied one of the walls, Hinata knew she was at an end cell. A pair of iron shackles dangled on the opposite wall, only a few feet away. "Sit there and face the window." The raven smirked as the timid girl aligned herself under the irons. The raven fell to his hunches and then placed one knee between Hinata's thighs. She gasped at the sudden contact. Smirking, he reached for one her wrists and raised it above her head, locking it within the shackle. "Are you nervous?" He calmly spoke repeating the same action with Hinata's other hand.

"A little." she softly answered. Her eyes averting Sasuke's. The raven ran a hand through her long purple hair, brushing it behind her ears.

"Do you like him?" Sasuke placed his hand on her cheek, rubbing his thumb across her jawline.

"Yes." she silently answered. "I mean no, Master Sasuke." Her eyes filling with terror as she realized her grave mistake.

"Hn." A scowl formed on the raven's perfect facial features. "Not exactly what I wanted to hear." Sasuke placed his head against the nape of her neck. "You are very tense." He eyed the pulsing jugular with hungry eyes. "Let me relax you." Hinata whimpered as she felt the painful, yet pleasurable bite from her master.

"Mas...ter..." She turned her head giving Sasuke the chance to deepen the 'kiss.'

The raven drank only a little. He slowly pulled away leaving a small waterfall of the crimson liquid running down her slender neck. "Hm...bitter." Sasuke scoffed as he grazed his lips while standing.

"Why...why did you stop?" she panted. Her dazed eyes fluttering.

"This is a torture room, Hinata." Sasuke reached up and pulled the black drape off the window revealing the beautiful night sky. "And that's what you'll experience here."

Hinata scrunched her eyes. "I don't understand."

"You see, Hinata." Sasuke began to pace around the cell. "When the sun rises, its rays will slowly fill this cell."

Hinata pulled roughly against her restraints. "No! Please, Master Sasuke!" she begged.

"Silence!" Sasuke yelled, his eyes turning a deep shade of purple. "As the suns rays hit you, your flesh will begin to burn causing welts and sores all over your body. Something I'm sure Naruto won't find very attractive." He added with a smug grin.

"You're doing this because you're envious of me?" Hinata cried through tears. "But you're the master and I am the slave!" Her snobs increased. "I am nothing compared to you!"

"True, but Naruto hasn't learned that yet." Sasuke kicked at her feet. "You are very attractive and tempting. I'll give you that, but in three days no one will want to look at you."

"Three days?" Hinata choked back a sob.

"That's correct. For not only will you smolder in the sunlight, you will also be deprived of any blood."

"I've never been denied before, master." Hinata lowered her eyes. "What will happen to me?"

"First, your own blood will cause you to go mad. For although there's plenty running sliding down your neck, there is no way for you to obtain it." Tears began to once again fall upon the young girl's face. "Then, your focus will shift from lack of blood to the blazing sun. You'll probably try your best to dodge and avoid it, but it won't work. Next, your body will become weak and over the course of the next three days, you'll lie here and burn, accepting your fate." The raven stepped over to Hinata and raised her tear stained face. "You won't die, Hinata. You'll just no longer be beautiful." Sasuke laughed.

Hinata struggled once more. "Have mercy! It was only a kiss."

"Only a kiss? Oh, I saw more than that." The raven harshly raised her chin causing Hinata to hit her head against a sharp stone knocking her out. "Whore." He walked out of the cell locking it behind him.

ooOOoo

Sasuke angrily trudged down the corridor, but was stopped when he recognized an animated shadow.

"Deidara." he muttered. "What's that fool doing down here?"

"Itachi no danna! Itachi no danna!" Deidara's eyes lit up as Sasuke made his way over to him. The sound of scratching iron played in their ears. "You've finally come, un?"

"No, it's Sasuke." The raven growled stepping into the dark, slightly elongated cell. "You should know our silhouettes by now, Deidara."

"Ah..sorry, Sasuke-kun." The dusty blond gave a sheepish grin. "It's just that you look..."

"Don't even go there." Sasuke threatened. There was another clash of iron as Deidara dropped his arms.

Stepping closer to the dusty blond, the raven was shocked by what he saw. Although free from any traces of blood, the dusty blond was topless, faced the wall, and his wrists were shackled to a waist-high iron pole. "Did you chain yourself up like that?"

"Yes, Sasuke-kun. Master Itachi taught me, un." Deidara smiled a wide grin, looking over his shoulders.

"O...kay..." Sasuke raised a brow as looked from the dusty blond to a table roughly five feet away.

"What's on the table, Deidara?"

"It's one of Itachi no danna's favorites. You can use it, Sasuke-kun." Deidara stated reassuringly.

"I'll be the judge of that." The raven strolled over to the wooden table. "A cat o' nine tails?" Made of leather, the knotted base held nine individual tightly braided whips, each about two feet long and black in color. Sasuke shuddered as he picked it up. "Itachi sure has a sick mind for getting a thrill out of using something like this." He flicked his wrist slightly as if testing the malicious whip. "WHACK"

"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Deidara's voice full of excitement. "Are you going to whip me, un?"

The raven steadied his hand and stared at Deidara, a look of confusion etched on his face.

"Please Sasuke-kun! Whip me!" the dusty blond begged. "I want to be punished."

Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes. "I'm NOT my brother and I don't believe in his hellish methods."

"But I like it." Deidara whined. "I really do. It pleases Master Itachi greatly. And then when he's done, we go upstairs and things become highly erotic, un."

"Wow." Sasuke quirked a brow. "My brother really is satanic." He dropped the whip back onto the table and went up to Deidara. "It's sad, really." The raven unhooked the blond's chains. "You've been here for so long. Have you really forgotten about what little freedom you do have?"

"Freedom?" Deidara blinked his eyes in confusion as he pulled his gray shirt on.

"Yeah, you know. Time you get to yourself. Even slaves get that at least once in awhile."

"Not me." Deidara adjusted his ponytail. "Besides, I like spending time with Itachi no danna. Whether it's pain or pleasure, I care not. Overall, I like how he treats me and eagerly look forward to our sessions down here, un."

"Deidara, could I ask you something?" Sasuke ushered him out of the cell.

"Hn."

"Do you honestly believe what you just said?"

"..."

ooOOoo

Outside the night air was crisp. Judging by the sight of his breath, Deidara knew it was late fall. "I suppose Sasuke-kun was right, un. Coming outside is refreshing." He casually walked through the church's cemetery. A light mist hovered above the damaged tombstones while crickets played a haunting tune. An owl hooted in a dead tree as the dusty blond stopped to look up at the clear, star-filled sky. "I don't understand what Sasuke-kun is telling me. Is it bad to spend all my time with Itachi no danna, un? But that's all I ever remember doing." Continuing down a twisty trail, Deidara gazed at the crumbling headstones. "Why don't these people wake up and come to the castle each night? Aren't they like the rest of us?"

"CAW! CAW!" A crow suddenly flew out from a nearby pine tree, startling Deidara.

"AHHHH!" The dusty blond waved his hands in front of his face. "Go away!" The crow began pulling on his ponytail, pulling him down a different path. "Let go of me you stupid bird, un!"

"CAW! CAW!" The crow released the blond and flapped in front of Deidara.

"Now I know why Master Itachi tells me to stay away from here. Crazy birds, un."

"CAW! CAW!"

"What do you want?" Deidara shouted combing back his hair. "Hey! Where's my hair tie?" He looked all around until he spotted it hanging from the crow's tiny feet. "Give that back!" Deidara reached for the crow but only grabbed a fistful of the night air.

"CAW! CAW!" It flew further down the path; an angry Deidara following closely behind. Finally, it landed on a dead tree and dropped the tie. Beneath it, the area was covered with dead grass. "CAW! CAW!" The crow called once more and took its leave. "Dumb animal." Deidara bent down to retrieve his tie. Suddenly, his hands felt cold stone. "Hn? "Someone's buried here?" He raised a brow. "I've never noticed this one before." He sat on the cold grass and eagerly brushed away the decayed foliage.

"I hope the inscription is still legible." Within minutes a faded name and more was revealed. Deidara read it silently to himself.

"Sasori -- 1679 – 1694 -- Beloved friend of Deidara -- Condemned for Witchcraft." He furred his eyebrows. "Sasori?" Deidara placed his hand tenderly on the headstone. Suddenly there was a flash of light and Deidara saw a younger version of himself and a red-headed child playing. The current Deidara quickly drew his hand back. "What was that?" He began to nervously chew on his fingernails. "Who was that kid and why was I there?" Taking a deep breath, Deidara reached out and laid both his hands on the tombstone. "I have to know."

--- END CHAPTER 4 --

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