First Big Night
"Breakfast at dinnertime. Some of these things I'll never get used to." Sakura commented picking up a plate of food.
"You think that now, but in a month or so you'll barely even notice." Ino replied linking her arm with the pinkette's. "Such is the way of life." She added sitting down at the table.
Everyone ate breakfast together it seemed. The table was full of each group and even the senseis were there. So far she'd only met Kakashi momentarily.
"There's a sensei in charge of each group." Ino commented noticing how Sakura was watching them with curiosity in her eyes. "Kakashi-sensei is in charge of your group. He's the white haired one in a mask. Then Gai-sensei…" She paused pointing at the one who made Sakura think of Rock Lee. They were wearing the same green jumpsuit. And sported the same haircut. "It's not hard to guess which group he's in charge of."
Sakura giggled in response.
"Kurenai-sensei is the only girl sensei. She's in charge of Hinata's group. And Asuma-sensei, the smoking one, he's my sensei."
"Oh. What do they do?" Sakura asked.
"Well, they take responsibility if one of us gets hurt. That's why Kakashi-sensei was at the hospital the past two weeks. He had to keep an eye on Sasuke as group 7's leader. Also if you're having problems, you can go to them. Female problems…my advice would be to just go to Kurenai-sensei, even if she isn't your sensei. They also assign us a mission once in awhile. Like infiltrating a liar, or crashing a Vamp party. And sometimes we don't hunt to kill. We hunt to capture, like a vamp with certain information we need." Ino explained.
"So they're basically our bosses." Sakura summarized.
"You catch on quick, Pinky." Ino replied.
"Please tell me you're not going to call me that?" Sakura asked.
"We'll see." Ino replied.
-XxX-
"When's our lunch break?" Naruto asked as they walked through a park. They were assigned to the area on the other side and decided it would be easier to just cut through it rather then go out of their way and waste time walking around.
"We just ate breakfast." Sakura reminded him.
"Well, this is just for informational reasons." Naruto replied.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "You're hungry already?" He asked.
"I just said it was for informational reasons!" Naruto defended.
"Sure it is." Sasuke retorted sarcastically.
Naruto seethed for a moment. "Teme…if we weren't working I'd kick your ass."
Sasuke only glanced at him but ignored him further then that. Sakura had to wonder if this was their usual behavior, or maybe because it was their first time working together in two weeks.
Sasuke on the other hand was trying to fight the urge to kill the blonde for making him act like that. If Itachi was alive, he would've stepped between the two and smacked them both in the back of the head. Itachi's way of telling you to focus.
"Our lunch is at 3." Sasuke finally told him. "We're the last and we cover for Group 8 before we go."
"Man." Naruto complained his stomach growling.
"What was that about it being 'informational reasons'?" Sakura asked him.
Naruto smiled and laughed nervously at being caught.
"What a coincidence we're hungry too." Came a voice from nearby and the three immediately switched to defensive stances backs to each other so they could see in each direction. "No need for that." He added. "There's enough of us to go around."
Suddenly Three Vampires appeared one facing each of the three hunters forcing them to pull out their guns and take aim.
"Jeez, whatever happened to sensei's 'feeling'?" Naruto asked.
"Beats me." Sasuke replied switching from defensive to offensive. Naruto did the same and in the blink of an eye the boys attacked their respective Vamps.
Sakura however couldn't stop staring at the Vampire in front of her. She was even beginning to shake as her eyes met his.
"Long time no see, Sakura-chan." He said as if he knew her. Her arms dropped to her side the light in her eyes seemed to extinguish as her gun slipped from her hand landing in the dirt.
"Sakura!" Naruto called the vampire he'd attacked holding onto his hand with the gun so he could use it on him.
Sasuke brought his hand up although he was in a very similar position as Naruto landed a punch in the Vampires chin. In return he freed his hand that held the gun and didn't waste time in shooting his Vamp with the wooden steak. The vamp managed to move but it pierced him in the shoulder making him fall back.
The ebony haired boy took that opportunity and as fast as he could got between Sakura and that Vampire gun aimed at it's heart.
Light suddenly returned to her eyes as she realized Sasuke was standing between her and…
"Sasuke!"
"Do you know him?" Sasuke asked before she could say anything.
Tears came to her eyes. "Yes." She answered quietly.
"Don't look him in the eye then." Sasuke ordered. "If he was anyone who knew you before he died, then he can hypnotize you if you look him in the eye." He explained.
She nodded feeling like crap for falling for it.
"Who was he?" Sasuke asked gun still pointed at him.
"My father." She replied sounding chocked as she held back her tears.
"I see." Sasuke replied straightening himself and turning to face her.
Naruto managed to kill his Vamp and he was about to kill the Vamp Sasuke attacked when he caught sight of the scene.
Sasuke handed Sakura his gun and moved behind her grabbing her arm just below the elbow and lifting it up until it was pointing straight at her once father's heart.
"He isn't your Dad anymore." Sasuke said softly. His voice almost kind which was a rare thing. "That is a demon that's taken over his body. Nothing more. He has his face, his memories. All of which he could use against you. You need to kill him, before he kills you."
With that Sasuke's hand left her arm and before Naruto had time to think Sasuke had shot (with the gun Sakura dropped) the Vamp he was about to take care of before he'd been distracted by the…intimate moment Sasuke just showed.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Dobe, don't get distracted. That's how you get killed." Sasuke said to the blonde idiot as if the display of Sakura pointing a gun at her own father wasn't there.
She was slightly grateful that the two didn't seem to be watching her as she pulled the trigger. That they weren't watching when her father turned to dust before her eyes.
But what made her happy was when she had begun to cry and Naruto was at her side his hand on her back comfortingly. And Sasuke was squatting down near her as well, just not touching her. She figured he'd probably just filled his emotional quota for tonight.
-XxX-
"Clear." Asuma said somewhat smiling at Group 7 behind his cigarette. There was a different sensei in charge of scanning each night. It'd been a week since Sakura started here and luckily, her second night seemed to be her hardest yet.
"We better be, 'cause I'm getting hungry." Naruto complained.
"Tell me you're joking, Dobe?" Sasuke asked.
"I want some Ramen…" Naruto added ignoring the ebony haired male.
"Thanks Asuma-sensei!" Sakura said with a smile. "Has Ino gotten back yet?" She asked looking at the other groups hanging out in the front area some heading off to the kitchen to eat.
"Nope, not yet. But they've got plenty of time. The sun just rose." Asuma replied seeing her slight concern.
Sakura smiled again watching Naruto pull Sasuke with him towards the kitchen out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm just glad you seem to have taken to Ino. She's a good kid. She needs a friend like you." Asuma added.
"I'm sure there are better people then me for her to befriend." Sakura replied modestly.
"Sakura-chan! C'mon let's eat!" Naruto called from up the stairs where the informal kitchen was.
She smiled. "Alright!" She called back with a wave. "Good day, Asuma-sensei!" Sakura added to the sensei giggling a little since their day would be full of sleeping as usual. She skipped up the stairs and joined Naruto at the top before she walked off with him to the kitchen.
"That girl just doesn't realize just how special she is." Kakashi commented from the background as he entered the room.
"Is special the right word for it?" Asuma asked.
"Well, before she showed up for two weeks, Sasuke wasn't exactly what you'd call himself." Kakashi explained. "And in that one day she knew him, by the time the test was over, he talked to Naruto as if everything had gone back to normal. Itachi's death aside. Even Naruto noticed the difference."
Asuma nodded in understanding as he put the last of the cigarette he'd been smoking in the ash try and almost immediately lighting another.
"Anyone who can do that with, Sasuke is 'special' in my mind." The white haired male added.
"We're back!" Ino called from the doorway as the three of them walked in.
Asuma looked over at them almost immediately regretting it. He wasn't sure if he wanted to ask what Choji was soaking wet, Shikamaru was practically covered in mud and Ino looked like nothing happened to her.
"Good luck, sensei." Kakashi teased before turning around and walking back to his room and get some sleep himself.
-XxX-
Sakura walked into the lounge drying her hair when she noticed Hinata, Lee, Tenten, and Ino all watching the Television looking scared. She moved to get a better view of what she was watching and she immediately felt the same.
A burning building that looked about the same size as the housing she lived in now.
"Last night, the West Hunter Housing was set ablaze by a group of Vampires. Luckily all the hunters survived and have been checked. So far there have been no serious reports of injury." A newscaster explained.
"It had to of been a gang." Tenten commented.
"D-do you think i-it's the same o-ones who attacked us?" Hinata asked sounding frightened.
"I don't know." Tenten answered.
"It's defiantly unorthodox for any normal band of Vamps." Lee added.
"I don't think it's the same group that attacked you guys." Sakura chimed in putting her arm around Hinata to sooth her a little. "The attack on the West housing happened at night, yours happened at day. Also, when you were attacked, they snuck in right?"
Hinata nodded.
"Well here they didn't even do that. They set the place on fire which is a little flashy don't you think?" Sakura added.
"Right." Tenten agreed. "This is more like a warning."
"Exactly, especially considering they knew not many if any hunters would be there at all." Lee chimed in.
"T-then, could it b-be a warning f-from a g-group that works f-for the ones that attacked us?" Hinata asked.
"It's likely." Tenten admitted.
Hinata laid her head on Sakura's shoulder in an attempt to make herself feel better.
Each of them could hear a knock on the front door downstairs but none of them wanted to move.
-XxX-
Naruto peeked through the door knowing they should be extra careful since he had just watched the newscast from the television in the formal kitchen. Kakashi had woken him and Sasuke up and they were downstairs watching the broadcast.
His face lit up when he saw who it was. "Kakashi! We've got a few guests!" He called opening the door to them.
NearKunn: *sighs* Finally finished Chapter four. It was really interesting actually, I was writing this and I paused at one point thinking…OH! I have a new story idea! So I had to stop and start writing that new story before I forgot about it! Then, I realized, OH! I have to finish Hunter or Prey Chap 4! So I stopped that story and came back here. So I spent three days going back and forth from this story to another story.
Sasuke: Are you done?
NearKunn: NO! Then I went to go see the Sherlock Holmes movie in theaters with my friend….awesome btw! Then when I got home, I stared on the other story, and then I finished this one after watching the newest eps of Naruto Shippuden in English on my DVR. Yes, I'm such a dork, that I'll even watch Disney XD's attempt at turning Naruto Shippuden into a children's show. Now I'm done.
Naruto: We do good? =3
Sasuke: What the hell did you do?
Sakura: Just so y'know, the couples in this story will be as follows:
Naruto: SasuSaku, NaruHina, ShikaTema, NejiTen, KibaIno, KakaAnko, & …does Asuma and Kurenai even have an ff name? Therefore if you don't like it, bare through it.
NearKunn: As it's a SasuSaku story, the other relationships shall come in small doses or only have mentionings of a couple being had.
Itachi: REVIEW! If you flame the story in anyway at all, I'll FLAME YOU! BITCHES! /_\