The day started off normally for him. Most of his peers were out celebrating finishing their final year of high school. But something like that had become monotonous to him. He'd done it before. He'd probably do it again. No time soon, however. He'd linger around in this city for a few years until it became stagnant. But soon, he'd have to leave.

He woke from an absurd dream about her. Something terrible and insane. He'd never allowed himself to consciously wonder about what lied beneath her clothes. What her skin would feel like under his hands. But in his dreams, flustered and hot, anything became possible. Each time, he'd wake up flustered, ashamed and warm all over.

He wondered if she was celebrating as well. Her last day was Friday as well, right? Their summer was finally beginning. Not that it was all that exciting for him. School was too easy. And if he wished, he could simply not go. It was only because his brother suggested it that he chose to attend. So he doesn't lose his mind due to the monotony that such a long life could lead to.

The first thing he noticed when he woke was that he felt weak. Weak and cold. And he already knew what this heralded. Soon, the sensation of a dry mouth followed. A dry mouth and a fire in his throat. Pain. A lot of pain. He could hear his brother's words echoing in his head. You should take better care of yourself. Pay attention to how often you feed…

He hadn't fed in a while. He'd been running on fumes and the memory of the blood of a witch. He needed blood and he needed it now.

When his brother returned home, he returned to the sight of his younger brother in pain, sitting on the kitchen stood with a scowl on his face and a hand on his throat. He laughed. Because for the first time, his brother had slipped up on his feeding. Usually, he had a plethora of people at his beck and call. Even now, in the middle of the day, he could probably get one of his little girlfriends to drop whatever they were doing and hop over to his place.

He hadn't done this yet. So Itachi found himself getting suspicious.

He called one of the girls over, using his velvety voice that tended to bend people to his will indiscriminately. Though, he was sure he didn't even have to persuade Sakura to do anything. She'd do it all willingly. The girl had been hopelessly in love with him since day one.

She agreed to come over, of course.

She arrived at his door, bright-eyed with a hopeful smile that he learned to ignore. He used to think that she was an alright girl. She was smart. Kind. Pretty, even. But it was hard to get along with someone who'd fallen in love with the idea of you.

It took hardly any work. In the matter of minutes, he'd nearly drained her dry.

"Better?" Itachi asked as he reemerged from his room. Sasuke shrugged and rummaged through the pantry. He still didn't feel completely relieved. He still craved it. Craved her. But for now, he'd be fine. He felt as if he wouldn't truly be satisfied again unless he took another drink. But he wouldn't do that to her. Even if she offered it, being the kind soul she was, he wouldn't take it. He couldn't bring himself to.

"How did you let it get this bad?" His brother finally asked. "I don't' think you've ever slipped up like this before." He'd actually been acting differently.

It was strange when he actually stepped back and assessed his brother's behaviors. It was because Itachi had grown so used to the monotony of Sasuke's "endearing" mannerisms. The changes were subtle. Small things. Actually, they would be normal to any other. Picking up the phone and calling someone, or answering when someone called you should be normal. But Sasuke never did these things. He only sent texts whenever he needed information. He hated speaking over the phone for some reason. Given that he was already a rather reticent person. And that he didn't like speaking when he couldn't see the person on the other side. It was like that way back then. And it was that way now.

He's even mentioned a "friend."

It was baffling. Because "friend" was something Sasuke didn't use to refer to his coven-mates. "Idiots" maybe. Even "assholes." But friend was completely new. It meant someone new.

"Shit…" Sasuke cursed. He stood upright, looking up at the ceiling with an exasperated sigh. He forgot. She said she wanted to talk about something. She was coming over today.

His brother still watched him accusingly, waiting for his answer. Sasuke sighed once more. It wouldn't be wise to deny Itachi any longer. He'd been good so far. This was the first time he'd pried in a while.

"I've met a girl." He said.

Itachi looked at him. He should've seen it coming. He did see it coming. But to hear it was something else.

"And…?" He asked.

"I've met a girl. And she's a witch."

Itachi stared.

"No way…"

Sasuke nodded.

"An actual witch…? That's a first."

"Yeah…. When we first met, I… I bit her. And her blood… That stuff is no joke. And ever since then, I've been wanting more of it. Even if I fill myself up, I don't feel full. I still want her blood. And I can feel it. It's slowly driving me insane."

And now that he thought about it, this was something to worry over. Because his resistance was fading. Soon enough, he'd be yearning for another taste.

Now Itachi understood what was happening. He was lusting after a particular blood. And a witch's blood, at that. He'd never heard much about witches. He didn't really know they were real until recently. So he'd be forced to finally ask around. Because he was worried. The blood of humans sated the thirst and brought no consequences. That was why it was the most preferred. But drinking the blood of other kindred would only invite danger and unwanted side effects.

"I don't… Know what to say to that… A witch!" He laughed incredulously at this. Sasuke couldn't help but grimace at him for it. "Itachi. I'm serious…" Itachi only shook his head. "I'm sorry, brother… I'm just… A little taken aback by this. I'll ask you-know-who for answers. He's old enough to know something about this nonsense."

"Ask him?" He asked. "Why do you have to ask him?" He understood where Itachi was coming from. But Sasuke didn't want to bring Hidan into the ordeal. The guy was too capricious. Yes, he saw him every now and then whenever he came over to bother Itachi. But other than that, he found it hard to associate too much with him.

"Hidan has a history with witches, you know… So he might just know something, Sasuke. We certainly don't. Or do you just want to ignore the obvious problem that's growing as we speak?" He had a point. So Sasuke was forced to just sit back and swallow his worries.

"This girl…" Itachi started. "Is she the 'friend?'" Sasuke nodded. "Yeah… I've known her for about two months now…" Itachi gave that knowing, smug little smirk. "So you trust her, I take it? You trust her enough to call her friend?"

"What are you getting at?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes accusingly. Itachi only shrugged and let the subject drop.

"She's coming over in a bit. So don't do that... Thing you do."

Itachi's smirk only grew.

Sasuke knew he screwed up when he told her she could come. He found it hard to believe that his older brother wouldn't act up.

"Do what thing?" But he knew what. Embarrassing him. Being smug and dropping little subtle comments that would drive Sasuke insane. He knew what.

"I look forward to meeting her." Itachi stopped and hesitated for a moment. "What do you plan on doing about that situation?" His gaze fell down the hall, towards Sasuke's room.

"I'll…. I don't know. I didn't think that far. She'll be out for an hour. I'll just show her out…"

Itachi frowned.

"That's callous as hell."

"What was I supposed to do?"

Itachi didn't answer. They both could feel it. Eventually, a heart was bound to break beyond repair.

There was a knock at the door. Small and shy. And he knew that it was her. Sasuke left to go answer the door, leaving his older brother to go indulge in some tea he'd just made in the kitchen.

He answered the door. "You knock like you're scared…" And she only laughed in response. She was a little nervous. She always was when going over someone's house for the first time. She was always nervous about who'd be answering the door. But seeing his face, smiling back at her and friendly, she was at ease.

"I didn't know what I was walking into. So you've got to cut me some slack." He didn't know himself what she was walking into. So he gave her that much.

She didn't know what she expected when she entered. She simply couldn't imagine what Sasuke's home could really look like. It was just another reminder that she didn't truly know him entirely. They spoke to each other. More often than she spoke to any other friend. And she enjoyed his company. But he was still a stranger, to some degree.

From what she gathered from the spacious, modern living area, complete with a wide couch and a 60 inch that would probably crush her if it so happened to land on her, she came upon two conclusions. That the Uchiha brothers had an eye for décor, and that they were avid music lovers, judging from the full racks of CDs that she saw on either side of the television.

"Lots of music I see." Curiosity ebbed at her. What kind of music did Sasuke like, she wondered?

There was another person in the apartment. He looked so much like Sasuke. With the same eyes. Same hair. His was longer, and fell to the center of his back. He clutched a mug of tea in his hands as he leaned over the bar island, smiling at her when she finally noticed that he was, in fact, Sasuke's older brother.

She returned the smile. "Hello!" She was nervous, of course. Meeting new people was scary. But she still tried to be polite. "You must be Itachi…" He nodded. And he was a graceful human being. He stood upright and entered the living room, leaving his tea behind. "Hello…" He greeted. And he took her hand in his, lowering his lips and kissing it like a proper gentleman. As if he weren't from this time. "It's nice to meet you, little witch…"

She blushed furiously. Her mouth hung open, her words had been stolen from her.

He released her hand.

She was pretty. With smiling eyes and a cheerful manner of speaking. She smiled sheepishly. "He told you huh?" She mentioned.

"Just recently. I'd figured that my foolish younger brother had been up to something. But if I'd known it was a new friend, I would've at least made more tea." She smiled. Sasuke groaned.

She truly wished to get to know him more, but Sasuke wouldn't have it. He seemed convinced that Itachi would try to embarrass him. So he offered her a seat on the couch. Itachi went back to whatever he'd been doing in the kitchen, making lunch. He asked if Xira liked pasta salad. And she was delighted. She took notice of the accusing looks Sasuke shot his brother. Narrow eyed looks that were so childish that she couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's on your mind?" He asked her, throwing his arm on the back of the couch.

That's when he noticed the glumness of the situation. How her smile seemed to fade.

"Is it that bad?" He asked. And she, after a bit of thought, finally nodded. He was reminded of the day she called, telling him about her terrifying run in with Konan. He was worried. Did someone hurt her?

"I just have to ask… Are you familiar with… Ghouls…?" Saying the word was odd. As if she couldn't quite understand or believe it herself. She inwardly cringed when she saw his expression change. Even behind them, she could see Itachi from the corner of her eye, watching warily as the girl carefully proceeded.

"I'll take that as a yes…?" She answered.

"Good God, Xira. You're starting to become a magnet for disaster…"

He didn't mean for it to sound as accusing and exasperated. He regretted saying it just as he saw her face fell.

"I'm sorry… I just didn't know who to turn to…" She didn't feel comfortable asking her grandmother or Juugo. They'd probably just tell her to stop all contact with Haku.

He wanted to tell that he didn't mean it that way. But he couldn't really recover from it. So he just carefully proceeded. He'd be careful about his words from that point on. Meanwhile, he could almost feel his brother staring at him. Smooth move, he imagined Itachi saying. He was only just worried about her.

"My best friend… He's… He's been turned. And we don't know what to do. I'm… Really scared of what's going to happen to him… I was just hoping that you would… Probably know something that could help? Is there a way to-."

"Xira…"

She could feel her heart climbing up her throat. As if the tone of his voice and the look on his face spoke it all. She hoped it wouldn't be so. But her face was already heating up, as if he'd already said those wretched words.

He watched Itachi give that look. That wide eyed, apologetic look. He set whatever he was doing aside, and disappeared down the hallway. Because he honestly didn't do well with sad moments. It was his way of saying that it was up to Sasuke. It was all in his hands now and there wasn't much he could do to help.

"Xira…" Sasuke repeated. "There's… Not much one can do, after someone's turned."

He watched her carefully. She inhaled painfully, with hot cheeks and defeated eyes. She'd rolled the knowledge over in her mind hundreds of times before she came. He didn't want her to cry. She didn't want to cry either. But she was heading that way fast.

"I felt that… You'd say something like that. I was just a bit… Hopeful."

Itachi had just gotten to his doorway when he'd gotten an idea. He reminded himself that his foolish younger brother always needed help.

He reentered the room.

"You two," He started. "Both have issues that none of us have the answers to. And I think I have a solution."

Sasuke shot him an accusing stare, but Itachi didn't care. "You need to go see him, Sasuke. Soon."

Xira was confused. There were three major questions that flew through her mind but she settled on the first and most important.

"What issue?" She asked. "What's wrong? Has something happened to you?"

He'd make sure to let Itachi know how not okay it was to just blurt problems out. Itachi wouldn't care, however.

She wasn't going to let it slide by. She wasn't the type to turn a blind eye. She'd agonize on and on until she finally got her answer. But still, he would try.

"It's not a big deal." He said.

She immediately turned to Itachi. And he found that the two of them together would be the death of him.

"What's wrong with him?" She asked. And he willingly told her. "His thirst has grown a bit out of hand lately."

"Itachi." He didn't want her to worry. He didn't want her to believe that it was all her fault.

"Sasuke." He'd turned on the older brother voice. The one that spoke of authority and a hint of "I know better than you so shut the hell up." And in a way, he was right.

"I'm curious. What exactly was your plan of action?" He asked. "Were you going to distance yourself from her? Without even mentioning the reason why? Or were you going to just wait it out until you're in so much pain that you lash out at someone. And you will. Because I have and it can happen to anyone, Sasuke."

Sasuke went silent and tight-lipped with anger. Because once again, Itachi was right.

Her mind was spinning. But there was something all too clear in it.

It was her fault.

Her mind was always quick to assume the worst. And she'd already rationalized it. He'd drunk her blood. And she remembered how amazed he was by it. It was the whole reason they'd come to know each other. Her intoxicating blood. He'd drunk some of it. And now, he was suffering for it.

"It's my blood isn't it?" She asked. "It's because of me… Did it poison you? My God, it poisoned you, didn't it?"

He shook his head. "No. No, that's not it at all. It's the opposite." He'd been craving it. She and that blood of hers was the only thing he thought about at night.

"Is it… That you need more...? Is it some kind of… Dependence?" As she spoke, she selflessly pulled her sleeve back. "I can give you more if that stops the pain…"

"I don't think that would be wise, Xira." Itachi intercepted. She sheepishly drew her hand back. Of course, she thought, ashamed. How foolish of her. "Sorry… That would make it worse, would it?"

"We don't want to take any chances. I want you two to go ask 'he who shall not be named' for some answers. He knows some things about both ghouls and witches, so it wouldn't hurt."

Sasuke sat and stared. He sat and seethed in the silence and knowledge that his brother had a point. He seethed in the knowledge that the girl was possibly worried that it was all her fault. He didn't want her to worry. But Itachi was right. She would've worried anyway.

"Let's go ask him." He said. "Hopefully, there aren't any side effects." He slid his keys off the table and stood.

"We'll be back later." He said. Xira was right beside him. Nervous. Afraid. But still beside him. She bid her farewell and thanked Itachi in earnest, rushing to keep up with Sasuke. And when they'd gone, he'd realized that not only did he have the two of them to worry about, but a mess further inside the house to deal with as well. It was always up to him to clean up after his foolish younger brother.


"Who is 'he who shall not be named?'" She asked after minutes of silent riding.

"He's the one I told you about. The old one."

"Ahhh. I see. So he should know lots of things, huh?" She smiled weakly. "I get to meet a centuries-old vampire. That's actually really cool." Yet, she couldn't help but think about it all. What if there were side effects? What if he would deteriorate? What if it was like a bad, addictive drug?

Then that would probably mean that she would have to work harder.

She'd decided it at that moment. If things were at their worst, then she'd just have to learn more. She'd figure something out. A cure, if she had to. She'd right this wrong.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was trying figure out where this goddamned tattoo shop was.

"I'm sorry about all this…" She said.

"Xira." He stopped her before she could even continue one. "I was the one who bit you… Don't apologize. This is not your fault. Your friend isn't your fault either. Darren isn't your fault. That fucking thing back at the hospital wasn't your fault, either. None of it." It was a bit much, but he felt as if it should be said. "I'm sorry for what I said back there. You're a magnet, sure. But it's not your fault. We're just… At the wrong places at the wrong times."

"I'll fix this… I promise. If it turns out to be bad, I'll fix it."

"I'll help you."

He got a childish thought and dismissed it as soon as it came. But second guessed it. Why not, he thought, as he held a pinky towards her. She looked at it, then smiled. The first smile he'd seen since getting in the car. She took the pinky and together, they silently swore.

"Is that the shop? He does tattoos? Ironic." She said, a little laugh in her throat.

"You think that's ironic?" He asked. "Wait until you meet him…"

The left the car and entered the little shop on the South end. Placed conveniently on a commercial little strip that the tourists always came through and the locals frequented. There was a lot of business on Fourth Point. Stores that couldn't be found anywhere else, good restaurants and trademarked businesses. The shop was wedged between a bar and grill restaurant and an odd shop that sold nothing but incense, books, candles and crystals. Xira remembered coming to it once, and dubbed it "the other witch shop" ever since.

She followed on his heels as he entered the tattoo shop. It was only a Saturday afternoon. It only grew busy in the later hours of the day, when the Points lit up and came alive with business and people.

"Is Hidan in?" Sasuke asked the guy at the front desk. And it was here that Xira felt her stomach flip and curl inside of her. Because that name was painfully familiar. The type of name that no one else had. There was only one Hidan on this earth, as far as she knew. And he was hers.

It couldn't be that Hidan, couldn't it?

Her Hidan? It'd been so long. He left so long ago, back at home. Over nearly a decade ago.

"He's in the back. Just go right on in. He doesn't have a client or anything." Sasuke nodded and started for the back.

She was nervous. She shouldn't have been, but she was. She forced herself to stay off of Sasuke's heels. To not be like a scared child once more, but she couldn't help it. She felt small and blind behind him.

"Hidan…" She heard him say, peeking into a doorless room on the far end of the hallway, far from the initial room. The building had the structural integrity of a dentist's office, but with all the art work, music, and beaded curtains-turned-doors, it felt exactly like what it was supposed to be. She could hear music floating from the room. She liked that band, too. He'd always liked things like this. Energetic songs that shot words and truth at you in riddles. Like he did. She watched as Sasuke slipped through the beads and hung back, peering through instead of entering.

Pale hair. Pale skin.

"Hidan. Wake up." Sasuke tried to hold back the words in his mind. He should refrain from calling the guy "lazy fucker" and "idiot." He wanted this visit to be brief, informative, and non-taxing.

"Huh...? Holy shit, Sasuke. How's it going, kid? What brings you here?" There was a smirk in his voice. Energy in his eyes and bones. She could see him without really seeing him. His voice hadn't changed a bit. Even the way he moved hadn't changed. Suave and quick, as he hooked his foot around a chair leg and pulled it closer, meaning for Sasuke to sit. "Stay a while," the gesture said.

"We just have a few questions for you. Things have come up and… We just need some answers."

"We?" He asked. And she could feel eyes on her. Sasuke looked beyond the doorway. "Xira?" He called. Her stomach lurched like a car engine that hadn't been started in years. She turned the key and eased on the gas. She moved the beads aside as she entered.

His eyes tripled in size.

"Holy fuck." He said. Because he knew those big, brown eyes.

She looked just like her mother.

How long had it been? Nine? Ten years? She'd grown so much. Still short. Merid women weren't all that tall. But they had that trademark hair. Dark, thick, and wild. Eyes that you couldn't see your own reflection in. They ought to have been blue, with all the stormy emotion they were filled with.

She nervously laughed. "Long time no see…"

"You humans…" He said. "I forget how fast you all grow. Goddamn. You spring up like weeds."

"Poetic." Yet, her voice had grown hollow. At a loss for what to say or feel, she resolved for excitement. There was no point in being upset or angry. Not after all the time that had passed. "I guess fate is more persistent than you expected?" She said. "Can't get rid of me that easily…"

He smiled. Sad and happy all the same. Mourning over the lost time, yet grateful for another chance to see the girl. "I'm glad."

Hidan had always been a being full of energy. Always bouncing from one topic to the next. Now he was smiling. The somberness had melted away, replaced by reveling. He didn't ask her about how she'd come to find herself in the city, so far from her home. She didn't ask about the toxic family she'd left behind, or about her parents or even her older brother that worried him to no end. He didn't ask about the past. And she didn't either. "All is dust," he always used to say. Well, whenever it wasn't the usual "fuck it."

"Well! What do you kiddos need?" He asked, patting the seat he'd originally grabbed for Sasuke. But now, it was Xira he was beaming at. She gladly took it. Sasuke was confused, she saw. But he didn't really dwell on it. He shot her a kind of look, begging for an explanation later. He'd get one, she promised.

"Well… We've got two problems right now. See…" She smiled nervously. Yes, she was nervous again. The grimness of the situation was too potent to be chased away by a happy reunion. She explained in full the situation of her blood and its effect.

Though crass, she was relieved to hear Hidan's answer. That Sasuke was only being a 'lil bitch.' Though he could've been a bit more delicate, she couldn't help but smile. Sasuke, on the other hand, had the worst scowl on his face.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal. Just a bit of witch blood. Good stuff, ain't it?" He laughed. Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes. He was starting to brood and Xira resolved to stop that in its tracks.

"So… What should he do to make the burning stop?" Like a concerned mother, she asked the real questions.

"It's just withdrawal. It's kinda like a drug. But the best kind. No consequences." He shrugged. "You can grow a pair and suffer through it until it's out of your system. You'll be fine if you do and you'll be fine if you don't."

"So he'll be alright…" She beamed up at Sasuke. His scowl only relented a little. It would take a bit more to put him at ease about it. After all, he would be the one to suffer through it all. Her smile melted.

"It would be fine if I just… Gave him my blood too, right?"

It wasn't hard to make her feel like a small child. There were only a handful of people who could, yet, it only took a word or two for them to make her feel as if she didn't know what was best. Though the award for it would go to her older brother, she couldn't help but feel as if Hidan would get the silver medal. He was a close second.

"Now hold on, kid." There was no filter to his words. He was uncaring of what Sasuke thought of him, or of his feelings. He spoke freely, as if he weren't even in the room. "I know you. And I know you've always been a kind spirit. But do you trust him?"

She expected this kind of response. She even expected Sasuke to have something to say as well. But there was nothing. He was so quiet beside her, watching her with dark eyes as he waited patiently for the answer.

"Yeah." As if it were something universally known, she threw her shoulders up. She was met with hard stares, and felt entirely too small for her liking. Hidan must've bought it, however. "Fine." He mirrored her shrug. "What's next?"

She then explained Haku.

"Ghouls…" He started. "We don't screw around with ghouls." He said. "They don't just eat humans. They eat half-breeds or anything that used to be human. If they're really desperate, they'll eat other ghouls, too." He grimaced. They were disgusting, he said. And treacherous as hell. Never trust a ghoul. They may try to eat you moments later, if you let them. He'd seen family turn on each other. Friends… Lovers.

Hidan told her to cut all ties. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. There was nothing that could be done. "He'll probably be better off learning from the ghoul who turned him. That's usually how it goes."

Sasuke wanted to reach out. It would've been easy to simply lay a hand on her shoulder and try, in vain, to hold her together. But it would be like trying to stop the water from leaking from a cracked dam. Xira was always like water. She was full of it. Filled with feelings and tears. The quiet kind that made him go cold. The messy kind that felt all too personal to him. The violent kind that shook her, therefore shook him as well. He wanted to curse. At what, he didn't know. But he wanted to. But most of all, he wanted the water to stop. He wanted fate to stop wringing her dry.

"Thanks, Hidan…" She bit back the tears. Patched up the dam with a temporary smile. He watched her warily. It was the most Sasuke had seen him with such a grim expression. He was serious. Because Xira was a serious matter, he assumed. He felt horribly like an outsider, looking in. An observer to the obvious history between the two. What were the ties that really held them together, he wondered. He bet that even Xira didn't know the answer.

He watched as she rose. The same way a dog shakes it coat dry, she shook the tears from her system before they could even fall. She took out her phone and demanded a number. He wouldn't slip away from her again, she said. They traded numbers and hugged, like long lost family members. She thanked him. And as they left, he could almost feel her grow heavy again…


"You okay…?" He asked once the silence was too much. Minutes into the ride, and she hadn't said a word. They were heading back to his place. Her car was still there. Yet, she'd admitted that she wanted to stick around. She didn't quite want to go home yet. Her brother would obviously want answers behind her somberness. She simply wanted to mourn.

"There's nothing I can do…" And the water was back. It was pressing itself against the dam, spewing through the cracks. With water in her eyes and trembling lips, she forced herself to be still. "Damn… Damn."

"He is not dying, Xira…" He reassured.

"But is being a ghoul not just as bad…?"

The brevity and swiftness of his answer was almost shocking to him. "It's not. He'll find a way. The same way that we do. He will live…"

"I should be able to turn him back… Why can't I turn him back?" Hidan said that there was no possible way she could. Becoming a ghoul was horribly permanent.

He didn't answer.


Sakura was gone by the time they returned. She wasn't happy, according to Itachi. And Xira frowned.

"You're upset…?"

"That's… You shouldn't… Use people like that."

"I was desperate. And in pain…"

She settled down onto the sofa.

"Are you… In pain right now…?" She asked. "Are you thirsty?"

There he went again, making her feel small with hard stares.

"Xira… I'll deal with it…"

"But why do that when you can just drink?" Her eyes did just as his did, challenging him.

"Do you want me to rip you apart, Xira?"

They hadn't noticed that Itachi had finally reentered the room. The harsh sound of a clearing throat called their attention. Sasuke stabbed a finger at his brother. "Don't take that out of context."

"…No… I just…"

"Last time, I was barely able to stop. What if I don't? You could die… I don't think you understand how dangerous we can be."

"I…" She forced her tone into one of certainty. She could at the very least pretend that she was confident. "You can control it…"

He stared at her incredulously. And she mistook it for an opening. "I can stand it. Just bite and get it over with." She stood to meet him. But he was just shaking his head. "No." He said. "No, no, no."

"Sasuke! Just do it! Just bite me! You can do it! And you will stop when you're done, okay? I know you will. There's no point to you suffering as much as you have been. It's my fault that this has happened. Now let me fix it."

He stood there, thinking long and hard about the girl in front of him and the growing ache of his throat. He thought about the taste of her blood on his lips and how it would feel again, rolling down his throat, making his skin prickle with goosebumps and go all warm and hot.

He caved.

She followed him into his room. Her heart was slow to realize what she was about to do. But when it did, it began to throb inside her chest. It felt as if someone was wringing her stomach.

"Having second thoughts?" He asked, waiting for the slightest indication that she wasn't willing to go through with it. The slightest excuse for them to back out and forget it all. Yet, she was swallowing back the nervousness and stilled her shaking hands. "No." She said. "I'm ready whenever you are…"

"No you're not… You're shaking…"

She frowned. But he was right. Once again, he was right. Her hands were trembling like leaves. They reminded her of the time she had to participate in a piano festival for a grade. Her skill wasn't all that bad. She was good, since she practiced often. She loved the piano more than any other instrument. It was fun to play and sweet to her ears. But the notes she played before the judge came out mangled and broken. She half-expected him to simply tell her to stop already. But he never did. She didn't know if she would've preferred that or not.

She didn't take a piano class after that.

This was not a piano festival, however. There weren't a dozen pairs of eyes watching her. Just one. And he wouldn't hurt her. She didn't believe he would. Because Sasuke was a good guy, in her eyes.

"Would it be better if you bit from here?" She pointed to her bare neck. "Like in the movies?"

With an incredulous little snort, he closed the gap between them and took her by the shoulders. She flinched. She turned those anxious eyes on him.

"Relax. If you tense up, it'll hurt more."

"Kind of like a shot…" Her laughter was small and nervous.

"Yeah," He said. "Like a shot. It'll only hurt for a second."

She remembered what he said about the whole process, done in such a fashion that the pain was minimal. To bite quickly, yet forcefully. Like ripping off a bandaid, the pain came and went. Afterwards, the blood would flow freely. This is what he did.

She'd be lying if she said that she didn't blush. That her stomach didn't twist and that there wasn't something warm kindling in the pit of her belly as he fed. She felt disgusting for liking the way he licked at her burning flesh. But it was partially his fault, she thought, for being so gentle. Did he do this every time he fed? She relaxed in his hands. She closed her eyes and tried to think of something other than his lips on her skin, or his tongue raking over the wounds.

It went on longer than she imagined, and it was only until he released her, wiping the spot with the sleeve of his shirt, that she realized just how much blood was lost when his kind fed. She smiled and asked with two thumbs jutting into the air. "You alright now?" She asked, despite of the lightness of her head.

"Yeah." He said. Afterward, he smiled at her. "Thanks." And that smile was contagious. For once, she felt as if she'd done something good. She wasn't a useless magnet. She'd done some good.

She wanted to sit down. The moment she took a step, however, her legs protested and buckled. He hooked a hand underneath her arm. "Come sit down." He said. Because he knew that it would be a while until she'd recover. She needed to rest a bit. "Let's go watch a movie or something… That's fine, right?"

She smiled. Of course it was.


Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following all that stuff! It makes me so happy to know that people actually like this enough to look forward to the next chapter! I've been trying to write more often but jeez writer's block is awful.