A/N: Sooo, I think my interview went really well! Wish me luck, I should find out by the end of this week if I get the job or not!

XXX

I scrambled after him, rushing to grab the belt and follow him as he left without even waiting for me. He brought me down the hall towards his room, but we stopped just short. He held his hand out to the wall at the left, running it against the smooth surface so confidently, that it looked rather strange.

A crack appeared then, running the entire height of the wall, before opening up completely to the outside world.

I couldn't believe it. My mouth hung slightly open as I walked passed him, down a short brick corridor before stepping out into the night air, grass swaying in a slight breeze.

The wall made a sound of shutting, and then Sasuke was standing next to me.

I spun around, stunned at being allowed outside again, and I was surprised to see that the wall had completely vanished.

"What...where are we?" I asked, turning to face him head on.

He would not meet my gaze, instead he reached out and wrapped something metallic around my wrist. The action so fast, so out of character, that I did not have time to pull away.

"Hey!" I tugged my arm back after he'd clasped the thing on. I tried to push it down, but it wouldn't fit over my hand, the metal band was too snug. "What is this thing?"

"It's to prevent you from being tracked while we're out here," he said, walking off into the night.

I trotted after him, all the while trying to get the stupid bracelet off of me. "Fine, but what are we doing?"

He kept walking, and he finally spoke up when I was about to ask my question again.

"You said before that you haven't fought a young vampire yet. I'm bringing you to one so that you can test your abilities against it."

The blood in my veins stilled, a chill running over me at his words. "Really?"

He only nodded in response.

A sense of excitement rang through me, followed by traces of nerves. The only vampire I'd ever fought in the field was that Suigetsu, and that was not a very long fight. I'd barely done anything at all.

And Sasuke had been great to spar against, but he still hadn't been fighting me with the intent to kill. So all of my vampire fighting experience comes down to fighting against adversaries that did not have the intent to kill.

This one would be vastly different.

My hands opened and clenched into fists as we continued our trek through a forest.

I needed to distract myself, get out of my thoughts.

"Where are we exactly?" I asked.

He ducked under a low hanging tree branch, and then turned to the right. "In the woods."

I rolled my eyes. "How did we get here? There are no mountains around, and your place is embedded into the side of one. It has to be some sort of transportation spell or something."

His voice remained completely flat, devoid of any emotion. "If you had already deduced as much then why bother asking about it?"

Okay, enough was enough.

I sped up, and grabbed him by the shoulder. At least, that was my intention anyway, but he moved so quickly that he was suddenly behind me instead. I just whirled around and glared at him.

"What's your problem?" I asked, the anger bubbling up to the surface so quickly, so strongly.

For a moment, I could have sworn that it was hurt dashing across his dark eyes, but in the next blink it was gone. He stared down at me with a blank expression. "We have to keep moving." And then he stepped around me, walking on through the dark foliage.

I groaned, balling my hands into tight fists, but couldn't find it in me to ask again. If he was going to keep shutting me down, then what would even be the point?

Eventually, we stopped moving, Sasuke beckoning me to stay low and quiet. We moved silently through the woods, coming to the edge at an open field.

I glanced out at the expanse of open land. Hills rolled over the grassy plains, and a path curved around them, one that travelers no doubt utilized in the light of day. But, something instantly felt off about it, something rotten that had my back straightening, all my senses heightening.

"What's wrong here?" Sasuke asked me.

I shook my head, unable to grasp the exact reason as to what the feeling of this place meant, so he pointed ahead. Squinting into the darkness, I could make out a small cave opening, only big enough to fit one person at a time.

It was there where my instincts were telling me that the ominous feeling was coming from. "There's a vampire in there," I said.

He nodded, and kept his voice down to a whisper. "Yes. I'd been looking for the perfect one to test you on, and this is it. He's fairly new, and waits for passersby as he sits in the cave."

"What do you suggest I do then?" I asked, not taking my eyes from the dark opening.

He sat in silence before he said, "What do you think you should do?"

This was all a test for me.

"I'm going to lure him out."

The walk to the cave was quiet, and I couldn't help but be slightly anxious with Sasuke's eyes at my back. He'd specifically told me that he would not interfere, that this was all on me.

I didn't need his help anyway, I was capable enough to dispatch this newly formed vampire. I was going to kill it quickly and then make my way back to him to shove it in his stupid face.

A scent of blood drifted to me on the night wind as it blew from the direction of the cave. My walk turned into a full out sprint then. If there was somebody already there being drained by the vampire, maybe I'd be able to save them.

It hadn't been visible from so great a distance before, but now that I was at the mouth of the cave I could see a source of light from deep within.

I hesitated, not wanting to go inside the cave. The vampire would have the advantage in there, I would have more luck drawing whatever was in there outside.

But then I heard the scream.

And I ran in.

XXX

I made sure to keep my footsteps quiet, wanting to have the element of surprise on my side, and a dagger was prepped in each hand.

The screaming continued, growing louder with each step I took.

When I reached the end of the tunnel, I inched my head slowly around the side to take in my surroundings.

Before me was a large opening, lit by a fire on the far side of the area. The smell of blood coated the air, sinking into my lungs.

A young girl was tied up near the fire, a vampire standing over her, his hand raised and dripping with her blood. He made to swipe at her again, and I moved.

I lunged into the space, running right at the monster.

He barely registered my presence in time, but managed to dodge any lethal blow. My right blade connected with the side of his arm, grazing only deep enough to create a tiny line against his shirt that slowly turned red.

A low growl escaped him, hissing at the wound I'd inflicted. He was a bit taller than me, shaggy blonde hair and a dirty complexion. He looked like he'd been surviving out here for a while now, picking off stragglers when dark finally crept over the hilly lands. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fangs were out.

"You'll regret that," he snarled before lunging at me, fangs bared in a menacing way.

I lashed out a kick that hit him in the stomach, sending him flailing backwards. I didn't give him time to react before I threw one of my daggers at him. He dodged to the right, but it gave me enough time to grab one of the stakes settled on my belt.

He eyed it angrily before lunging into another fury of attacks. I blocked his swipe with my left arm and pushed the stake at his chest.

Another arm reached out and grabbed mine, stopping the attack completely.

My head snapped to the right instantly, and my eyes landed on another vampire.

This one was much more put together, his clothes weren't dirty or ripped, and his short brown hair had been brushed neatly to the side. He stared down at me with a smile, fangs catching my attention.

I brought my left arm down at his immediately, looking to break our point of contact.

It worked, but I only barely had enough time to jump back, dodging an oncoming blow from the first blond vampire.

"Who're you?" I asked. Sasuke had only mentioned one newly formed vampire for this attack. I had no idea there would be another.

He smiled. "Bit of an odd question coming from someone who is about to be made into a meal."

I couldn't help but cringe.

The vampire only smiled deeper at that.

"Come on, Kane," came a third voice. A new vampire slunk from out of the darkness, from where the light from the fire couldn't reach. This one was a female, her long black hair hang low against her back, eyes dark and completely focused on me. "It's not nice to play with your food."

Three vampires. I was facing off against three vampires.

The brown haired one, Kane, walked towards the cave entrance slowly. I adjusted my stance to keep him in my sights.

I took a deep breath, and yelled for him. "Sas-"

But, Kane had brought his hand against the wall, right over a particular notch.

And the cave entrance shut.

XXX

Q: What is the most unusual fear you have?

A: Lakes! Or any body of water in which I cannot see the bottom. Oh mannnn, just thinking about it sent a chill through me. I always think something's going to grab at me, pulling me under to my death. That or I'm going to step on some dead person. I can't even think about going in without an inner-tube, I just can't do it.