21. A Night Not to be Forgotten pt1

"Are we there yet?"

"Dobe, we've only been on the road for an hour. We've got two days more, so just be patient."

"Hey, look! Cows!" Naruto shouted. After a moment, a smack was heard from Itachi slamming his forehead into the dashboard in front of him, sighing. Tiashi patted his shoulder, mumbling that it would be over soon.

The five were on the road back to Konoha, after four days at Tiashi's house. After some decision making, the woman had decided to travel back with them. Naruto said it was just so she could sleep with Itachi some more and that comment had gotten him hit over the head by both people involved in the joke. Sasuke, who was in the back seat, stared out through the window. They were driving through large, majestic mountains of purple and other colors he couldn't describe. There was so much life all around him, but nothing within him. There was a strange aching in his chest knowing that he wouldn't see her again. When was the last time he had this feeling? It seemed so familiar . . .

It was right after his parents died from the car crash when he was a kid. Sadness was what he was feeling. But why?

Sasuke stared out again, gazing at everything that seemed to be covered in lush-green vegetation. Green like Sakura's eyes . . .

Sasuke really missed the pink-haired woman. He would never admit it, but he had grown just a little attached to her. She never worshipped the ground that he walked on like other girls, for which he was thankful. She was intelligent, had a sense of humor, and she was always so caring towards everyone. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder about her. Did she miss him? What was she doing right now?

"I already told you, I know nothing," the unusually frail woman said quietly through clenched teeth. She screamed when the fire raced through her body again. It felt worse than the first time in burned her veins. There was more added, and she felt herself scream again. Her throat began to hurt form all of the screaming. Too much. There was too much inside of her. It was there, and then it would be gone. There, and then gone. Over and over again. A painful cycle that needed to end, but wouldn't.

"Sakura, I really don't like putting this stuff inside of you. You and your body could be put back into peace if you just simply cooperate with me. Now I'll ask again. Where are Sasuke and Itachi?" Kimimaru asked politely. His voice could be so deceiving at times . . .

He stared at the woman before him, slightly impressed with her. She was slender and beautiful, yes. But behind the pretty face was the deadly monster within, just waiting to be set free. But no matter how strong she was, she was stuck this time. She was strapped to the chair, one that even she couldn't break. Her long, pastel-colored hair was tangled, matted with blue blood, dirt, and dry sweat. Her clothes were tattered, covered in the silver-blue liquid. Vampire venom—their own bloodline. She had been bruised and cut in several places repeatedly, the poison that kept her living having flowed out of the injuries. All vampires know that if one had too little venom in their body, they would die. Just like if a human didn't have enough blood.

All vampires also knew that they could die from having too much venom inside their system.

Kimimaru ran the tip of the ancient vampire blade under Sakura's collar bone, letting the new poison within her to drip back out, running over other wounds he had created. He would follow this exact procedure every time. Let the new venom cause pain throughout her body, and then drain it, weakening the victim once more.

At that moment, a man walked into the room.

"The brothers have been located."

ELEVEN HOURS LATER . . .

"Okay, please tell me we're almost there!"

"Dobe, if you don't shut up in two seconds—"

"Quiet, both of you! If you two make another peep, I'll bash both of your heads into steel walls!"

" . . ."

". . . I bet she can't even find a steel wall."

Itachi spun around so fast in the passenger seat that Sasuke didn't even catch it. He sent an irritated glare at Sasuke, his eyes just thin slits. "Listen, if she doesn't force you guys to zip it, I will."

After that silence ensued. Besides the back-seat-bickering, the car ride had been pretty quiet. They would have had the radio on, but the fact that Naruto wanted to listen to rock on The Zone and Sasuke wanted to listen to hip hop and rap on Kiss FM, and there was a radio control in the back, and they were both messing with it to win the control, Tiashi quickly squashed that idea down in the dirt.

So once again, the group sat in silence. After about ten minutes, the full vampires heard a noise, one that was so faint that even they had trouble hearing it. Tiashi stopped the car on the side of the road, listening carefully.

"Itachi, did you hear that?" she asked in a whisper. The man nodded.

"Yeah. I smell it, too." At that comment, Tiashi rolled down her window. After taking a few deep breaths through her nose, she gasped, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Oh, no! That's Sakura!" she shouted, getting out.

"What?!"

Everyone else quickly got out, standing in the middle of the deserted country road. They gazed out down the road, at first seeing nothing. Then, a second later, Sakura was standing in front of them. Hinata gasped, her eyes widening in fear.

"Sakura, what happened to you?!" she asked, staring at the woman's dreadful appearance. Everyone took in the sight of Sakura's torn, dirty cloths and the injuries that adorned her once-flawless skin. They also noticed how she was slightly hunched over, as if in pain. Sakura coughed, droplets venom spraying from her mouth.

"They're here—looking!" she wheezed out, coughing again. Her form shook from the power of the racking coughs.

"Sakura, what are you talking about, what's going on?" Sasuke asked aloud. His mind was still in shock that this had happened to her, whatever this was. He couldn't think of anyone or anything that was strong enough to hurt even Sakura! Who could have done this?

"Please, they're almost here we have to—"

Sakura was quickly interrupted by a bone chilling scream, louder than the ones she had produced. They sent chills done her spine—no one should ever be able to scream l that loud, they shouldn't have to be put to that. The human vocal chords should never b strained hat much!

"HINATA!"

Everyone stared at the girl and the tip of a blade that was sticking out through her stomach, and then disappeared again, the limp body falling forward. Behind her was none other than a smirking Kabuto.

Sakura caught the dying girl and ran, everyone following behind her. They stopped in the middle of the field next to the road, still wanting to be able to see where the enemy was at. Feeling a rumbling, Sasuke turned and looked down. His eyes widened to see the ground beneath his feet and around them begin rising up like walls, blocking out the enemy.

"What the—"

"Tiashi is a vampire, Sasuke—remember how I told you that we all have gifts? Well, this is her gift," Sakura said quickly. By this time, Naruto had taken Hinata into his arms. She was bleeding, and it was everywhere. On the ground, in the air, and on everyone's cloths. Sasuke stared at all of the blood that was still coming out of her. How could one person hold so much blood in their veins? Naruto's cloths were now stained red, creating a light brown from mixing with the color of his jacket.

"No . . . no, no, no . . ." the blonde man whispered repeatedly. Sakura's heart clenched at seeing the emotional pain in his eyes. That feeling/

She knew that feeling all too well.

The pain of knowing you are going to lose someone, and then the feeling you get inside of you that you have lost them. It is an emotional thing, but a lot of times the pain turns physical. Sakura would know that all too well. Just staring at Hinata reminded her of when her parents were slaughtered by a new vampire.

By their only daughter.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered, "I can save her, but you might not like it," she said. Naruto didn't look up, but continued to cry out his heart, staring at his lover.

"Y-you mean . . . t-turn her?" he choked out. Sakura nodded, adding a 'yes' since he wasn't looking at her.

"Sakura . . ." Everyone looked down at the pale-than-white dying girl who had whispered the name. She looked up at Sakura, her eyes shockingly full of strong determination. "Do it."

Currently watching the Memorial service for Michael Jackson. He was a legend. For people that hate him, don't comment. He was strange, but he never had a childhood so shut up if you got shit to say.

Next Chapter: A Night Not to be Forgotten pt2