Chapter twenty four

The other half-breed

It didn't take Sakura more than a second to start feeling suffocated in the kitchen. If she thought it was a chaos earlier, right now it seemed like a battle field. There was noise, people, dishes clattering, and in the air, the smell of food, human sweat and… blood? Someone must have cut their finger while chopping vegetables. It was a good thing that Ino gave Sakura a glass of blood mixed with tomato juice a couple of hours ago. "Just in case," the blonde had said. Sakura was more thankful to her than ever.

As hurriedly as she could, she walked deeper into the room and headed straight towards the glass cabinet where the alcoholic drinks where kept. The Uchihas loved wine, and Sakura was very amazed by the variety of bottles they possessed. She opened the door of the cabinet and pulled out the first bottle of red wine she identified. Then, she put it on the tray she was still carrying, keeping the balance of the two bottles and the single glass on it, and walked as fast as possible towards the exit.

Once she was out of the kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief. Poor kitchen maids, she thought. They must be sick of being in there… or maybe they've already grown used to it. If I were in there for longer than two minutes, I would totally faint, or lose my mind, or both.

Sakura headed back to the backyard, making her way through the sea of people that almost filled the entire entrance hall. Inside the mansion it was too hot, but outside it was too cold. It seemed like most of the guests, however, preferred to sweat than to shiver. Personally, Sakura would rather be outside. Crowds had always made her feel trapped and frightened.

In the backyard, she walked around searching for the red haired girl that had ordered her – in a very rude manner, by the way – to get her the red wine. She couldn't find her, even though her hair color was pretty noticeable, so she then decided to look for Sasuke, because the girl looked like she wanted to spend the rest of the evening by his side. What a slut, Sakura thought bitterly. What a very rude, very ugly, red haired slut.

Oh, there she went again, thinking of Sasuke as if he belonged to her. Yesterday, she'd done the same thing, this time with Hinata. Of course, she didn't call the Hyuga a slut, because she was too nice and sweet to deserve that. But Sakura did wish she would go back to her home, away from Sasuke, because seeing them together was making her sick.

But that was wrong. Sasuke's love life was none of her business, and she wasn't supposed to even think about it. It was very, very wrong to care, and also useless. No matter how much she thought, wished or hoped, Sasuke would never be meant for her.

And she couldn't find him anywhere in the backyard. The red haired girl was not there, either. Maybe they had gone away together. Maybe they were making out in the bathroom right now. Or maybe they were in Sasuke's room… But Sakura didn't give a damn about what they were going, did she?

"Excuse me," a guy that was standing right in front of her and that she hadn't noticed until then said, looking at her with a mix of worry, amusement and confusion. "Can you hear me?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, yes. Yes, I can hear you," Sakura said, embarrassed of having spaced out.

"Oh, okay. Are you okay?" The guy smiled, and that made Sakura notice how good looking he was. His smile was perfect: straight, white teeth, and thin, pink lips. His skin was a bit too pale, but it made an entrancing contrast with his black suit and his raven hair, which was very short and soft-looking. However, his eyes were the best part: they were very dark, like two pools of oil…

Suddenly, she understood why she found him so handsome: he looked a lot like Sasuke.

Maybe Sakura was misunderstanding her own thoughts, but if not, then it seemed like she already had a huge crush on Sasuke. Instead of being embarrassed or angry, Sakura was very, very scared. If her feelings got any deeper, and then she dared to confess it all to him, he would hurt her; she was certain he would. Because, what guy – especially a full vampire – in his right mind would want someone like Sakura?

Her mind was racing, and so was her pulse, but she forced herself to answer in an even voice, "I'm okay." Then, she licked her lips because her mouth was suddenly very dry, perhaps because of her fear. She was indeed very frightened, of herself, of the future, of her emotions.

No, not frightened – terrified, actually.

"Um, can I help you with something?" she asked the guy, wanting him to leave her alone so that she could go to the bathroom and splash cold water on her face.

"I would like some wine," he replied, still smiling. Either he didn't notice how bad she was, or he ignored it. "That one's red, right?"

"Yes," Sakura said, and then she quickly poured him a glass of it. "Here," she said, handing the drink to him. She realized her hand was shaking, and so did he.

"Are you really okay?" he asked, his smile completely gone.

Sakura licked her lips again. She was about to lie again, but then she realize it was useless to keep doing that. "No," she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just – I don't know…"

"Why don't you take a seat and try to calm down?" the guy said concernedly, gesturing towards an empty table hidden under a tree near the garden.

Sakura knew she shouldn't. She was a waitress, and he was a guest. She was supposed to be working, and he was supposed to be enjoying the party. They shouldn't sit together. She shouldn't take this break…

But she needed to sit down. Just a couple of minutes, she told herself as she nodded and followed the guy to the table.

"Sucks that you can't join us in the after party," Itachi said, making small movements with his fingers towards his fork, which was lifting a few inches into the air and then dropping on the table with a soft thud, controlled by him.

"Well, I could," Ino replied, watching the fork with a hand under her chin. "I mean, my shift ends at eleven, although right now it's not even ten and I'm already free to do whatever I want. I could go home in my car, get changed, and then come back at midnight."

"And why won't you?" Itachi questioned.

The blonde sighed sadly, blowing a lock of hair away from her face. "Sakura can't come. People will notice she's different if she walks around the party freely. I mean, no one's paying attention to her right now because she's a just waitress and everyone assumes she's an unimportant human, so they don't give her a second glance. But if she gets all dressed up and pretty, she'll look like one of us, and people will start to question who she is and… well, the rest won't be pretty."

"I agree," he said, "but that doesn't explain why you can't have some fun with us. You've heard how our parties are like. All the vampires our age get together and we do some really crazy shit."

Ino smiled. "Of course I know. You guys sure know how to throw an after party. But I can't come because I don't want Sakura to feel left out. She says she wants me to come and have fun even if it's without her, but I know that deep inside she wishes she could come too."

"Well, then don't tell her you'll come."

"What! No, I won't do that. I hate lying to her. Besides, I – Itachi, leave that fork alone!"

Itachi sighed and rolled his eyes, but he did stop playing with his fork. "It's not my fault your gift is not fun like mine, okay?"

"The movement is driving me mad. Just stop, alright?"

"Okay, whatever." He paused and looked at her curiously, as if he'd suddenly realized something. "Why do I never see you using your gift? You can hear words and sounds from the future, right?"

"Yeah, but it makes my head ache afterward. I've only tried it a few times, and the ache keeps getting worse. Besides, what's the freaking use of being a prophetess if you can only hear what is going to happen? My gift sucks."

"Maybe," he shrugged, and then put his elbows on the table, leaning closer to her. "Anyway, I think you should consider coming. The more people we are, the more fun we have."

She smiled. "Why do I have the feeling that you want to get me drunk and take advantage of me?"

He smiled back and winked. "You're too smart for your own good, Yamanaka."

In that moment, Ino caught a glimpse of pink hair over Itachi's right shoulder. She stopped joking and attentively watched her cousin walk towards the garden, apparently following a dark haired guy Ino didn't recognize. Inexplicably, the sight triggered a bad feeling within her.

"Itachi," she said, "do you know that guy that is with Sakura?"

The Uchiha glanced over his shoulder slowly and discreetly. He watched the two people for a few seconds, and then turned to Ino. "No," he answered, "which is kind of weird, since I know most of the people here. It's my party, after all."

"I don't like him," the blonde confessed, frowning.

"Do you know him?"

"No, I have no idea who he is, but... I don't know. He just doesn't seem like a good guy, even from behind. I don't want him near Sakura."

Itachi looked over his shoulder again. Sakura and the guy had seated at a table; she seemed to be telling him something, rubbing her forehead as if distressed, and he was listening attentively. "You're losing your mind, darling. I don't see anyhing wrong in him. He looks like a normal guy."

"He's not a vampire, is he?"

Itachi frowned at her, showing he hadn't really been thinking about what he was or wasn't. He glanced behind him again, watched for a few moments, and then sighed. "I can't see well enough, Ino. But why does it matter? There are all kinds of people here."

The blonde was about to explain him how there seemed to be something off with that guy, but then she realized that not even she understood herself, so she shut her mouth. Maybe I'm tired, she thought, and I'm just imagining stuff. Maybe I'm going crazy... When was the last time I fed? This afternoon?

"I need some blood," she said hastily before rising to her feet and walking away, leaving Itachi frowning confusedly.

"I'm Sai, by the way."

Sakura looked up at the guy sitting in front of her and started laughing. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she said between nervous giggles. "I've been telling you all about my love life even though I don't even know your name!"

"Don't worry. You know it now." The guy, Sai, smiled. Sakura noticed his smiles where very tiny, almost unnoticeable, and his eyes stayed blank and emotionless even as he smiled. However, his tone was always warm and friendly, and it made her want to trust him. She thought she already did. After all, she'd just told him everything about her current situation with Sasuke – although she gave no names or details that included vampires or anything like that, of course. Sai seemed to be a vampire, and if he knew she, a supposedly completely normal human waitress, knew about his kind, things would start to get ugly.

"I'm Sakura," she replied, smiling back. "And I'm also sorry for talking so much. I'm totally annoying you, am I not?"

"Nah, it's okay," he answered, shrugging. "But anyway, where were we? Oh, right! So, you're not supposed to like that guy, huh? I don't see why not. Everyone can like whoever they like. It's a free country."

Sakura couldn't answer that question honestly, of course. "Um, let's just say he's out of my reach."

"But why? You're a very pretty and nice girl, Sakura. Everyone is in your reach."

"Oh, believe me, not everyone," she laughed bitterly, and then suddenly realized he'd complimented her. "Um, thanks, anyway. For calling me pretty and stuff. You're very sweet."

"I'm just telling the truth."

Sai's stare was so intense it eventually made Sakura's cheeks blush slightly. She looked away, a bit uncomfortable, not because it was clear he was flirting with her, but because his eyes made her feel butterflies in her stomach mostly because they reminded her of Sasuke's.

Stop, Sakura. Stop your stupid thoughts. Stop remembering you have a crush on him, and maybe that way you'll forget about it, and then you won't like him anymore...

"I've to get back to work," she said, quickly standing up and reaching for the tray she'd left on the table. "If someone sees me like this, I'll get fired."

"You're right," Sai said, standing up too. "It was really nice talking to you, even if this conversation is not exactly over. There are still a few things I want to know about you."

"Maybe in another occasion," she said, although she didn't exactly want to see him again. He was nice and everything, but she wasn't looking for a boyfriend – specially if she was interested only in one guy.

No you're not! You're not interested in Sasuke, or in anyone! Stop it!

"See you later, Sakura," Sai said softly.

"Okay, bye," she said hastily before turning around and walking away as fast as she could without dropping the tray.

It was almost midnight, and the guests were starting to leave. At the front foor, the Uchihas thanked everyone for coming, like the great hosts they were, while in the backyard the tired maids started to clean the everything up. They took the dishes and the food left to the kitchen, the tablecloths to the basement, and the decoration to the dining room, where they packed it neatly in boxes.

Ino was helping pack the decoration. She was on her knees, putting empty fishbowls – the fishes were taken somewhere else; she thought she would ask later – in a box, when someone suddenly patted her shoulder. The blonde turned and saw Sakura kneeling down beside her, smiling lightly. Her green eyes were dull and bloodshot; she was obviously exhausted.

"I want to go home already," Sakura mumbled before yawning. "I've never missed my bed so much."

"Me too," Ino lied. In fact, she still had quite a lot energy left, and she'd even been considering staying for the after party. It would only take her half an hour to go home, get ready, and then come back (she could be very fast and practical when she wanted to). The idea didn't sound so bad now that she compared it to the idea of getting into bed to lay awake for several hours while others had fun.

But Sakura was another case, it seemed. The girl clearly rather go home and sleep than stay awake a bit longer to drink and dance with people her age. Ino should have expected it, really. Sakura had always been that kind of calm, boring person. She'd never even gotten drunk in her whole eighteen years of life!

And there was something else: the fact that she was a half-breed and, therefore, it was risky for her to party with vampires that would freak out and then kill her as soon as they realized what she was.

Ino sighed and tried not to be annoyed at her cousin as she continued packing the fishbowls. It was not Sakura's fault to be like that, just like it wasn't Ino's fault to be so energetic and enthusiastic when it came to having fun and breaking a few rules. Still, she couldn't help but wish the half-breed were a bit more different – a bit more normal.

She shook her head, tried to scare those stupid, cruel thoughts away, and then turned to her cousin with a sweet smile on her face. She took a decision impulsevely, and before she could think and analyze the idea twice, she blurted out, "And guess what? My life totally sucks, because the Housekeeper just told me that she needs me to stay a bit longer to help out some more, since I practically didn't do anything besides installing the lights and decorating the tables."

Sakura seemed taken aback. "Are you serious?"

No. "Yeah. What a total bitch, huh?"

"Yeah..." Sakura frowned and stared thoughtfully at her lap. "I guess TenTen and I can ask someone else to take us home, then..."

"Oh, no! I will take you. I'll just have to come back here after I drop you off."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course! Do you really think I would let anyone else take my best friends home?" Ino grinned and winked. Perhaps she looked compeltely honest and relaxed on the outside, but her pulse had sped up and her palms were sweating, as they usually did when she was lying. Guilt already burnt painfully in her chest. I'm such a horrible person, she thought. But it would be even more horrible to go home, try to sleep and be totally lame by myself when I could be partying!

"Come on, go grab your bag and also mine," the blonde vampire said, avoiding eye contact. "I'll just finish packing these fishbowls and then we'll leave. Find TenTen and tell her to get ready to leave, too."

Sakura nodded, smiled tiredly, and left. Ino watched her walk away for a few seconds, feeling her guilt intensify by each moment that went by, and then she focused back on packing, repeating in her mind, I'm not hurting her. It's just a tiny little lie. I'm not hurting her.

The only thing he liked about being half vampire was that he had strenght and velocity that turned out to be very useful most of the time. He could jump from building to building without making noise, without slipping, and without even getting tired. With his instincts fully awake, he could run miles and miles and never even sweat, which was extremely cool.

But every curse had its advantages, and they didn't make it any less wrong.

He landed on the roof of a three-stored house in the poorest, filthiest side of the town. The house was once a beautiful, rustic mansion, but now its wood was rotten, its glass windows broken and covered with badly nailed planks, and its frontyard was a chaos of knee-long weed and smelly garbage.

There was not a single light on inside. From the outside, the mansion looked like a dark, intimidating cave. But he knew there were people inside, people that didn't need any light because they liked darkness and could see well enough with their great sights in it. They were waiting for him, and he was eager to reunite with them. He had excellent news to give.

Through the broken glass door in the third-floor's balcony, he stepped into the abandoned mansion. He could see well in the darkness too, but not as well as the people expecting him, and therefore, it was uncomfortable to walk blindly at first. However, soon enough, he got used to it, and he moved silently and quickly out of the room, through the corridor, and down the stairs.

In the second floor, he headed towards the door at the end of the corridor. This door was unlike to all the others in the house, because it had been renovated and, of course, it was new, clean and it looked good. He turned its handle, pushed it open, and stepped into the room at the other side.

"Oh," a monotonous voice said from among the blackness. "Look who's here."

"Took you long enough," another voice said grumpily. "I'm fucking starving, but we couldn't leave before you got here."

"I apologize," he replied in a calm, respectful tone. "It took me longer to find the girl than what I thought it would."

"But you did find her, correct?" the first voice questioned.

He looked directly into the owner of the voice's face, having to squint his eyes to make out the long face, the pale skin, the round glasses and the long, gray hair. "Yes," he replied. "I found Sakura Haruno. She's alive."

There was a collective laughter full of satisfaction and evilness. It almost made the hairs on his arms stand – almost. "Excelent," the first voice said. "Now go inform the vampire hunters, Sai. I bet they will be exhilarated to hear this wonderful news."

Sai bowed slightly and, without another word, he left to do what he was born to do: obey orders.

Notes: Yeah, short chapter, sorry. But the best is coming, so please don't hate me.