[A/N] Hi. Update. Yeah. Sorry I've been so MIA! I took a break from ffnet but I'm back... for now. I was convinced by the reviews and PMs you guys left me, thanks for all the feedback. (personal: I've started writing another chapter fic called chasing rubies, chasing gold which is an AU about a big delinquent turf war between Suna and Konoha, please read if interested~ it's gonna be short, though, I'm predicting five chapters)
Warning: This is rather awful to read. Not as in gruesome, but. Violence. Skip if you'd like.
Shelter from the Rain
a vampire fic
28} intention
.
.
I will do anything to protect you
.
A scream echoed through the forest. Had there been birds, they would've flown away, startled—but instead there was only a chilly wind to answer the shrill female cry.
Snowflakes drifted slowly, slowly down. A few drifted onto the nape of the bigger of the boys, glistening and melding into the silver of his hair. Others landed on the black jacket of a boy who lay trembling on the ground, curled up, holding his stomach as he gasped for air. And some melted into red, as they fluttered into a small puddle of blood, dripping from the pierced throat of a human girl.
Sakura's cry was cut short as a large hand slapped over her mouth.
"Quiet, now," the voice by her throat murmured. "Screaming won't solve anything."
Sakura's heart slammed painfully against her chest, but the fright-induced thudding was nothing compared to the intensity of the pain by her throat. Her blood was warm against her neck, as it slid from the punctures in her flesh, down her nape and dripped onto the dirt. The thick liquid felt so heated compared to the chilly feel of Kabuto's lips against her throat.
Her vision went hazy as memories flashed by in rapid succession.
The navy sofa.
Sharp teeth sinking slowly into her throat.
Sasuke's dark gaze, quiet and deep.
Lean, strong arms holding her.
Jealousy.
Forced kisses.
Gentle kisses.
The cherry blossom pin.
Heated breath against her ears.
Warmth, warmth.
The lips against her throat were so cold and unfamiliar that she wanted to scream again.
.
.
let's get out of this together
.
"Sakura-chan. Come here. Just for a second."
"Hm? What is it, Okaa-san?"
"I... Sakura, I'm so sorry. Your father has... he's..."
"Otou-san?—ah, oh no, Okaa-san, don't cry. Hey? Tell me what's wrong."
"Your father and I don't... He's abandoned us. He's gone."
"...Eh?"
"He's left us for another woman."
.
.
let me find my escape in you
.
When I was six, I dreamed about meeting a prince.
He didn't need have a white horse, or own a mansion or have a lot of money or even be handsome. I wasn't that idealistic. I didn't really think my life would be a fairytale. I didn't want a fairytale, anyway. I wanted something real and tangible and beautiful. I wanted my own story.
I just wanted to meet a charming guy that would sweep me off my feet, the same way my dad swept my mom off her feet.
That kind of uninhibited, free. unstoppable kind of love.
.
.
let me find my dream in you
.
The dark eyes went wide.
In almost slow motion, he fell backwards as the small white hands suddenly reached up and pushed him off the slender body. Adrenaline pumped through the human girl's veins, giving her a boost in power and courage, and he watched as the girl climbed unsteadily to her feet, blood seeping from her neck into her sweater, dying the white stripes of the material with blotches of angry red.
Her body couldn't help but tremble, yet in contradiction, the green gaze was on fire. The eyes were angry and bold and fierce, so unlike the other humans he had preyed on before.
"You," she said, pointing an accusing (and quivering) finger at him, "I refuse to let you win."
He gazed at her for a silent moment, looking up at her blankly. Then he began to chuckle. "Interesting! Ha!" he cried, his entire body shaking with laughter, "You've discovered the secret, haven't you? Fear of the user is what makes the control spell work!"
Sakura pressed her mouth into a thin line.
It's not that I'm not scared of you... I am. I'm scared to death right now.
Wearing a glare, she curled her fingers into tight fists and gathered all the measly courage in her body to her throat.
It's just that I'm more afraid of losing Sasuke-kun than I am of getting hurt by you.
"I won't let Sasuke-kun continue to get hurt by himself anymore!" Sakura shouted. "You—this vampire society, and this Orochimaru person that wants to take Sasuke's body—what is going on?! Why does he want to use Sasuke-kun? Why can he only stay here until he's eighteen?"
"He really hasn't told you any important details, eh?" Kabuto said, still chuckling. "Oblivious, aren't you? But if you knew the truth, you would probably leave him. I'm sure that's what he was afraid of."
Sakura defensively took a step back, and blinked: a mistake—by the time she opened her eyes, the silver-haired vampire stood in front of her, grasping her wrists in his cold fingers and his smirk in immediate proximity to her forehead. She swung her leg back to kick him, but his eye was too quick. With an unexpected shove against her shoulder, he had her knocked down to the floor and out of breath before she could even initiate the kick.
"I didn't really want to bruise you up, but this might be necessary," he said, and without further ado, kicked the girl's side so hard she flipped over onto her stomach. Sakura's cheek slammed into the dirt, and she could feel a small rock cut through her flesh. Tears sprang to her eyes, and though her mouth gaped open, no sound came out, just a bit of air that unsettled the dirt.
Before she could push herself off the ground, she was kicked again, flipped onto her back so hard she automatically shut her eyes and would have let out a cry if she'd had the breath. When she opened her eyes, the shadowed face of her predator gazed down at her mercilessly. She looked up at him, too dazed to try anything further, and the pain from being kicked on both sides left her incapable of standing up or breathing without pain.
"Listen to me, little girl. A human like you can't do anything to save little Sasuke-kun, alright? He's done for. No hope, no chance. Orochimaru-sama has graciously allowed this child to live outside until his eighteenth birthday, but as soon as that day comes, he's gone." Kabuto crouched down next to her. With long fingers, he took hold of the short pink hair and yanked the girl up into a sitting position. He dragged her face towards his, letting the breath from his mouth warm her ear. "Your precious Sasuke-kun is only a vessel. Understand? Even his brother couldn't stop Orochimaru-sama. What makes you think that worthless brat could do to stop his undeniable fate?"
She silently gave him the darkest, coldest glare she could, rebelling the best she could.
"You make me feel sick," he murmured. Still gripping her hair, he slammed the back of her head into the ground; pain shot through her skull, and her vision became a blur. The near-loss of her sight made his spoken words sound so much clearer: "You make me want to kill that arrogance of yours."
He took hold of her hair again, using her hair to pull her up again to a half-sitting position. He took gleeful notice of the blood dripping down from the cut in her cheek, mixing with her tears.
"This is why I hate humans. You act so tough, declaring impossible things, and in the end you're too weak to accomplish anything at all." His tone was warm, friendly and casual. "Don't worry, I won't kill you, because Orochimaru-sama has interest in you. And I won't kill Sasuke-kun either, because we need his body. But nobody said anything about bringing you to that threshold where you almost can't quite tell if you're still breathing or not."
He met her eyes for a moment, and smiled before licking the dripping crimson off her pale skin, leaving a glimmering trail of saliva on her cheek.
Though she willed it, Sakura couldn't stop her tears from trickling down her face, a manifestation of her weakness.
"Isn't this exciting, Sakura-chan?" He bared his fangs; her eyes widened as she suddenly understood what he was about to do. "Let's play."
He grasped her arm and tore open the sleeve of her sweater with one rip that rendered the knitted cloth completely irreparable. One hand gripped her left arm's thin wrist, keeping it immobile, while the other wrapped around her neck to hold her up in a sitting position. It would have been a loving embrace except that his fangs proceeded to puncture her flesh.
The pain shot through the limb immediately, almost as if she'd been hit by a bullet. Wordless screams escaped Sakura's lips, and though she struggled, she could hardly make sense of what was happening, still dizzy from the impact of being repeatedly thrown against the ground.
Again, and again, his fangs dug into various parts of her arm, leaving matching bleeding marks everywhere, and soon she could comprehend nothing but the pain of her torn and bleeding body, and the quiet words that left her heart frozen.
"You're useless, aren't you? Like this, you're nothing but a burden to Sasuke."
.
.
it's true, humans are weak
.
"But doesn't he love you, Okaa-san?"
"Sakura..."
"He—he always loved you, didn't he? He swept you off your feet—you always said... why?!"
"Shh. I know. I know, Sakura. Look at me, sweetheart, and listen. If you find someone you love, you have to promise me that you won't give everything up for him. Not your money, your friends or your life. Promise me, now."
"I promise, Okaa-san."
.
.
but isn't that why we need each other?
.
I'm sorry, Okaa-san. In the end, I lied to you.
Honestly, I don't think I can keep that promise anymore.
.
that's why I definitely won't let you go
.
"Finally," Kabuto said, pulling his fangs away from Sakura's shoulder, "I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to amuse myself with this girl before you woke up."
The figure rose unsteadily to his feet. The silhouette was somewhat grotesque, lopsided and stiff; one arm loosely hanging down as the other gripped broken ribs.
"No reply, otouto-kun?"
The slender figure stopped, and the head lifted up. "Let go of her," he whispered, but in the silence of the forest and snow, the words could be clearly heard. They held an air of arrogance, expecting obedience from the older vampire.
He's a sovereign to be, after all. Kabuto simply met his eyes. "I refuse. But, just to let you know, we were originally planning on killing her. Luckily for you, we reconsidered. Be grateful. Oh, and Tayuya was punished properly for trying to touch our property—your body, I mean." Kabuto licked his lips, cleaning off the blood. "She shouldn't have gone after you that second time, ignoring our orders."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You killed her?"
Kabuto's lips curled into a dark smile. "Of course. Just like Sakura-chan will be, someday, when you disappear."
The effect was immediate: The red eyes went wide. Uncontrollable anger pulsed through Sasuke's body, like a shock wave, and within seconds, the familiar tattoo-like black marks began to spread across the pale skin. A burst of energy manifested around the figure as the curse seal let loose the dark power contained in the slender body.
Gravity seemed to shift.
Kabuto shrank slightly back on instinct, with eyes narrowed, as he took a defensive position, but his hands still gripped the limp body of the human girl. But he smiled, too. "Releasing the curse seal. You're desperate."
The boy stood up straight, the red eyes sharp, both arms dropped; his pain was forgotten in the rush of power.
"I've... already hurt her enough," he murmured, and then his lean body lunged, fangs bared and nails raised. "No fucking way will I let you touch what belongs to me!"
.
.
let me protect you
.
I wonder why it is that I can't ever protect you? All I'm good at is being a target. It's troubling, Sasuke-kun. I hate it. I hate being so useless.
"Ha! The curse seal certainly gives you some strength, doesn't it?! Come, Sasuke-kun! Show me your power!"
Hey, I can hear that bastard's voice. But… Curse seal? You told me about it before, Sasuke-kun, but I still don't really understand.
"Shut the hell up!"
You sound so angry, Sasuke-kun. It's for my sake, isn't it?
"Ah? Are you coming at me with the intent to kill?"
He keeps baiting you. I wonder why. Is it fun to be like that? To take advantage of another's weaknesses?
"Come on, Sasuke-kun, prove to me you haven't weakened since joining the humans, otherwise Orochimaru will be pleased to hear this news."
I can't forgive him for hurting you, Sasuke-kun. Absolutely cannot forgive. But why can't I ever be of help to you? In the end, I'm useless, just like Kabuto said, and I keep dragging you down. You keep getting hurt because of me.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I want to be able to say other words, but I don't have that right. At this point, I can only apologize.
.
.
I just want you to look at me
.
Kabuto's blood felt as if it were boiling; the excitement simmered all throughout his body. It's been a while since he's gone all-out, he thought, carefully watching the movements of the other vampire. Usually he's never serious...
The boy lunged, and Kabuto quickly sidestepped the attack and dodged the left-hook punch that followed immediately after. Normally Sasuke calculated all his attacks, and often a battle between the two of them resulted in a mind game. But this was totally different from the Uchiha's typical clean and precise style—it was a messy and instinctive, an onslaught of attacks. Kabuto stayed cautious, depending on his slipping skills to stay out of harm's way, but the lack of predictability forced him to rely on his body's practiced skills rather than the expansive and exhaustive abilities of his mind.
He hastily jumped back, narrowly dodging the sharp fangs aimed at his throat. He needed to be careful and watch, for now, until figuring out Sasuke's attack pattern. Then he could make a counterattack and take the boy down...
"You're not trying hard enough, boy!" Kabuto taunted, and leapt up into a tree. "Didn't you want to protect your beloved princess?"
Sasuke lunged after him, fangs shining, but before they made contact, Kabuto jumped down to where the limp body of the girl lay.
Check how much his power has diminished, Orochimaru had ordered him, and so here he was, fighting a grown-up, animal-like version of a boy, a child he used to watch cry desperately after every mission. If he had to say it, Kabuto probably did have a soft spot for the younger Uchiha brother, but the feeling was certainly warped. He was well aware that his tenderness towards Sasuke made things complicated, and he showed his liking of the boy in a cruel way.
"The things I do for you, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto muttered, wanting to laugh again. But bitterly, this time. This time, he might actually die. Those red eyes, directed right on him, meant anything but good, but Kabuto felt nothing but profound excitement at the prospect of it.
Because in his world, ruled with the dark hand of Orochimaru, frankly, death sounded like freedom. So without further ado, Kabuto took the girl's body and bit into her throat.
.
.
so won't you look at me?
.
The sun was beginning to set, setting an orange glow that peeked between the empty spaces in the forest foliage of pine needles. Kabuto gripped the human girl's body, pulling his bloodied teeth out of her flesh as he silently watched the sunset-lit silhouette of Uchiha Sasuke morph into his most powerful form, the one that was only released when full hatred and anger took possession of his mind, and the one that sucked away his life force most powerfully.
Huge hand-shaped wings sprouted from his back, stretching up and then curling around, like a shield for the slender body. The skin started to darken, turning gray-purple, and his lips darkened. A black mark, the shape of a warped diamond, spread from the middle of his face; one point of the shape reached his forehead, two under his eyes, and one down his nose. His lips and eyes darkened, as well, resulting in a horribly grotesque figure that was more akin to a demon than a human.
Ultimately, Uchiha Sasuke was just another of Orochimaru's experiments. Hatred turns you into something inhuman, after all, Orochimaru had previously said, so don't you think this is a suitable form? At that time, Kabuto had had only a smile and an obedient, "Of course," to say. He'd had no emotions, feeling nothing about seeing Sasuke's ugly, demonic curse seal form.
But now.
"Finally," Kabuto murmured, "you're coming at me with the intent to kill."
