Sasuke woke up with a start, perspiration dripping down his face, his chest heaving, and eyes wide open.

A bad dream

A nightmare

Not reality

I won't face it

You can't make me

I will escape

Escape from it all

I cannot

I can't

It is too cruel for me

I am weak

I had needed—always, for someone to depend on

And now

I will prove that I don't need you

By escaping alone

Foolish, naïve, selfish as it seems

Does it really matter?

Do you even care about what I think?

He looked at his clothing and hands. No blood.

He rubbed his face. No blood either.

Somehow, a little surge of hope came bursting from within him, like a seep of water coming through a crack of a rock—by some miracle.

It has to be a miracle. It has to be. He can't be becoming a vampire. Not possible.

He looked around the room, laughing softly to himself—and felt shooting pain through his gums.

The hunter's first thought was fangs. But then it occurred to him that he could probably be suffering from toothache, or the growth of new teeth. No problem.

He got up, his eyes still scanning the room—his room. Then the two black irises traveled over to the small, similarly black—alarm clock on the desk.

Nine am in the morning. How long had he slept? Normally, he'd be up at around five to do training. After that, it'd be breakfast and school at seven.

There's no school today. The familiar, grudging voice nagged at him. His inner demons. But again, everyone had their own inner demons.

Something else was nagging at him. Sasuke chose to push it away, ignore it.

He got up and took a few steps, feeling strangely wobbly.

The mirror.

Sasuke stopped.

There was no reflection.

"Listen, Sasuke… You'll know for sure when you're turning into a vampire… All you have to do is to look in the mirror…"

"No." He whispered, backing away. Still no reflection.

He reached out a hand and smashed the mirror into pieces.

"REFLECT ME! DAMN YOU! REFLECT ME!"

"REFLECT ME!"

His heart was pounding in his chest—the same feeling that he'd experienced yesterday--

"…Will you stop thrashing up your own room?"

"!"

Sasuke swallowed, falling on the floor, but facing the other person who had just come into the room.

-

Sakura woke up with a shooting pain across her neck.

"…What's this bandage?"

She sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes, and stretched.

"Ow!"

There was pain in her left arm, as well.

She stood up and went to the bathroom.

"When did I get home…? I don't remember…"

An image of a house loomed in her head, but that thought vanished just as quickly as it had come.

Sakura groaned. "My head hurts…"

Her hand went to the bandage, undoing it.

-

Kiba, Temari and Shikamaru sat in a circle, facing one another with solemn faces.

"So… What are you going to do about this? Temari? Kiba?" Shikamaru asked.

"In theory, we should just stake him before he turns into a full-fledged vampire." Kiba suggested, stroking Akamaru on the head.

"I refuse." Temari said weakly.

The two boys glared at her, and Shikamaru's glare was stronger than the other.

"We don't have to right to stake him." Temari stammered, looking at her hands.

"We're vampire hunters." Kiba answered. "Of course we have the right."

"He should be given a chance to survive. We can… We can try feeding him food from other sources."

"History has shown that it won't work."

"I"-

"Do you want him to end up like your brother, Temari?" Kiba cut in hotly.

That sentence lighted the fire which has been slowly diminishing in the female hunter ever since Gaara's death.

Temari stood to her feet, rays of fury emitting from her.

Kiba stood up as well.

"Quit it, people." Shikamaru started.

Kiba growled. "Is this what you want? A fight?"

Temari didn't reply, both her hands instead reaching for her fan.

"Let Kakashi deal with this. You guys don't interfere."

The three hunters spun around. Kiba smirked.

"Oh, isn't that the buggy guy?"

-

"Kaka-Kakashi…"

"Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi said, running a hand through his grey hair, and reached out a hand.

Sasuke looked at the hand, and backed away, trembling.

"GET OUT!" He yelled.

Kakashi continued to walk. "What's wrong?"

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you? I can smell holy water in your hands, so back off."

"Why are you so scared?" Kakashi challenged.

"Just shut up."

"Are you a vampire now?"

"SHUT UP!"

Sasuke took a chair and flung it towards his teacher.

Kakashi didn't dodge, but he caught the chair and placed it nicely back to where it had been. Sasuke looked both disgusted and shocked.

"You are still as freaking accurate, aren't you?" He spat, his eyes watching those gloved hands.

Kakashi casually stood at the window, and his student glared.

"I know what you're thinking." The man said, crossing his arms. "You are not going out through the window."

Sasuke's bloodshot eyes widened at that, and then he closed them.

He threw back his head and laughed.

"Well, kill me."

Kakashi did not join in the laughter. His exposed eye looked on sadly, and he tucked his hands into his pockets.

-

Sakura blinked.

"Huh?"

There were no visible signs of injury on her neck, but there was a dull pain trailing along the right side of her neck. And her left arm still hurt.

She rolled up her sleeves. There was a reddish mark on her arm.

In fact, several reddish marks.

"…Mosquitoes?" She said awkwardly.

It wasn't. The marks didn't itch.

-

Neji woke up to sound of Naruto yelling.

"Naruto?"

He got up from his bed and went to the other vampire's room. "What's up with…"

Neji halted.

Naruto was yelling his head off, clutching his stomach, and he seemed to be steaming.

The boy ran to the blonde and pulled his arms away with force enough to break a solid table.

That was how strong vampires are.

Neji, with his other hand, lifted up Naruto's shirt.

On Naruto's stomach, there were marks of the monster—those infamous seal marks.

The seal marks of the very first vampire.

The monster.

The marks were fading.

Neji gritted his teeth, focused his eyes at the mark, and did a hand seal.

He slammed his palm into Naruto's stomach, and the blonde vampire coughed suddenly.

The other vampire looked up just in time to have a mouthful of blood splatter his face. Naruto had vomited.

"YUCK!"

The long-haired boy stepped back, wiping his face furiously with his bandaged hands.

The blonde boy vomited a second time, and a pool of blood fell onto the floor. It was not a pretty sight.

Naruto heaved, and stiffened. Then he fell, his face pale.

Neji caught him before his accomplice cracked his nose on the floor.

"Why are the First's marks disappearing?" The conscious boy muttered, looking down at the unconscious one.

-

Author: …This chapter is kind of confusing, isn't it… (Continues to brainstorm)