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Chapter 9

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Night Streets

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"God, is this dark or what." Ino muttered beside me as we stooped at the side of an old, rusty, discarded car at the side of the murky lot.

The abandoned, restricted ground was located downtown. Good thing there was no one patrolling the area tonight when we got here. There were vandalized, cracked walls and rusty wires everywhere. And it stank.

We peered at the side of the broken car, hiding ourselves near the bumper as we watched the group of guys ganged at the middle of the vicinity. They were several yards away from us, and there were hardly any light posts near our side. We were pretty much hidden in the shadows. I felt like a stalker.

"I don't think this is a good idea." I mumbled.

Sasori and his crew were there and it didn't take too long before loud motor engines were soon heard outside the wrecked chain fences surrounding the dark area. Headlights turned up and flashed around the road in front of the entrance. About ten motorbikes skidded to a stop at the other side of the lot. I could tell where Sasuke and Naruto were the moment they removed their headgears.

Sasori stood straight up and scowled, his arms crossed, as my classmates approached. Sasuke rumpled his hair. He was wearing that same leather jacket. We were too far to hear what they were exactly saying. We could only hear their heated voices. Sasori was mainly talking to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Oh—wish I could hear what they're saying. I think it's going to be exciting." Ino sighed eagerly, her head drawing nearer.

Being the only two females on that dark area was quite scary. I didn't know what had gotten into both of us. The only people who could do these sorts of things were stalkers. But I could admit, being in this kind of situation was rather interesting. I haven't been in these situation much in the past years.

I watched the guys up ahead. At first, it was a calm exchange of words. They were talking about the race, where they'd be heading and stuff, by the looks of it. They were pointing at different directions of areas. Sasori paused for a moment, he looked as if there was something else he was forgetting. He said something again, and this time he seemed to be saying the words slowly. Naruto looked a bit confused, Sasuke was more annoyed. Then Sasori leaned beside Sasuke and whispered something. It must had triggered something, because the next thing I knew Sasuke shoved him away and his face got all aggravated. The exchange of words appeared to had suddenly gotten a bit too far. Sasori shoved Sasuke's left shoulder, as if daring him to do something. Sasuke pushed him back again. Naruto yanked his best friend's elbow as some of the guys started shouting something. I could see Sasori's fists balled to fists and Sasuke looked as if he wanted to punch his face right there as well.

"You stay out of what's mine, asshole!" I heard Sasuke yelled.

And Sasori laughed. The guy seemed to be a total weirdo.

"So are we on a bet?" I could hear his voice.

Sasuke seemed to think for a second. He was eyeing him furiously, he hesitated for a moment.

"What're they saying?" Ino whispered beside me.

I shrugged and kept my eyes glued on them.

"Don't tell me you're softening in these past couple of years, Uchiha. That's pathetic." Sasori mocked, louder this time.

Sasuke glared at him again. I could mouth the words from his lips even if I was too far to hear it clearly. "You're on."

Sasuke turned around and trudged back to his motorbike. He didn't look back for any reactions at all. Sasori gave a smirk before heading to his own. Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba and the others followed suit. One guy was left standing at the middle of the lot. He took a small bag, pulled something out of it, and positioned it near the entrance as the rest of the guys mounted on their vehicles and started placing their headgears.

Engines began to revved up. And I only realized what the other man was doing when he pulled out a lighter and started igniting the small materials which were now placed on the ground. The motorbikes weren't exactly lined in a single row, they were scattered everywhere. The man lit the materials on the ground and hurriedly ran off. And then bright lights shot up high into the air like vivid ashes—

WOOOSHHH! BAMM! WISKK!

Golden fireworks spreaded out into the night sky. Brilliant colors erupted in the silent night. At the sound of the very first explosion, the bikers had taken off in full speed. Screeches and the roar of engines filled the district as they sped off into the street, leaving only smoke and dashes of wind at the surroundings.

Ino and I coughed through the smokes. Both of us stood from where we were as we watched them go and gazed at the fireworks exploding in the night sky. The silent of the night was disturbed with the eruptions of the glowing lights. The abandoned lot now stood empty as we stood there, watching the last lights disappeared in the black sky.

"Come on, hurry or we'll miss it!" Ino was dragging my arm.

"It's getting late, Ino." I groaned in an exhausted manner as she dragged me across the street. "Let's leave them be. There's not much to see, anyway."

The moment the riders deserted the lot, Ino got us both to the nearest bus station and headed straight back to the heart of the city. She said there was a good spot at the rooftop of the Emerald Tower. According to her, we could see the guys from up there if they'd pass by.

"How do you even know they'll be driving along here? There're hundreds of roads in this freaking city. And who cares if Naruto or Sasuke or whoever wins."

Ino finally halted and dropped my hand. "Look, I haven't gotten this close to seeing how things work for them—and I think it'll be really cool to see them just pass by. I just want to get a single glance, pleeeaase?" she asked in a girly, puppy-eyed manner as she turned to me. She didn't seem tired at all.

Ino was Sasuke's groupie.

I scratched my head again, and before I could refuse her, a sudden scream broke out a small distance away. I nearly jumped in surprise. Ino's smile vanished as we both turned our heads towards the direction of where it came from.

It was a female voice and it echoed from the alley near us. I could hear thuds several yards away. Ino and I looked back to each other with alarm. She suddenly got all tongue-tied, and so was I. We looked around us. There were two people, who were probably in their forties, at the other side of the street who had heard the scream as well, and they also stood there in curiosity, trying to get a glimpse of what it was. They were too far to see it.

There was no one else around but us.

Ino looked back at me. She must had sensed something, by the way her eyes started scanning our surroundings. The excitement in her face was quickly replaced by a serious one. She reached for something at the side of her right ankle and I saw a small blade glinted.

"Shh… stay here, Sakura, and keep your eyes open." She murmured, turning to the foggy alley at our side. It was too dark to see what was ahead. The thought about the race slipping out of her mind instantly.

The thuds had faded then. I was speechless. I dreaded this would happen. I knew what it was the moment I saw the look in Ino's eyes. We could just run away, but knowing that Ino was now part of the Mortis Org, she wouldn't let something like this escape.

I looked around us. The two older people at the other side of the street had panicked and started heading off to the other direction. There were no others except the two of us now.

Since Ino had became a rogue student, carrying a weapon with her everyday was normal—as long as it was not something as obvious as a katana. I carefully pulled out a small cutter from my back pocket. I was not a rogue student, but I was alert of such things. Setting the race aside, I watched as Ino approached the dim alley cautiously. I was close behind her.

There was a loud swish, and Ino's back forcefully hit my face. We suddenly fell backward, hitting the hard ground. There was a flash of movement and then I saw it passed above us. I barely saw its form.

The demi-human.

It was fast and it flew passed above us like a huge bat. I saw its pale flesh and it was dripping with red liquid. Blood. I heard it cried. Ino hurriedly got up but it already disappeared into the sky.

"Shit—" she cursed. She hastily turned around and looked back at the alley. I heard her gave a muffled scream. "Quick—call someone from the org! There's a woman's body out here!" She grasped mouth.

Panic surged through me as I stood up and fumbled through my bag. My hand was shaking as I began to dial Hinata's number.

"I don't think she's breathing!" Ino shouted nervously.

Before I could talk to Hinata from the other line, another scream echoed from the next block ahead.

"Damn it—" Ino cursed, turning around to follow the direction where the shriek came from. "What's that thing doing lose in the city?" She ran fast toward the next block. "You stay here and get help! I'll track the demi-human. It's still probably close by."

I wasn't even able to reply. In a few seconds, I was left standing there alone in the dark. With a dead body or not, I didn't know. I held my mobile phone against my ear while my hands shook.

"Sakura?" Hinata's voice came from the other line.

"Hinata—" I tried to speak. "There's an emergency— Ino and I just ran across a demi-human downtown." I turned around and tried to find a signboard. "I'm here along 16th Drive and we've found a body out here. The demi-human attacked someone! It quickly got away and Ino's chasing after it. You have to inform the headmistress!"

Hinata instantly got the information.

Wasn't any Rogue aware of this? Ino might be a good rogue student, but she was just a minor. And I was no pro either.

I turned around and stepped closer to the dim alley. I could see an unconscious form lying there on the ground. I bent forward, my hands trying to find her neck to get a pulse. I could feel her skin wet with blood. There was no pulse, but her body was still warm.

There was a loud screech from a motorbike, I saw the beam from its headlight passed us. I immediately stepped out of the alley to call for help. The biker instantly saw me and halted. He skidded to a stop a couple of feet away from me. Its engine was puffing out smoke from the heat.

I blinked. I knew that motorbike.

"You—" that voice reverberated as the rider pulled out his helmet. Sasuke's face looked surprised and confused. He was panting a bit. The beams from his motorcycle were giving light to the alley. "What the hell are you doing here?"

That was a usual question nowadays.

"There's an attack! The victim's up here—Ino and I were just passing by and that thing just came out of nowhere!"

He understood what I was saying in an instant. He glanced at the shadowy spot behind me for a second and moved off of his vehicle. He left the engine roaring in a quiet sound. He looked around the area for a moment.

"I got the message from the old hag a minute ago. Good thing I was close by." He said. He gave me a frustrated look. "But she wasn't able to exactly mention you're here."

"What about your race?" I suddenly remembered.

He turned his head to me. Probably a bit astonish that I still remembered their race, considering where we were. Clueless that Ino and I were stalking them just a moment ago.

"What about the race." he stated. It wasn't a question at all.

He walked passed me to check the body lying in the dark. I heard his soft movements as he inspected it. From the way he was acting, he didn't look like a minor. He looked as if he was too used to it. It was the first time I saw him involved in this kind of situation. He was calm even if he was just a student. I heard him grumbled something, then he stood straight.

"The Mortis Guild will be coming here shortly to clean this." he said. "Do you know where the demi-human might be headed?"

"No. But Ino followed it to the city. It was flying and attacking everywhere." I said. I glanced back at the lying form. "Is she dead or what?"

"Can't find any pulse. She has a huge bite across her chest and neck. There's too much blood loss."

He glanced at our surrounding, perhaps calculating the situation. He looked really serious tonight. He wasn't calling me names or teasing me. I couldn't help but wonder how their race had turned up, even if we were on a state like this. He might be a little demented too, but he had this presence that makes a girl feel secured. He must not had finished the race because of the sudden emergency.

Out of the blue, heavy skids were heard along the alley. Two gigantic black vans parked beside us. They looked similar to the ones I saw before with Sarutobi. They almost occupied the whole alleyway.

A black-haired girl stepped out of the passenger seat. She was wearing a white coat, like those used by doctors. And oddly, a little pig also hopped off from the van, following her like a little pet.

"Uchiha." She gave a quick nod at Sasuke as she approached. She saw me and paused for a minute. "And you must be Sarutobi's granddaughter… Sakura, isn't it?"

I nodded. Grandpa was quite popular with the guild.

"I'm Shizune, first class Rogue-medic." She said as she pulled my hand to shake. "Thanks for giving us a call. We've been tracking this demi-human since this afternoon."

Sasuke stepped forward. "The victim's practically dead."

The group of medics from the van had hurriedly got off and headed to the body. They were carrying various gadgets and equipment like strainers, plastics, solvents, some hi-tech gadgets. Red, emergency lights were rotating all around us.

"We'll be able to identify her immediately in the lab. Do you know where the creature had gone?" Shizune inquired.

"My friend Ino is tracking it. I'm not sure where they headed. They disappeared that way." I pointed to the next block.

"A student?" Shizune asked in a worried voice. It didn't sound like a good idea.

Sasuke walked to his bike. "We'll check on it. I assume the guild is already tracking that thing?"

Shizune nodded. "The other rogues are on it. Be careful, rookie." She took one look at us and headed toward the other medics, the little pig followed suit.

I watched them disappeared in the cluster of the medical crew.

"Hurry and get your ass here." Sasuke called to me.

"What?" I blinked at him.

"You're goin' to stay here and watch them?" he asked as if it was a ridiculous idea.

I hopped on the motorbike and positioned myself behind him. It was awkward. This was all Ino's fault. And I was so stupid to had agreed with it. I wouldn't be in this problem if I just stayed home and watched TV or read my novels.

Sasuke turned one of the handlebar, and the engine roared louder beneath us. He handed me his helmet.

"Hold on tight." he said before letting his feet off the ground.

We took off in a fast speed at once, leaving the messed up place behind us. The red lights from the vans slowly vanished from our sight.

Sasuke was silent as we rode through the city, turning to close spaces between the cars. He didn't say where we were exactly going. I wasn't sure how we were going to find Ino in this huge city. I could smell his fragrance from his back. I was gripping tightly at his sides. Trying hard to ignore how close I was to him, I kept my eyes on the streets. We were riding fast, overtaking dozens of vehicles.

It was an easy job for Sasuke. He could move from one side of the street to the other smoothly as if the cars were just a bunch of unmoving posts. He was thinking of something, by the way he was acting. He was just quiet, staring ahead of us.

He was gorgeous, even if I could only see the back of his head. He just had this certain aura that I rarely find in guys. He might be an airhead and a little crazy, but he had this demeanor that was different from the others. Students like him in my former school were just a bunch of arrogant bastards who liked to flirt with the dumb, popular kids. They only liked showing off.

But here, in Konoha Academy, they didn't seem to play that sport. In their case, the popular students had something to brag about other than looks. They were skilled and academically wise.

Then, in the middle of my delusions, I felt my phone vibrating against the pocket of my pants. Someone was calling.

"Sasuke—can we just please stop for a minute? I need to pick up my phone. It might be important!" I shouted behind him as we sped down the street.

I saw him twisted his head slightly. He saw a sidewalk and turned our way there.

"Hello—Ino?" I immediately answered the phone the moment we stopped and I got off the motorbike.

Ino's voice appeared more composed on the phone than the last time I talked to her. She said two rogues had already found her and they were at a parking area along Koran Avenue. She would be waiting for me there. I informed Sasuke and we followed shortly.

There was still something that was bugging me on our way though…

Sasuke wasn't very much with himself. He was almost wordless, not saying anything at all until we got there. I knew he must be thinking about their race. I wondered what happened to Naruto and the others too. Did they continue it without him? Was it postponed?

"You're all right!" I sighed to Ino as she approached us. A small scratch was visible across her left arm which was wrapped with thin bandages.

"I'm good." She smiled. She instantly noticed Sasuke walking behind me. She flushed pink the second she saw him. "Oh."

Now I had to explain everything on how I ended up with him tonight.

There were four Mortis Guild members at the parking lot with her. They seemed to be discussing something about the situation. They were having a smoke at the corner. They barely noticed our arrival.

"There you are!" a familiar voice echoed from the other side of the parking area.

Naruto's bright head was visible in the night, under the lights of the poles around us. With him are my other classmates—Rock Lee, Shika, Chouji and the others.

"This is really some bad timing, huh?" Naruto said as he smacked Sasuke's back lightly. "We were trying to find you, dude. Yet you were as quick as a bullet to get there." Naruto saw me and grinned. "You probably heard Sakura was there, didn't you?" he teased.

Sasuke only glared at him. "You talk too much."

And, to my surprise (and horror), another group came after them. Across us, I saw Sasori's face loomed out from the night. His friends were also there. He looked at the rogues with us but ignored them soon after passing them by.

Looked like the race had been stopped for a moment.

Naruto and the others didn't seem too surprise to see them there. They must had gotten there the same time they did after hearing the news about another loose demi-human. They must had heard the rogue students would be here.

Sasuke saw them the moment I did too. He looked to be in a bad mood now. Sasori was eyeing him in an irritated manner like before. His child-looking face looked displeased.

I didn't know how they kept on doing this. We were just a bunch of youngsters who had the same problems in life. Underneath their heated actions, Sasori's brown eyes wandered toward me again. It must had been my pink hair. Like Naruto's, I knew mine was too loud not to be seen in a group of people.

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