DISCLAIMER: I own NONE of the original characters of the Manga/Anime series Naruto – they belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only hold ownership of this plot and characters unfamiliar to the original Naruto series.
Summary: Long ago, humans had to be cautious of their own being, but now, not only would they have to beware of their own, but the other forms lurking in the dark and even walking amongst us. Fighting against these supernatural beings are the members of the Dark Coven. What will happen when Sakura Haruno, one who greatly despises the supernatural, encounters Sasuke Uchiha, one of the Blood Demons? Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura with an equal amount of Neji/Tenten. Other pairings are included. Enjoy!
WARNING: Vampire Fiction! Please discontinue reading if mild violence, sexual content and aggressive language seem inappropriate to you or is not to your liking!
NOTE: 'Inner Sakura'
'Thoughts' Flashbacks
Narrator's POV
~ The Dark Coven ~
Chapter Four: Azami
The sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard and within a matter of seconds a blade was placed by Tenten's throat. Sasuke spoke.
"What is your purpose here, vampire?"
"Why should I tell you?" Tenten bit back.
Sasuke pressed the blade harder against the flesh of her neck.
"I shouldn't have to answer to you, Uchiha. This was supposed to be my hunt!"
"Hn…so you're a hunter…"
"And what if I am? You Purebloods think too highly of yourselves!" Tenten scoffed.
Sasuke sheathed his kusanagi. "If you don't belong to a hunter organization, then I'll have to kill you," he said to the female vampire.
Tenten blinked. "So what's stopping you from doing that, now?"
Sasuke said nothing in reply. Instead, he turned on his heals and began walking in the opposite direction.
"I think he means to give you a chance…to find yourself in an organization," Sakura spoke up. She turned to follow in the direction of Sasuke's footsteps, but before taking a step forward, she said, "Thank you for your help earlier, though it wasn't needed."
The statement was cold, but Tenten accepted the thanks nonetheless.
Sasuke entered Tsunade's office with files in his hand. Sakura followed behind him. She stood to his right while he submitted a report on the mission to Tsunade. He even included Tenten's unexpected appearance during the hunt.
After hearing Sasuke's details on the mission, Tsunade turned to Sakura and asked, "So how was your first mission?"
"I-" Sakura began to say.
"Her presence in the hunt didn't make a difference," Sasuke interrupted, "Like I said before, Tsunade, you're losing your reputation…"
"You are dismissed, Uchiha," Tsunade informed, in a commanding tone and ignored the unnecessary part of his statement. Sasuke said nothing else, and slammed the door behind him after exiting the room. Tsunade grunted at Sasuke's sulkiness and arrogance, and then looked at Sakura. She asked the question again.
"Sasuke was right. I wasn't of much help tonight," Sakura responded, "I got a little too caught up in my thoughts."
"And this girl – Tenten – she attends your school; am I right?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes. I met her this morning when I left Principal Jiraya's office," Sakura explained, "She said that she was also a newcomer at the school. She sounded truthful; and from what I've encountered – the fact that she saved me – I can tell that she means us no harm."
Tsunade interlocked the fingers of her right hand into the ones of her left.
"I see. I'll assess her skills and depending on how good she is or what type of skills she possesses, I shall convince her to join the Dark Coven. Ino will meet you at the exit to escort you to DC's mansion. You're dismissed.
"Why can't I go to my house?"
"Because Kakashi is running a few errands outside Seattle. He won't be back until next week and specifically informed me to have you stay at our apartments…whether you like it or not…" Tsunade told her.
Sakura was not too happy with Kakashi's orders, but she did not seem to have any choice other than to abide. Just as Tsunade said, Ino was awaiting her arrival at the office's exit. Sakura could feel her bubbly presence. Ino enquired nothing about the mission. Sakura figured that it must have been because she was eavesdropping on the conversation that went on in the office.
The entrance to the Dark Coven's mansion led them into the living room.
"Have a seat while I fix us something to eat," Ino said, helping Sakura to the sofa.
Sakura knelt backwards, allowing her body to fall onto the cushions. She felt as if her rear would not stop sinking into the soft, comforting material. It was only when the rest of her body felt pampered, did she realize how badly her feet were aching.
Ino returned with two cheeseburgers. She chuckled at the sight of Sakura, hungrily biting into her sandwiches.
"I can see that the mission took a lot out of you," Ino remarked. Sakura only smiled in reply. Her mouth was too full to answer.
After finishing the last few pieces of their late dinner, Ino said to Sakura, "Come on…I'll show you your room."
As she gave Ino the dishes to take to the kitchen, Sakura got the awkward sensation of a fixated heat on her forehead. The feeling was too familiar – she knew she was being watched.
"Azami?" A male's voice said, almost sounding shocked. And then suddenly the guy was approaching her…
"Itachi, what a surprise!" Sakura heard Ino said as she returned into the living room, "I didn't think you'd be staying at the mansion tonight. Anyway, I see you've met Sakura; she's the newest addition to the organization. Sakura, this is Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's older brother."
Sakura stood up and tried to face Itachi, judging from where his voice came.
"Nice to meet you," she said in her best 'normal-teenaged-girl' voice while extending her right arm. Itachi shook it.
"Same here," he replied, "I'm sorry about earlier. I mistook you…for someone else…"
"It's alright," she replied and said nothing after that. Then, the most odd happened. For the first time, she found that being able to describe something to herself, was very difficult. For a moment, there was a flash of what others called 'an image' in her head. The figure was weird. It had colors; ones that she could not recognize. The image's features were also foreign to her, but somehow, at the back of her mind, she knew that it was a human being.
"Sakura?" she heard Ino say and immediately snapped out of her train of thought.
"Yeah…sorry. I zoned out," Sakura apologized.
After the encounter, Ino showed Sakura to her bathroom which was situated in her bedroom. There was pleasant warmth that emitted from the bathroom's walls. It was very welcoming – a feeling she had been deprived off ever since her childhood tragedy.
"Once you enter the bathroom, and make a left turn, you'll be facing the mirror and the counter. To the left of the counter is your Apple Blossom Shower Gel and to your right is your Apple Blossom Shower Crème. I hope you like them. I got them at this new cosmetic store down town. The bath supplies there look really cute," Ino said, trying to make Sakura feel a bit more comfortable.
It started to rain.
"I guess I should leave you to get cleaned up and rested. After all, we still have school tomorrow," Ino said lastly, then left.
Sakura felt around for the bathtub and other necessary things before actually getting down to taking a bath.
She sank her body into the foamy water, leaving her head out to breathe. First she experimented with the bath gel. It was as cold as the water in which she bathed. It left a sticky, slimy feeling on her skin. She washed off the substance and applied the Bath Crème.
The bath crème was warmer and more soothing; and left her skin feeling like silk – much to her liking. It put her in a frame of mind for sleep – which she found odd. After the day's events, sleep was the last thing she wanted; the last thing she felt for. The fact that she was unable to take down a decent number of vampires and the fact that she needed assistance was troubling enough to make her want to train harder to become stronger.
The rain continued to fall, becoming heavier. She always loved the rain; she loved to lie in bed with the covers over her body and just listen as raindrops fell on the rooftop. It was comforting and also the only time she could think ponder wildly without having to worry about her disorder, somehow. Sometimes she would just meditate on the sound of the raindrops.
She closed her eyes and tried to forget her mission. But then she remembered an earlier situation.
'It was strange…for a moment, I could 'see'…a man' she recalled.
"Azami…" was the name he called her.
"Are you certain?" Tsunade asked as she paced her office's floor.
"Am I ever wrong?" the man asked in reply.
Tsunade had not intended for the situation to play out so quickly. "It's too soon, Itachi," she said, "Sakura has only officially joined the Dark Coven today. Let's give her some time to settle in. We can wait –"
"The Prophecy will not wait, Tsunade. Sakura Haruno must see The Oracle tonight," Itachi interposed. He was now standing and infuriated. Tsunade said nothing to him; she merely looked into his emotionless, onyx eyes.
"Very well, I'll send someone for her. But I don't understand why you're getting so worked up. You know, she isn't Azami no matter what the Prophecy foretells," Tsunade said.
"I know –"
"No you don't," said a voice from behind.
"Sasuke," Itachi acknowledged, turning his attention to his younger brother.
"We will follow Tsunade's strategies as planned. You once told me that, brother…"
There was a long silence. Itachi said nothing to disagree with what Sasuke had said and Tsunade did not dare get herself into such an argument between the Uchiha brothers. Then, in the blink of an eye, Itachi was gone like a moment…
The air smelt of smoke and murderous chants echoed through the atmosphere.
She opened her eyes.
People carrying enflaming torches encircled her. She looked up to her hands – they were bound; bound to the pyre…and so were her feet.
"Please…don't kill me," she begged the raging crowd.
"Silence, witch!" commanded the priest.
"I'M NOT A WITCH! PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME!" she cried.
Endless tears fell from her eyes. Pleading was all she could do, even though she knew that her efforts would be entirely futile. The ropes were too tight to break free from. Then one by one, people of the crowd began to throw their torches on the heaps of hay surrounding the pyre to which her helpless soul was bound. The men and women spat on her; cursed her and some even hit her with their flaming torches.
Through squinted eyes, she could see a short, middle-aged man, forcing his way through the crowd.
"Stop, please! Priest Ansem, please don't kill Azami…please don't kill my daughter!" the man pleaded. He was now on his knees, at the priest's feet.
"She is no longer your daughter, Daisuke," Priest Ansem told the father.
"Don't cry father, at least I'll dye knowing that you believed that I was innocent," Azami said to her grieving father. But he continued to weep…
She looked toward to black sky. She could almost feel his presence. She knew he was near; she could hear him, rushing through the trees in god-like speed. Silently she prayed that he would not make it, for his own sake. She knew he needed to live.
"I'm sorry…Itachi…"
Sakura's body jolted forward, drenched in sweat. She was panting for air as if she had been choking. She felt around the bed with her hands in attempt to convince herself that she was awake. And in doing so, she re-collected her thoughts.
'That dream…felt very much alive,' she thought to herself. The feeling of the heat from the flames on her skin; the emotional distress; the fear – it all seemed so real. And to make things even more suspicious – Itachi was involved. She sat there for a moment. The images, the cries – they all replayed in her head.
With a sigh, Sakura threw the covers off her body and got off the bed. She needed a glass of water.
The rain had reduced to a mere drizzle, she noted, as she made her way down the hall. She proceeded to turn the corner into the kitchen, when a loud 'thump' emitted from one of the bedrooms to her right, stopping her in her tracks.
The sound came from the room she had just passed and headed toward it to ensure that everything was alright with the person in there.
She knocked twice; no one answered.
She raised her hand to knock a third time, but before her hand could touch the wooden surface, the door clicked open.
"What do you want?" a not so foreign voice asked aggressively. And it surprised Sakura to know that this particular person was living here.
"I heard a noise from this room and just wanted to know if everything was alright, Karin," Sakura explained plainly.
"Everything's fine. Leave," Sakura heard Sasuke say, coming from behind Karin.
That was when Sakura smelt it – the faint stench of blood. Then it became obvious to her that she had just interrupted Sasuke's feeding session.
"I apologize," Sakura said and continued toward the kitchen.
In the morning, everyone prepared themselves for school like normal school kids. Ino made pancakes for breakfast and served only the humans at the table. Karin was slumped down on the sofa, complaining about something Ino told her off about earlier. And at that very thought of Karin, Sakura remembered her interruption last night, causing her to visibly shudder.
"What's your problem, blind girl?" Karin asked.
"None of your business," Sakura snapped and drank down her orange juice.
"Don't be surprised if you get your ass kicked sometime soon," Karin continued to speak, "Because Sasuke was very upset after you interrupted him yesterday…"
"That idiot is the least of her worries, believe it!" Naruto almost screamed at Karin. He jumped off the counter.
"Naruto's right," Ino supported and then faced Naruto, "Now clean up that mess you left on the counter you dumbass!"
And instantly, a frantic Naruto began to wipe up some juice he spilt on the kitchen counter.
Ino settled down at the table and began to chow down her breakfast. Sakura had never felt so at home in a long time, even during her time with Kakashi. There was a difference here. Eating at a table and sharing a meal with others; conversing with them and conducting life together made her feel like she had a family again. A glowing flame was now sparking to life once again, spreading a warmth that was absent for a far too long time.
Everyone's heads whipped up at the sound of footsteps entering the kitchen.
"You're late for breakfast, teme," Naruto greeted the intruder.
"Hn," was the familiar reply.
"Yeah…that's totally not like you, Sasuke," Ino added.
"Leave the guy alone, Ino," Kiba said before yawning, "We all know that sex is vital for his survival, don't we now?"
With that said, Naruto and Kiba busted into a fit of laughter. Ino giggled wholeheartedly and Shikamaru laughed a little, in between. Karin kept quiet.
Surprisingly, Sakura could not help herself. She found herself laughing softly, even though she did not catch the joke in Kiba's statement.
Silence befell immediately once again when Sasuke grunted loud enough for the others to notice.
"We'll be leaving in five minutes, Naruto," said another voice. They were all too caught up in laughter to even notice Itachi's entrance.
"Sakura," Itachi continued, "Tsunade has requested that you take a ride with us…"
Without hesitation, Sakura gathered her possessions and followed Itachi, Sasuke and Naruto out the house…
At the school's entrance doors, Sakura and Naruto met up with Ino and the others. Hinata and Neji had just arrived as well. Everyone's first class commenced precisely at eight. Ino and Sakura had the same class together – Chemistry – so she accompanied Sakura to the classroom and saved her a seat right next to her.
"I didn't know you'd be into the Sciences," Ino said to her, "What occupation are you considering?"
At that question, Sakura distinctly remembered a familiar person – one of the people she wiped out of her memory eight years ago.
'Hana…'
Her very first best friend…
"Hello," said a female voice. She did not bother to return the greeting.
"Um…my name is Hana. What's yours and why are you alone?" the female voice asked politely.
"My name is Sakura," she answered plainly but failed to state why she was alone.
Sakura had vowed to never have another, no; that would just bring the pain back again. She admitted openly to herself that she was afraid of losing anyone close to her. That was way she avoided close relationships with anyone.
"I'm hoping to study Medicine," Sakura answered Ino, "And become a surgeon…"
"Oh! That's just like Tsunade! And that's my aim too!" Ino nearly squealed.
"Alright class. Let's begin," said a surprisingly recognizable voice.
"Um…Sakura," Ino continued, "I forgot to mention earlier – Itachi is our Chemistry teacher…"
It took a while to settle in. Why did it feel as if Itachi was haunting her? Maybe fate was telling her to confront him about her little premonition. Maybe he had answers; after all, he was involved in it.
"Today we'll investigate the chemistry behind corrosion…" Itachi said at the far end of the classroom.
Somehow Sakura felt that Tsunade and Kakashi had been hiding something from her. But she could not put her finger on it because Kakashi never hinted her of anything during her training years with him back at Cle Elum.
"Ms. Haruno," Itachi said, bringing her back to the Chemistry classroom, "Is everything alright?"
"I'm sorry, Sir…I spaced out. It won't happen again," she apologized. Itachi resumed teaching.
The following class was math with Ms. Kurenai Yuhi. And proceeding after that was the lunch break. Everyone including Temari and her siblings sat together at the lunch table.
"Hey guys, listen up," Ino began once again, "So I was thinking that we need to give Sakura a proper welcome into the organization."
"Sure, what do you have in mind?" Temari asked.
"Hmm…Sakura, would you like to hang out with us at the mall this weekend? It'll be fun!" Ino suggested.
"Okay," Sakura agreed. She had never been out with other people besides Kakashi; but that was usually when they needed to get grocery items and other necessary things like that. She never really was able to enjoy shopping as a leisure activity.
While Ino went on to rattle about the things she would buy, Sakura thought about consulting with Itachi. During Math Class that was all she could think about. But now…now she felt ready to do it.
"Does anyone know where Itachi's office is?" Sakura asked the group.
"Er…yeah," Naruto answered, "Why?"
"I need to ask him something I really don't understand. Is it okay if you escort me to his office?" Sakura half lied.
Naruto complied. As they approached the room which was used as Itachi's office, they could hear muffled voices coming from the interior. They door was opened widely, so Sakura eventually saw who Itachi's current visitor was. Sasuke and Itachi appeared to be in the middle of an important discussion, but immediately fell silent on detecting Sakura's presence.
"Hey Itachi, Sakura wants to talk to you," Naruto said rudely.
Sasuke shot his older brother a warning look before exiting the office.
"Are you sure you're okay on your own now?" Naruto asked Sakura and left with Sasuke when she assured him that she was fine.
Now it was just her and Itachi. Sakura did not feel the least bit scared, no…never. She could never be afraid of a vampire.
"Was there something you wished to talk about?" Itachi asked, getting right down to business. She took a short moment to gather her thoughts before replying.
"Yes. I want to discuss last night. After my late dinner, you called me by the name 'Azami'…Who was she?"
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. You must have heard wrong, Sakura," Itachi contradicted.
"The woman called Azami appeared in my dream last night," Sakura continued despite Itachi's statement, "I saw her die…"
Itachi's eyes widened at the girl's words. He remembered that night.
"You 'saw' this woman's death? That's impossible. You're blind," Itachi responded, continuing to pretend as if he did not know the woman Sakura spoke of.
"No…I didn't see her die, no…" Sakura corrected herself, "I was Azami. I was dying…in the pyre…"
A smirk played across Itachi's face and even though Sakura could not see it, she could feel it; she could hear it in his voice. "Sakura Haruno," Itachi said, "In time, you will unravel the truth. But for now, be patient. We can't have you learn anything too quickly…not when you're not ready. Now if that was all you wished to discuss, then you may leave."
Sakura did not know what to say. Itachi had given her a speck of a hint that there was something odd and simultaneously assured her that he and a few others – presumably Tsunade – were aware of it. But at the same time, it sounded as if he had just told her off. Wordlessly, she left the Uchiha's office…
"You never were spying type, Sasuke" Itachi said, as his brother came through the window. He turned to face the younger Uchiha who said nothing as he settled himself at his older brother's desk.
"You know, brother, I'm starting to think that you were right. Maybe she is ready to hear the Prophecy," Sasuke said in monotone.
"Hn," Itachi replied and walked over to the small refrigerator he had at the corner of the room and took out two blood bags. He threw one to Sasuke and then bit into his one. "So what are you going to do?" Itachi asked, "Are you going to convince Tsunade to let Sakura hear the Prophecy?"
Sasuke sucked out the last few drops of blood from the bag before replying.
"No…"
Lunch was over. Sakura had two more classes before the school day came to an end once again. Her Biology class would definitely be a free period due to Kakashi's absence. However there was a possibility that Principal Jiraya could have appointed a substitute.
She made a mental note to ask Tsunade about Kakashi. She had not heard from him ever since he left for his mission.
Just then she felt a tight grip on her arm, followed by a forceful pull, backwards. She would have stumbled if the person behind had not steadied her.
Startled, she asked, "Who are you?"
"Hn, be quiet," Sasuke said to her, "…and come with me –"
"No!" she protested.
"You want to find out the truth behind 'Azami', don't you?" Sasuke asked her stoically.
"Yes," Sakura answered almost immediately.
"Then come with me and be quiet…"
A/N: Hey guys! Now before I say anything about the story, I just want to apologize for such a long wait. School got the better of me. But now I'll be updating often as it's summer time.
The next Chapter is entitled: The Oracle and the Prophecy. Chapter five will reveal a HUGE part of this story so you guys can challenge yourselves with predictions. But keep in mind that a story by IzWinchesterDevil is not written without a twist (chuckles).
For a quick update, 10 REVIEWS are required for this Chapter. I like to get feedback from my readers because it's motivational and even helps me to stay on the right track so my story always has your attention. I hope you enjoyed reading!
Oh, and I hope you guys did not mind the errors!
-Iz.