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: 'Azami'
'Thoughts' Flashbacks
Narrator's POV
~ The Dark Coven ~
Chapter Eleven: The Apology
When morning had arrived, Sakura awoke to find that she had fallen asleep at her desk. Initially, she had every intention to stay awake after finding the Japanese written note on her bed; but it appeared that she had been more tired than she had anticipated.
At breakfast, she was surprised to see that Sasuke had returned from his mission. He was not having anything, just simply gazing out the kitchen window.
Sakura silently cursed at the relieved feeling that overcame her at the sight of the man. She felt it only for a few seconds, but wasted no time in disliking it the moment she realized it. Inwardly she remarked at how odd the emotion was and found it hard to find an explanation. Her feeling of concern for a vampire of all beings was one she had never come across in her life. Surely Sakura was somewhat grateful to Sasuke for saving her life back in the tunnels, but at the same time, not to such an extent.
She drank her entire glass of orange juice and brushed off the feeling.
She mentioned nothing about the note to anyone, but did not plan to keep mum about it for too long. Someone in the mansion had to have an idea as to what it meant or to whom it was related. If not, then she decided it would be best at least to raise it to their attention.
After having a small raisin bun, Sakura helped Ino with the dishes so that she could have enough time to get herself ready for school.
She missed school. Her education was not being disrupted by her absence from school since private classes had been organized for her on evenings; however she missed the life of a normal girl. Tsunade told her that in two months she would be able to resume that life, but two months seemed to be dragging, for lack of a better word.
When the dishes were done, Sakura took to her room where she had a cold shower, before getting ready for training. She was told that her session was to be with someone she rarely interacted with on a daily basis.
On her way to her bedroom door, the note that was sitting upon her desk caught her eye, as well as the white rose which was already beginning to wither from dehydration. She gazed at it for a moment, wondering if it would be wise to take it along with her. Then, when she became tired of thinking, she walked over to the desk, grabbed the paper and shoved it into the depths of the pockets of her denim pants.
Usually, whenever Sakura left the mansion, she would simply close her bedroom door without locking it since she always kept her valuables with her wherever she went. And she trusted the other residents enough to respect her privacy. However, after learning about her very discreet and unwanted visitor, Sakura divested all possible accessibility to her room.
She checked her windows three times to ensure that they were locked, and locked the door to her bedroom.
On her way downstairs, Sakura collided with Tenten who was carrying some of her washed clothes to her room.
"It seems that we're always doing this," Sakura said, recalling their first meeting at school, as she helped the female vampire pick up the scattered pieces of clothing.
Tenten chuckled and nodded. "I heard your training partner today is Neji Hyuuga," Tenten relayed with a wide smile plastered across her face.
Sakura gave her an expression that read, 'Really?'
"Yeah, so I'll give you a few pointers," Tenten said when they had finally gathered the rest of the clothes, "Neji uses his clan's signature fighting style, mostly taijutsu, otherwise termed 'hand-to-hand combat'. When he fights you, beware of his strikes because he uses chakra. And be careful where he hits you – he aims for the pressure points."
"Okay, thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Sakura said gratefully. "Seems you've done quite a lot of training with him for you to gather so much on his skill," she added.
"Not much. I was only able to gather so little since we've only had two training sessions together. I just dig his style. He's very a worthy opponent," Tenten defended herself from whatever Sakura was implying and smirked.
"Oh, and you might want to hurry. Neji's waiting for you out front – he's giving you a lift to the arena too," Tenten added before wishing Sakura luck and carrying on up to her room.
Sakura was too exhausted to even sit properly on the bench. And she felt uncomfortable with her sweat-drenched clothes clinging to her sticky skin. She had still been dehydrated after drinking six entire bottles of water.
"We've only been training for three hours and all you've managed to do was dodge my attacks," Neji said as he handed her another bottle of water, "I must say, I was expecting more from you, Sakura Haruno."
Sakura was unable to respond to Neji's words. He was telling the truth – she could not land a single blow on his body. Why?
"When he fights you, beware of his strikes because he uses chakra. And be careful where he hits you – he aims for the pressure points."
She was only heeding Tenten's wise words of caution.
"I apologize. I'll try my best to make progress before this session is over," Sakura finally replied.
She saw Neji's brow rise slightly. Had her answer taken him by surprise?
Sakura noted how much he was just like Sasuke – his tone, his expressionless façade, his speech. But there were major differences too. Unlike Neji, Sasuke's eyes seemed to have more depth and was more alluring, that ostensibly bottomless pit of darkness. It certainly added to his cold character as well.
'Now's not the time to be thinking about Sasuke, Sakura!' she thought to herself before anything else about the other vampire could surface her mind.
The second round of the training session began soon after.
Neji's movements were so fast, it was almost impossible to see them and she avoided them only by guess. She had expected such speed from a Pureblood vampire, however not with this type of taijutsu. 'Gentle Fist' was what he called it. And he aimed directly at her chakra points which were visible to him by usage of his Byakugan.
There was absolutely no way she could touch him. He used all of his power to prevent that. Or maybe he was not even utilizing all of his strength at all.
When she felt the need to catch her breath, Sakura back flipped from her opponent to a distance of ten meters.
"Retreating already?" he taunted.
She could not tell if he was taunting her or genuinely asking a question. The veins near his eyes were no longer protruded.
"No. I just need five minutes," Sakura responded, falling backward onto the ground.
"You could not hit me because you were too busy only trying to predict my moves so that you could avoid them. I've never trained with you before, so why is it that you're so afraid that I hit you?"
"Tenten told me about your abilities," Sakura stated truthfully, confused at his sudden question. Why did he sound as though the fact that she knew about his techniques was wrong?
"I see," he muttered. "Perhaps if you weren't mindful about my skills, you would have been able to at least strike me once by now," he added sternly.
His tone was so cold it gave her the impression that he and Tenten were not on good terms.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. He was right – if she had not been conscious of his techniques, and discovered it on her own; she would have already made progress.
"We're going to stop physical training for today," Neji continued and before Sakura could voice her objection, he added, "For the rest of the day, I'm going to teach you how to utilize the sense of physical feel so that the next time you train with me, you won't be occupied by trying to predict where I would hit you."
Sakura's eye brows knitted together in curiosity and then confusion, when he answered her silent question. "You are going to attain this skill by the practice of meditation…"
"Is she really gone?" Tsunade asked Kiba on entering the small house that was befittingly gloomy from the absence of light.
"That's right. From the looks of things, she passed away very early this morning," Kiba answered.
The entire house was quiet except for the tapping of Tsunade's heels in the hardwood floor, which she tried to reduce. When her hazel eyes fell upon the older woman's form, a part of her began to doubt that she was actually dead.
"She looks as though she's sleeping," Tsunade commented on the peaceful look of the deceased woman's face. "It appears that she died during her sleep."
"Seems so," Kiba agreed, "I've already contacted the funeral home and Danzo…but I think there's one more person we should inform as well, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade's eyes nearly widened at the mention of the last person. It was not that she had forgotten that Yumi Komagata had a son, but since he betrayed the organization the mere mention of him created whirlwinds within her.
"Although he's no longer part of the organization, I agree that as Yumi's son, he has the right to know about his mother's death," Tsunade answered, "You should contact him, Kiba. I'll deal with the other matters…"
It would be better if Kiba spoke to Yumi's son on her behalf – better for them both…
After quite a long session of meditation, Sakura developed a unique skill – how to keep her mind focused solely on one thing – the one thing that she would consider important however its manifestation. She was so engrossed in the meditation that she had completely lost track of time. By now, time had flown to half past the hour of five o'clock in the evening.
"I'll take you home," Neji offered when he had finished packing his belongings.
"No," Sakura responded a bit too quickly, thus sounding rather rude, and proceeded to explain herself right away. "Let me fight you one more time. Give me an hour; and if I don't hit you by then, we will leave."
"As you wish," Neji agreed and set his bag on the bench where it had been before and followed Sakura onto the field once more.
They got into their respective stances and Sakura calmed herself after noting the fierce look in her opponent's pale eyes. This time, she was sure, Neji would not be holding back. Not even the slightest.
However it did not take her long to calm herself because within seconds, she had already begun charging at him, her mind clear of fear and all doubts, except for one intention – the intention to win.
It surprised her for a short moment that dodging his strikes came to her like second nature. However she did not allow herself to get caught up in the awe and lose focus.
Gradually, she began to include her feet in the duel so the chances of Neji's fall could be heightened. When he aimed his right palm at her left side, and his left palm at her chest, she saw an opening and avoided both his hands, making her way between both of his arms as though she was being embraced.
Then something peculiar happened.
The energy she felt, surging through her body in that moment was uncontrollable. But when she decided on the punch she was about to deliver to Neji's stomach, she focused the energy to the surface of her clenched fist and the power began to pool there.
Then, the last thing Sakura remembered was the feel of Neji's hard stomach against her fist and the effortless push that sent him flying backwards across the field.
The speed at which his body travelled became hidden by the risen dust, but the distance was determined after it had settled once more on the grounds.
At the sight of Neji's weakened form lying on the ground about thirty meters away from where she stood, Sakura pelted across the field and was at his side within seconds.
"Are you alright?" she asked, panicked, since she had never seen a Pureblooded Vampire in such a battered state. The back of Neji's shirt had become torn away from the rough parts of the field. And the bare flesh of his upper back that had become exposed to the rough surfaces of the ground was now covered in bruises.
Slowly, they began to heal, but the blood that oozed from them still bathed his skin.
"I'm fine," he responded firmly, trying to bring himself forward from the floor, but stopped when he began to cough and placed both of his hands against the floor to support his upper body.
At the last cough, droplets of blood splattered on the dirt.
"No you're not!" Sakura exclaimed frantically. She placed her hand on his shoulder to prevent him from overworking himself.
"Whatever you did, caused no severe harm to my insides," he stated reassuringly and wiped his mouth with the back of his palm and accepted Sakura's help back to the bench.
"Should I get you to the hospital?" Sakura inquired as they walked.
"No," he replied and paused before asking, "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"How did you hit me with such force? What was that technique?" he explained and asked again.
"I…I don't know…" she answered honestly, "I don't know how I did it. I just did."
"Well the Hyuuga Clan's technique involves forcible and formidable attacks with the use of chakra. And unless my eyes have deceived me, I believe I had seen that rapid flow of chakra within you," Neji suggested.
Sakura said nothing to explain his statement. She had no idea whether she had an adrenaline rush or if she had actually used chakra.
"Whatever it was you did," Neji continued when Sakura remained silent, "you should try to use it again. I've never met anyone outside of the Hyuuga Clan who can successfully attack so forcibly using chakra the way we do…"
When Neji had fully recovered, he drove Sakura home.
The journey was spent in silence until Sakura questioned him about the Hyuuga Clan and its traditions and culture. It was quite interesting to her, especially when he mentioned that the few Pureblood clans derived separate kingdoms that were acknowledged only by the vampires and werewolves who existed at the time, and that the Uchiha Clan was one of them. Along with the Hyuuga and Uchiha were the Fuuma and Ryuzaki Clans who were considered foes by the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans.
Then, when the Shogunate was being formed, the Head of each Pureblood Kingdom battled against each kingdom to determine who was best suited for the position. They did so in secrecy from the humans and it eventually became decided that the Uchiha Clan would acquire that title. From then the other Pureblood Clans regarded the Uchiha Leader as their new 'king' and swore loyalty to them as they survived to protect and utilize the humans, keeping their identities concealed.
Sakura noted the fact that the Hyuuga Clan existed since many eons ago, and it occurred to her that Neji was more than likely to have the knowledge of reading and writing Japanese.
"Neji, if I'm not mistaken, you do know how to read Kanji, right?" she asked, just to be sure.
"Yes."
"If you don't mind," Sakura continued and dug into the pocket of her jeans, pulling out the piece of paper she had stuffed in there earlier, "Can you translate this for me?"
Neji took one glance at the paper and averted his gaze back onto the road.
"It reads: 'Moushiwake arimasen', which translates to 'I apologize'," he replied.
"Oh," she muttered as she fell into a train of thought. Sakura never thought that a simple phrase formulated by two ordinary words could sound so mysterious. The sender was apologizing, but she could not quite recall who it could have possibly come from.
"May I who gave this to you?" Neji inquired, making her aware of her surroundings once more.
"I don't know. The person didn't leave a name and I found this in my room on the night of my birthday along with a white rose and a picture frame," she replied, still staring at the kanji symbols.
"I'll inform someone from the organization and have it investigated. For now, don't be bothered too much by it," Neji said coolly, "You have far more important things to focus your attention on".
It appeared to Sakura that Neji was not too worried about anyone infiltrating the mansion. It was almost as though he had known who put the note in her room. She did not question him further, afraid that she would end up annoying him. But she was determined to uncover who the owner of the mysterious note and…gifts was before the end of the day.
Sasuke heard his bedroom door open and mentally matched a name to the familiar presence entering, but remained unmoved as his arms rested on the window sill, the chair supporting the rest of his body and his eyes, shut.
"I've just received word about Yumi Komagata's death," Itachi began, aware that his brother had been awake.
"Hn…" He knew that time was soon to arrive since the revelation.
"I've also just been informed that someone snuck into Sakura's room on her birthday and left her a note of apology written in Kanji," Itachi continued.
His charcoal orbs stayed fixed upon his younger brothers still form. He did not even hint any form of shock or curiosity of who the intruder was. This led Itachi to one conclusion.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Itachi asked, taking a seat at Sasuke's desk.
Sasuke said nothing for a long time. And for the first time, Itachi was clueless about what his brother had been thinking. So he too remained quiet, and waited in the darkness until his younger brother was ready to answer his question and all the silent ones that emerged one after the other.
"You must be very angry with me for taking your mate, big brother," Sasuke said after the long silence. His tone possessed a silent apology and hints of remorse and shame, capable of being detected only by Itachi.
Itachi sighed audibly before answering, "It was never written in stone that she would be mine in every lifetime, Sasuke. That's why things turned out differently this time."
Sasuke finally turned to face the older Uchiha. Then he continued.
"But you and Azami were –"
"Soul mates," Itachi completed for him, "However, you must remember…Azami and Sakura…are two completely different persons."
"Sakura's a reincarnation of Azami. How can she not be the same person?" Sasuke asked stubbornly.
"Are you suggesting that I've forgotten the woman to whom I was betrothed? That I've forgotten her ways and how her presence feels? Because if that's what you are implying, Sasuke, then you are wrong," Itachi stated firmly.
There was another long pause between the two brothers once again, and this time it was very much needed. Itachi had not needed to raise his voice to display his anger. The iciness of his tone gave it away and Sasuke hated being the one responsible for triggering that particular emotion from his brother.
When Azami had been burnt to death, many suffered the overwhelming wrath of Itachi Uchiha. The priest who conducted the live cremation, the villagers who encouraged it and accused her of being a witch – they were all taken to enclosed prison chambers where they were exposed to various forms of torture until the priest revealed the name of the man who instigated Azami's demise. But Itachi, blinded by rage, refused to accept that Madara had committed such an act, believing that the priest uttered the name only to escape death. And then he perished among the unavoidable, black flames of Amaterasu – a technique wielded only by the Uchihas who possessed the Sharingan.
It took a lot to get Itachi Uchiha enraged, and it also took a great deal to extinguish his fury. So when Sasuke felt as though there had been enough silence between them to dilute his vexation, he respectfully whispered with a slight bending of his head, "Moushiwake arimasen, Oniisama…"
Their eyes met for a moment and then Itachi tore his gaze away from Sasuke's.
"Speaking of apologies," Itachi started again, ignoring Sasuke's confession, "What were you apologizing to Sakura for?"
Sasuke sucked in some air and let it all out before answering. He had wished for his apology to Sakura to appear vague and remain that way to everyone. Everyone except Sakura, if she had ever deciphered the reasons behind it.
"At first, I was going to apologize to her because she felt…insulted by some things I said to her. But then, unconsciously I realized that there were other things I did that were unjust to her. Because of me, her soul is now bounded to mine; she'll lust only for me even though it's against her will and she'll despise herself as much as she despises the vampires who massacred her family…or even more. And then part of me directed it to…Azami-san. However it is she has reincarnated – be it Sakura's soul or a soul contained within Sakura's body – because of the bond, she will be unable to be with you."
Sasuke mentioned the last part harboring a heavy amount of guilt, Itachi detected.
"So you apologized for all that," Itachi voiced his understanding.
"When is the funeral?" Sasuke then asked changing the subject immediately and Itachi went with the flow since knew that Sasuke had been uncomfortable with expressing himself fully. He usually gave unclear, one-worded answers when asked questions. But not when answering to Itachi. Such was the relationship between the two brothers.
"It's tomorrow afternoon," Itachi replied.
"Will he be there?" Sasuke continued questioning.
"Of course," Itachi said, looking at his younger brother now, "After all, he is Yumi's son."
"I don't trust him," Sasuke further commented.
"I know. However, I do believe everyone makes their decisions based on particular reasons and Dan was no different. You shouldn't concern yourself with Dan's presence too much. He'll only be here for one day. Instead, you should think of explaining to Sakura that the note she found in her bedroom was from you. Neji did tell me that she's worried that an intruder entered her room."
Sasuke was not surprised to hear that. He knew Sakura's character well enough to expect that she would have been bothered by such a happening. But he had no intention of approaching her and revealing himself to her. Because he knew that at the right time she would come to know everything by herself…
Neji was greeted by one of the servants in the foyer when he returned to his manor.
"Master Hyuuga, I've been told to inform you that Lady Komagata has passed away. The funeral is tomorrow," the servant relayed before bowing respectfully and taking his leave when Neji permitted.
Yumi's death was of no surprise to him. He felt no sentiment on hearing the news since he barely had encounters with the woman, but the last time he ever spent a great deal of time with her, it was most awkward. And he still remembered every detail of it all very clearly…
"Komagata-sama, we shouldn't delay. Your life is at risk the longer you take to return to your home district," Neji said, slightly annoyed at the woman who was busying herself with the colorful fabrics before her eyes.
"Be at ease, Hyuuga-san. I'll only take a few minutes. Honestly, the next time I visit the Hyuuga household I'll be sure to tell Hiashi-sama to hire a more patient bodyguard to escort me back home," Yumi answered.
After she had bought the fabric of her choice, they traveled until they had arrived at a small dango shop. This time it was Neji who suggested that they stopped to take a short break. He assembled the two horses on which they traveled under a nearby tree before heading to the stall.
"I know you won't really need it, but would you like to have a dango, Neji-san?" Yumi offered.
"No, but thank you. Your kindness is great."
Then without further persistence, Yumi began to relish the sweetness of the thick syrup that covered its surface. And she ate them all in silence, seeing that there was nothing she knew of that would interest him in conversation. He was vampire of few words – she came to understand at least that much during the small amount of time she was with him during the journey.
She knew he was aware that she was staring at him, but he did not tell her off or meet her gaze. She noted that just like the other male Hyuuga vampires, Neji possessed a cold stare enough to frighten an average human, and a sharp facial structure. He was alluring, however she knew his detached personality would do him no good when he would soon have to find a mate. But then, as she focused on him moments longer, a face flashed in her mind long enough to remember the image after it had disappeared.
She understood what had happened since similar events occurred before this one.
Wordlessly she rolled out a blank scroll which she kept in her traveling sack and pulled out a paint brush followed by an ink carton. And then, she began to re-create the image that was in her head.
Neji watched in silence as the older woman began to paint rather distinct picture of a woman, with just the use of black ink.
"When I looked at you, this woman's face unconsciously surfaced my thoughts," Yumi suddenly said as her hands continued to work. "I have a feeling she hasn't been born yet, but I know who she will be."
When Yumi raised her head, their eyes met. "She will be the one to give you a family," Yumi revealed.
Neji frowned and tore his gaze away. He knew Yumi had always been truthful when reading anyone's future. However he found this prediction rather hard to believe, especially when the woman he was betrothed to was one from the clan itself. The woman in the painting had dark eyes unlike the trademark pale purple color of the Hyuugas'.
"I think it's time to continue to our destination, Komagata-sama…"
Neji opened one of the cabinets near his closet and took the dust-covered scroll into his hands. Yumi Komagata had given it to him at the end of his escort mission and he had kept it locked away ever since then. He had thought about throwing it into flames a long time ago, but then the mere thought seemed disrespectful to the honorable Oracle.
In the past, though he had been betrothed to Kaiko, there had been rare moments when he would remember Yumi's prediction and spend some time observing the painting on the scroll until the portrait was etched in his memory. Then, his family decided to allow him and Kaiko to meet several times since their alliance had been an arranged one and they had not been familiar with each other; and very soon he had forgotten the woman in the painting. He was able to easily will himself to forget her. He was a man who was known for setting his priorities straight and never let anything get in his way of fulfilling his duties. The Hyuuga Clan and their will – he was devoted to that. They had decided that he would marry Kaiko and he was expected to abide.
But then before he and Kaiko could be wedded, the war broke out and claimed her life along with the majority of the Hyuuga Clan. He felt no sadness on learning of her death since he was never in love with her. Their marriage would have been one for convenience.
Strange enough, days after the war had ceased, he found the scroll that contained the painting under a pile of ruble. It had not been damaged too much – only a few tears on its edges. However, the minor damages to the thick parchment had done nothing to degrade the feminine beauty that was vividly brushed onto it.
As time passed he kept the scroll hidden just as he did before the war and never looked at it again until now…ever since someone baring a strong resemblance to that woman suddenly appeared…weeks ago. For the first time in years, Neji carefully examined the image of the woman. Her beauty was great and so captivating that it would have a lesser man crumble at her feet. Her hair was dark and flowed past her shoulders. Shorter layers of hair framed her pale face. But for Neji, the most interesting thing about her had been the sadness harbored in her eyes.
These eyes were what had created the doubt in him about the woman resembling the female in the painting. They contrasted greatly. Sadness differed from gleaming cheeriness.
So he thought that it was possible that still, his 'soul mate' had not been born yet; or maybe had been elsewhere.
Though, whether it had been in a dream or sometime ago in reality, Neji was certain that he had caught a glimpse of those eyes…
Sakura was beat. Her training today had proven to be the most strenuous one she had undergone since she had arrived in Seattle. For the first time in a long while, her limbs were aching. But then the sight of the picture frame on her desk made her forget all the pain and fatigue.
She had been told not to worry about the object's 'magical' appearance, but that had certainly been proven to be inevitable.
Taking the ancient object into her hands, Sakura observed every inch of it and when her fingers brushed over the bottom right corner of the back of the frame, she felt a rough texture. She flipped it around and examined what it was.
It appeared to be an engraving of some sort of symbol. She moved into the light to have a better look. It was an engraving indeed and the symbol looked…familiar.
Then when realization hit her, she immediately raised her blouse to reveal the tattoo-like 'birthmark' she had been curious about ever since, and compared the symbol on the frame with the circular one on her stomach.
It was a precise match.
And it was then gut feelings about a number of things appeared.
She was now certain that the symbol on her stomach was no mere birthmark…or tattoo; that there existed a deeper meaning behind it. And she was sure that she had somehow been related to the person who left the photo frame and the rose in her room.
Immediately Sakura rushed to Ino's room.
If there was one person she could trust to help her, it was Ino – second to Kakashi, of course. However she found it difficult to trust him completely in the days that had gone by. Ever since she joined the organization, she had the impression that he was hiding things from her – things that were important to know.
Ino jumped at the sound of the urgent banging on her door.
"I heard you…geez!" she announced, running to the door.
When she opened it, she was surprised to find Sakura looking paler than usual with a picture frame in he hands.
"Hey…what's wrong?" Ino asked the girl who pushed past her and entered the room before saying, "Shut the door."
Ino did as she had been told.
"Did something happen?" Ino pressed.
"Do you recognize this symbol?" Sakura asked, pointing to an engraving at the back of the frame.
Ino squinted at the etching until she could completely distinguish it. She nodded. "That's the symbol of the Uchiha Clan. That photo frame must have belonged to one of the Uchiha brothers…"
"The Uchihas?" Sakura asked to confirm she had heard correctly. Ino nodded.
Sakura shoved the photo frame into Ino's hand and took off her t-shirt, catching a glimpse of Ino's eyes widening in shock at her actions.
"Then this mark," Sakura began again, "This mark belongs to one of the brothers too, right? Because their symbol is there."
Ino stared wide-eyed for a few seconds before sighing. "Sakura…we need to talk."
She waited for Sakura to put on her t-shirt before gesturing her to have a seat beside her on her bed. She exhaled before beginning to speak.
"I knew that we couldn't hide this from you. I knew that it wasn't the right thing to do either. I don't know about the photo frame, but I do about the mark on your stomach."
That sentence completely won Sakura's attention. The girl was now staring wide-eyed, her lips slightly parted in shock.
"I didn't tell you anything about the symbol on your body because I was sworn to secrecy. I argued with Kakashi that it wasn't right to keep you in the dark…but in the end I lost," she resumed speaking, "The mark is actually a brand identical to the vampire you're mated to –"
"My mate!"
"It's a law created by the organization – one that never had to be obeyed before…that was until now. The thing is, since you're the Prophetic Child the organization couldn't let you die…so that's why Sasuke was left with no other option but to turn you into a vampire. And according to the organization's rules, once you turn a human into a vampire you must also bond with them…"
"A-And that's exactly what Sasuke did? I-I'm his mate now!"
Ino looked away, conveying to Sakura that her interpretation was correct.
At this point Sakura felt like dying. The moment she became a vampire, she felt as though her soul slowly began to disintegrate; and now with the news she had just heard, she felt like the process had just sped up.
She wanted everything to be over instantly. She no longer wanted to be Sakura Haruno, the Prophetic Child…or any other thing she was referred to as. She wanted her identity to become completely swiped off the face of the earth.
Now she was screaming on the inside, infuriated. She wanted so badly to just go to sleep and disappear; to escape this torture; to avoid living the majority of her life as though she was on the brink of losing her mind…
She wanted out. And she wanted it desperately…
A/N: Firstly I'd like to thank all of my readers and reviewers for sending your thoughts about the story so far and your patience with me thus far has been greatly appreciated.
I'll let you all know that chapter twelve has been totally completed and will be released after I receive at least 10 reviews about this chapter. Constructive criticism is encouraged.
Once again, feel free to voice your questions in your reviews and I'll try my best to answer them.
- IzWinchesterDevil.