Hello! I know its been a while. After completing TBT, I asked for some opinions on what direction I should go next. Thank you all for responding!

As a result, I'm going to give you a sneak peak! A few snippets of some of the scenes, not necessarily in order. I've been trying to plan things out and I've got a good bit underway so stayed tuned! I have my socials on my profile page, so add me to stay updated on things. So far, I actually have quite a lot of progress on this.

This is a vampire story staged in the 1800s.

Title: Either "Dark Hearts", or "Forsaken"

Summary: Sakura is elated for her trip to her cousin's excavation site in Romania. Her hometown of Applegate is boring, and her parents treat her like a caged bird. She knew that going to a foreign land would be strange, but she did not foresee the dangers that lie in the lost kingdom they are researching. Something ancient resides there, surrounded by sinister secrets, and unfortunately, Sakura finds it. And once she finds it, she cannot escape it.

First chapter will be posted July 1st!

Snippet 1:

Cacawwwww

A howl-like caw came from the trees. Her body shivered from the ominous sound, remembering the wolf howl again. The forest was quiet, almost devoid of animals, so the crow's call felt like an interruption. It was as she gazed at the sky that she saw it. The clouds parted to reveal a hulking structure beyond. A castle, almost camouflaged in the scene, had emerged. She could not stop the gasp that came from her throat. William turned around, his brow worried.

"Are you alright, dear?" He asked.

Sakura pointed to the sky. "Do you see that?" She responded hurriedly. At any moment it would disappear again.

William followed her finger, but the clouds had gathered again. The castle once again hidden. He turned back to her with a confused frown. "See what?"

"The castle you talked about, the one you haven't found. I think I just saw it!" She urged, then pointed again. "Right over there. Perhaps that is what Humphry saw too, and hoped to find shelter there"

William halted his horse and scanned the trees, more thorough than last time. Even from the distance, the castle looked gigantic; Sakura did not understand how it could hide so well.

"What's the holdup back there?" Henry called from the front. The rest of the group had noticed they fell behind and stopped as well.

"Sakura thinks she sees something past the clouds." William said, exasperated.

Sakura felt offended. Did he not believe her? That her eyes were playing tricks on her? Henry turned his horse to face forward again. "It must just be the mountain. There are plenty around." He said pointedly. She glared at the back of Henry's head. They started to move again.

"I know what I saw." Sakura said with her chin up. If William heard her, he did not show it. They were all tired, and maybe that made them more irritable. The group continued moving forward, back toward camp. Sakura knew there was no way she would remember where she had seen the castle if she went back and tried to find this place again. She was sure that she'd seen the towering castle, but no one was listening to her. It'd been a long day. They did not want to 'entertain a woman with silly notions' she guessed. Even William, who had convinced Naruto to let her join the search for Humphry. The clouds parted again, just slightly, giving her a sliver of the image she had seen. They were moving away from the castle. Soon it would be lost again. Before she realized what she was doing, her horse was turning. It stepped into the overgrowth of grass, and they veered off the path.

Even if it looked unpropitious, a lost man would seek warm shelter here.

That's what Sakura told herself as she and her horse trudged on through the trees. She had found a long forgotten path, and if she surmised correctly, it was leading her to a forgotten kingdom. Constantly, she reminded herself that her efforts were valiant; finding their missing worker while making a miraculous discovery! The thought helped fight off the loneliness once she realized that she was truly alone. Talking to her horse helped as well, and she spoke in quiet whispers, as if afraid she would gain the forest's attention if she spoke any louder. Instinctively, she placed a hand on her chest, feeling the beat of her racing heart and wishing it would calm down.
Now that she was by herself in the dark forest, she understood how silly myths could bear down on you. The imagination birthed wild things while in the unknown, even for the sensible Sakura. 'Was not very sensible to go off on your own.' She chastised herself.
The trees thinned as they continued until they came upon a large, wrought iron gate with brick walls. The old gate had no lock but did not feel welcoming. 'No turning back now.'
Her grip on the reigns were tight as she urged her horse forward, but it would not go.
"Come on, boy." She urged again, clicking her heels against his sides. The horse whinnied, trotted fitfully, and still would not go forward. She sighed. "I understand. The place is quite formidable, is it not?"
She got off the horse and tied him to a nearby tree, gently stroking his neck to calm him down. Sakura gazed at the gate and the hulking mass behind it. "Are you sure you don't want to keep me company?" She asked the horse. He whinnied, shaking his head as if he could understand her. She huffed. "Fine; I will finish the journey for us both."
First, she lit her lantern before she entered. The sunset was quickly disappearing, and she did not want to be caught in the dark trying to get it lit. Then she set off past the gate, and up a winding path to the lost castle tucked away in the mountain.

Snippet 2:

"We'll return once we recoup."

Sakura did not like that answer, but they did not know what she knew. For now, at least, no one would be in danger. Maybe with time she could convince Naruto that it was not a good idea to return. She thought of the villagers, tucked away in their little village just before the forest. Chiyo had told her that they knew not to cross the forest. The villagers had grown up with a beast in their backyard, after all. If she had been raised in such a place, she would be wary like them too.

The first few days she was overjoyed to be back in Applegate, but her nights were haunted with nightmares. As if she could feel red eyes still watching her. Yet, she would wake with a start and find nothing but her blankets, vanity, and books. There were no figures lurking behind her bed's canopy drapes. Some nights were so fitful that she could not go back to sleep. Not wanting to leave the comfort of her bed, she would light her lamp and read.

Sakura enjoyed reading, and she absorbed knowledge eagerly, but she had a hard time concentrating on her typical books. Especially during her late-night insomnia. Medical journals or, adventurous tales, or sweet fictional romances were not appealing to her interests.

She wanted to learn more about him. About the monster on the mountain.

'I want to forget him.' She seethed quietly, as she spent yet another night trying to read. But his presence had shocked her to the core. What was he? Modern science said that a creature could not exist, and yet he had stood in front of her. He had touched her with his cold hands. He defied what she believed about mysticism and religion. She did not think demons could be flesh. Was he a demon? Chiyo had used a different name. A vampire.

What else out there existed that modern society had dismissed?

A few days became a week. Then two weeks. Finally, Sakura got up from her bed one night and gathered herself in her robe. She would go to the library and see what she could find.

With only the candlelight to guide her, she went down the corridor. She held her robes close to her as she went through the house. It felt empty. It was just her, mother, and father, but the help was here during the day. Many of her parent's friends were over frequently and they filled up the house. As a small child she had preferred to keep to herself and run off to the library, just as she was doing now.

Back then it did not feel as lonely.

Sakura shivered as she felt a breeze seep into her neck. Her brow furrowed as she looked to the window. It was open, just a crack. Who had left it open? Sakura set her candle down on an end table holding a vase.

When she turned to close the window, she saw a face through it.

Snippet 3:

Bap bap bap went the sabers around them, but Naruto had a hard time hearing them. He was not focused on his own dual, barely defending himself against the oncoming jabs. His mind was somewhere else, the image of Sakura's forlorn face burned behind his eyelids. She seemed to be most guarded in the presence of Sasuke Uchiha.

WAP!

"Ow!" Naruto cried as a saber swatted the top of his head.

"Engard!" Kakashi voiced triumphantly, then stepped back into a defensive position. "You are sloppy today, Naruto." He chided. "You strike without thinking, although that isn't uncommon, but today it is almost like you are not even trying."

Naruto frowned, raised his saber, then aggressively stepped forward. His strike was parried easily. "What do you know of Sasuke Uchiha?"