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. 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 One: A Black World
The world is a far more dangerous place than it seems. 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 them. Very little of the humans knew of the other beings. In the stillness of the night, the Moon Disciples sated their hunger for human flesh and the Blood Demons slaked their thirst for a certain red wine. The Moon Disciples, as referred to in ancient times, were mortals which were not easily killed. The Blood Demons, as referred to in ancient times, were somewhat immortal and could only die at the hands of their own kin.
The Blood Demons, more commonly known as 'Vampires', aged physically until the appearance of twenty. They could live over a long period of time, which is why they were said to be immortal. The Moon Disciples or 'Werewolves' aged until their time to depart from this world…
The world had changed…in the worst way possible – death rates increased; more people went missing; new breeds of werewolves and vampires were introduced and the population of the enemy increased; all of this remaining secret to innocent ears…
Eight Years Ago…
Slowly, she brought the piece of fruit to her lips and bit in. She could hear the other children laughing at the other tables in the room. She paid no attention to what they said, however. She knew that whatever the other girls conversed about was none of her concern. She kept as quiet as possible to avoid any attraction to herself; to avoid unwanted questions from the others. She became angry when she found that her attempts were to no avail.
"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.
"Oh. That's a pretty name. Hey! Our names are kind of…similar!" the girl exclaimed excitedly, "My name is Japanese for 'flower' while yours mean 'Cherry Blossom' – a type of flower. Your name suits you well. It goes beautifully with your pink hair and green eyes. Speaking of colors, what's your favorite color? Mine is green."
Sakura sighed mentally. This girl was rather talkative, but she did not mind, no. Hana's chattering made her think.
Colors – what did she know about colors? Her mother tried her best to explain what the different colors were supposed to be like; the colors that painted the world. It was frustrating that she could not begin to imagine them. From her mother's description, the only color that seemed to be of her liking was black. It was the only color that she saw. Sakura turned to face the direction of Hana's voice.
"No," Sakura began to respond, "My favorite color is black."
"Huh? Why?" Hana asked, having always thought of black as a rather negative color.
"Your world is painted with colors that is said to be beautiful – colors I can neither see nor imagine. The world I see is different. My world is black…I…I am cursed. I can't know the joys of seeing your world. I am blind…" Sakura explained, pausing a little before continuing; "Now you can run away from me like all the other kids…"
Sakura's eyes stared blankly at the floor. She was no longer hungry and judging from how much time had passed, she knew that the lunch hour would end soon. Sakura thought the girl had left quietly, but she was wrong about her assumptions yet again.
"Don't be stupid…" Hana told Sakura, "I'm not like the others. And I don't think you're cursed. No, you're unique. And I want to be your best friend."
Sakura gasped a little, shocked at the girl's words. The two had only met a few minutes ago and now this girl wanted to be her best friend? It was indeed surprising. Why was Hana not like the other second graders? Sakura did not answer the girl.
The bell rang, indicating that the students' lunch break was over. Hana noticed that Sakura did not move from her seat.
"How do you usually get to class?" Hana asked.
"A teacher escorts me," Sakura answered plainly.
"Oh…" Hana replied, "Can I escort you today? I mean…we both are in the same class, right?"
"Okay," Sakura permitted. Sakura could not explain the mixed feelings that were currently bubbling inside of her. Usually, when people found out of Sakura's blindness, they would call her a freak or pity her until she became sickened by it. They never wanted to be her friend; she never was desperate for one either. But Hana made her feel excited for some reason.
Months passed and the two girls became more acquainted with each other. Their bonds grew and soon enough, they called one another best friends. For once, Sakura was going to have a friend over for her birthday. It was that night Sakura turned eight; and it was that night Sakura lost her only family along with her only friend…
Concealed by the shadows, a lone figure made its way down the streets; a female figure. She did not care of the night's cold rain that soaked her clothing and hair. The thunder cackled, but she was not afraid. The lightening flashed, giving a quick view of sharp, emerald eyes. The woman steadily walked up the concrete steps to her house. Everything that happened that night – the smell of blood; the screams – it was now a mere memory. To her, grieving served no purpose. That was what she had been taught.
"Good evening, Sakura," a silver-haired man greeted under a mask which covered his mouth and nose. He was sitting at the table in the kitchen.
"Evening, Kakashi," the woman called 'Sakura', greeted her sensei.
It happened a long time ago, but the memory remained so vivid in her mind. Sakura Haruno was only eight when her parents were killed by those untamed, bloodthirsty creatures. She was lucky enough to be saved by a hunter, well known to the enemies' world – Kakashi Hatake. It was after that tragedy Sakura gained knowledge of the supernatural beings that she thought never existed. Kakashi adopted her; cared for her…and trained her to become what she was at present – a hunter. Sakura despised the ones that killed her parents. Her hate towards them was an ever-burning flame. And the news of the deaths caused by those bloodsuckers and some werewolves fueled her hate; kept it burning…
"Sakura, a proposal has been made to you by a hunter organization called Dark Coven," Kakashi said, picking up the newspaper.
"What do they want?" Sakura asked.
"They want you to join," Kakashi answered, "The Head of Dark Coven has seen your skills and she is quite impressed."
"Wait – isn't that the same organization you used to work for?" Sakura asked the man while opening the refrigerator. Kakashi nodded.
"I'd rather work solo," Sakura decided.
"That's not such a wise choice…and you know that. In fact, if that is what you decide, then I forbid you from hunting," Kakashi said in a stern, yet calm tone. Sakura grunted. She hated having to always abide by his rules, even if she knew it was the better.
"Fine…I'll see the Leader tomorrow," she said before making her way up to her room to change.
As the world changed, it altered many things along with it. People who discovered the vampires' nature found ways to kill them. That was one of the rare, helpful things of this new world. Kakashi nodded before concentrating on the newspaper once again.
"There's a sandwich in the microwave for you," he told her without making eye contact.
Sakura stood where she was, unmoving for a minute before turning around to where the counter was and at the same time, locating the microwave. It took her three years to master a technique like that. She remembered those years distinctly. And she was thankful to Kakashi for being able to be independent as a disabled person. Everything led back to that night, eight years ago…
"Sakura…Sakura…" she heard the woman's voice call out to her once again. The voice was cold and venomous. It chuckled. More tears ran down Sakura's cheek. She could not tell whether or not her eyes were open; she did not know where she was located in the house. It felt like one of the rooms. The cries of her friend, Hana, begging for her life, still echoed in her head. She could still remember her mother's voice, telling her to run. No words were heard from her father; she could not sense him. No, he was already dead. The smell of fresh blood polluted her nostrils, mixing with another scent – the smell of her death. She sobbed. She thought of the people raiding her home and massacring the people she loved so suddenly.
'What is this madness?' she questioned inwardly. Another sob escaped from the back of her throat. She covered her mouth with both palms for fear that the murderer would locate her by the sound. Then, the sound of footsteps was heard, getting louder and louder as the person moved closer. Sakura's body began to tremble.
The female's voice chuckled audibly enough to be heard.
Then there was the sudden sound of running, a halt and then silence.
The quiet was broken by a loud 'thud', which emitted a vibration on the floorboards. Sakura stopped weeping.
'What just happened?' she asked mentally. Though curious, she did not move from her position, fearing that there was still some unwelcomed person in the house. Or persons.
"Hm…so I suppose there is a survivor after all," said the smooth, calm voice of a man.
She did not reply. Her mind was contemplating on whether or not the man could be trusted. Though, what did it matter if she trusted him or not? If he was one of the slaughterers, she would die anyway; no choice involved.
"What's your name little girl?" the man asked.
"S-Sakura," she stuttered.
"Well, Sakura, I'm sorry that I'm late. I didn't expect that any vampires would attack your complex," the man apologized.
Sakura became confused. Why was this man apologizing? But Sakura's mind bypassed that thought and focused on a previously mentioned word – Vampire.
"V-Vampire?" she asked, hinting for an explanation.
"That's a little too much to explain to a child your age. I suppose the bodies downstairs are your family members?" the man enquired.
Sakura nodded, trying to hold back the sobs in her throat. She heard him sigh.
"Sir, if you don't mind…who are you?" Sakura finally spoke.
"My name is…Kakashi Hatake…"
Sakura took a bite into her sandwich. After their encounter eight years ago, Kakashi adopted Sakura and trained her hard; taught her of the supernatural world. It was because of that, she could now walk around without having to seem blind; without having to use any sort of aid to get around. After years of training, Sakura was able to become proficient in Vampire Hunting. Kakashi taught her that the blood suckers would always be foes, but the wolves would always be her allies. She could vividly recall Kakashi's exact words…
"The enemy of your enemy is your ally…"
Werewolves and Vampires were foes. How was she sure of this? Sakura took the word of a certain werewolf – the one who was currently sitting at the table, still reading the same newspaper. Kakashi, being what he was, despised vampires, but not as greatly as she did.
Finishing off the last bits of her dinner, Sakura downed her cup of tea and carried the dishes to the sink and proceeded to wash them, when Kakashi spoke.
"I'll take care of those. You should rest up. We're leaving for Seattle tomorrow…"
Sakura nodded. She had forgotten that the Dark Coven Headquarters was situated in Seattle.
Walking up the stairs to her room, she wondered what to expect from the Leader of Dark Coven. She had heard of her – the woman called Tsunade Senju, the Fifth Leader of the institute. In the vampire hunter world, said woman was greatly known for her discipline, leadership skills and most of all, her inhumane strength. Tsunade Senju was certainly someone to admire. From what Sakura had been told Tsunade came from a long line of Vampire Hunters. But still, that was not encouraging enough to make Sakura want to affiliate with Dark Coven.
Switching off her bedroom light, Sakura made her way over to her bed, shutting off all that had happened just for the night…
A/N: Ok, so this is my next story. I originally planned on doing Dark Coven AFTER completing Quantum of Memory, but I really wanted to know if you guys would like it. So here it is. I promise to all the Quantum of Memory fans that I will hit them with a surprise update very soon. And I promise that the chapters of Dark Coven will be longer – this was just the 1st Chapter. So please, tell me what you think…
Thanks!
-IzWinchesterDevil.
P.S – Please excuse any errors you may find…