Hello lovlies! Special shout out to those who left a note for me on this little story! Appreciated much on how you gave this story a chance!
Here is the conclusion to my attempt at writing a vamp fic! What a challenge for me, I must say, but it was a challenge I wanted to take, again the idea hit me months ago while sitting in a lab getting blood work done...that still makes me chuckle.
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Sasuke's still form stood in the shadows at the foot of the hospital bed. The room was dark and all lights in the room were turned off for the night. The only soft lighting came from the machines that were circling the human form; who lay still beneath the starchy white hospital blanket. His red eyes took in the sight before him, following the lines and hoses that were tucked into the veins of the ever-still human body.
Sasuke paused for a moment and decided that he would take a seat in the guest chair. Although it was padded, it had been made to be firm, covered with easy washable semi-plastic material which was common for medical facilities like this one. Looking back to the face of the human, a firm rubber mask covered the nose and lips of the slimmed-face, the continual sound from the monitor machine released the subtle ticking noises into the pale room. Air pushed through the mask; causing a thin veil of moisture to coat the life-preserving mould. A flimsy white knitted toque covered the hair on the human's head, most likely to keep the precious heat from escaping too quickly.
The slow rhythmic beep of a machine displaying an old analog looking line with a tick that was measuring the heart beats. The machine continued to bleat out tortuously slow, indicating that the heart was growing tired. A long tube dripped clear fluid from the hanging bag, slowly and in time down the line that was covered with a bandage right at the crook of the arm, possibly giving a nutrient substance to keep the body alive.
Sasuke leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his head just inches away from the one arm that had no instruments attached to it. Sasuke looked at the fine lines of skin, following each intricate skin line that normally wasn't noticed by the naked human eye. Every human skin has its own lines of patterns, personal only to that individual. Sasuke watched the small skin hairs ripple into sudden goosebumps and the boney fingers twitched slightly, Sasuke's eyes slipped back up to look into eyes that he hadn't expected to see.
Pale coloured orbs blinked through white lashes, the pupils looking foggy and those eyes squinting while trying to focus. Irises so weary that they no longer held their natural sunshine blue hue, but instead seemed almost closer to that of gray skies overcasting an ocean just after a wicked rain storm. There was no sparkle, no mirth, just listlessness and dulled globes that mirrored back tremendous pain, that still held a breath of blue. Sasuke's own breath hitched when he realized that Naruto focused on him, his head slid to the side so both of his tear-stained eyes could look at him.
A tired breathless whisper moved from cracked lips beneath the plastic mask and Sasuke could see the hint of mist from that single breath. With his superb hearing, he knew immediately Naruto had but breathlessly called out his name, creating a sting of guilt in his chest. Cold thin fingers brushed on Sasuke's hand, causing the raven to look down suddenly in surprise as Naruto's fingers twitched just enough. There was but a brief bit of shock from the touch and Sasuke found himself aching to feel the heat from the blond once more.
Those clouded eyes looked upon him with such fatigue and fear, Sasuke found himself leaning in closer to the blond's eyes, watching and listening for any more sounds from the lips behind the plastic mask. His hand had slipped beneath the fragile fingers, letting the blond know that he was actually there.
"S-so s-s-so-rree," the whispered breaths released from the blond's lips.
Sasuke shook his head and closed his eyes. How could the blond think that any of this was his fault? He saw the charts, he put the pieces together and belittled himself on how he could have been so blinded by his own biased opinion. Perhaps it was the fault of humanity? The decades of watching humans destroy themselves, leaving an impression on him that was so buried deep into his psyche that he could no longer see the values of humans? His dark entity rumbled in his subconscious, aching for the flavor of the blond before him, Sasuke clenched his teeth when the familiar sting of pain went through his gums.
Sasuke reopened his eyes to see those tired pale eyes, glistening with tears that had yet to fall. His heart clenched at seeing the fear flooding those eyes and though his body was weak, Naruto had managed to grasp his fingers around Sasuke's hand ever so slightly. Those once peach lips moved ever so slightly again and Sasuke pinched his own lips together when he heard the breathless whisper.
"S-scared Sas-" A single tear escaped the blond's eye and dropped silently into the pillowcase below his head.
Sasuke had no words. He watched as Naruto's eyes blinked at the shimmer of liquid pooling in his eyes, and for once Sasuke felt helpless. He had seen countless of human's die, in many different ways, but none had stirred the long quiet docile emotions as it did now. His dark entity was brewing in a cloud deep in his subconscious, but he easily ignored it, as the unfamiliar feelings rose, creating a stinging sensation behind his eyes, a lump in his throat and a heavy feeling of grief and helplessness.
Feeling the blond's fingers still desperately trying to find solace in his own hand, Sasuke turned his hand to grasp the fragile hand and give it a gentle squeeze. Though Sasuke couldn't choke out any words of encouragement or support, he tried to express his comfort through his eyes and his touch towards Naruto. He moved his chair as close as he could get to the hospital bed, pulling the blond's hand up so he could grasp it with both of his hands and he held his lips to the delicate fingers, planting a soft kiss on each knuckle. A desperate move to express himself better. The heavy tired cloudy blue eyes looked at him again for a moment, blinking away a few more tears that slowly traveled down his sunken cheeks until those white lashes fluttered slightly before Naruto's eyes were hidden behind closed lids once more.
"I'm sorry," Sasuke whispered into the fingers he still held. "Forgive me," he choked out when he heard a long breath and the slow beat of the heart thumped no more.
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.
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~6 months later~
His dark silhouette sat high up in an old oak tree, the night was dark, the moon was but a sliver in the sky and the lights from the city were the only glow that shone off the low hanging overcast of clouds. It smelt like the rain was coming, not uncommon during the summer months. The street lamps were far from the vast acres that lay below his feet, encasing the land in long shadows and patches of darkness created from the eerie glow that came from dull lanterns hanging at the start of the paths that led into the graveyard below. Dozens upon dozens of the concrete stones decorated the terrain, some covered thick with moss and deteriorating from the elements, other's standing tall and unsullied, a not so subtle hint that those stones were rather new. His red eyes slowly looked over the lines of stones and monuments, as if he was categorizing each one or looking for one in particular.
His eyes caught the movement of two figures, huddled closely together, as if they were supporting each other physically and emotionally. He could smell the salt from the tears that were shed from the humans, the fresh flowers that were laid on the ground and the sounds of sniffles coming from a grieving individual. He watched them from afar, not wanting to intrude on their moment at the sight, giving those persons privacy was the respectful thing to do. When the two figures made their way between the other rows, away from where they stood, Sasuke slipped down quietly and quickly, making his way to where the two figures once stood. He recognized their scent immediately, but paid it no mind, his eyes glanced upon the writing carved delicately and precisely into the stone marker. The fresh flowers were settled by the marker, the weeds picked and grass trimmed around it. The name on the stone was elegant, with a birth year and date of death. Nothing more. He crouched down low, brushing his fingers over the deep carvings that spelt the name of the person buried here. His lips gave a sad smile before getting back up and slipping back into the darkness, a rustle of leaves dusted around him, the only indication that he was ever there.
Zipping through the darkness that the buildings provided, Sasuke swiftly made his way to the outskirts of the city, deep into the forest that lay beyond the horizon. Animals scrambled out of his way as he jumped and skirted between trees, boulders and brush. He paid the animals no mind, his eyes narrowly focused straight forward towards his destination.
Several hours had passed, the sun began to peek over the tree line but Sasuke continued on. His dark entity within him screamed and clawed at his mind, wanting to take over, to continue the trek but Sasuke ignored the calling and kept pushing forward. In the deep recesses of his mind he could feel a tremor, a flutter of a feeling, a calling that pulled him harder to his destination. Pushing the dark entity back, he focused on the ripple that echoed through the darkness and settled on the forefront of his mind. His lips curled up slightly in a smile and he found himself pushing his legs just a little bit more.
The summer days were in full bloom, fresh smells of blooming flowers, trees, grass and the days were pleasantly warm with the odd rain to keep the ground moist. Sasuke didn't care much for the seasons, but this particular year had him smiling a little bit more often than norm. He rounded his way past a stream that came directly out of the mountains, not missing the fresh scent of the crystal clear water. His eyes looked past the stream to the small stone manor, tucked at the foot of said mountain, hidden in the shadows and within dozens of hundred year old trees.
Sasuke pushed himself off the land for a final leap that landed him gracefully before a small heavy door, covered with moss, vines and the stones so aged with colour that they looked black. The whole stone manor was aged so dark, and covered with foliage, it helped camouflage and blend it within the forest and mountain. To discover this exquisite property, one would have to stumble into the building itself to know it was here.
Sasuke pushed on the small heavy iron door with ease ; vines snapping at the release and had slipped himself effortlessly into the darkness beyond. His skin trembled with excitement as the tremor that rippled through his mind earlier was much stronger, pulling at him with invisible cables, closer, closer-
He moved through the darkened corridors with ease, seeking out the way down to his destination, the thrum of anticipation still struck him like tight cords on a violin, but he kept himself calm and collected, for he was never one to show such emotions. Finding the hidden door buried deep within the darkness of the main floor of the manor, he moved the heavy wall with ease and slipped behind it silently and smoothly. The stairs were carved into the stone, and weaved in several twists and turns in complete darkness. Sasuke padded down the intricately carved cobblestone staircase with ease.
Finally reaching the bottom, he stood before an intimidating iron door, thick, rusted and it looked as if it was an ancient safe entrance, but the archaic carvings of kanji would suggest that it was not. Tracing his one fingertip in a design along various and tedious scriptures, he paused his finger at the end of this detailed puzzle and waited. Groaning sounds of latches moved within the iron door before dust filtered about when the door began to pop open. It only opened a fraction of an inch, but Sasuke's fingers pulled the weighted door open with a smoothness that was no different than a human sliding open a shoji door.
The room behind the iron door was lit dimly by a small oil lamp, set on it's dimmest setting and behind a beautiful flowered room divider, to smother the light even more. On the far side of that lamp, was a four post bed, its deep red thick curtains closed all around it. Near the bed were two sitting chairs, with a small table in between and a single bookcase, with five levels filled with leather bound texts.
Bypassing the table and chairs, Sasuke slipped his hand in between the curtains and let his fingers gently pull one of the curtains to the side with a whisper. His red eyes outlined the form of the body that lay perfectly still, on his back, fingers laced together gently and delicately resting on his chest. Sasuke's eyes swept up the still body up to his face, seeing no movement he silently slipped between the curtains and sat down softly onto the bed. His body was statue still while he watched the other body for several minutes, feeling the vibrations thrum through his own core, causing his inner dark being to quiver with excitement. A memory flooded his mind while he sat watching…
~flashback~
Sasuke flipped through the pages on the clipboard, his eyes sliding quickly through the words, the medical terms, the numbers and latin words for all medications and procedures...his eyes having no problems reading the blackened words on the pages in the dark hospital room. The monitor lights and sounds of the life-giving machines filled the small room, irritating Sasuke's senses like he was standing in a swarm of mosquitoes. The blond's body lay motionless, his heart beat slowing down more it seemed as every minute passed. Sasuke's fingers clenched the edges of the clipboard, his anger rising at how irresponsibly juvenile his thoughts were, the biased opinions that he instantly accepted when Naruto had stumbled into the path of his immortal life…
'...cyclophosphamide intravenously through stage two with no positive…'
'...advanced to stage four…'
'...test results - metastasis…'
'...patient had declined further treatment due to…'
Sasuke squeezed the board so tight, his claws punched through the pressboard that left two gaping holes in it. He dropped the board to the floor, not caring what had happened to the clipboard and his red eyes just glared at the dieing blond who lay beneath the white starched hospital blanket.
How could he have been so naive and so blinded that his medical training missed all the signs? His guilt began to brew into a dark cloud deep within him. He had immediately accepted the blond's so-called fate, when those direct words left those blond lips that night seemingly dismissing Sasuke so easily, how it seemed the blond washed his hands of him, choosing his lifestyle over him. He glanced away angrily, staring at the window, the curtain was drawn but he could see the moonlight trying to pierce through. He huffed out fiercely as he continued to belittle himself through his thoughts. His dark entity pushing and nursing the dark thoughts, twirling the reminder of the scent and taste of the blond through the memories.
The slight wisp of a whimper broke him of the dark clouded thoughts and Sasuke's eyes zipped back to the frail body on the bed. He remained still and stature while his eyes watched the dieing form.
~end flashback~
A twitch of a hand caught Sasuke's attention, and he took his fingertip to slowly trace down the smaller hand, taking care to feel each area of the skin, wrinkle and knuckle. He smiled slightly when the hand twitched again beneath his fingertips, a shudder of glee emanating from his dark entity, washing over his mental state. Sasuke gently lifted the hand he was caressing, bringing the slender fingers to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on each finger before laying it carefully back on the covers.
Sasuke tilted his head slightly, his red eyes taking in the silent, deathly still face of the man upon the bed. Though the area was encased in darkness, Sasuke didn't need light to see the curves of the man's face and he moved his fingers to trace the delicate hairs of the eyebrows, down the smooth skin to the button nose and trailed the cheekbones over to the small plump lips.
"Time to wake," Sasuke whispered ever so softly, noticing that eyelids pinched slightly. "Surely you must be hungry." Sasuke rubbed the back of his knuckles against the scarred cheeks warmly and slowly, his lips curled up ever so slightly when eyelids began to flutter. A slight moaning whine came from deep in the chest of the man who lay upon the bed, sounding much like a child being forced to wake up.
Those eyelids fluttered, cracking open and focusing on the area around him. After several moments, long lashes flickered towards Sasuke, orange irises concentrated on onyx eyes. "There you are my treasure," Sasuke whispered, trailing his fingers through silky thick blond locks slowly. "How are you feeling?" A sudden snarl, hiss and a show of elongated fangs was the response, those orange eyes narrowing viciously at him. Sasuke snickered slightly, his hands had moved quickly when the other lunged at him, holding his arms down with inhuman strength. "Tut tut my precious jewel, remember where you are now." Sasuke nodded his head to the side, his hands clamped down on the other until he calmed down enough. The other continued to hiss at him warningly but his brilliant orange eyes flickered about the enclosed bed and back towards Sasuke. He relaxed his stature and pinched his mouth together, a brief look of awareness flashed through those orange irises before completely allowing his muscles to relax.
"There you go," Sasuke praised as he released the other's arms. Moving his fingers through the thick blond hair, he soothingly rubbed his fingertips into the other's scalp. "Now, I know you must be hungry," Sasuke spoke after several moments and slipped his arm under the blond head of hair. Bringing the other up slowly, he cupped the back of the blond hair and pushed the other's face into his bare neck. He nuzzled his nose into the blond hair, "feed now." Sasuke inhaled deeply in through his nose, closing his eyes when he felt the familiar piercing of incisors push through his skin and released a pleasing hum. Goosebumps erupted over his arms when the other sucked particularly hard that had Sasuke release a whimper without his consent. He gnawed his bottom lip to suppress any lewd sounds, scratched his nails along the other's scalp and inhaled deeper, willing himself to keep calm and steady while the other fed from him. As he rocked the other in his arms through the feeding, memories flooded his mind once more…
~flashback~
Sasuke didn't know how long he held that cold fragile hand against his forehead with his head bowed, eyes closed and body slumped tiredly against the hospital bed. His human emotions had overtaken his mentality with such force that left him in such turmoil, his physical self couldn't move, he couldn't leave the empty husk that remained of Naruto on the bed. The constant machines that recorded the progress were now silent. Sasuke didn't know if someone came to turn them off or what, but no one had bothered to tell him to move, touch him or speak to him, and a part of him was thankful.
A touch on his shoulder brought his thoughts to his forefront, his senses suddenly on high alert from the touch, but he knew by the scent, the aura, that it was someone he had no reason to snap at. His dark entity settled immediately. He still wouldn't open his eyes, the thought of having to open his eyes, realize what was reality, didn't appeal to his human self at all, so he continued to just remain still and silent.
"Sasuke," Itachi's soft deep voice whispered through the shadows in the room. Sasuke flinched his shoulder where Itachi's fingers were resting, a subtle answer that was understood by the elder Uchiha. "Let's talk…"
Itachi's words were but a whisper as he stood where he was, beside his otouto, next to the still form on the hospital bed and his words drifted like smoke throughout the room into Sasuke's ears. Sasuke lifted his head after several moments and his tired black orbs stared up at his aniki. When Itachi was done, he nodded his head and left the room as silently as he had entered. Several moments passed, until Sasuke slowly stood, his hands gently placing the lifeless hand back down, tucking it gently with care under the now cooled starchy white blanket. His hands smoothed out the wrinkles throughout the whole blanket that covered the remaining shell of the blond human. He worried on his bottom lip briefly when he brought his hands up to the still cold skin of Naruto's face. Someone had removed the rubber mask set up, Sasuke found himself surprised that he didn't hear nor sense anyone enter the room. He shrugged it off though, his fingertips still trailing the feeling of cold skin beneath them. Brushing the limp strands of hair that were sticking out from under the knitted cap, Sasuke leaned over and pressed his lips upon the forehead of the once vibrant blond. "You were always the light in the darkest of areas." Standing straight, he turned on his heel and left the room.
~end flashback~
Sasuke blinked his eyes back to the room when he felt the other pull back, breathing deeply, the arms falling limp and the nose and forehead still nuzzled into Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke felt himself smile and hum with content. He was doing well. The heavy mass of body was relaxed against Sasuke, no longer feeding so Sasuke adjusted himself to lay the other back down onto the bed. Closed eyelids covered those radiant orange eyes, breathing was now settled to next to nothing, muscles were relaxed and didn't tense up while Sasuke tucked the form back beneath the comforter. Sasuke huffed out a chuckle, while brushing blond stray hairs from those closed eyes, "always in such a hurry to eat." He continued to watch the still form on the bed for several minutes, 'should be anytime now…'
.
.
.
Sasuke jerked his head up, closing his book silently and his eyes flickered to the still curtains that surrounded the four post bed. It had been several hours since the other fed and Sasuke sat patiently in one of the chairs, reading one of the many leather bound books, waiting, waiting. The slight sounds pierced through his ears like a shot in the dark, placing his leather book down on the small table, he rose to his feet with grace and silence, slipping his fingers between the curtains and peeked between the folds. Sasuke swore his heart fluttered when he saw those eyes...the pupils dark and wide as they should be, rimmed with that beautiful caribbean blue that he didn't realize he missed and an orange tinge that rimmed around that blue. Those eyes looked back at Sasuke with surprise and a hint of fear within them, but he didn't move and Sasuke then feared that those eyes would not recall him. Sasuke pushed the curtain back a little more so he could slip through and took a seat slowly on the far end of the bed and stayed in his position, watching the other intently.
Blue orange eyes flickered about Sasuke's frame, those eyes taking in the surrounding small enclosed area and then back on Sasuke's face. Sasuke raised his brows in question and tilted his head. Moving his lips slowly, "what do you remember?" Sasuke's voice was low, barely a breath but he knew it was heard. Blond brows rose, the surprise evident and Sasuke could hear a breath hitch through those pink plump lips. Those blue orange eyes then moved to look away, his face giving a scrunched up look, the blond appeared to think about the question Sasuke had asked.
"Sasuke…" pink lips breathed out, wide blue orange eyes flashed back on the raven haired man again. Sasuke smiled immediately hearing his name escape those lips once again. The blond shuffled slightly, pushing up with his arms so he could sit up, moving himself to lean against the headboard. He ran a hand through his hair and then snorted in surprise when he looked at his hand and began to twist and turn it, as if inspecting all areas of his hand. He brought up the second hand, doing the same twisting and turning, his eyes examining it thoroughly. Sasuke snorted out a quiet laugh, knowing those eyes would now see the world around him differently. Blue orange eyes flicked up at him quickly and gave an irritated expression. Sasuke raised an amused brow in response.
"You-are still a teme," the blond retorted with a snort and crossed his arms with his frown. Sasuke snorted out an amused huff and the blond was silent for a few moments. Pinching his lips together, he eyed Sasuke and then the curtains around him. "How did I get here?"
Sasuke took his two fingers and rubbed at his chin. "Well, it's a long story, but it would be best told if you could tell me the last thing you remember." He clicked his tongue at the blond and laid his hands on his lap, indicating to the blond that it was his turn to talk.
"I was at home, after my last doc appointment…" he rubbed the back of his head and frowned. "I was told that, umm…, well, I know I haven't really said anything about my situation Sasuke-"
Sasuke shook his head and held his hand up to stop the blond from talking. "You didn't have to tell me anything that isn't my business."
The blond nodded, looking relieved before continuing. "Well, I was diagnosed months ago, and I really hoped that my treatment was working, but-but," he hesitated and looked down at his fingers that were pulling at the edges of the blanket. "I wasn't getting better and I just gave up, ya know?"
Those blue orange eyes looked up at Sasuke, full of sorrow and Sasuke felt his chest twitch painfully at the sight.
"I remember that night-those things I said to you Sasuke," Naruto's eyes were filled with guilt. "That was the night after I was t-told…" Naruto's voice trailed off and he looked elsewhere. A cool touch on his chin had Naruto gasping in surprise, as suddenly Sasuke was sitting before him instead of at the end of the bed. Sasuke had gently turned Naruto's face to look at him. "How...did you?" Naruto sputtered out, looking into Sasuke's eyes.
"There is no need to apologize," Sasuke whispered, moving his hand to cup the side of Naruto's face gently. He dropped his hand and gave a slight nod to encourage Naruto to keep talking.
Naruto nibbled on his bottom lip while his eyes flickered between those two deep black eyes. He took a shaky breath, "well, I remember going home and just- I was just so tired of everything. I couldn't eat, and all I wanted to do was sleep and hope that I never woke up." His voice cracked slightly as he spoke of the emotional distress he struggled with. He looked back down at his fingers, playing with the edge of the blanket again. "I think I saw you," he whispered, looking back up at Sasuke. "Sitting beside me, but it's like a hazy dream, I think?" He scratched the back of his neck. "Sounds kinda stupid right?" He released a nervous laugh. "I think it was a dream, because then I have these visions of being in a dark place, struggling to find something and digging my way through the ground to get there." He gave a goofy smile and shrugged. "Dreams can be weird eh?"
"Is that all you can remember?" Sasuke asked plainly, not responding to any of the explanations that Naruto gave.
Naruto frowned at Sasuke before answering by giving him an affirmative nod of his head.
Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and looked away briefly. 'How to explain…' he thought before looking up at the expectant look that Naruto was giving him. "Well, I guess I have a lot to explain," Sasuke huffed out. Naruto gave him a suspicious look but then nodded his head again and pulled his knees up to rest his arms on. "Tell me Naruto, what do you know about vampires?"
~flashback~
Sasuke stood in the quiet hallway of the hospital, the lights had been dimmed dramatically as it was at night. His hands were clenching and unclenching at his side, his head was lowered and his jaw continued to click as he clenched and unclenched his teeth repeatedly.
He couldn't leave. He just couldn't up and leave, moving forward throughout his immortal life as he knew it before he met the blond. His dark entity within was whirling about, pushing at his mentality, as if there was a need, a call, and Sasuke couldn't understand. The only thing he understood was that he couldn't walk away, especially not after what he had learned from his aniki. Granted, Sasuke was aware of his species history, but he had never had an interest in fledglings, the process, the development and often just zoned out during those teachings. But something sparked in him, after listening to his aniki, something took root and sounded 'right' on the information. Shaking his head, he inhaled deeply, scrunching his nose in distaste when all he found was the subtle smells of death and disinfectant filling his senses. He spun on his heel and went back to the hospital room where the cold shell of the human remained.
Crouching over the still cold form, Sasuke inhaled an area around the blond's neck and shoulder before sinking his incisors into the flesh. He felt his instincts release into the form and when he was done, he proceeded to the other side of the body. He continued to descend along various areas of the body, sinking his fangs into the cooled skin and muscle, releasing venom at each bite. He examined each punctured area carefully, ensuring that they wouldn't be noticeable, and was pleased to see the withered, tired skin did not expose the marks to the naked eye. He moved off the bed and began to move the starched blanket about, tucking in the blond body carefully as if he was but a parent tucking in his loving child for the night. He paused when he was finished, moving his fingers to the stray dull blond hairs that still stuck out from under the knitted cap. He pushed the hair aside, then ran the back of his knuckles along the blond's forehead and jawline. "I'll come for you when it is time, fear not." He planted a chaste kiss with his cold lips upon the scarred cheeks and silently slipped out of the room.
.
.
Sasuke didn't attend the wake, the funeral or anything else that was held for the memory of Naruto in the next week. He found himself buried in his work, not wanting to touch on the human emotions that were laced with grief and sorrow. He instead focused on the feelings of his dark entity that felt as if it was on edge, causing ripples to go through his mentality, causing his senses to heighten. Though his ingrained instincts for feeding were particularly less than normal, scents were amplified, his hearing enhanced and more than often he found himself slipping away into a dark room to calm himself and rub his temples. His gums ached constantly, and Sasuke would at times find them extending without his consent, lubricating profusely with desire. The venom his body had produced and injecting into Naruto's body would take several days to fully adapt to the human body, fortunately that worked well, as the human shell would appear deceased and would fool any medical specialist that may examine the body.
It was now eight days passed the date that Naruto fell victim to his disease and Sasuke hunched on the heavy tree branch, high up over the ground, blended into the shadow of the night, his eyes burning red, his dark entity scratching at his mentality with unbridled eagerness and his senses rang constantly through his body, almost causing him to scream in anguish from holding his body completely still. But he held silent and still, his eyes watching the ground where a fresh mound of dirt lay beneath a small gold and silver plaque.
There was no moon on this night, therefore the land was shrouded in darkness except for the soft glow of the city that was far from the area. The lazy glow of light that came from the path entrance lanterns barely made a dent in shadows that covered the graves. Sasuke's lips curled up into a feral grin, his canines at full exposure when he heard the growl from beneath the fresh soil below. His clawed fingers clenched at the ancient tree branch and scratched through the bark, but Sasuke didn't even notice. His eyes watched, his ears listened closely as the snarls, growls and call of hunger began to get louder, as if whatever was muffling the voice was finally out of the way.
A clenched hand punched out through the freshly laid soil and fingers outstretched as soon as the cool night air hit the hand. Another groan of aggravation erupted through the night from the ground, and a second hand punched through the soil, grasping the ground and pulling itself up. Sasuke hissed in delight when he saw the filthy soil covered hair, filled with clumps of mud and dirt push through the soil and the dirt strewn face show itself with a howl. Sasuke quickly swooped down from his perch, landing quietly upon his feet just before the body that still snarled out while his filthy dirty arms pulled the rest of the body out of the ground. Sasuke crouched low, his eyes never leaving the form that pulled itself out of the earth and flopped haphazardly to the side, gasping for breath with each growl. Sasuke crab walked sideways, his eyes watching the other body carefully, his inner demon howling with excitement, but Sasuke held the celebration at bay as he watched the newly formed fledgling. Orange eyes snapped at him suddenly, lips snarled out in warning and the fledgling flipped itself over with surprising speed landing on all fours, but Sasuke could tell his fledgling was exhausted seeing his arms and legs tremble while holding the crouched position. His fledgling hissed and snarled in a threatening manner towards him and Sasuke just smirked.
"Come, you're hungry, I know," Sasuke spoke out in an authoritative tone. He knew he needed to quell the fledgling's hunger, just as a new mother feeds a child right after birth, Sasuke needed to do the same. They needed to bond. He moved with a speed that surprised the fledgling and grabbed his arms, holding them down so Sasuke wouldn't be attacked by his fledgling's new claws. The fledgling howled out in surprise and anger, thrashing his body within Sasuke's arms and then slammed his newly acquired fangs into the junction of Sasuke's neck and shoulder in his feeble attempt to attack his captor. Sasuke hissed out at the sudden bite, but then quickly took one of his hands and pushed down on the fledglings head, keeping his face pushed against his junction, forcing the opened mouth of the fledgling to remain open with his cold flesh between its teeth. "Sshh...feed now," Sasuke hissed out while the fledgling struggled under Sasuke's grasp. It was only a moment before the fledgling realized its situation and suckled eagerly at Sasuke's essence. Sasuke hummed out appreciatively as the fledgling suckled on his skin like a new born babe and he began to run his fingers through the dirt and mud riddled hair, pleased with how vibrant blond colour had returned. "That's it, welcome home, Naruto."
~end flashback~
Naruto's mouth hung open like a fish, his eyes staring at Sasuke who shrugged slightly at the end of the explanation. Naruto didn't move, didn't speak, and Sasuke suddenly worried if he broke the blond. He lifted a brow at Naruto who seemed to be in an extended frozen state. He was suddenly falling backwards onto the bed when the blond enveloped him fully and attached to him. The shock completely immobilized him abruptly, and Sasuke was surprised to find himself in that position. He was an Uchiha, trained to be a lethal entity but his inner demon vibrated with a persistent desire that wasn't thirst, though Sasuke held back.
"Thank you," came the whisper in his ear. Naruto's face nuzzled at Sasuke's neck and inhaled deeply. Sasuke couldn't help the moan that left his lips at the assault that sent shivers down to his groin. A deep guttural feeling of lust wanted to erupt and a rush of wanting to claim was causing his body to hum. He struggled to hold himself back.
The blond pulled back slowly, sitting back up on the bed, his lips in a slight frown and his brows were showing a thought, leaving a small wrinkle of skin between his eyebrows. Sasuke brought himself back up to a sitting position before the blond and pushed his finger over the wrinkle, smoothing it out and giving a slight chuckle.
Naruto lightly slapped away Sasuke's finger and then looked about, "where am I then?" His body shifted slightly to the left and right while he moved his head about. "Am I in a-a bed?" Sasuke snorted out a sound of amusement and Naruto just glared at him.
Sasuke placed his fingers on the blond's cheek, holding the fidgety blond still. "You are in my den. My safe haven. No one will harm you here."
A blond brow rose in question. "Where is here? A den? Like a wolf den? Or a bear den? What kind of safe haven? And how-" Sasuke pushed his fingers over those lips to silence the blond to get him to stop talking.
"I will tell you more, you just have to listen." Sasuke chuckled lightly. Naruto gave another glare but there was no malice to it but he huffed out a noise of annoyance through his nose and just nodded.
"You," Sasuke booped his nose, "are my fledgling. I am your sire, who created you and now you are one with me. We have bonded in a way," Sasuke thought for a moment, his one finger tapping at his chin. "In a way that an alpha would bond with an omega." He nodded, pleased with his explanation.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly, "as in we," he pointed back and forth between them quickly, "are like-like mated? Husband and wife like?" He shook his head. "Oh my god, oh my good god, I'm married to an alpha type of dominant who's incredibly sexy, erotic, attractive and probably has me under a love spell vampire!" he muttered out over and over. "I'm too young to be domesticated!" Naruto suddenly whined out, holding his hair when he shook his head.
Sasuke looked at Naruto dumbfounded, his face scrunched up very un-Uchiha like as he watched the blond suddenly start bemoaning and whining about how he couldn't be locked up for the rest of his life in an apron, cooking and cleaning in the den no matter how ridiculously sexy his husband was.
"Dobe…" Sasuke started, but Naruto kept moaning and whining. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose before squeezing his lips together and narrowed his eyes. "DOBE!" he snapped out over Naruto's childish wailing. The blond stopped suddenly, his face dropping down to look back at Sasuke, his blue orange eyes wide in surprise at the outburst, but his demureness showed that he really wasn't upset. Sasuke rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his thick black hair.
Naruto then beamed a bright toothy grin at Sasuke, his eyes squeezed shut at how wide the smile was. Sasuke snorted out a disbelief sound at the sight. Naruto then burst out laughing, "y-you actually believed me! HA HA HA! Oh my god, you-you should have s-seen your face!" Naruto's laughter filled the small room, bouncing off the stone walls, settling in Sasuke's ears and he couldn't stop himself from his lips curling up into a smile. Naruto's laughter was contagious, and Sasuke thought it was the most amazing sound he could listen to forever. "Oh-ohh, okay," Naruto stuttered out while he tried to get his laughter under control, his hands squeezing his sides, "I-I'm g-good, p-promise, heh heh, tell me more, please." Naruto wiped his eyes and lifted his face to look at Sasuke again, a few snickers still escaping his lips.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, giving the blond 'behave or else look,' but with a smirk. Naruto gave a closed lip smile before pinching his lips together and dragging his two pinched fingers together, making the silent promise of locking his lips up tight and won't make a sound. Sasuke huffed out a breathy chuckle.
"I created you, to save you." Sasuke hesitated briefly, thinking about his next words. "In my world, we are created by our sires, and we are created because of a pull that is felt by our inner beings." Naruto frowned slightly but then nodded his head, silent encouragement for Sasuke to go on. "I, I really didn't realize it, because-well, I've never had any type of want or desire, any need, to find someone, that I may be possibly bonded to." Sasuke shrugged slightly, avoiding the gaze of the blond. He's never talked about these thoughts to anyone before, it was quite unnerving. He turned to look back at the blond when he felt fingers touching his knee. Those blue orange eyes were soft and understanding, Naruto giving a small nod to continue. "Seeing you in that situation, at your, umm home," he gave a half apologetic smile as he remembered the dilapidated apartment where Naruto lived, "I think that's when I realized, there was something," he patted on his chest, "something that I could finally hear. Does that make sense?" Sasuke gave Naruto a pleading look. He felt the relief in his chest when Naruto nodded in agreement.
"So, when you-you died, in that room, I felt it more." Sasuke dropped his head, his bangs covering his eyes as the memory of when Naruto's life force slipped away before him. Cool fingers pulled at his chin, dragging Sasuke's eyes back to look at those soft blue orange eyes again.
"I know I felt something." Naruto smiled and dropped his hand from Sasuke's chin. "But, it was weird ya know? I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something," he poked at his chest, "that would always fill me up whenever we were together, and feel empty, when we were apart." Naruto gave a sheepish grin before his face dropped into a mournful look. "But when I was told about m-my life," he voice cracked slightly on the words, "I needed to let you go. I couldn't accept letting you see me end like that." He gave Sasuke a gloomy look, his eyes darkened with sadness.
Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hands and squeezed. "But now you are here, and we will be together, for an eternity." Sasuke then pushed his fingers through those vibrant blond locks, Naruto leaning into the touch. After a moment, Sasuke cleared his throat, deciding he better get back to the explanations. "Because you are my fledgling, I will be taking care of you until you are strong enough to go back out to the surface." Naruto tilted his head, the look on his face showed his question. "You are sensitive to lights and the sunlight, your senses will be hypersensitive and you need to understand and control your thirst."
"How long is this going to take?" Naruto asked the inevitable question, bringing his fingers up to his cheek, scratching his skin gently.
"At least five years," Sasuke hummed out, his eyes watching the blond's movements, he found it captivating. Naruto's mouth flopped open again. Sasuke chuckled, "fear not, time is no longer like you are used to. A year will feel like a day, five years will feel like a week, and so on."
"How long have we been here and-and just how old are you Sasuke?" Naruto found his voice.
Sasuke gave a small smirk. "We have been in my safe haven for only six months now." He avoided answering the other question.
"Six months! Seriously?" Naruto looked about again. "I feel like I was just at home yesterday."
"As my fledgling, you woke only to feed, to help strengthen the bond between sire and fledgling. The rest of you," Sasuke waved his hands over Naruto's body, "needs time to adjust to your new self, which takes up to five years."
"Feed? How?" Naruto tilted his head in a darling way.
Sasuke gave a sultry look before he leaned forward, closer to the blond, almost touching nose to nose, "do you sense it Na-ru-to?" He dragged his name across his tongue, his voice silky and dripping like warm chocolate, the seductive tone pouring out between those lips. Naruto's eyes closed suddenly and his body trembled uncontrollably while his nose inhaled deeply. "Feel the pull of desire, the hunger," Sasuke purred out, "...is your tongue feeling dry, does the tingle go through your gums and a craving pushes hard through your body, pushing... pushing... just wanting you to…"
Naruto's fangs slammed onto Sasuke's junction in a blink, his eyes beaming orange, a snarl escaping his nose and he sucked hard on Sasuke's skin, releasing a moan of guttural pleasure when he received a mouthful of his meal. His clawed hands gripped Sasuke's biceps with a steel grip, trapping his prey, forcing Sasuke to remain still, his claws ripping at the flimsy shirt material while his body jerked slightly with each strong suckle flooding his mouth of essence. He would squeeze Sasuke tighter, and release a threatening growl if Sasuke but moved a fraction of an inch.
Sasuke's body shivered slightly at the assault, his dark entity vibrating with erotic tremors, but he restrained himsef and began to run his fingers through the thick blond strands, massaging Naruto's scalp gently while purring out words of praise under this breath.
Sasuke would be Naruto's main care provider and source of nutrients while he spent time in his den, and as his sire, the maternal pull to care for his fledgling slammed in on him so hard his breath would hitch. He knew Naruto would eventually ask about the others that were in his life, as any human would, but with careful research, Sasuke had found that Naruto was an orphan, an only child to a mother who passed away due to drug overdose and an unknown father. He was in the foster system, passed from home to home due to unpredictable behaviours until he was taken into the orphanage run by the same church that he followed Naruto to, at the age of eight.
Investigating the orphanage's history, Sasuke found the two gentlemen who ran the home were good people, and kept good records of all the children they had cared for. Finding Naruto's information was a breeze, and he was pleased to see that both men had done everything emotionally, physically and financially possible to assist Naruto in his upbringing. Those two men also took care of the expenses to have Naruto buried next to his parents, and paid their respects to him every week at the grave site. Sasuke had spoken to his brother, and the decision was made that a large percentage of their yearly salaries for the next ten years were going to be donated to that orphanage in Naruto's honour. The two men in charge became pale at the news; the older man with brunette hair immediately broke down in tears, the gray haired man showing more restraint but Sasuke could see the tears that gathered in his eyes. Sasuke had informed them that Naruto may have only been a part of other people's lives for a short time, but his empathetic, optimistic and vibrant personality made a difference to some and his memory needed to live on. This explanation of course left the brunette man to wail out happiness tears even harder, his gray haired partner holding him up in comfort and subtly wiping away a tear as well.
"Mmm...S'uke," a muffled sound broke Sasuke's thoughts. "Tired…" the voice thick and groggy mumbled out. Sasuke could feel that Naruto was done feeding and resting his head heavily on his shoulder. Sasuke stroked through the sunshine hair with loving strokes and kissed the blond's temple.
"Sleep now," Sasuke whispered as he slowly lowered the blond back into the bed. He gently placed the comforter around the sleeping form and again brushed those stray locks of hair across Naruto's forehead. "We have all the time in the world now."
==x00x00x00x00x00x==
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