-XXX-

As Neji instructed, Sakura walked out of what was obviously her own room, dressed in her school uniform, and went downstairs to the living room where all the occupants of the house were already gathered. Sakura felt a little tired considering she was forced to go to school in the middle of the night instead of the longer sleep she really needed.

"Finally. Not only are you obviously worthless, but you're obviously pretty slow. We'll have to work on that attitude of yours, but we'll do that later." Neji muttered bitterly as he crossed his arms, standing and waiting impatiently just below the stairs for her. Surprisingly, Sakura wasn't surprised that Neji had to make such an unkind remark.

Sakura looked at everyone in the room, but she spared a glance at the grumpy Neji. Konohamaru was trying to put a tiny backpack 'for kids to play with' on his stuffed animal, which wasn't weird at all... Naruto was looking at Sakura enthusiastically, so she definitely didn't prolong her gaze on him. Gaara was leaning against a pillar, clearly ready to go and Sasuke was sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, clearly sleepy.

'Vampires tend to get tired too?' That question was immediately answered by a glance at Shikamaru. This person seems to lack motivation. But compared to the other guys... She feel like he's a little more sane.

"This guy, you know, he just lacks energy most of the time, but he's pretty intense." It was as if Naruto was reading her mind, because it was his voice that snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Shut up... But I guess there's something to it... I do welcome a feast that'll just come rolling into my arms without any effort at least. In a nutshell, If you want me to drink from you, you'll have to set my neck yourself. I don't like to hold back on something when I don't have to." Shikamaru yawned as he rolled over to the other side on the couch that he apparently used the most.

…

'How lazy is he?!' Wait, that might make him the safest person in this house. Sakura let out a small sigh of relief that at least someone in this house wouldn't be a dangerous predator.

"I can't remember the last time you talked so much." Gaara said dispassionately, his gaze fixed on the lounging man. "Hey, human girl. I skipped dinner tonight, so stick around. " Casually but significantly he uttered immediately after.

"Hey, listen to me for a second." It was Shikamaru who unexpectedly spoke up, sitting up from lying down and putting on a serious look. "If you want to taste it, go ahead. I don't really care, go ahead, I guess." Shikamaru scratched his neck tiredly as he spoke to everyone present. Though it was clear to everyone that he was reacting to a comment Gaara had made a moment ago.

"However, you are not allowed to kill her." Shikamaru's pause caused an uncomfortable huff. Sakura never believed she would be so happy to hear that sentence, though she didn't hide her surprise.

"What? Why can't we?" Konohamaru had just finished his job of getting the teddy bear ready to leave for school when he heard such an unpleasant sentence. He finds grown girls annoying and the biggest problem with them is that they get very boring and annoying after a while. Killing an annoying bug always came in handy.

"Don't ask me, that's what that guy said." Shikamaru shrugged and leaned his back against the couch in a sitting position.

"Shouldn't you have said that before? Like so much sooner? What if it was too late?!" Sakura only now realized that this boy could basically ensure that Sakura would breathe another day with a single sentence. But he had obviously forgotten to mention that.

"It was too bothersome." The laziest person in the room answered honestly. "B-Bothersome?!" Sakura almost jumped out of her skin when she heard such a bland response from him. This is her life we're talking about!

"What is that jerk thinking!? Why do we have to treat this stupid human with care?" Gaara's patience always disappears the moment the conversation is about him. But no one honestly blames Gaara, because everyone involved knows what a monster he is.

"Annoying. That guy... He's an eyesore as always." This is the first time Sasuke has spoken since Sakura came out of her room. Sasuke seemed to be in complete icy calm with his eyes still closed, but the tone in his voice told Sakura that whoever he was, even Sasuke wasn't a big fan of him.

"Look at you run your mouth. In that case why not kill him, Gaara? I mean, if you can possibly do it, that is." Sakura flinched in surprise as she turned around at Neji's voice. Was it her imagination or had Neji just used sarcasm? She didn't know this stern guy could even do that.

"Don't worry, one day I'll kill him." Gaara muttered bitterly as he crossed his arms. "Do you have to keep threatening to kill someone?" Naruto tried to be quiet for a moment and give space to Gaara's honest feelings and thoughts, since they didn't see them often. But Naruto couldn't listen to Gaara's talk anymore. This boy lives only on violence and rage.

"Do you have a death wish too? If not, shut up!" Gaara yelled at Naruto, who didn't even blink. He is too used to this by now.

'I wonder if these two don't get along. I mean Naruto and Gaara. Somehow there's a really hostile atmosphere...'

"If you kill Naruto, maybe we'll have a moment of peace and quiet." It's hard to tell if Sasuke was actually serious about that remark or not. But Sakura could have sworn that she caught a tiny glimpse of the slightest smirk on Sasuke's face for a brief moment.

"Hey, teme! Whose side are you on anyway? Aren't you supposed to be my friend?" Whined an overly loud Naruto, whose feelings are apparently not taken into consideration in this house.

…

"It's a little unsettling. I wonder if that guy's plotting something." Shikamaru returned to the original topic, that the order from that man was not to kill Sakura.

"Suddenly it's not so much fun anymore. I feel like this guy set us up." Naruto shrugged and let out a deep sigh as Konohamaru and his teddy went to sit next to Naruto, who had been sitting on the floor by the table the whole time.

"So this girl is special somehow?" Konohamaru asked disinterestedly as he pulled a comb out of his backpack and began to carefully comb his teddy bear. "Who knows? I have no idea what that guy's thinking." Shikamaru idly answered his question.

"I-I can't follow..." Sakura was confused as to who everyone was talking about and what this all had to do with her. "You be quiet. This is a family matter." However, these guys didn't even give her room for confusion as Neji immediately opened his mouth at her with his again pleasant remark.

'If I understand correctly, the person these guys are talking about ordered them not to kill me and to take care of me? Could this person also be somehow connected to our church? Does he know my father if he knows of my arrival?'

'In that case, the man must know there are vampires living here. And maybe he's a vampire himself.'

…

"Either way, that's how it is so make sure she doesn't die." Shikamaru said to end the conversation, turning around and heading off into dreamland again where nothing and no one bothered him. He had long forgotten that everyone was here because it was time to go to school.

"Oh well, I suppose it's fine. I'll make sure to train you to become a fine lady befitting of this manor." Neji's attitude didn't please Sakura one bit. What was wrong with her as a lady? Sakura has never been conceited, but her father raised her right, since he himself is the nicest person on earth that Sakura knows.

"What a load of bull... Hey, human girl, don't you dare upset me. Or I'll kill you. Warning or not." Sakura gasped in fear and dismay at the same time. Gaara's threatening tone could sometimes surprise even others who had lived with him in this house for a few years.

"See that? See where I'm going with this?" Naruto pointed a finger at Gaara, pointing out the fact he had been trying to prove to everyone a moment ago. Gaara, however, was slowly but surely walking away, apparently already out to the limo.

This was probably Sakura's first "family" meeting, and as a result she could safely say that she didn't even remotely like it. Everyone gradually began to leave as Gaara did. They rose from their seats, picked up their backpacks with their school stuff in them, and made their way down to the lobby where the engine of a started limo could be already heard.

Neji was so 'kind' that he didn't let Sakura go last, and watched her every move very closely behind her back to make sure she didn't go anywhere and did as she was supposed to. Of course, in the process, he made sure to drop her bag into her arms and give her an uncomfortable piercing look.

Surprisingly, Shikamaru wasn't the last one out either. And that was why Sakura felt like she was going to her execution as she took her slow steps. Sakura had unpleasant mornings before when she didn't want to go to school, but this morning, well, night actually... couldn't even begin to compare.

'Well, I guess it's off to school then...'

-XXX-

End of Chapter 7