Eripmav

Part Three, Chapter One

Sasuke slowly willed his eyes to open. Sakura had moved her arm to rest against his chest, which at the moment, he didn't mind at all. Naruto would probably flip if he saw them, but Sasuke no longer cared. …Though, just to make sure, he checked to confirm that Naruto was still asleep. He then, hesitantly mind, wrapped his arms around Sakura and closed his eyes again.

How odd. He never thought that he would ever be doing this. It felt peculiar for him. Emotions he had never felt before bubbled in his gut. He didn't quite know what to make of them, so he ignored them. They weren't bothering him so why care? They weren't bothering him yet at least…

Sakura stirred, nuzzling her head up into Sasuke's shoulder. His heart began to race. Those emotions were bothering him now… He held still. He could feel her breath on his neck and he started to panic. Now they were REALLY bothering him… (Stupid emotions…) What was he doing? Maybe Naruto would wake up and rescue him from this torture, heavenly torture, but torture just the same… Naruto didn't wake. Sasuke wiggled his toes to see if he could still feel them. He whimpered mentally when they didn't respond. (He was an Uchiha, after all, and Uchiha's DO NOT whimper aloud. :P)

"You okay?" Sakura mumbled raising her head slightly. He swallowed. Oh… God…Sakura sat up and he sighed with relief. "We should probably… get moving." She said with a yawn and a stretch. He nodded.

Naruto woke next. (Finally! – A little late though.) He grinned at them and rose to his feet.

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They moved slowly because of the cold and because they had to stop every few steps to catch their breath (AN: they are high up on the mountain, remember!)

"This Christoph guy," Naruto stopped, watching his breath cloud out in front of him. "Is crazy to be… living up here." Sakura nodded. They were almost at the top! Walls of white pressed in on them from all sides.

Naruto led the way claiming he had the best eyes. Sasuke allowed this so the blonde could feel like he was doing something of importance. The raven-haired boy had to bite back a laugh when Naruto walked into a wall that Sasuke (and a breathless Sakura) had seen a full minute before they got there. Naruto explained that he had seen it too, but shut his eyes from the cold at the wrong moment. ("Nice cover-up Dead-Last")

Sasuke now led the way – walking around the wall until he found the door. He waited for Sakura to catch up, then Naruto. He turned back to the door. And raised his hand to knock, but it flew open before he had even started. He took a pace back in surprise.

"I've been expecting you!" Said a voice, Sasuke looked down where a fair sized mountain goat grinned up at him. Sakura shrieked and fainted.

Sasuke reached out and caught Sakura just before she hit the ground, the goat frowned. (And how he managed to do such expressions, seeing as he is a goat, I'm not entirely sure, but just go with it! )

"Does she always do that?" he asked looking up at Naruto – he shrugged. The goat stepped aside and let Sasuke in first who was struggling under Sakura's weight. "You can put her on the futon over there." The goat said nodding towards the corner of the room.

The cottage was just a large square. A table on one wall, wall three futons by another, the door, and a fireplace on the last with a small mat in front of it. The room smelt of fire and hay. The majority of the wooden floor sported scattered straw.

Sasuke lay Sakura down gently, over lapping her hands on her middle. He patted her forehead (without realizing he was doing so) and stood.

"We are looking for a man named Christoph," Sasuke said crossing his arms. The cocked his head.

"A man named Christoph, eh? I don't know of any men named that…" The goat walked to the mat in front of the fireplace and sat down. "Who sent you?"

"Penelope." Sasuke replied uncrossing his arms and shifting his weight. (Did he just not say he was expecting them?) Naruto sat down next to Sakura who was starting to wake. The goats' eyes brightened.

"Oh! Penelope! How is the old gal?" The goat grinned a goat-y grin.

"Wrong again, it seems." Naruto sighed stroking Sakura's hand.

"Oh, I doubt she is. If she sent you to see a Christoph, then you have come to the right place!"

"Where is he then?" Sakura asked weakly as Naruto helped her to sit up. The goat smiled even wider.

"Right here!" he said. "I'm him! I'm Christoph!" Sakura's eyes widened and she fainted again, falling against Naruto. The goat frowned. Sasuke sighed heavily and Christoph stood.

"Hmm…" Christoph's frown deepened. "Is she ill?" He sat down again and looked up at Sasuke who joined Naruto. "What have you come for?" He asked changing the subject. "But, first, what are your names?"

"I am Uchiha Sasuke –"

"Oh, your first names is all I need, my memory is bad enough." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I am Sasuke, this is Naruto and Sakura. Sakura and I are… vampires."

"And you want to change back?" a half smile pulled on Christoph's mouth. "It is a very complicated process." Naruto groaned and Sasuke nodded for him to continue. "You have to collect four things – The dirt that covers the roots of a cursed tree, the wind off a dragon's wing, an egg of a phoenix, and the water from a nymph's pool." Sakura started to stir again.

"Wow! That sucks!" Naruto grinned. "I'm glad I don't have to be there."

"Mix all ingredients into a silver bowl –"

"Now you do." Sasuke rolled his eyes heavenwards. "We can't touch silver." Naruto moaned.

"And drink it." Christoph finished smiling pleasantly

"Mmm?" Sakura opened her eyes. "I fainted again didn't I?" She sat up. "What did I miss?"

"Christoph just told us how to change back." Sasuke stated turning to her.

"IT'S A GOAT, SASUKE!" Color began to rise in her cheeks. "GOATS CAN'T TALK!"

"Yes, I am a goat!" Christoph grinned. "But I am talking, aren't I?" Sakura screamed.

"Sakura, calm down," Sasuke reached out and touched her shoulder. But as soon as he made contact she snapped.

"YEEAAH!" she lunged forward and grabbed his neck. "IT'S A GOAT!" she screamed shaking him. "I HATE GOATS!" Sasuke grabbed her wrists and pulled her away from him, holding her at arms length.

"Would you mind leaving us for a minute?" He growled struggling to keep Sakura at a distance. The goat frowned but trotted out of the door without complaint. As soon as Christoph left the room, Sakura fell limp.

"A… Goat…" she mumbled. Sasuke slowly, hesitantly let her go. She slumped down and sniffed. He had no idea what to do, and looked pleadingly at Naruto. The blonde had backed against the far wall as soon as Sakura had started strangling Sasuke. His eyes were wide and his face pale. If she would strangle Sasuke – Sasuke of all people! – Who knew what she would do to him!

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Sakura sat quiet the rest of the evening, hugging her knees to her chest and staying as far away from Christoph as she could. Christoph seemed not to mind. He seemed to have forgotten she was scared out of her mind of him. Inner Sakura snarled whenever Christoph came too close.

Naruto looked on her with pity.

"Poor Sakura." He whispered to Sasuke that night. "She goes crazy whenever he comes within four feet of her." He laughed; Sasuke smirked in agreement. The color had drained from her face as Christoph walked back into the cottage covered in snow. His already white fur seemed frozen in a haphazard way and his little beard stuck out to the side like the wind had been in it too long.

"Looks like you are stuck here for the night!" he said cheerfully. Sakura whimpered. "It's quite stormy." He glanced at Sakura. "How is Anika?" he asked brightly.

"Sakura." Naruto corrected. "She's…fine." He cleared his throat.

"Could you help me with something, Sammy?" Christoph asked Sasuke. He rolled his eyes and stood.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked not bothering to correct the forgetful goat.

"Well, if Nathan could get some logs, than you could start a fire." Naruto grumbled as he tossed three logs into the fireplace. Sasuke crumpled up some paper and struck a match.

'How are you feeling, Saskia? Do you want some chicken broth?" Sakura's eyes went wide and she pressed herself against the wall, shaking her head wildly.

"If you say so." Christoph winked and walked over to his mat. "I'm turning in now, so if you wouldn't mind keeping it down…" He closed his big brown eyes after lying down and started snoring lightly.

"Sakura, why don't you try and get some sleep?" Sasuke sighed sitting down on the futon next to her. She shook her head.

"N…Not with that thing in here…"

"He's not going to hurt you." He leaned his head against the wall and watched her out of the corner of his eye. She shook her head again her mouth a thin line. "Are you hungry?"

"I… Yeah. Bt I always am these days." Sasuke nodded turning away completely. Naruto finally sat down on the third futon.

"It's almost like he was expecting a company of three for the night…" the blonde mused watching Christoph sleep.

"Oh, shit Naruto! Don't say that!" But, it was too late. The last of Sakura's color drained from her face. Sasuke cursed silently again as he moved closer her to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and prepared to be there for a long… long… time.

Sakura shivered, never taking her eyes off the sleeping goat.

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"I think that she's asleep…" Naruto said peeking around Sasuke who nodded his head sleepily. 'Poor Sakura,' He thought watching Sasuke slowly nod off. 'To be afraid of such a simple creature...' He lay down, hands under his head. 'Poor Sakura,' He sighed. 'Having SASUKE as a boyfriend… or whatever he is to her now. I bet if I were her boyfriend I would treat her much better. I wouldn't be afraid to show my affection… even though NOW I'm not afraid to show my affection…' he smiled, but it slowly faded. 'Maybe that's where I went wrong.'

He sighed again, rolling onto his side. 'At least I'm to be of SOME use to her… I'm not totally useless on this trip.' He thought of the silver bowl and silently hoped that it was going to be an easy task. But somewhere, something hoped that it was going to be difficult, (even though it sounded easy) As Sasuke would say, 'Don't count your chickens just yet.' He hoped it would be difficult because if he completed the task, it would prove to Sasuke that he wasn't a dead-last…

Because, he wasn't… usually…

Dead-Last.

He sure felt dead-last. The only reason he was here was to stir a stupid silver bowl.

…

Sasuke was beating him again. It wasn't the fact that he was getting his ass handed to him that peed him off, it was how much Sasuke was rubbing it in.

"What's the matter dead-last, can't you keep up?" Sasuke taunted trotting circles around him. He felt the heat rise in him as he lunged for Sasuke – Naruto knew Sasuke would be able to easily dodge it the moment his feet left the ground, but he was too angry to care.

"SHUT UP, SASUKE!" He slid to a stop, a cloud of dust rising up around him. He threw his fist, hoping to mess up the dark-haired, pretty-boys' face. Of course, his fantasy didn't come true. Sasuke pealed with laughter.

"Dead-last, you crack me up, you know that?" he smirked. "It is so amusing to watch you trying so hard!"

"Bastard." Naruto growled.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke stopped laughing and raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"You. Bastard."

"Really! Ha! Me: bastard. You: Dog." He laughed again.

Naruto felt something on his shoulder and he opened his eyes. They stung, and he was hot. He sat up – Sasuke was watching him. His temperature rose higher.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" he screamed at him. "You would be good for NOTHING if you weren't a part of such a high and mighty blood line!" Naruto suddenly knew his mistake as he watched the color drain from Sasuke's cheeks and his eyes widen. He heard Sakura gasp somewhere behind him.

Sasuke rose to his feet – unsteady. He swallowed hard, and forced his eyes into a cold glare. He turned slowly and walked calmly out of the cabin.

"Naruto…" Sakura whispered. Naruto finally turned. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes were as wide as saucers. It was a dream. Sasuke had done nothing, and he lashed out at him. "How could you?" Sakura lowered her hands.

"I can't believe he didn't respond to that." Naruto cocked his head. Sakura rose to her feet as well, eyes on fire. "I wonder why…"

"Because," she said coldly, "he is above replying to that." She stuck out her nose and stalked out after Sasuke. Christoph stared in shock at the blonde.

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"Goodbye, Silvia! (Feel better soon!) Goodbye Steven and Nicolas! Come see me again!" The goat trotted happily in circles. Sakura watch him; clutching Sasuke's arm.

The hike down the mountain was probably harder than climbing up. Not because they kept slipping and tripping – because all of them were in bad moods and mad at somebody. Though, they had all agreed (If not out loud, than mentally) that all three were particularly angry at Naruto (even himself).

"Careful, it's slippery there," Sakura mumbled getting up off the ground for the umpteenth time. She – and probably Sasuke and Naruto would agree with her – was thankful that it wasn't snowing very hard and they could clearly see where they were going.

When they reached the cliffs, they had no idea how to get down them – but nobody voiced any ideas.

Sasuke suddenly grabbed Sakura's hand and helped her down onto a small ledge.

"Now, carefully step onto the one under it. Careful… Now, stay there." He jumped down, grabbing the rock face and then helped her down onto the next ledge.

None of them wanted to try simply walking down because it was so slippery, and they'd probably run out of energy half way down.

"I'm not going down that one." Sakura grabbed a root that was somehow sticking out of the rock. "It's too steep…!" Sasuke sighed and jumped down next to her. He then carefully slid down to the ledge below them.

"We're half way there," he said reaching up for her, not bothering to see how Naruto faired.

Sakura slid into Sasuke's arms and giggled something about fairy-tales – But nobody heard because Naruto drowned her out with his scream of terror.