First of all, please read these notes I write, I will try and answer as much questions and concerns as I can. Second, sorry for the long delay, I've been really busy with work and preparing for college. Third, thank you for all your reviews. Finally, can anyone help me make a better synopsis for this story (after reading this chapter), I can't think of a really good one.
Now, I'm gonna try a different approach to answering your reviews. Here I go, in order from least to greatest concerns:
6. What language was I using in that last chapter?
I can see now that latin is a dead language these days when one of you actually thought it was German. So just for the record, its latin, you know, the language of Julius Caesar (with the "Et tu Brutus"), Cicero, and etc. You hear it a lot in movies about God, the apolyocapse, and other divine things, so I thought this story would be a good place to put them in. I will try to incorporate this more and more as I move along. On a side note, I will try to use Japanese when I can, especially in jutsus.
5. Why does the grammar seem a lil weird?
Ok, so I don't have a really good grammar, especially since I tend to do run on sentences. I know how to do semi-colons and commas and all, but its sort of time consuming to distinguish them. I need to write down my story quickly because my ideas come and go. Now I'll try to keep grammar correct on everything except these author notes, dialogue, and monologue. One thing I do know I need work on is dialogue, my pace slows down whenever I need them to talk, so some tips in your reviews or an email would be nice.
4. Why were the last three chapters a lil short?
Yes, I do know the first three chapters were a lil short, but I hope you all read the notes, because I was implying that up until now, all three chapters could be an extended prologue. Because until Orochimaru gave Naruto the cursed seal, the story was suppose to be close to the original. I was implying that if he did not give the cursed seal, the original story could have come back. So think of the cursed seal as the catalyst for everything. I tried to keep it all brief for that reason, since I didn't wanna bore you guys with a repetition and I wanted to get back to my version of the story quickly.
3. How is Naruto gonna be affected by the cursed seal?
Well, like I just said, it will be a catalyst. I don't wanna spoil anything, but I just suggest you do NOT focus on the seal all that much. If it was about the seal, I would have named the story, "Cursed Seal" not "Cursed Blood."
2. What type of vampire will Naruto be?
This really is directed at someone would really seemed to want to know. Well, I wanted this to be sort of an AU story, and incorporate many of the classic things about an vampire with an modern/Naruto twist. Obviously, he will be blood sucking, I already used Chakra Leeching in the last chapter, so I can simply extend that and give it to anyone. As for some of your other ideas, they are indeed very interesting and I've actually been thinking along the same lines as you for quite a bit of them, but for your sake, I won' tell ya. Now here's the thing, I again don't wanna spoil anything, so….I can't say anything, cause the least bit may spoil, but I'm sure you will enjoy how this story will play out.
1. How are the pairings gonna be?
Sigh This pairing thing is starting to give me a headache, lol. Let me start by saying Hinata is definitely in, now here are the other candidates and pluses for minuses for each.
Anko: She is original, knows a lot more about life than Naruto, also has the cursed seal (as in she has been to great pains, which conveniently hasn't been revealed yet), and may be able to sympathize with Naruto on a whole new level. She is also a jounin, has a very Naruto-like character, and is the exact opposite of Hinata to some extent.
I understand some of you are against an older woman, but it may actually help, since vampires aren't exactly known to be the most moralistic race of all times. The idea of the forbidden (not that much anyways) relationship can be helpful. And besides, she doesn't have to be that old, I was thinking she'd be in her mid-20's.
Ino: She is pretty, is unknown, and lacks a relationship with any other male characters enough. I could definitely use her childhood attraction to Sasuke to an extent, and the 180 turn would be good.
Now my main problem with her is her relatively unknown status. The basic two parts known about her is that her two parents are still alive, she likes Sasuke, and has a friendship with Sakura. This relatively light past isn't a good environment for someone that's gonna be involved with a vampire. I can add some stuff to her past, but I'm trying not to disturb the original story up to the last chapter as much as possible.
Sakura: I do like how she has been maturing rapidly up till now and the things I can do with the help of Inner Sakura. But the apparent problem with her is, again, her lack of any trauma or anything. I mean her greatest misery seems to be her big forehead. But because her apparent kindness has been showing more and more up to now in the original story, I could shift it toward Naruto. So between her and Ino, I think I can make better use of her.
TenTen: Same thing I said about Ino applies to her. Her personality makes her a bad choice. I've read some of those rare NaruTen ficcies, and I could the that the same problem applied to those.
So here's the bottom line, as of right now, I still plan on doing an AnkoNaruHina story. Now this doesn't mean some of the other girls can't have a small relationship with him either, or that Anko and Naruto will definitely have a really intimate relationship, meaning that the details are still up in the air. As for other pairings, the only one I can do may be Sasuke and someone, either Ino or Sakura, but I don't wanna focus on that much.
I think that I've answered as much questions and concerns as I could have without spoiling anything. So let's continue with the story.
Disclaimer: If you are a lawyer, whose job is to read through fanfics looking for ones without disclaimers, I pity you from the bottom of my heart. Nonetheless, I don't own Naruto.
Here's the formatting that's going to be used for this chapter:
"Blah" – Talking
'Blah' – Thinking
"Blah"– Mystery Person A Talking
'Blah' – Mystery Person A Thinking
It Begins
Absque nunc sumus advocati diaboli.
'Darkness. The darkness I've known all my life. Isolation. Fear. Hatred. Resentment. Is that all my life ever will be?'"Excite."
Naruto blinked his eyes and woke up to the sound of a strange voice. 'Its calm and serene. Yet it has a hint of coldness and…'
It was then he finally noticed that his whole body was lying in cold water. He then got into an upright position and looked around. It was a dark tunnel, with a light source that can't be seen.
"Where the hell am I?" Naruto wondered out loud as he found the strength to stand up.
"hic et nunc."
"What the…" Naruto had thought the voice was only a dream. 'Maybe this is still a dream.' So he pinched his cheeks.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed. 'So that wasn't such a good idea. But that voice…'
Suddenly a clashing noise could be heard to his left. Naruto turned around only to find the way blocked by a circular crest or seal that looks a lot like Sasuke's Sharingan. He walked even closer and noticed the water became pitch black. As he got next to the object, he could hear something resembling a battle, but without any sound of metal or shouting. And as soon as it had begun, the sounds faded away.
"Accede."
'There is that voice again. That same deep, sorrowful voice. That beautiful whisper. It makes the heart tremble and the soul relaxed. It's a voice that I feel I've heard before. Maybe in another lifetime.' Naruto thought as he turned right and saw in the distance an opening in the tunnel. It had a blue color.
"Who are you?" Naruto shouted. Slowly beginning to walk toward the opening.
"Sum scelum."
"I don't understand what you're saying! Where am I?" Naruto shouted once again. As he got closer to the opening, he noticed a hint of red beginning to swirl with the blue, as if in battle with one another.
"Via dolorosa."
"Stop talking like that! What is this place?" Naruto shouted in frustration. Now the red is beginning to overwhelm the blue. In the midst of the struggle, Naruto also noticed that the water has become a darkish red, and the water level had risen to his knee.
"Nostrem carcerem."
"I don't understand! What are you saying? Why am I here?" Naruto was beginning to lose his temper. The water had risen to his thighs now, and just as he noticed that all traces of blue had disappeared, the smell came. He was no stranger to the smell. No ninja will ever be. It was blood. That thick, metallic taste. "What the hell is this?!?"
"Mens rea."
The stench that made him want to throw up had disappeared, instead, in its wake, left a feeling deep in him. It was hard to describe. It was a feeling of nostalgia. Naruto closed his eyes and relished in the smell around him. 'This must be what catnip is like to cats.' Naruto thought in the recesses of his mind that was still free to think.
Then all at once, he noticed that the smell was gone again. And in him, it left a hungering. For what, he did not know. But it was strong, much stronger than his hunger for ramen. He opened his eyes only to find that he had just left the tunnel, and was now surrounded by a space of different varieties of red.
"I see the blood is still part of you." As the voice spoke, the swirling red colors pulsated to every tone and syllable.
"Hey, I-I can understand you now." Naruto exclaimed. Suddenly his head hurt, all these things happening to him was giving him a headache.
"I wish you didn't." The voice sighed and the red colors paled as if in agreement.
"What do you mean? But first, where am I? And who are you?" Naruto managed to say as his headache got worse. The pain on his temple was starting to make his thought process difficult.
"Who I am is not important. We shall meet again, but until then I have a single advice for you; you are not who you think you are. Ignosce mihi, my lost lamb."
Naruto suddenly felt an unbearable pain on his back. It felt like someone was ripping his back muscles off. After what seemed like an eternity, the pain stopped and before he had a chance to exam his wound, he noticed something was wrong. The space soon began to tremble and Naruto soon noticed the water coming back. Then he noticed blue returning to the space and soon the space was swirling with blue instead.
"Wait! Don't go! What is this? What have you done to me?!?" Naruto shouted as he finally saw that the water was blood, and instead of a river, it was now an entire sea of it. A thick sea of blood as far as the eyes cans sea; the texture battled against the serene color of blue. It was as if he was between heaven and hell.
Suddenly, the disgusting stench came back and before Naruto even had time to shout for help; the water level had risen above his mouth, over his head. He tried to swim upward, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get to the surface. He soon felt himself low on air, yet no matter how hard he struggled, there was no end to the sea of blood. As he began to lose consciousness, he heard the distant sound of battle.
"STOP!!!"
Naruto heard that shout in the distance. 'Huh? Was that Sakura?' Naruto thought as he began to start the processing of waking himself. As he went to rub his eyes, a sudden pain in his temple made him remember, 'Was that all a dream?'
He could hear words in the distance. There was Sakura, Sasuke, and someone he didn't know speaking. The headache was still making it hard for him to think of anything.
Suddenly there was a pain on one of his legs. "THAT HURTS!" Naruto shouted and opened his eyes to find Ino had accidentally stepped over him. Nearby, Shikamaru and Chouji noticed the loud-mouthed ninja.
Just as Ino began to say, "Naruto, where have you been all this-" She and the others nearby froze when they saw Naruto's eyes. It wasn't a gentle blue anymore; instead it was a dark, menacing red.
Naruto didn't even notice the gaping jaws of the three as his headache was really making it hard for him to do anything. Then suddenly as fast as it came, it resided. As the three watched Naruto blink, suddenly the reddish orbs were gone, and the gentle, innocent blue was back. 'Was I hallucinating just now?' They all thought together.
Naruto, glad that the headache was gone, was going to shout once more when he noticed the confused look on the three genins in front of him. "What's wrong minna?" Naruto asked nervously at the gaping stares from the three.
The other genins in the area soon took their eyes off Sasuke and unto Naruto, curious at the looks of utter confusion on the three genins near him. As they approached, Naruto began to stand up.
"Hey, stop looking so scared, its creeping m-" Naruto stopped in mid-sentence as a crushing pain suddenly appeared on his back. Then he remembered his dream and quickly removed his jacket and shirt. The other genins were now around him, including Sasuke and Sakura. There was not a sound in the air; no word could describe the sight that lay in front of them. On Naruto's back, along his spinal cord, was a hideous, long scar, still madly pouring out blood.
Translation:
'Absque nunc sumus advocati diaboli.' – 'But now we are the advocates of the devil.'
'Excite.' – 'Rise.'
'Accede.' – 'Come.'
'Sum scelum.' – 'I am a sin.'
'Via dolorosa.' – 'The way of sorrow.'
'Nostrem carcerem.' – 'Our prison.'
'Mens rea.' – 'A guilty mind.'
'Ignosce mihi.' – 'Forgive me.''