Yami Tenshi: Dark Angel

Disclaimer: Yeah, I've been told that the only thing constant is change. Well, this is something that is never going to change! I don't own Naruto!

"Dialogue"

Thoughts

Chapter 9- An Enigma

(From previous chapter)

CRASH. The fingers closed together, shattering the syringe and making blood drip. That same hand reached up and grabbed the knife that was sticking out of the wall. Out in the distance, sirens could be heard screaming, as if predicting what was about to happen. The Dark Angel had awakened, and was out for blood…literally.

Neji leaned his head against the wall and sighed, massaging his temples. He, Sasuke, and Gaara had been at the Uchiha mansion for over two hours now, and the blonde ball of energy known as Uzumaki Naruto had not yet shown his face. Sasuke was listening to his headphones, occasionally pausing to scribble something down in the notebook he had balanced in his lap. Gaara was just…well, being himself, sitting in the far corner of Sasuke's spacious living room, glaring at the far wall. Except instead of having his arms crossed across his chest, he sat strumming a few quiet chords on his electric guitar.

The Hyuuga prodigy himself, he was perhaps the most bored and restless out of the three. Try as he might, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering back to the new girl, Ansatsusha Chiyo. He bit the inside of his cheek and closed his eyes, once again seeing in his mind's eye the picture Chiyo had drawn that afternoon. It wasn't a secret that he was part of the branch family of the Hyuuga clan, but how did she know right where to…hit him? She had struck a chord that almost no one else had even realized was there.

There was also another girl on his mind, and this thought was truly disturbing. His mind wandered over to the girl that had been with Chiyo and Hinata, the girl with deep chocolate eyes and the smile that had made something inside his chest twist. As much as I want to deny it, this girl interests me a great deal. Can it be? Do I really want to see her again, that badly? No, Neji, stop this nonsense. You're being foolish. His left eye twitched, like it always did when he lied. Exhaling slowly in frustration, he grabbed his base, attempting to drown out the thoughts of the girl in his music.

Sasuke must have appeared nonchalant and at ease, but he was anything but. The dobe has really started to take after Kakashi, hasn't he? Still, his mind raced. Naruto's never been this late before. Where on earth is he! He's not answering his cell phone and…argh! Damn you, dobe. It was true, as his best friend, Naruto was the only one that could Sasuke as anxious as he was right now. More than he'd like to admit, Sasuke worried about his friend a lot.

"HEY, GUYS! Hey! Hello? Anyone here?" Sasuke winced at the voice and inwardly cursed the blonde for being late, for making his worry, and just for being himself. Slowly, he pulled off his headphones and gazed at Naruto in what he hoped seemed like a lazy manner. Neji put aside his base and looked at Naruto with a hint of annoyance on his face. Gaara simply ignored the other three, continuing to strum his guitar.

"Heh, heh…hey guys," Naruto said nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry I'm late, I had-"

"Save your excuses," Sasuke cut in, a small bite in his icy tone. "We have things to do, so sit down already." Naruto cut him a sharp glance, but his baby blue eyes instantly softened as he took in his friend's appearance. No matter what Sasuke did, no matter how many people he fooled with his icy demeanor and attitude, he couldn't hide anything from Naruto. The blonde could tell from the particular way he was frowning that the Uchiha had been worried. Wisely holding his tongue, he flopped onto the couch, rubbing his hands together.

"So? Is this meeting coming to order now that I'm here?"

Kasai Dai hummed a tune as she cooked dinner for herself and her date that was coming over at seven. The thirty-year old woman was quite excited about this one. She had been down on her luck in her love life lately, and this new man was one who had been recommended to her by a friend and was coming with a lot of promise.

Smiling, she set the table and took the steak out of the oven, lighting two candles and taking out her best linen napkins. The doctor had a comfortable life, and it showed clearly in the way her spacious condo was arranged. From the top shelf, she took down two glasses and a bottle of red wine. Dai couldn't help herself; she giggled like a child. She was so excited that she didn't notice a shadow at her window.

Sitting on the couch, Dai took a sip of the wine to help calm her nerves, squash the butterflies in her stomach, and loosen up her tongue a bit. Red fingernails were a stark contrast against her white skirt and she nervously pulled at it again. Is it too short? Is it too long? Do I appear presentable? Oh God, I hope I don't screw this one up as well!

Ding. Ding. Dai jumped, then laughed at herself. She set her wineglass down, stood and straightened her skirt. Walking to her door, she prayed for strength from the gods above and opened the door, a charming smile on her face and words of wit and welcome on the tip of her tongue.

Alas, Dai was so excited and nervous that she forgot to do something that she had been doing every single day, every time she opened the door for the past nine years- look through the peephole. And that one mistake became the bane of her existence.

"Where on earth are we going to find another tenor like Haku?" Naruto mumbled out loud in agreement after Sasuke had declared the purpose of the meeting: to find another lead singer. Gaara frowned slightly and tilted his head in acknowledgement and agreement to the blonde's musings. Neji idly plucked at a few strings on his base as he thought, white eyes staring at the far wall.

Finally, Sasuke spoke. "We can't," he said. "We can't find another tenor like Haku. And that's why…" He took in a deep breath, preparing himself for the reactions of the band members. "That's why I've decided to hold open auditions tomorrow, after school."

The reactions were instantaneous. Gaara sat up straight and stared across the room at Sasuke, with a look of surprise on his face, a look that no one on the face of the planet had seen before. Neji's fingers stopped moving automatically and he cut the young Uchiha a cold, biting glare. Sasuke had to keep himself from shuddering. Yep, I knew that he would hate it the most. Geez, that guy can dish out looks that can freeze the sun when he wants to!

And, as usual, Naruto was the one that had the loudest response. "WHAT! Sasuke, you bastard, are you INSANE? You can't hold open tryouts! Do you know how many people would show up?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Sasuke snapped, his dark eyes sparking in annoyance. "Yes, of course I know how many people would show up! And yes, I am also well aware of the fact that most of them will be of the female population from Konoha High, but what choice do we have? It's not like we're at the top of the charts yet, but we still have a deadline which we have to meet!"

There was silence for a long moment, and then it was broken by Gaara. "He's right. There's only so long we can prolong the deadline the company set, and we need a lead singer. Sasuke can't do it by himself."

"Alright, I'm in!"

All eyes were turned towards Neji and he resisted groaning aloud. He really didn't want to do this because, inwardly, he was actually afraid that he would see his cousin and her friend at the auditions. He knew that Hinata enjoyed singing and wherever Hinata went, the other girl was always with her.

Sasuke held his breath. Naruto he knew he didn't have to worry about, after all, the energetic blonde loved all the attention. He had been surprised when Gaara had been the first to agree, but the opposition he could feel rolling off Neji in waves was expected.

Neji wasn't usually one to give into peer pressure, but he could see where the others had a point. He knew that if he insisted on not going through with this, the whole matter would be dropped. Sasuke was the kind of person who wanted total compliance, or the action was not going to be completed. Clenching his jaw, he glared at Sasuke a moment more for good measure, then sighed. "Fine."

Sasuke exhaled slowly. I really didn't want to go through with this. I had thought that one of them might have come up with a different idea. It's surprising that the Hyuuga acquiesced so soon. Ah well, guess that's it then. Little did Uchiha Sasuke know that with that one choice, he had let himself slip into the clutches of a situation so sticky that he would later curse his decision. They all would.

Kasai Dai's previously white skirt was now splattered with the deep crimson of blood. Her originally spotless condo was a mess. The dinner Dai had so meticulously prepared for that special evening was strewn all over the floor and the wine glasses had been knocked over, sending their scarlet liquid snaking across the floor to join the large, ever-growing pool of blood on the floor.

There, in the middle of the pool, lay Kasai Dai, fighting for breath. She gasped as her throat flooded with blood, trying to draw blood into her already useless lungs. With wide eyes, she watched helplessly as a figure dressed in black carved a cruel message on her wall. She gagged as blood filled her mouth and seep out, mingling with the fresh coat of lipstick she had so carefully applied an hour earlier.

Yami Tenshi turned around, heading for the telephone. It was the same as always, dial 911, and leave the phone off the hook to wait for that idiotic Chief Inspector and his pathetic partner to arrive on the scene and try to puzzle out the crime. Bloodstained, pale fingers carefully dialed the number, once again leaving no fingerprints, simply oval spots of blood. Stepping over the overturned table, the assassin dropped the phone next to the dying woman, on Dai's right side.

The phone was right next to her head, but Dai couldn't reach it. She couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, couldn't believe this was happening to her. As grey spots began to dance across her vision, she heard the voice that chilled her to the bone, the voice that she would never forget in the precious few moments she had during this life, nor the next.

"Orochimaru says hi. He also said to make sure you wouldn't cross him again."

"Hello, 911 emergency. Hello? He-Hello? Oh God, it's another murder! Someone, get out there! Notify Chief Inspector Uchiha immediately!"

"It's all set then? Four o'clock tomorrow, after school."

Sasuke sat back and folded his arms across his chest, frowning. There had been a nagging presence at the far side of his mind all day now, and it was really starting to get on his nerves. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sounds of Neji and Gaara exiting, along with Naruto after a beat. The blonde had glanced at him earlier and knew that there was something the Uchiha had to work out on his own.

With the mansion now empty, Sasuke could finally isolate that probing thought in his mind and drive it out. Closing his eyes, he slowly sorted through his thoughts, searching for the one that didn't, that shouldn't belong.

All thoughts raced back to Chiyo. He gritted his teeth in frustration and rubbed his temples. She was an enigma, something that he couldn't figure out, and that bothered him. Uchiha Sasuke was a young man who knew the rules to everything, who knew that he could accomplish everything, and who knew he had everything figured out. When there was a puzzle that came along, he solved it, it didn't matter at what cost.

His brother, Itachi, was the same way. That's probably he's got himself all tied up in a knot about this Yami Tenshi case. Sasuke's right eye twitched. He wasn't worried about the case unless Itachi asked him to help- he was just that kind of person. Unless it involved him, Uchiha Sasuke was not interested. But this case was really starting to drain his brother of his energy, and that was what worried Sasuke so much.

Now, there was a new puzzle to add to his misery. Chiyo Ansatsusha. The girl with skin like snow and eyes as dark as sin. This was something he couldn't be in control of; this was something, someone he barely knew. It was the way she looked at him that unnerved him, that made something in his stomach jump. She's trouble, and I know it.

And yet, there was a pulling, a tugging in his chest that made him want to see her, to figure out this mystery that had suddenly popped up out of nowhere. There was a thrill in unmasking the vigilante, a rush of adrenaline in fitting the last piece of the puzzle in place and the utter feeling of satisfaction in knowing that he was in control once again.

Sasuke hated being lost in the dark, and he was most certainly lost in the dark about this new girl. Perhaps there was something else as well, some other force that tugged at his heartstrings, that made him want to see Chiyo again. Swiftly, he brushed away the though like old cobwebs at the corner of his mind. With a sigh, he stood and made his way to the training field behind the mansion. He needed to clear his head.

TBC…

A/N: Looks like two of our boys are falling! Naruto will also be paired up with someone, three guesses who!

I know, this chapter wasn't too exciting. But I'm working on it! Sorry if some of the guys are out of character!