The Ripple Effect

By: Sweet Bliss

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…

Summary: As the sun sinks beyond the horizon and night takes over, the fierce creatures of the night fight amongst one another, spilling innocent blood along the way. One young vampire must battle his way with a group of misfits to seek vengeance from the family he was robbed of. If only he hadn't a distraction during the journey… SS, NH, SI, & TN

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Chapter 1

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'Everything you do, say, feel, and touch effects someone or something else. Thus is the way of the ripple effect. Killing and loving are just two of the things that may occur. Are you up for the challenge?'

Sheathing the metallic blade inside its leather confinements, obsidian orbs watched as the bloody body fell onto the ground. "Pathetic," was the only words he uttered, flicking the red liquid off his cheek. His boots crunched through the snow as he walked out of the lush green forest. Closing his onyx eyes and then blinking them back open into a crimson red color, he let out the pitch black demon wings that were once concealed.

He fit well against the night sky. Both haunting and alluring. The pale glow of the moon led him to a clearing, containing small homes and huts. Landing gracefully on the ground, the teen walked toward a small, tattered home; his wings hidden once more and his eyes back to a charcoal color. Opening the wooden door he braced himself for what was to come.

"Sasuke! You're back!" squealed a shorter girl with bubble gum pink hair. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she latched onto the boy. She purred against his chest and flicked her cute, little cat ears. The boy pried her from him and sat down at the dumpy table. "Sakura, what did I tell you before?" he growled, completely irritated by the girl's behavior. She bowed her head and answered, "Not to make a big scene when you come home. B-but… you've been gone for almost a month now! I had nothing to do! I was lonely!" Sasuke rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed. Why in the world had he even saved the girl in the first place? The girl's baby-like face snapped back up at him and she pouted cutely. "You didn't bring me back anything. But you promised," she whined.

Groaning, the raven haired boy dug in his pouch. Gripping the items, he pulled his gloved hand back out and handed the objects to the girl. She grinned and sat on the floor trying to open the candy wrappers. "Did you get any information about Itachi?" Sasuke shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. Sakura made a soft noise to show she listened and went back to opening the sweets.

This gave Sasuke a chance to look her up and down. She was still wearing the outfit he found her in. It was a long white dress, a grayish color now from dust and dirt. It revealed her cleavage slightly and covered her bony frame. Her pink hair had grown over the time that she'd been living with him. That was six months ago. She didn't know a lot about him nor did he know a lot about her, but they knew certain things. She was a runaway and had a high price on her head. He, on the other hand, was a vampire heir that left to exact revenge on his brother.

"Sasuke?" Her quiet voice made him lift his head to stare into her emerald orbs. "What do you want now, Sakura?" Her eyes lost their cheery demeanor as she asked, "Does this mean you're leaving me again?" He blinked quite confused by her question and he shrugged. "We'll see." Sakura had grown accustomed to his cold aura and had managed to cope with it in her own way. As long as she didn't bug him or ask him about his past, she wouldn't have a worry.

Sasuke stood and took off his boots. Sakura stood as well and she smiled before bidding her savior good night. Watching her enter the small room she slept in, Sasuke sighed and removed the silver armor he wore, leaving him in a black turtleneck shirt and some khaki pants. Shuffling around his small house, he finally sat down on his small make-shift bed and thought.

His brother was always one step ahead of him. Always learning of Sasuke's strategies. Every move he made, Itachi countered it. It was a confusing matter, but Sasuke was determined to bring his brother to Hell with him. Clenching his fists, Sasuke's brows furrowed. The bodies of his relatives; aunts, uncles, cousins, mother and father alike were lying in bloody masses on the floor. The only of his cousins still remaining was Obito who'd runaway before the horrendous massacre.

Flopping back onto the bed Sasuke groaned. He'd leave Sakura again by tomorrow before the sun came up. He didn't want to tell her because she'd told him once before she hated to say goodbye. This was how they compromised. He'd leave before she awoke, that way she would never have a chance to say 'goodbye'. If the chance he died during his missions, then she'd never have anything to worry about.

It was about four in the morning when he awoke to yelling, screaming, and banging on the door. "SASUKE! Bastard get out here now!" Sasuke sighed and got out of bed. There was only one person that voice could have belonged to. He opened the door, that's once decent front now was dented and splintery, and came face to face with a whiskered blonde.

The boy's mage outfit was slightly baggy and fell off in some places. His black pants were held up by suspenders and a long orange jacket covered most of his body. The mage hat he wore was battered and worn and taped up pretty poorly, and his blond locks stuck out from under the hats rim. Blue eyes were glossy as he screeched, "Sakura is gone! The kidnappers got away before we had a chance to attack. I'm such a worthless magician." He sulked and Sasuke patted his back. Then he reassured, "You'll get better… dobe." Naruto was about to strangle his rival but a silver haired man stopped them. He was an ex-ninja from a small village in a country far from this little run-down community.

"Sasuke. Naruto. Now is not the time to fight. We have to save Sakura," stated the older man, his mask slightly muffling his words. Naruto moved back and nodded, "Kakashi is right, Sasuke. We have to save our friend." The eighteen year old mage tapped his chin and pondered aloud, "Who would want, Sakura?" Sasuke shrugged and leaned against the left side of his house. "Ugh! We're not getting anywhere! Kakashi, can you do something? Like be all ninja-ish for a moment or so!" Naruto complained giving up on thinking of people. The masked man scratched the back of his head and said, "I dunno, Naruto. It might take a while." Sasuke closed his eyes. Who would want to capture Sakura? How come he didn't know she was taken? Then it hit him. Itachi's subordinates would do anything for the wicked murderer. It was probably Itachi's right-hand man, Orochimaru, that was calling the shots. Orochimaru was as wicked as his brother and a fellow vampire himself. He most likely sent his top men to do the job. He'd already run into three of them before.

"I think I know who might have done it. Finding their location will be… difficult," Sasuke informed monotonously. Naruto's blue orbs lit up and he grinned, "That a boy, bastard!" Sasuke glared and punched the magician square in the jaw. "Why I oughta-!" Naruto yelled but once again Kakashi stopped them. "Here's the plan…"

"Are we there yet!" Naruto asked for what seemed as the millionth time since they left. Kakashi sighed and answered, "Naruto, we have another five minutes till we reach the city. There we meet up with one of my old friends." Naruto nodded and grabbed hold of his hat as he sped off into a clearing. "Umph," he screamed falling flat on his face. Sasuke walked over and held out his hand. "Dobe." Naruto wasn't paying attention as his cerulean orbs landed on the person he bumped into.

She had dark hair and ivory eyes that held innocence and purity. She wore a jade kimono and she held a bouquet of flowers in her right hand. "I-I'm so sorry," she apologized gathering her sandals in her small, pale hand. "Don't apologize. It was my fault," Naruto said, hopping up onto his feet immediately. Kakashi finally made it inside the clearing and questioned the girl, "Are you Hyuuga Hinata by any chance, heir to the Hyuuga household?" Said girl nodded her head quickly and bowed her head. "Well, you can be of assistance. I need to speak with your father." Hinata raised her head back up and spoke quietly, "Okay. Follow me."

Once inside the household, Hinata led them into the parlor where her father sat. He raised his head and greeted them in a gruff voice, "Why if it isn't the famous rogue ninja, Kakashi? What brings you here with your friends." Sasuke leaned against the wall in the shaded part of the parlor. His onyx orbs were shining from the point and he was glad no one noticed. Kakashi already warned him about the town's history. The people hated vampires and weren't so welcome outside his village. It would also be difficult for them to travel from this point on. If the sun were out they'd be traveling through dense forests, and if the moon shone Naruto would most likely want to rest.

Just then a boy with long, silky black hair came through the door in a white kimono similar to Hinata's. "Oh, this is Neji. Kakashi, this boy right here is very strong and could be of use on your trip," the Hyuuga leader bellowed and motioned for Neji to step forward. "You might want to take Hinata, too. If she expects to take over the whole Hyuuga clan, and not have to hand over the rights to Hanabi, then she needs to be stronger and bolder. Could you possibly take her, too?" Kakashi sighed and looked at his old friend. "She could be of some use."

Naruto silently screamed 'yes' and smiled. It let him have time to get to know her. "Well, you might as well stay the night. Neji take these two boy's to the guest room," the old man ordered and Neji's ivory eyes scanned over Naruto and Sasuke. Naruto wouldn't be much of a rival in strength but then again looks could be deceiving. Sasuke, on the other hand, he looked powerful. A worthy opponent indeed.

Sakura opened her jade orbs and looked at her surroundings. Her arms were tied with a rope and so were her feet. Underneath the bell sleeve of her dress were bruises from rough gripping hands. She didn't remember much about what happened and she hadn't time to think. Her ears perked up to a noise coming closer. When the door to the room opened, light filtered in and she made out an outline of a girl.

Her mouth was set into a grim line and her chestnut hair was tied into two buns. She wore a pink Chinese-styled dress and a pair of light brown capris. Her chocolate colored eyes weren't very happy and had no sparkle. They contained mixes of despair and hurt. They were dull and no traces of life were evident. "Hello, Sakura, I'm Ten-Ten. It's time for your bath and dress fitting. Itachi asks you to join him for dinner to discuss a few issues." The way Ten-Ten said it made Sakura flinch. It was an edgy tone and was as sharp as a knife. Whatever wronged her in the past, Sakura was certain to find out.

…TBC…

A/N: I hope you liked the first installment of 'Ripple Effect'. I hope you like it and until I change things otherwise, this story will be a SasuSaku, InoShika, NaruHina, NejiTen, and KinZaku for now. I'll let you know on a later date. But that is what I'm leaning forward into. But we'll have plenty time to figure that out because it won't have these pairings hints until a few chapters from now…

But anyways some characters might be OOC right now but eventually they'll be molded into their actual persona. So bear with me for a little while…

Sasuke is ademon vampire

Sakura is a cat humanoid

Naruto is a mage

Kakashi is an ex-ninja and human

Neji and Hinata are humans (Neji being a samurai and Hinata a geisha)

Ten-Ten is a captured human now working for Itachi

Orochimaru and Soun are vampires

Itachi is a demon vampire