The Ripple Effect
By: Sweet Bliss
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
………
Chapter 4
1
Snow poured heavier down upon the small village. The once starry sky was now blanketed by thick dark clouds unleashing their wrath. The white flurries covered everything and all things once visible were now hidden. All doors to homes were shut, not to be opened until the blizzard calmed.
Yet struggling through the storm was one lone vampire. In his arms was a small life form with cute cat ears. Streams of blood trickled down his neck from the black bruise Orochimaru had left. He stumbled and dropped Sakura, his vision slowly dimming and his body suddenly feeling warm. The black haired Uchiha struggled back to his feet but Sakura was awake now. Her expression was worried and confused but she brushed it aside to help her friend. "Sasuke, you're bleeding!" she cried as the blood spread across her pale hands. Sasuke glared at her and tried to stand on his own, which seemed useless because he instantly fell back down again. "I'll get you there, Sasuke. Just hang on." Those were the last words Sasuke heard as he fainted into Sakura's arms.
2
Naruto looked through the window his bored expression turning angrier by the minute. "Where the hell is the bastard?" he asked to no one in particular. Sapphire orbs landed upon the grandfather clock and the boy groaned, "It's almost midnight! Where in this beloved universe is the bastard and Sakura!" Hinata placed a hand timidly on Naruto's shoulder and calmed him down saying, "I-I'm sure that S-Sasuke is watching out for her." The blonde nodded and offered, "Why don't we go to sleep, 'Nata?" The ivory eyed girl nodded shyly, pink spreading across her cheeks.
Neji glanced down at his blade. His reflection looked back at him, showing the expression written on his face clearly. He was bored yes. This town hadn't offered much and what it did give he didn't want. True to word, this town was in deep debt and poverty. The people were nice in the places he visited, but they lacked essential items. Sheathing the blade, the white eyed Hyuuga yawned. "I'm going to bed," he muttered and walked into a guest room.
Ten-Ten was already asleep and Hinata, Naruto, and Neji just went into their rooms. Shikamaru was glad for once that his house was once a hotel belonging to his grandparents. For once he wasn't alone. Ever since his grandparents died he had been alone, since his mother and father vanished without a word. It was just him and Ino since he was eight.
Speaking of the small sprite, Ino was asleep on Shikamaru's lap. The brunette chuckled at his recollection of when he was given Ino. His grandmother had found Ino in the forest and saved the pixie's life. And when she awoke, Shikamaru just so happened to be right there to be pummeled by many objects. For a small winged creature, Ino had really good aim with heavy items. But over time, despite their constant arguments, the two creatures had actually become really close. They were all the other had.
3
It wasn't hard to mistake the Nara home. It was the only one in the village that was anywhere near decorated and had lights on. They must have been waiting. Sakura continued to drag the limp body of her friend toward the home. "Just a little longer," she mumbled to herself as she neared the home.
She tripped and fell, Sasuke's body falling on top of her. She shifted trying to get back up, but she felt her comrade stir. His obsidian orbs opened and he looked at her. "What the hell- Where the hell are we?" he asked sitting up. The pink haired humanoid sat up too and said, "You passed out at the entrance of the western gate. I say we're nearing the eastern side of the village." Sasuke nodded and brushed the snowflakes form his hair.
The moon was fading from sight and Sakura grew worried. "Sasuke, we need to hurry back!" The raven haired teen looked up at the sky but remained silent. Sakura tugged on him to get up. "Please, Sasuke, we've got to get away! The sun will be up soon!"
The Uchiha heir sat on the ground his obsidian orbs glued on the girl. "S-Sasuke?" Sakura choked out backing away from the boy. Sasuke stood and glowered down at her. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her up. She flinched from his grip on her small wrists and felt herself being lifted up. "Come on," he said harshly and let go of her wrists.
4
Shifting about in the kitchen, Sakura prepared some tea for herself and Sasuke. He'd been silent ever since they got back to their friends' home. The others were asleep in their rooms, so she remained as quiet as possible to keep the others from awakening from their slumber. "Sasuke!" she called quietly, her feet softly tapping against the wooden floor. Their wasn't a response from the vampire so she called out to him again.
The room where he sat was dark and she could barely make out his figure. She sat down across from him and noticed something odd about him. His skin was a whiter color than what he usually was. His dark locks hung over his face, but when he looked up she noticed the thing about him. Black marks were present on his skin making intricate designs. His onyx orbs were vacant and grayer in color. He was beautiful yet haunting.
The vampire had felt the bruise on his neck spreading. Now it controlled his every movement. The cat girl standing before him was enough to make him go insane. Her pleading jade eyes and light rose colored locks. Cream colored skin and petite form. Before he knew what he was doing, he'd captured her pink lips with his own.
He broke away from her lips and went to the side of her neck. Sasuke opened his mouth to reveal two white fangs. The canine teeth brushed against her skin, drawing blood from the mere trace of them. At the sight of the crimson liquid, Sasuke's heart raced. The black marks were fading just enough to let the vampire know what he was about to do.
The dark haired Uchiha pulled away from the pink haired humanoid's neck and looked at her face. Tears streamed from her glossy jade eyes. She had her eyes closed and she was shaking uncontrollably. "S-Sakura," he choked out to get her attention. She looked so scared and she flinched every time he moved.
He did this to her. Blood dripped from his mouth and onto his shaking hands. "I-I'm so sorry," he said his voice breaking. Sasuke closed his eyes and stood up. He had to get out of this place. Away from this village. Away from her. Turning on his heel Sasuke walked to the door. Taking one last look at the sobbing flower, Sasuke left the home quietly.
5
Naruto hopped out of bed as the sun filtered through the broken window in the room. He shielded his sapphire orbs from the bright rays. Grabbing his hat and placing it on his unruly golden hair, the mage decided he was ready for that day. Running down the stairs he was surprised that everyone else was awake, even Kakashi.
The seemed to be concerned and were bombarding Sakura with questions. "Where's the bastard?" Naruto asked casually, taking a seat beside Hinata and looking at the others. Kakashi cleared his throat and answered, "He seems to have left on his own last night." That wasn't right. Sasuke wouldn't have left without saying something.
That was when Naruto noticed the bandage around Sakura's neck. "What's with the wrappings?" This seemed to place all the attention on the pink haired cat. "Oh, this. I was bit by a mosquito last night." Hinata tilted her head and said, "I don't think you need that many bandages for a little mosquito bite."
Neji looked over at the female cat and agreed with his cousin. Ten-Ten, who was sitting beside Hinata, then stated, "You're not good at lying so you might want to tell us the truth." Sakura's fists clenched her dress, wrinkling the fabric, as she answered, "Last night we were near the western entrance." Shikamaru interrupted saying, "We warned you about that side of town." Ino elbowed him and whispered, "Let forehead girl finish!"
"Like I said, we were at the west entrance and Orochimaru appeared. I don't know what all happened but there was this bruise on Sasuke's neck." Kakashi nodded his head for her to continue. "When we got back, Sasuke wasn't himself. There were all these marks on him coming from that bruise. He was different and when he almost bit me, the markings faded. Then he just left."
The ex-ninja leaned back against the wall. "It'll be almost impossible to find him now." Sakura lowered her head and Naruto felt bad. The blonde, being the genius he was, hopped up with his master plan. "Well, we know that Sasuke is after Itachi. If we can figure out where Itachi's headquarters are then we can stop at every village on the way!" The male Hyuuga shook his head at the notion. "You may have good intentions, Naruto, but this isn't something that will take a short amount of time. Sasuke is a vampire. He'll most likely travel through thick forests and away from villages. There is no telling where he will go."
While Naruto and Neji fought, Sakura thought. Maybe Neji was right. Sasuke was long gone now, and it was all her fault. She clutched the stone hanging on her necklace. 'Sasuke, where are you?' These words echoed throughout her head and she closed her eyes. That's when she felt it. Snapping her head back up to look at the group she calmly stated, "I know where he is."
6
Sasuke struggled through the pounding snow. He was a few miles away from that village now. For the first hour he flew, but then the winds picked up and he had to land. He had no clue where he was for all he could see was the barely visible forest path before him and the cool snow blowing in his face.
On the verge of passing out from exhaustion, the boy saw about ten small huts through the thickness of the white flurries. His lids were becoming heavy his vision blackening. 'I'm not going to make it,' he thought as he saw a few of the people coming out of the huts. If he would've been less careless he would've noticed that trouble lay before him.
Later On
7
Obsidian orbs opened up to look at many angry faces. His arms were tied above his head and his feet were no where near the stone floor. "Look guys! The brat is awake!" Roars of laughter echoed and he desperately wanted to cover his ears.
"Are we too much for you? Is the baby not strong enough to take on their mortal enemy? And you vampires think you're gods! You're pathetic." Sasuke looked at the woman. She had dog-like features and the thing she said about being 'mortal enemies' confirmed she was indeed a werewolf. "Listen, cupcake, you're in our territory now. I'm Inuzuka Tsume, leader of this pack. And now that we have you we're not going to let you loose. If you die then we'll have one less vampire to deal with."
She raised her hand, letting Sasuke take a look at her razor-sharp claws. She placed the nails on his cheek and ripped a simple line down his smooth skin. "Mother! Stop!" All eyes turned to the brown haired girl nearing them. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, but some strands unwound themselves and framed her face. Behind her was a boy shorter than her that muttered, "Hana, you're in big trouble now."
The angry Tsume turned to her daughter and roared, "What did I tell you before, Hana?" The girl, Hana, bowed her head to her mother and whispered, "To not get in the way of you killing the enemies." The leader of the werewolves nodded to her daughter but when she turned around her daughter spoke once more, "Maybe, Mother, we could use this boy against the other vampires."
The brown haired leader looked thoughtful then cut the rope Sasuke was hanging from. "Good idea. But he's you and your brother's responsibility." Hana nodded and the group parted leaving the two children of Tsume. The boy stepped up to him and undid the ropes binding his hands and feet. "I'm Kiba and the troublemaker is my older sister, Hana," he said as Hana helped Sasuke up.
Sasuke rubbed his sore wrists and noticed his sword and sheath were missing, along with his gloves and cloak. "You're items are put away." Sasuke locked eyes with girl and he nodded. A pretty blush appeared on her cheeks and she grabbed hold of Sasuke's hand. "You must be tired, and look at your wounds! Come this way and I'll doctor you up and get you some new clothes!" Kiba rolled his eyes and growled. He hated babysitting.
8
"So, Sakura, you're saying you know where Sasuke is!" Naruto stated once more, holding his hat firmly to keep it from blowing away. Sakura nodded and clutched the jade stone in her hand. "He's located in werewolves' territory," she stated calmly leading the group through the forest Sasuke had been traveling through earlier.
Kakashi then said, "They've probably already killed him." Hinata looked up completely scared and stuttered, "W-why would t-the werewolves do that?" Neji who stood beside his cousin explained harshly, "Since the beginning werewolves and vampires have been battling non-stop. Sasuke most likely was killed upon entering their territory."
Naruto looked back at Neji then queried, "But if they didn't accept vampires, what makes you think they're going to accept us!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes heavenward and said, "Werewolves may not seem like it, but they are very accepting creatures when it comes to other species. Ever since the peace treaty between humankind and werewolves, the dog-like creatures have been a major trading source to all species." Ino nodded at this and added, "Our village and theirs have also been friendly towards each other because of the Vampire-Werewolf War one hundred years ago. That was when mages, elves, fairies, centaurs and other creatures like these aided the werewolves in battle."
Naruto nodded, even though he didn't understand it that well. He wasn't very good in the history of their world. All he knew was that vampires were the most loathed creatures in the world. Deciding not to continue on with the history lesson, Naruto switched topics, "How much longer until we arrive in the wolves' territory?" Kakashi sighed and estimated, "About another ten minutes." Groaning, the blond mage slumped his shoulders as his stomach growled. He hadn't had breakfast that morning.
9
Kiba led Sasuke throughout the small village he'd grown up in. "And this is our high quality weapons shop. Feel free to look around. Next to it is the ramen stand. There are only like three flavors that the chef has come up with that are any good. And this is my home." The Uchiha vampire looked at the small home. "You don't have to worry about running into my mom. She practically lives in the temple." The dark haired wolf boy then entered the home to see his sister washing some clothes.
Hana's face immediately brightened as she said, "Sasuke! You're back. Your clothes will take a little longer, so I hope you don't mind to wait a few more minutes." Kiba rolled his eyes and said under his breath, "Yeah, ignore your only brother." Sasuke shrugged and muttered, "Whatever." He really didn't mind what they made him do as long as they didn't kill him. Kiba had already led him into his room.
"You can sleep here tonight. If you don't like it then you can sleep in Hana's room. She'd love you to stay with her," Kiba said flicking on the lights in his room. Sasuke cringed. What was with that girl anyways. Even if she were attracted to him it was wrong. The dark haired vampire shook his head and said, "I'll stay in here." Kiba then murmured something along the lines of 'thought so' and then he snickered.
"You know, Kiba, this is quite odd," Sasuke stated simply taking a seat on a bamboo chair. The said werewolf nodded then agreed, "Yes, our ancestors have fought since the beginning. My sister and I have been taught this over and over. I don't know why she went against our beliefs to rescue you." The obsidian orbed Uchiha ran a hand through his ebony locks. When Kiba spoke again he lifted his head towards the boy around his age.
"But what I want to know is why you were alone around here anyways." Sasuke lowered his head and thoughts of last night's events appeared in his head. Shaking away the thoughts, Sasuke answered calmly, "I will do anything to accomplish my goal of killing this one man and getting a person out of my head." Kiba stayed silent and as he was about to say or ask something else a loud blast was heard. "Some travelers have come. C'mon we've got to go to the square."
10
To be such feared creatures, the werewolves in this small village were actually… friendly? They greeted the group with so many welcoming that the eight misfits almost drowned in the friendly 'hellos'. Sakura stood upon her tiptoes searching for that one familiar face. But to no avail, the people were too tall. Jumping up, the short cat girl saw something that stood out from everyone else. A stoic, expressionless face and unruly ebony locks.
He appeared to be standing next to two of the citizens that looked exactly alike. Sakura turned to Naruto and whispered, "Sasuke is in the crowd. He's in the back." After telling the news to Naruto, the girl had already burst through the crowd and into the boy. "Sasuke!" she cried, lunging into him.
Sasuke pried Sakura off of him with a look of pure disgust. He then growled, "Don't touch me." The green eyed girl tilted her head to the side confused. "Sasuke, it's me." she whispered to him. The girl beside him glared down at her as the others came. "Sasuke-bastard! You had us worried!" Naruto said punching the vampire playfully on the shoulder. Sasuke just remained stoic and frowned as Tsume cut through the crowd. "Welcome visitors! Please stay as long as you like." The group nodded and the crowd dispersed.
"Sasuke, who are these… people? They're weird," the Inuzuka female asked staring over at the group. Three humans, an elf, a fairy, a mage and a cat humanoid. Ino flew over to sit upon Sakura's shoulder. "Who are you calling weird! At least I'm not hairy!" Ino said her face red with fury. Sakura pulled the winged girl out of the other girl's face as she simply stated, "We're Sasuke's friends."
Hana flipped her chocolate locks off her shoulder and turned to Sasuke. "I'll be at the house. You can have some time with your… friends." Ino rolled her sky blue eyes heavenward and muttered, "Drama queen." Kiba shrugged at Sasuke and he, too, went back home. Shikamaru and Ino left, tired from their trip. Kakashi left, also, along with Neji and Ten-Ten. They were all gone until it was just Sasuke and Sakura.
"Sasuke, why did you leave?" Sakura queried as she followed Sasuke around the small community. Sasuke glanced at her, seeing the bandages on her neck, he sighed. Was he really willing to tell her that he was scared it would happen again? Did he want to risk losing her again? Thinking his answer through carefully Sasuke replied, "You way me down." Emerald orbs widened in shock and Sakura silently questioned, "Do you really think that?" The raven haired teen nodded his head. "I hate you."
Sakura stumbled backwards. "You… Sasuke, y-you're lying," she whispered accusingly. The quiet vampire looked down at the ground as Sakura's eyes began to flood with tears. "Go away, Sakura. You're weak and nothing but a nuisance. You're extra baggage that I don't need." The neko shook her head and once again accused him of lying. This time Sasuke looked at her. His eyes a piercing red color that she had only seen when he was fighting. "Go away, damn it! Get out of my fucking way!" Sakura walked up to her savior and slapped him. A visible red hand print was visible on his cheek. "If you don't need me then I'll be fine. But whether you like it or not I'm coming with you because I'm in your debt. I plan on repaying the favor somehow." Her jade orbs weren't happy or shimmering, instead they flickered with anger. She turned heatedly and walked off leaving a very confused vampire behind.
………
A/N: Hey reviewers! How are you today? Okay, anyways… I hope you like this installment. It really hasn't much action but that comes later. I thank you a lot for the reviews, they're really encouraging.
Anyways, the numbers are there to help you keep up with where you are in case you can't stay on long, since the chapters are getting a lot longer.
I've also added a little love triangle-like thing, Hana x Sasu x Saku. It won't stay in long due to the late fifth or early sixth chapter's "event". This chapter had a lot of explanatory things, like the Vampire-Werewolf War and the Human-Werewolf Treaty. But it's to help out later on about certain matters!
Well, hope you like it! Read and review, but also enjoy! Love you all!