The Ripple Effect

By: Sweet Bliss

Itachi smirked as he watched Orochimaru fall on his back. His Sharingan was blazing and had transformed into a more advanced version. Blood dripped from his mouth from the hits Orochimaru had sent to his face.

"Well, well. It looks as though your death is arriving sooner than expected," Itachi spoke as he licked a few drops of blood from his bottom lip. Itachi briefly turned to look at the vampires following alongside Orochimaru. Everyone of them had fallen to the ground and some his own troops also had fallen.

"You lose, Orochimaru," Itachi said smirking. The snake found a short dagger and pulled it in front of him. "That won't save you, bastard, and it won't kill me." Orochimaru smiled wickedly as he stated, "Well, I can stay alive long enough to kill a certain someone sharing your blood."

The Uchiha's eyes widened upon realization. "Sasuke isn't a true vampire nor a true mortal. He can live forever but die in a way that any human could." Itachi narrowed his eyes and pulled out his weapon. "Don't be hasty, Itachi. I have other things to attend to so I will bid you farewell. And next time we will battle until the other dies." Itachi watched as most of Orochimaru's vampires rose to their feet, all small injuries healing.

The king sank to his knees once Orochimaru was gone. He coughed up more blood and wiped his mouth. Gaara ran over to him, dropping to his knees also. "Are you okay, sir?" Itachi looked at him. "We have to keep Sasuke under constant guard. Orochimaru's planning something and I think he might be involved." Gaara nodded and looked up at the sky to see the younger Uchiha and the cherry blossom arrive.

Sasuke looked at the people who'd saved him earlier. Sakura had already ran off to help some of the people there. He walked over to his brother and Gaara as he asked, "Where the hell is the snake bastard?" The red head stood up and said, "He got away. We must head back to our new base and get all information on this event."

Sasuke nodded and looked at his brother. Itachi seemed distant and his mind was elsewhere. "Sasuke," Itachi said wiping his mouth. The younger Uchiha eyed his brother as the man continued, "When we get to our hideout, you mustn't leave for any reason." The raven haired boy narrowed his eyes at Itachi. "It's for your own good."

"Do you really think that he'll stay put and not complain?" Gaara asked leaning his small body against a pillar in the hideout. Kakashi smiled under his mask and his visible eye crinkled. "He takes after his brother and father, I'm pretty sure that he'll be starting fights with everyone."

Itachi looked up from his paperwork. Ignoring the last comment he said, "I'mpositive that Orochimaru will be back for him. The man won't give up without a fight to the death." Gaara and Kakashi nodded at this. The Uchiha stood from his seat his dark brown locks falling over his eyes. The masked man and red head both bid their goodnights as Itachi left the room.

Hinata found her way amongst the flowers in the beautiful garden, ignoring the stares she received from the random maids in the base. Her dark locks framed her face and the white kimono with a lilac obi, beautiful pale purple flowers decorating the outfit, was a wonderful gift from Itachi for helping out.

She found a small clearing in the garden where koi fish swam about in a rather large pond. Her index finger trailed a long line in the water, creating small ripples that disturbed the slumbering pond. Leaves from the trees fell into the water from a breeze that blew by, ruffling her dark violet locks of hair.

She was beginning to feel homesick after all the things she'd seen. Where she had lived there wasn't anything to harm her. A sheltered life away from all danger. She looked at her wavering reflection and frowned at what she saw. She was probably the only one who hadn't grown any stronger through their struggles.

The Hyuuga heiress shifted so her feet were tucked safely under legs. All of these people she had met all had their own problems, facing dangerous things everyday. Everyone had some kind of pains to go through except her.

Sighing, Hinata plucked a flower from the grass beside her. Its petals weren't as bright as the others nor did it smell as sweet as the others, but she felt that it was far more beautiful than all the others. Was this how others felt about her? A beauty that was unaware about just how great they really were?

Did Naruto feel that way about her? Probably not. She had to compete with people like Ten-Ten, Sakura, and Ino. She could never compare to them. Holding the flower tightly against her chest, Hinata smiled. She would try her hardest and if that wasn't enough, well, at least she had tried.

Naruto flopped down on the bed. It wasn't as comfy as those that were in his room back at the castle. But then again, they were in better shape than those at his home back in his village. He picked up his staff and twirled it around in his hand.

He didn't really know how to feel at the moment. Happy that Sakura and Sasuke were safe? Angry because Orochimaru had runaway? Bored because there wasn't anything to do? Excited because he'd soon be able to face off against Orochimaru's troop? No matter the feeling, one thing was certain. His head was killing him.

Being thrown around by Orochimaru had been enough, and then there was the fight against the living dead. If the fact that Kiba had stayed with them wasn't bad enough, it was all the yelling he did. Naruto knew that he had no room to talk because he was quite loud himself, but Kiba was a different story. He'd really need some sort of medicine for headaches when this was all over.

Ino brushed her blond locks out of her cerulean orbs and smiled. The view from the balcony was quite nice and she wondered why anyone would want to leave this place. She sighed and closed her eyes as a soft breeze blew by ruffling her honey scented hair.

Her small fairy wings flapped giddily in the nice weather, and the pixie was certain that this was the first time she'd ever experienced nice, yet quite cool weather. The sun shone brightly and their wasn't a drop of snow falling from the sky, just magnificent rays that were cast down from the heavens.

What surprised her the most was that all of the people that had been stationed here said that this type of climate was common. She dropped her head onto her folded arms and smiled. When this was all over, she'd bribe Shikamaru to stay here and away from poverty.

Shikamaru threw his bow and small bag of arrows beside the rather large bed. In his hands was a letter from King Asuma. He didn't really feel like opening it since that would ruin his perfect day of cloud watching.

He opened a window that sat before a small desk. The wind flew inside chilling the warm atmosphere and the sun's bright rays lightened the dark room. Sitting down in the desk chair he opened the parchment.

Shikamaru,

You did well in your previous battle and I'm quite confident you'll do as good in your next. You're exactly like your father. So loyal to his country and fellow mankind. He died with honor to protect your mother from the vampires that were most likely being ordered by Orochimaru. I know that killing him is something you've set your mind on and I admire that. For this reason I am to give you this. Cherish your family and country and live with glory.

Yours truly,

King Asuma

Shikamaru opened the package that had arrived along with the letter. Inside was a locket that looked rather old and was slightly tinged with rust, but beautiful none the less. The top had a topaz mounted on it, shimmering in the light. He opened the side of it to reveal a small picture of his family.

They were all smiling. His mother shone with happiness, which he couldn't recall quite well when she was ever happy in his life except for those rare moments in which he'd do something good. His father had a goofy grin on his face as he held up a small version of Shikamaru in his arms. Then there was the elf-boy himself. He looked quite confused as to why everyone was so happy, but he followed along with his other two family members and bore a smile as well.

Shikamaru placed the locket around his neck. With a smile gracing his tanned face he sighed. "I promise you, Father. I won't go back on my word and I will make the world better." The brunette stared at the heavens as a few clouds rolled by. "You will see to it that I do keep my end of the bargain won't you, Mother?" As if getting approval from his parents, Shikamaru rolled the paper back up and stuffed it in one of his bags. No going back now.

Ten-Ten wrapped up her stinging hands and picked up her bag. The punching back had been beat enough already and she was happy she actually found something to unleash her fury on. The white color was stained by her blood from hitting so hard, signaling a 'well done' to the brunette.

She retied her hair into buns and brushed her bangs out of her face. Her feet were already sore from her last practice on the bags, but all in all she had done a good job in training. But she still couldn't stand the fact that she had to have help form the Hyuuga boy.

Did that mean she really was weak as he had said? Was she that pathetic? Shaking her head to dismiss the negative thoughts, the girl stretched her arms over her head and relaxed them afterwards.

He was really strong she had to admit. A well-toned body and a very handsome face. Silky black hair that looked as if it would feel so fine if she were to touch it. A stubborn attitude that would drive anyone to insanity. He'd slightly turn a pale shade of pink if he were to be outsmarted. He'd train himself to be better if someone were to defeat him in battle. That's what she liked about him.

But who was she kidding. Even if she did have some sort of thing for him, which she denied ever having, he still wouldn't go for her. He'd want a girl who "knew her place" in the world. She wouldn't fight for what she believed in, rather she would whine to get her way. And Ten-Ten wasn't any of those things. But maybe she should try to see if she could spark his interests. It was worth a shot.

Neji placed the sword back into its place by his side, finishing his sword practice for the day. His skills had improved ever since his spar with Ten-Ten. He would never admit it to anyone but she was quite the fighter.

She had an accurate aim with weapons and could his the most vital of places without even so much as thinking about. But in other areas she was lacking. Hand-to-hand combat might have been her specialty and she could rival even people like Kakashi or himself for that matter.

Fighting with weapons such as swords or sticks was something she needed to improve. She'd get herself killed if she were to one day need those type of skills. Maybe he could teach her how to properly wield a sword and teach her offensive attacks and defensive maneuvers. She wouldn't like the idea so much and neither would he, but they had to be prepared for everything in the next battle. They were fighting for their lives here.

Sakura fumbled her way through the dark hallways, wishing that someone would have the decency to put alight in this place. Then again she didn't blame them. The are itself looked as if it wasn't used for a long time.

But there was one room that was lit up at the end of the hallway. With her catlike skills she tiptoed silently up to the door and pushed it open slowly. Nobody was in the room and dust had gathered on shelves and other places.

The neko looked at the center where mural was painted perfectly. A large fan colored red and white was directly in the center of the picture. Words she couldn't understand were carved into the stone and angel feathers graced the picture which confused her. She'd ask Sasuke later.

A blue cushion sat on the floor and candles decorated the short steps leading to the mural. She rested her knees on the cushion and sat in a daze glancing around other areas of the room. On a plaque in front of her read the words: In Honor of Those Who've Fallen. So it was a small shrine dedicated to the fallen ones who'd helped out a great deal. It looked nobody had been praying for a while, so Sakura decided she would pray to the gods for a moment.

Her fingers intertwined in front of her chest. the jade stone around her neck sparkled in the candle light. Her eyes closed as she thought about all the ones who had died protecting them. She even decided to pray for those who had lead them on.

Hana and her willingness to place her love for Sasuke before her own life. Danzou and his greediness that lead to his own death and the deaths of many others. Dosu who had only been following the snake's twisted ways. The werewolves who'd risked their life to stand up against Itachi's army. The Uchiha clan that wasn't really expecting the attack by their own relative. The Nara family that was tormented for years by Orochimaru.

She opened her green orbs after she was finished. But she decided their was others that she needed to pray for. "I wish for the heavens to be with my friends in their next battle. Keep everyone safe. Take care of Sasuke and make sure he comes out alive after all of this."

Sasuke rolled over on his back in the bed. Itachi knew better than to force him into a few selected rooms. If he was to go anywhere other than his room in the base he had to have a guard. And that annoyed him to no end

He couldn't escape for their were two highly skilled guards below his window. Two stood outside his door and they'd follow him everywhere he went. What the hell was up with Itachi? Was he that paranoid as to not let Sasuke leave? Sasuke was sure to have a word with his brother later. He didn't like the fact that he also had to live with his brother for the time being. Some sins couldn't be forgiven and Itachi's were far from being ever justified.

And the fact that Sakura's room was in another wing of the hideout entirely. He had tried hard not to think about it. These kind of things never appealed to him before, but now he was questioning his sanity.

He'd been pacing his room just a few minutes ago trying to sort out all of these things. Here he was, one hundred and seventeen years old and just recently began to lust after someone. Lust. He was not certain that was what the feeling was but it was the only thing he could think of that fit the situation.

So what? He'd said he loved her, but he wasn't willing to say that thing again, so he labeled it as "stupid hormones are acting up and it just so happens that my neko friend is very, very hot". Sasuke ran a hand through his raven locks. Any other time he would have slept, but ever since that nightmare in the forest he wasn't so sure anymore.

Had he really let his family down? He was only eight and he wasn't even a full-fledged vampire with all of his strengths at the time! They couldn't blame him for their deaths, could they? They were his family and his mother once told him that no matter what he did, he was her son and she loved him. That was the first time anybody had said they loved him. After her death, Sasuke blamed it on her being in love with her family and her willingness to protect them.

What about Hana? She was a really nice girl and had saved his life that time. Well, actually she'd saved it more than that. She was completely and helplessly in love with him. Or so she had said. If she were still alive, though, it wouldn't have mattered in the slightest. If he was to be king and he needed to seal the treaty with the werewolves kind, then he would have married her. Sakura would have been out of the question and she could go back to where she was from. But he would miss her…

And as it was in his dream, no one could compare to Sakura. She was just a person you'd never forget even after only seeing them for a few seconds. From her smile to the sparkle in her eyes. He had very inch of her memorized and every detail he'd just so happened to see was filled into perfection. If he had told that to a female they would have said he was a pervert. If he told that to a guy like Kakashi then he'd be considered to be following in the ninja's footsteps. That was out of the question.

But he wasn't some pervert or a middle aged man that read porn. The way he saw it was flattery. It wasn't like he'd went as far as to take notice of her breast size, which he knew was a lot larger than Hana's… not that he was looking at either of their chests, but…

Sasuke rested his head on the pillow that lay neatly at the beginning of his bed. Obsidian orbs blinked shut for a moment then blinked back open. He really needed to start forgetting her and start planning the future of his people. He needed to take ideas that Oro-bastard had in mind and the things that his own family ruled by. He wanted to go down as the vampire king who had come along way to help his kind out. Even if he might not be Sakura who's by his side.

Itachi looked over the reports of their battle. Danzou was killed by the hands of Sai. That was good. Out of Orochimaru's 10,000 men, Itachi's group of about 5,000 had managed to successfully kill around 7,500 of them. But he had also lost quite a bit. Half of his men had died in battle.

Orochimaru was most likely expecting the battle. This didn't faze Itachi. The snake had been missing a lot of the meetings, brushing it off by saying that the perfect army was being trained. Itachi had brushed it off at the time but had been slightly suspicious about what he was up to.

He knew that Sasuke didn't entirely trust him either. But if he convinced the neko that he was good then Sasuke would believe what she said. The power she had over his little brother. The Uchiha were supposed to be a proud vampire clan that ruled over their race with an iron fist. Not some love struck kid that followed a cat around like a little, lost puppy.

Itachi glanced sideways at the picture on his bedside table. Walking up to the small frame, he lifted it and grasped it tightly. When this was all over, maybe him and Sasuke could be on actual speaking terms. Not that they didn't talk, but he didn't want business affairs be the only time he'd have a chance to talk with his little brother.

A lot had happened in the past one hundred and nine years and he really did want to get caught up. His ideal image of the future was him and Sasuke getting together like old times and argue with fake anger but would still be punished by their mom because she thought it was real.

He smirked. He'd also want to know what Sasuke thought about the Haruno girl. His brother seemed rather fixated on her as Itachi had noticed. Maybe they could take the time and discuss these things because Sasuke really needed help when it came to the opposite sex. If everything went perfect, which Itachi knew deep down would never be…

"Lord, might I ask what you are planning to do at this time?" Kabuto asked as he looked up at the snake like man. The sickening yellow eyes glowed and his mouth curled into a wicked grin. "I plan on making Sasuke come to me. These nightmares I give him will be too much for the poor boy. He'll begin to believe that the only way to cure his suffering is to seek me out. I just convince him that his brother and friends aren't really there to help him."

"In other words you are…?" Kabuto stopped after he let these words out. He eyed his master and waited for him to respond. "I am manipulating him. The first dream was just a test. The neko saved him that time, but the dreams I place in his head will become more intense until they start to inflict real damage on his body. If he doesn't seek me out then he will end up dying by the images he'll see, but I won't spoil that for you."

The white haired man rose to his feet as he queried, "So, what will you do afterwards?" Orochimaru shook his finger at his right-hand man. "Now, now. All in good time, Kabuto. It's a surprise that is worth waiting for."

"Oh, Sasuke!" Sasuke looked around the small cathedral searching for the source of the voice. A giggle was heard from behind a large velvet curtain. He pulled back slightly to reveal the girl who had almost killed him in that one nightmare.

She twirled a long, brown lock around her index finger and smiled. She wore a long black dress, that had a zipper that reached to her midsection, and went down to her bare feet. "Sasuke, you've been a good little boy. Do you want your reward for being so..." She snapped a whip in her hand that left a large red mark on her white skin. Sasuke took a step back into the wall.

Hana stopped mid-walk only a foot or two away from him. There she continued her sentence. "For being so damn hot. You're driving me fucking insane and I want you so bad." With every word she snapped the whip against her palm. And as the words: "I want you" came out of her mouth, the Uchiha could feel his palms grow sweaty.

She was a mere few inches away form his face now. She leaned forward to kiss him, but instead smirked. Her left hand went to the zipper and tugged it down to where it ended. Sasuke's throat grew incredibly dry by the action. What the hell was happening? The Inuzuka female brought his face into hers forcefully and began to nibble at his lower lip.

But as she continued to kiss him, the Uchiha heir couldn't help but begin to kiss her back. He twirled her around so she was against the wall and he was the one in control. Sasuke was getting into the feeling of it all and he began to hungrily search the girl's mouth. That was until he could feel eyes from others on him and Hana.

He turned to look at a row of pews in the church, completely filled by friends and other cat humanoids like Sakura. With better look he could see Naruto near the alter and his mouth agape. Itachi was also in a state of shock as he sat at the very front. His ears registered some of the words the people were whispering to others.

"I can't believe he would do that!" "His fiancée was such a nice girl." "The whore he is with now is from the Inuzuka clan." "The girl deserves better than that!" "The Inuzuka heiress and the Uchiha heir, a match made in hell." "That's where they belong." "Sakura is too good to be treated like that by someone she is in love with."

"What the hell?" Sasuke queried scanning the people in the room again. His eyes went back to where Naruto stood. The cerulean eyes of Naruto shifted to the floor avoiding Sasuke's onyx glare. He heard something drop to the floor and noticed that they were beautiful pink and yellow tulips.

He looked up to the owner of the flowers to find emerald orbs watering in front of him. "S-Sakura?" She glared at him as tears fell down her face. The white strapless dress and the flowers in her arms. Was he getting… married? To Sakura? But Hana…

His attention shifted to the werewolf that was checking her reflection in the mirror. The lipstick she wore was slightly smudged and the Uchiha absent-mindedly wondered if he had lipstick on his lips too. Hana zipped up her dress while walking to Sakura. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Inuzuka at her next words.

"I guess you're just less desirable. You can't keep a man interested, sweetie. Better luck next time." Hana turned back to Sasuke and blew him a kiss before walking a little bit more and disappearing completely. His gaze then went back to Sakura.

She had something clenched tightly in her hands. When she looked back up, her eyes were glaring at him. "I hate you! Why did you do this to me? I thought you felt something for me!" After saying these things she took the item and threw it rather forcefully at his chest. He caught the item and looked at it as many of the people and Sakura left.

It was a beautiful ring with shimmering diamonds encircling a large emerald. It was an engagement ring. Inside a few letters were carved into the ring which read "To HS with love- UH". It all pieced together quite nicely. All of the people in the church was their families and friends. It was their wedding day.

Hana was there to mess everything up. She had done this so Sakura would get hurt. Sasuke pocketed the ring and felt the presence of another person. It was the blond mage who he had chose to be his best man. His cerulean eyes were filled with rage as he punched Sasuke at the corner of his mouth. "Rot in hell, bastard." Sasuke's head hit the ground and the world around went black.

Sasuke jerked upright in his bed, breathing heavily. Another dream. Unlike the other, this one consisted of him cheating on Sakura. On their wedding day of all times. Hana acted as if nothing happened.

He clenched the covers around him and watched as red dripped form his mouth and onto the sheets. He threw the covers off of his body. The cool air pricked his bare chest, and the cold floor surface chilled his feet.

Walking into the bathroom right next door, Sasuke grabbed a rag and wet it before wiping his mouth. Were the dreams he was having really taking effect? It had felt entirely real to him. The first dream he had come out unscathed. This second dream though, he had received the actual punch Naruto had sent to the side of his mouth.

He exited the bathroom and then opened the door to the hallway. He stepped outside, not bothering to button up the red jacket he'd place on himself before leaving. The guards outside his door were dozing off which he really enjoyed the fact he had lazy people to watch for him. Now he could get some much needed privacy elsewhere.

He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket and looked at the ground as he walked. He really wished at the moment that he could see his reflection. That way he could cover up the new injury on his face and nobody would question the mark at all. The Uchiha stopped when a pair of feet came into view.

Obsidian orbs glance up to be greeted by sleepy green eyes. Her pink locks were tied into a ponytail but some strands worked themselves loose to frame her face. Temari and Anko must have lent her some new clothes as they got her original outfit cleaned. And Sasuke had to admit, the sight was pretty sexy.

The top was kind of loose and white. The flannel pants were a dark blue color with white clouds. She looked so innocent in the outfit which appealed all the more to Sasuke. She yawned before greeting him. "Hi, Sasuke, what are you doing up?"

He shrugged and waited for her to move out of his way, but her eyes must have adjusted to the cut on his mouth. "Oh, Sasuke what happened to you? There's a big bruise on your cheek!" She almost toppled him over as she came forward for a closer inspection. He didn't feel like having her on him at the moment. Especially ever since his hormones started to act up and that dream he had.

Sasuke flinched when she poked at the infliction he'd received in the middle of the night. She then began searching his mouth for any other injury and Sasuke took this time to get a better look at his friend.

He really couldn't believe that Temari or Anko had anything like this. They mostly wore black, red, or an earthly color like dark green or brown. The green stone around her neck fell right above her chest, which was the only thing his eyes seemed to linger on for a while now. Unconsciously he fingered the stone, gaining Sakura's attention.

She didn't seem pleased by the action, but her expression wasn'tmad either. She was more so silent and a little shocked by his action. The raven haired vampire let go of the stone and it went right back to its respective place. He then noticed how close their lips were at the moment.

The neko fidgeted a moment or so before she closed the gap between them. She raked her nails against his bare chest softly, blushing slightly as she did so when she realized he didn't have a shirt on. It wasn't long before she was against the wall with Sasuke kissing her back forcefully. She could tell he was about to deepen the kiss, but someone interrupted.

"Sasuke, there will be plenty of time for that later." Came the strict voice. Sasuke glared at the red head who had disturbed the boy's make out session. Gaara just crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk forming on his face.

Emerald orbs flickered to the neko trapped against the wall by the angry Sasuke. Gaara nodded to Sakura and turned his attention to the Uchiha heir. "Itachi wants to speak with you about a few things that are going to be happening during this next little battle." Sasuke sighed as he replied, "Little…?" Gaara shrugged. "It's little to me. His army is pathetic and I don't really have much of a struggle against amateurs."

Sasuke turned back to Sakura who blushed scarlet. He leaned back and gave her one last kiss and smirked when she squeaked. The Uchiha turned from the flushed neko back to Gaara. The onyx orbed boy walked off with his friend leaving Sakura to drop to the floor. "What the heck just happened?" she asked herself as she blew back her bangs.

She brought her knees close to her chest and rested her head upon them. Did Sasuke really feel something for her? She supposed it was mostly due to his "clan restoration" deal he had going on. The neko moved her head so she felt the back of her skull against the wall. Things were getting a little too complicated and she was beginning to hate it all. What would Shikamaru say at a time like this? Oh, yes. Troublesome…

A/N: Aha! Another chapter finished. It's going quite well actually and I'm really happy. It might begin to get a littlebit dirtierlater, but I assure you that it's nothing that would make the story bump up to a rating of mature. If you have any ideas for the next chapter, please send them in! Well, read and review!

Sweet Bliss