A bit more time-skipping in this chapter to get up to canon. Lots of things are going to happen! So, just to clarify, when I say something like "300 years later", I don't mean 300 years from the current part, I mean 300 years from when Naruto and Sasuke first left out. Akasha is also going to have a different origin in this one because I find her original incarnation hard to write for and connect to the story I'm concocting (her personality won't be much different, if at all, though).

Enough exposition though, onto the story!

Chapter 9: Youkai Endeavors

The days dragged on as Sasuke and his (now) group of three traveled the lands. It had been about three weeks since their last excursion (saving Akasha), and every day, they'd stop to rest. Not because any of the three really needed it, though. Rather, they had to, on account of Akasha not being able to move in sunlight, lest she burn to a crisp. Sasuke found this troublesome, but at least they had an actual base to reside in thanks to Ophis.

Worrying about the base being found out wasn't very high on top of the priority list, either, seeing as how the protection wards and spells Amaterasu (the goddess, not the technique) had placed on it before becoming compact were still there. It would take a true sage like Naruto or someone with a piercing eye like Sasuke to pinpoint that the building even existed in the first place, so they rested comfortably even in the daytime.

Sasuke was certain they were the only ones of their kind here.

"So, Sasuke-sama, how long have you and your apprentice been wondering the world together? I assume it's been a long time, since you asked about my lifespan and all." Akasha was a naturally bubbly and curious woman once she opened up to someone, and it didn't take long with Sasuke since he had saved her. She'd ask questions, make quips, and smile as if nothing had ever happened to her prior, which caught Sasuke completely off-guard. He expected her to be reserved, withdrawn, sullen, forlorn.

It's the way he used to be, at least.

"I thought I told you to drop the honorifics?" Sasuke scolded her. She would consistently and insistently call him some combination of "sama", "sir", and even "master" over the last three weeks, much to his dismay. It painted a picture like he owned her, and he had no use for such a relationship, especially given her recent past. Now that he's come to think about it, actually…

He didn't really know all that much about her.

"I can't help it, Sasuke-sama. It's the way I was raised." He caught the slightest slip in her façade and pressed the issue.

"Raised, huh? You mean by that monster I slew? How did you come to be under his control, anyway?" Sasuke couldn't stop himself inquiring to know more about her. On top of the obvious shared circumstances between them, learning more about her would go a long way into building trust. That goddess had said that humans were the key to starting a religion, but he wondered, was that all there was?

Could supernatural creatures become a foundation as well?

"Y-yes", she stuttered a bit, trying to return to her bubbly façade, "he was indeed the one that raised me. My race, as I've already explained, was wiped out as far as I knew. I was only a little girl when it happened, so there might have been a few of us who escaped that I was not aware of, but for the last twenty or so years, he and I were the only vampires alive that I knew of."

Sasuke nodded, wishing for her to continue.

"Dracula, he… wasn't always like that. He was benevolent to start out with, actually. After the tragedy, he went mad. He became obsessed with getting revenge, and restoring his race, no matter the method. He started raiding nearby settlements, taking humans and trying to turn them."

"Turn them?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this.

"Yes", she continued. "Normally, he'd take the blood of a human after he bit them. Making a true vampire, in turn, required him to inject his blood into a human. Humans just weren't made to hold the type of power he possessed, though. All those corpses in the castle? Those were failed experiments of his."

Sasuke readily took in the information. He couldn't lie, this was an interesting session. He had learned that it was always more useful to have firsthand accounts rather than recycled, passed-down folklore that could be altered over generations (like the Uchiha stone tablet). On top of that, he wouldn't have been able to gleam this information on his own had the vampires gone extinct. Having a benevolent vampire follower was a boon and a half, but he still needed answers to a few more questions.

"A true vampire?" Sasuke was perplexed. What was the difference?

"Yes. There's a legend he used to tell me, about a nearly all-powerful vampire named Shinso. To become a true vampire, one had to have partaken in Shinso's blood. Vampires who took on this blood were classified as shinso themselves. It's incredibly hard to contain, and even harder to master. Dracula was the only shinso still around, but not for lack of trying. I guess that's another thing, actually. To become a true vampire, you must be bitten by another true vampire. You can't even inherit it". She finished her explanation with a look of contemplation, Sasuke noted.

This was all news to him. Shinso vampires were basically the equivalent to Mangekyo users back home, if what he was hearing was correct. Incredibly rare, incredibly powerful individuals amongst an already exceptional clan. If merely containing the blood was difficult, then fighting with it would be tough even for those with innate talent.

All good and well, but he needed to get to the bottom of other matters.

"Very informative. It's nice to know all that, but I still need to know how he took control of you?" Akasha bit her lip, whatever memory being dredged up obviously being a bad one. Sasuke waited patiently, allowing her to collect herself.

"Well, that's the thing about the stuff I told you. He had failed in trying to raise a vampire army, but came to realize that he had been going about it the wrong way. He started training me in the ways of combat and savagery. At first, I thought it was to help me protect myself, since I still wanted to see him as the benevolent king he used to be, but I was… so wrong. Right as I became a teenager, he…" tears started to flow out of her eyes, and she felt horrible being unable to stop them.

"Injected you", Sasuke finished for her. "You were already a vampire, so you could take his blood, and his power." Akasha nodded at this, attentive even through her tears. Sasuke was, in no uncertain terms, disgusted. Manipulation was a tactic that was at the top of his shit-list for obvious reasons. He was glad he had killed off that maniacal vampire lord.

"I've sinned so much", she continued, "I just wish we could've gone back to the way things were." Sasuke's face sported a familiar grimace. There it was, he thought. The pain, the grief, the wish for atonement, all plastered across her crying face as it once was on his. Sasuke steeled his expression, having one more question for her to answer (miraculous, he thought, that she was willing to divulge her deepest, darkest secrets to someone she had just met).

"I take it you've killed people, hearing how regretful you sound." She nodded her head. "Well then, do you want revenge against the people who started his descent? Do you hate humans?" Sasuke looked her straight in the eyes, searching for any kind of hesitation or secrecy. The eyes were the window to the soul, and he could discern just about everything with his own gaze.

She looked straight back at him.

"No", she answered without hesitation. "They had every right to fear us. We were the predator, and they the prey. Anyone would take the opportunity to purge those who endangered their lives from shared lands… yet still, I feel as if we can co-exist. The bloodshed, the conflict, the hatred? We don't have to live with each other like that. Had we fostered better relations from the start, I might still have my king, or at least I could be forgiven for my own sins."

Sasuke scanned her for any sign of deceit. The slightest fidget, hesitation in her voice, the most minute of face movements or quivering.

Nothing. He found nothing. This woman, to his trained eyes, was legitimately and authentically compassionate towards those who had wronged her. He couldn't help but admire that compassion, and he almost envied her for it. He had very nearly given in to the darkness, and it was only someone with an even more fierce compassion that had saved him.

He saw that same type of compassion in her.

He was sure of the decision he had been brewing on.

"Well, I don't know if that forgiveness you talk about is attainable. Humans are fickle, vengeful, and unrepentant at best in my opinion." Akasha was a bit dismayed at this. She knew it was a silly dream, but it was what her heart truly desired. All the constant conflict had turned her into a pacifist.

"However, if no one else will forgive you, I will. You want to help people understand each other, even if only a small amount more? To atone for your past sins? Come with me and become my priestess. Spread the way of Ninshu and peace. If you really want to, we can make a difference in the world."

Akasha looked up at him, in awe for a second. Talking to him came so easy, she had forgotten entirely that she was in the presence of a divine being. It was almost as if he was human himself. She mentally slapped herself, discounting that silly notion. No human that she knew of was powerful enough to do to her king what he did. She perked up, and smiled that bright smile she was known for.

"Yes, I will! Thank you very much, Sasuke-sama!" Sasuke sighed at the honorific, knowing that he'd probably never be able to rid himself of it. On the contrary, she'd probably start calling him by titles more now that she had officially become his priestess. In the words of that slacker from back home, what a drag.

"Come. We're heading out. You, too, dragon god." Ophis popped out of the shadows, having been practicing her ninja concealment the entire time. She sported a smirk on her face, which was unnerving to Sasuke for some reason.

"Alright, Sasuke-sama." Sasuke visibly flinched at the honorific. This damned kid was learning how to be a smart-ass. He could think of only one person suitable enough to have been the culprit.

"Naruto!"

-Simultaneously, Kyoto-

A pair of fluffy fox ears peaked out from below comfy looking covers. As the covers slid down the figure, it was revealed that it was a blond woman with rather enticing proportions wearing a revealing nightgown. She yawned and stretched, having apparently just woken up from a nap.

"Princess! Princess!" A voice echoed from down the hall connected to her room. "You're going to be late for your appointment, princess Yasaka!" The now-named Yasaka scowled, annoyed at this faceless message relayer.

She knew, damnit!

"I'll be right there. Thank you for coming to alert me." She spoke in a sweet yet regal tone, trying to assuage her servant's fears. The servant bowed and left, satisfied with having gotten a response from her. She got up from her bed, her seafoam-green nightgown barely containing her enormous bust.

"I'm tired of this. I'm only 300 years old and the council are already rallying for me to produce an heir. Rotten, old fogeys. I'll do it when I'm good and ready!" She was in a bad mood. The council had been pushing her to meet with bachelors for weeks on end, trying to coerce her into having a child. They hadn't gotten to her early enough in her life to brainwash her, so they were trying to have her push out a child that they could mold to their liking.

Repulsive.

She put on a traditional miko outfit. The white top struggled (as did everything else she wore) to conceal her cleavage, and the red pants (called "hakama" in her native land) showed off her shape even though they didn't cling tightly to her skin. She completed the look with a pair of brown sandals and white socks. The look was meant to give off the impression of purity, as she obviously could not come off as a promiscuous woman with the position she was in as the leader of the Kyoto yokai and personal priestess to Amaterasu.

She trudged through the halls of her palace, mentally preparing herself for the slog of turning down the tens of suitors she was sure were going to be there. It pained her to no ends, having to do this so often. She stepped into the spacious room that was to be the setting of her torture and sat on the elevated throne in the center of the room. She huffed, resolving herself to get this over with and then relax as much as she could for the rest of the day.

The doors opened, and a bunch of suitors were led in by more of her servants. One of the servants stepped up, speaking to the suitors.

"Each of you will present your case to Yasaka-sama as to why you are the most suited to wed her. Keep it brief, as she is a busy woman. Starting from the left, you may begin!" Yasaka was mildly thankful for the servant telling them that she was busy. Partly because she was, and partly because whatever helped her run through this boring routine quicker was always welcome.

She put on her best smile and gestured to the first man to step up to speak.

(2 hours later)

It was becoming harder to keep the fake smile up. Her face muscles were fatigued, so she settled for a playful look instead of a full-blown smile. The last person was coming up, so she only had to power through a few more minutes of this. She gestured at him without looking at him, knowing that he was at the end of the rank-and-file line. The person stepped up, and she looked at him.

Tall, blond hair, and conventionally attractive. No different from all of the other men before him, she thought. Shallow and only interested in her because of her body or her wealth. They might say differently, but they can't hide the lust in their eyes, in their souls. She was a practitioner of senjutsu and could feel the auras of those around her easily. This man was no exception.

She was ready to fake her enthusiasm for the 41st time that day, but suddenly…

"Ack!" She cried out, obviously in pain. She clutched the sides of her head, her crown falling to the floor. She closed her eyes, trying to quell the intense pain she was feeling in her head. The shouts of both her servants and the suitors all started to blend together, becoming incomprehensible to her. Eventually, she blacked out.

Darkness was all, and all was darkness. She could feel her body, feel her digits start to move, her eyes start to open. The intense pain was gone, replaced by a cold chill running throughout her body. She gathered all her strength and sat up in this void, confused as to what had happened.

Had she died? Was she in a coma? So many questions, with so few answers. Suddenly, the scenery started to shift. No longer was she floating in a boundless, black void, but now she was on the ground, staring up at someone who resembled that last suitor she was listening to. No, that wasn't quite right…

This person was much more special.

She could see the concern in his eyes, and practically feel the waves of soothing energy rolling off him. He had three whisker marks on each cheek and soft, blue eyes, making him wholly distinct from the bland man who was trying to charm her just seconds ago. This mystery man was saying speaking, saying something to her, but she couldn't make out what he was saying. Nothing made sense.

It was as if she was living someone else's life right now.

The image started to fade, and Yasaka found herself bemoaning the loss of this new person's visage, surprisingly. It made her feel nostalgic and appreciative, yet sick to her stomach at the same time. She couldn't quite piece together the puzzle just yet, but she knew that this man was somehow important. The void started to dissolve around her, and she found herself becoming drowsy once again.

She opened her eyes, now in her private chambers. She felt warm, more-so than usual even under her covers. She blinked the spots out of her vision and turned to the head of her bed. Once she saw who was there, her question had been answered. No wonder it was so warm.

"Ah, hello, Amaterasu-Sama". The black-haired sun deity looked at her ward with concern in her eyes like a mother would her sick child. She walked to the side of her bed, even putting a hand on Yasaka's own to quell any remaining pain.

"I've been told that you suddenly just passed out, Yasaka. What happened? Has your health been well as of late?" She shot questions at her, intent on getting to the bottom of this. She knew that her ward was less than pristine away from prying eyes. She had a sweet tooth, in particular, and ate sweets almost routinely (especially because her body shape was just immutable for some reason).

"I've been fine, Amaterasu-sama. I haven't eaten or done anything outside of my normal routine."

"Your normal routine is precisely what worries me, dear." Yasaka rolled her eyes. Even her actual mom wasn't this protective of her. Granted, her actual mother didn't dote on her as much as Amaterasu did either, so she supposed it was a fair trade-off.

"My routine had nothing to do with it. When I blacked out, there were these… images. I saw a man with blonde hair looking down on me and talking. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but it all seemed so very important. I couldn't make sense of it, so I was hoping that maybe you'd be able to?" She was sitting up now, trying hard to remember every detail.

It all felt so real to her.

An audible gasp came from the sun goddess, alerting Yasaka. She took it to mean that Amaterasu knew what this meant. This had never happened to her, but it could've been a regular occurrence among the gods. There were many things she didn't understand about them, and many more things that she couldn't even being to fathom.

"A prophetic dream", the goddess started. "You will meet this man one day, and experience something with him." Yasaka's eyes widened, and her heart began to race. The thought of meeting whomever that was brought joy to her for unknown reasons. It seemed so far-fetched, but when a goddess tells you to expect it, you listen.

She looked out of the window in her room wistfully. She knew not when, where, or how they'd meet, but perhaps this was a good omen. Perhaps…

This was her soulmate?

No Naruto this chapter, but don't worry, he's a coming! Read, review, enjoy!