Chapter 5
Shino was almost relieved to be given a solo mission. Maybe it would give him some clarity. Sometimes distance could do that. It was an easy one. Of the level he and his team had taken on as genin, but this was better suited for an Aburame: a wealthy family had asked for assistance with insects on their property.
Kiba was always amused when Shino was assigned missions like this, but it could be quite problematic: insects burrowing into homes, eating crops, stinging, biting, and Shino enjoyed being able to find non-lethal solutions.
It was three days travel. He could have done it faster, if he pushed, but there was no need. He did feel calmer, away from home, though that fact caused him guilt. Why would he feel better away, he'd had 13 years away from Torune. Something to ponder in his absence.
He had been told this was a grand manor, an estate, but even that was an understatement, as he saw for himself when he arrived, late in the evening, dusk. He was met at the gate by a footman, and he took in the tall stone walls, the pillars all along the front facade, double doors that when opened lead into a grand entry hall, complete with sparkling chandeliers overhead, and a tall woman, elegantly dressed descending the stairs to greet him.
"Ah, I'm so pleased the Leaf agreed to offer me assistance." Her voice was smooth, cold, in fact it made his hair stand on end.
"Welcome to my home." She continued, as she reached the bottom of the stairs and approached. "I am Lady Natsuki. If you would be so kind as to follow one of my groundskeepers, he will show you where we are having difficulties. Though I do not expect you to work this evening. There is little light left in the day after all, but I presume you would like to see what work lies ahead of you. After you have finished with that, I cordially invite you to dine with me this evening. I have also taken the liberty of preparing rooms for you. It is really no trouble, as you can imagine, there are plenty."
Shino introduced himself, accepting her dinner invitation and her offer of lodgings. An older man showed him wasps nests, ant colonies, termites, all the while unfazed, which Shino appreciated.
He was shown to his quarters by a maid, and told someone would fetch him for dinner in a half hour's time. He had been prepared to camp outside if need be, and though he was curious, he felt terribly of place here, noting the architecture, the furnishings, so different from what he was used to. Huge hanging tapestries, elaborate carvings in tables, on chair backs, bold, rich colors, so unlike the neutral colors and lines, the organic simplicity of his own home. He was surprised to find it made him uncomfortable.
It did not matter though. He was not here to be comfortable. He was here to complete a mission: to relocate hives, coax colonies elsewhere, and he reminded himself of that when he entered the dining room in his typical garb, what Torune had chided him for: his green trench coat, his high collared dark brown tunic, long gray pants. He had anticipated actually being given more formal clothing to wear in its place, but no one had said anything.
They sat in a cavernous dining hall. To Shino's surprise, there was no one else here. Only Lady Natsuki at the head of the table, and the various wait-staff who served the meal. There had been no mention of the Lord of this estate, and somehow Shino doubted there was one. He wondered how she had come to reside her, if this was her family home, or if she possibly was widowed.
The Lady had an ageless quality, anywhere from her 20's to her 40's could be accurate. If she was a widow, she was a young one, and though her movements were refined, elegant, they belied a power. She effortlessly commanded the room, the whole estate, not an easy task, one Shino had often wondered about, being someone who's presence was so quiet as to often go unnoticed by those around him.
They discussed the history of the Land of Fire. She asked him about his clan; he gave polite but perfunctory answers, yet she still seemed interested, and there was a strong glint of intelligence in her eyes, in the set of her face.
Shino went to sleep that night both intrigued and unsettled. He rarely had someone show this much interest in him. He had enjoyed their conversation, but there was something odd about it. Was she simply making conversation, or was she genuinely interested in what he was saying? Did he only find it odd because that was something that rarely happened to him?
He worked all the next day. The estate was enormous. Since he spent his time outside, and he felt it would be rude as a guest to wander, he couldn't even say what was inside, though there were three stories, manicured gardens and various outbuildings, barns, sheds, greenhouses. Every hallway he'd been in was practically an art gallery. A separate servant's quarters, for of course one would need a full time staff to maintain this place.
The dined together again that evening, once again at her request, where he informed her, when she inquired as to his progress, that he thought there was a good chance of finishing the next day. She did not really need to dine with him herself, he mused. Perhaps she found him curious; he was so different than those who she would normally socialize with. He doubted there were many shinobi here. Yet, when she moved, when she walked, she glided, as silently as any ninja Shino had encountered. Was she possibly a shinobi at one point in her life?
He noted the wait staff were respectful towards her, but, and Shino felt it too, almost afraid of her. He hesitated to even think it, wondered if he was giving this too much thought, too much attention, but there was even something unworldly about her.
He worked one final day, his assessment being correct, he finished his assignment. Evening fell and he was expecting to be invited to dinner, as he had the previous three nights, but he wasn't. Instead, he was served dinner in his quarters, along with a request to meet Lady Natsuki in her study later that evening. The same maid who delivered his meal later chaperoned him through the now dark hallway, dimly lit by wall sconces of clouded glass, the detailed patterns of the oriental runners obscured because of it.
The maid stopped and Shino followed suit, listened as a grandfather clock somewhere in the distance starting tolling the hour, once, twice, ending at eight strokes. Only then did she knock on the heavy wooden door before them. They both heard Lady Natsuki bid them to enter, but before the maid did so, she – in a motion so quick and so puzzling that Shino almost wasn't sure it happened – clasped his shoulder briefly but strongly. Then, she gripped the door knob, Shino heard the latch click open, watched the door swing open, as his eyes adjusted, trying to make out the scene inside, eyes adjusting to the darkness within the room. The maid indicated with her arm for him to go inside, as she announced his presence to Lady Natsuki, then just as quickly left, closing the door behind her after he had stepped inside.
"Thank you for joining me. How are you this evening?" Lady Natsuki greeted. She was sitting on a golden throne chair beside a roaring fire, her many jewels glistening in the glow of it.
"I am well. My mission is finished. If you should need further assistance, please contact the Leaf and I will be glad to help." Shino replied, all the while confused by this setting, and wondering what he was doing here.
"I am glad to hear that." She smiled at him, teeth showing, and it startled him, gave his skin a prickling sensation, and suddenly, it felt much too hot in here, under all his layers of clothing; too dark, he wanted to remove his goggles to see more clearly.
"I do not wish to intrude. I will return to my room." He continued.
"You are not intruding. I asked you here. Please, sit down." She replied, chuckling, indicating a velvet settee opposite her. Shino did, feeling increasingly nervous, was reminded of the uneasiness he felt when he first met her, yet could not understand why, she had done nothing to justify this reaction. In an attempt to alleviate it, he asked a question.
"Did you have guests for dinner today, Lady Natsuki?"
"No, I did not. I actually have not eaten yet. That is why I called you here."
"I would be happy to join you." It calmed him, the idea of getting out of this room, preferring the vast space of the dining room, with the wait staff standing by, to the privacy of this room.
"Ah, you have no idea how much that pleases me. A word of advice: this will be less painful for you if you relax, yet if you must, go ahead and struggle. It doesn't bother me, either way, for at the moment, I have a terrible hunger."
Shino pulled back, involuntarily, even though he still did not understand, only some instinct telling him to run, but as he made to stand Lady Natsuki was already in front of him, beside him, gripping his wrists as though her hands were iron bands, used one of her legs to press down across the tops of his, and though he tried, he couldn't budge her.
She removed one hand from his wrist, but before he could attempt to use that to his advantage, she, all faster than a blink of an eye pulled down his hood, unbuttoned his collar, and felt her teeth make contact with his neck, puncture the skin.
He sent his beetles out to swarm her, and they did, but left her almost immediately upon making contact, conveying back to him their reason why, through their link, though this made no sense to him, had never happened before.
They told him she had no chakra for them to drain.
He tried pulling her away from him with his free hand, the one she had let go of and which now held the back of his neck, since he still couldn't move his legs. When that accomplished nothing, in one last ditch attempt, he tried to throw his weight backwards, in hopes of knocking the settee over and throwing her off balance, but, as if she had anticipated it, she pulled him closer, one arm now around his back, all again with a power he could not fathom.
He recoiled, feeling teeth sunk into his flesh, her lips on his skin, her tongue lapping up blood that was coming out an an alarming rate. His hive was alarmed, not sure whether to return to him when he was in such distress, and sadly, he had no guidance for them, as he could feel himself starting to lose consciousness. Wondering if this was the end, one word filtered up to him from the recesses of his memory, a creature he thought only existed in stories.
Vampire.
