Chapter 6

Shino awoke on a bed, in a bedroom different than the one he'd been staying in. He tried to rise, but he felt bone weary, his mind was foggy, and there was deep pain seemingly everywhere. He couldn't tell where it originated from.

He checked his hive, all accounted for, though they notified him they were slightly hungry. He told them to feed, but they communicated back they would wait, they didn't want to take chakra from him right now. Sometimes, for their mutual benefit, his hive would refrain if he had been injured or was ill in some way.

He still couldn't figure out what had happened to him, could barely keep his eyes open, but when he turned his head, he felt a sharp jolt from his neck, winced involuntarily, then heard a voice, a voice that immediately brought him back to his senses.

"I wondered when you would wake. You have been out for awhile now, it is morning. Though I am partly to blame for that, of course. I took too much. My apologies."

Shino sat up in the bed, despite the pain, and looked over to see Lady Natsuki sitting in front of a vanity in a silk nightgown, brushing her hair. The tone she spoke with was unusual. It was neither joking nor mocking, but neither was it remorseful. As if she were simply stating facts.

"You have questions, I presume?"

Shino thought it was a genuine question, but was confused by that. Why was she talking with him? Why was he here in what he assumed was her bedroom, judging by her state of dress. He noted he still had his clothes on, though his shoes had been removed. He looked out to a window, but heavy velvet shades were drawn, and he couldn't see outside.

"Cat got your tongue?" Lady Natsuki continued, and he sensed, some intuition that it would do him no good to remain silent, but he wondered if she would allow him a moment to himself first.

"Bathroom?" He managed, his neck and throat hurting, his voice cracking.

"Be my guest." She answered, indicating a door.

Shino stood tentatively, steadied his bare feet on the wooden floor boards, then made his way to the bathroom. Once he got there, he gently closed the door behind him, and shuffled over to the mirror. He took in his reflection – pale – and he gingerly pulled his collar away. She had left it unbuttoned after – he didn't want to relive it, not now, not when she was right outside, not when he was not out of danger – yet when he saw the puncture wounds, it all came back, the fear, the horror, could even remember her smiling, the sensation of it as her lips curled upward, pressed against his neck.

He shook his head – regretted it instantly, it only made his headache worse – but he had to think. She didn't seem to want to kill him, if she had, he wouldn't be standing here, or was she planning on doing that later? He felt incredibly weak, and with the speed and strength she had shown, if she did not want to let him go, he would not escape from here. There was no window in this bathroom to attempt the element of surprise. He splashed water on his face, noting the dark circles under his eyes, and suddenly felt thirsty, terribly thirsty.

That made sense. He'd lost a lot of blood.

"Yes, that does tend to happen." Lady Natsuki spoke from behind him, causing him to jump. He hadn't even heard the door open, but he was also startled that she had followed his train of thought, when he had not said or done anything to indicate it, beyond standing at a sink.

"… did you just?"

"Read your thoughts?" She replied, seemingly bored. Maybe because she had had this conversation many times.

"You know what I am, I presume?" she continued.

"Are you going to kill me?" Shino answered, his first full sentence, his voice sounding strange to him. As though he couldn't quite believe what he was saying. That any of this was happening.

"You'll be returning to the Leaf Village today, just as planned. I apologize for doing this on such short notice, but you ninja are a hardy folk, yes? I am sure you will make it back just fine. And if you should run into trouble, I will assist you."

"… Assist me?"

"We are linked. It occurs when I bite someone, taste their blood, and the link will only grow stronger the more I feed on you. I will know your thoughts, more clearly than I do now. I will know if you are in distress, can give you extra strength should you require it, control your movements even. All your experiences, memories, your soul, I will know it intimately."

"Will I turn?"

"It would take something of a different nature to turn you… I must say, you are taking this rather well. Many scream, cry, quite unpleasant."

Shino remembered the maid who had grabbed his shoulder. Did she know then, what was about to happen to him, and wanted to give him some solace?

"The people who work here?"

"Are all my servants."

"And you are letting me go?"

"Temporarily, yes, but we'll be seeing each other again."

"Why?"

"I debated during these past days, but I find you intriguing, the more so as I see you."

"You can… prevent me from telling anyone?"

"Of course."

"The wound?"

"I cannot make it go away or heal it, but I can disguise it. Call it old magic. Or the dark arts, if you prefer. I suppose you shinobi simply call it ninjutsu. As long as no one looks too closely at it, no one will see it. It will be invisible to your friend Hinata's eyes, scentless to your friend Kiba's nose."

The mention of his teammates names sent a thrill of terror down his spine.

She raised her eyebrow. "Yes, I know of them. Will know more, like I said, as time goes on. And your style of dress makes it rather easy. You will be able to see it just fine, however. Our little secret."

"But… it is still a risk. Why chance it?"

"I get rather bored, as you can imagine. I enjoy the thrill of a challenge. I will enjoy knowing you are in the Leaf Village, silently wondering when I will call you again. I needed to know if it would arouse suspicion if your neck was covered, as I found out, it will not: you always dress like this, and you are a loner. No one is expecting you to take a lover, which is really the only reason someone would linger their attention on your neck, or if you were injured which I assure you, while you are under my influence, no harm will come to you."

Shino worried, if all this was true, she had gained this much knowledge from him in one feeding, his habits, his teammates names and abilities, what about the security of the village, of his clan? She answered his inner thoughts aloud.

"I have no ill will towards the Leaf or any clan that resides within it. I will still know, of course."

"Sunlight." Shino argued, knowing he was grasping at straws, but still needing to say it nonetheless.

"It does not affect me."

"There are mirrors."

"The same."

"Silver?"

"No different from any other metal." She smiled. "Ever the strategist you are, I see why you are team leader. You will be served breakfast, and then be on your way. Do think of more questions. For next time."

She went behind a changing partition, reappeared in yet another elegant gown, then left the room. A maid, the same one from the night before, with her long brown hair and kind brown eyes, entered.

"I am sorry this happened to you, and I am sorry for my part in it." she said as she set the food down.

"You too?" Shino asked, even though he already knew.

"Yes, I have been here for 3 years now."

"I'm sorry." Shino replied, truly meaning it. To live like this for three years. He wondered if that would happen to him.

"Are all the staff?" he continued.

She sighed. "Sadly, yes. We were all a bunch of outcasts, runaways, no one was looking for us. We all thought we'd found salvation, only to realize too late we had entered purgatory."

"Your name?"

"Noshiko."

"Shino."

She smiled. "It's been awhile."

"Since?"

"Since anyone has asked my name."

"You could not speak earlier, but now can freely?"

"Yes."

"But will she know, what you are saying?"

"It depends, has she told you? The more feedings, the stronger the link?"

"Yes."

"It does not seem to require much of her, to cause us to stay here. But the telepathy, the remote sensing, is different, either she's had to just feed, or as I said, fed on you many times."

"Will you get in trouble for saying this?"

"That is kind of you, no, she allows us to talk amongst ourselves. Our general consensus is she is a very old vampire, to have such abilities."

"Did you believe in vampires, before?"

"No, so much for what you can't see can't hurt you, right? Unfortunately, I'm sure I will see you again. Good luck, Shino, but… I do not wish to frighten you more than you already are, but I feel I must say this to you: it has been a long time since Lady Natsuki has taken such an interest in someone. Those of us who work here, we were just convenient, you… she pursued. Please, be careful. I do not know what she wants with you, but do not go out of your way to upset her. Do not try her patience."


Shino set off later that afternoon, he still felt weak, but he had been given a rich breakfast, plenty to drink. Noshiko escorted him out.

Once Shino made it past the gates, out of sight of the mansion, its many looming walls, and into the woods, he looked around, saw and heard the rustling leaves, branches moving in the wind, the flutter of wings, the cries of birds. It was all so… ordinary. Beautiful, yet ordinary, beautifully ordinary, and it struck him that he was no longer apart of that. If all that had transpired on this mission was that he spoke with wasps and termites and ants, and while doing so had seen a luxuriously foreign estate, another way of life, he still would be. He would have witnessed this scene, maybe enjoyed the light breeze, the freshness of the air, but he would have taken it for granted, that he could always go into the woods and feel at home, a sense of belonging. When he returned home, he would have told his dad, told his teammates about this place, and then after awhile it would have left his mind, left his thoughts, but now?

Now he was marked, chained to this house, to its people, to its ruler, Lady Natsuki, and he placed his hand on a tree trunk to steady himself, breathing becoming erratic, because he knew even though he was walking away, he wasn't really walking away. He would be back. He didn't know when, and he didn't know under what guise, but he would be back. Probably more than once, he would be back.

This wasn't something he had read about, or imagined. It wasn't a dream, it wasn't even nightmare.

It was real, and his life had changed.