She straightened her spine and narrowed her eyes, hoping her voice didn't shake as much as her knees. "Who are you?"
"I am Anko." She didn't immediately elaborate. An icy jolt of fear speared through Sakura's body when the woman leaned forward into the thin light cast by the refrigerator. Her rounded cheekbones and sharp chin came into view, her dark eyes too large for her face. And a crooked smile, so like the one Kakashi liked to wear, slashed across her face.
It was eerily familiar in an inhuman kind of way. Enough to make Sakura's blood run cold and a hard, solid lump form in her throat.
Which was why no one was more surprised than she when her next words erupted from her mouth with such force. "And I know who you are?"
Anko snorted. "No. You wouldn't as you're not supposed to."
"Excuse me? 'Who isn't 'supposed to'?" Sakura's fear had abated, just enough to allow room for an irritable curiosity to grow in strength. What the hell was this woman talking about?
"Humans, obviously. Like yourself."
That cold chill returned in full force, the question coiling in Sakura's mouth despite the fact that she was even more afraid of its answer. "And…you're saying you are not human?"
The smirk again. "Obviously." She leaned back into the kitchen shadows from which she'd emerged. "I am a vampire, and a very irritated one at that."
A vampire.
Shock made a giggle erupt from Sakura's chest, which quickly aborted when Anko leaned forward again and settled her sharp chin on her clasped hands. She hadn't so much as cracked a smile at her reaction.
Sakura thought back to the horror that had consumed her while being unable to look away from Kakashi during his feeding frenzy…on a man's blood.
Of course Kakashi wasn't some kind of freakish supernatural anomaly. What he had become had a name, and since that was the case, that meant her former therapist was part of a collective. It made sense now, but it didn't make having this strange female counterpart of his lounging in Sakura's kitchen any less unsettling.
"You're serious," Sakura managed to say in a whisper, almost to herself.
"I'm always serious, and I only deal with serious things, which is why I find myself in your unfortunately out-of-date kitchen at this moment." Sakura heard a sharp noise then, like Anko had snapped her fingers, but it sounded unnaturally loud.
In that instant, all of the downstairs lights came on at once. Sakura squinted at the onslaught of brightness.
"It would appear that Kakashi has been making enemies left and right," Anko said, leveling her stare at Sakura across the table, "of the human and vampire variety."
Wetting her lips, Sakura dared to ask breathlessly, "What do you mean? What has he done?" Her mind didn't want to hear the likely horrid truth, but the parts of her buried deep inside required more fuel for their hatred, as if they needed the validation of Kakashi's evil to even his own kind.
"Our dear Kakashi likes to dally with humans who do not belong to him. That's strictly forbidden among our kind and against The Code." Anko flexed her long fingers, her unblinking eyes unreadable. "One transgression by a newer vampire can be forgiven, but not two. And certainly not three or more."
"And what does that mean?"
Anko cocked her head. "What it means, Sakura, is that Kakashi has to pay for his many transgressions. I'm here now to ensure that he does just that."
While Sakura's heart skittered at hearing her name on the vampire's lips, she still couldn't understand how the woman knew of her existence at all, let alone felt she was important enough to come by for an impromptu visit.
Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry…I understand your association with Kakashi, but he doesn't live here. I've been here alone in this house for years."
"For five years, two months, and eleven days, to be exact," Anko said, and at least had the grace to offer a smile that was almost sheepish as she watched Sakura's eyes widen.
Sakura had never even heard of this…being, and she somehow knew her name and had been watching her from the dark woods for years?
"All are aware of the presence of Covenants," Anko said, answering the question written across her face. When she shifted in the chair, Sakura realized it was the first movement Anko had made in several minutes. Other than her lips when she spoke, she had been unnaturally still that entire time.
It made Sakura's skin prickle with goosebumps. Nothing human about that at all.
"Kakashi has claimed you via a Covenant. It's broadcasted on a…subliminal level to all of our kind in the immediate area. Like a radio signal, if you will." Anko pursed her lips. "Maybe he always intended to keep you hidden; maybe he didn't. Regardless, information like that doesn't stay hidden for long."
Leaning forward with a suddenness that made a gasp catch in Sakura's throat, Anko slid the hand she had flat on the table closer to Sakura's side.
Sakura was glad she had both of her hands tucked into her lap under the table. She didn't want to be anywhere near anyone – any thing – like Kakashi. As it was, she didn't even want the female in her home.
Anko's eyes had softened. "If it makes you feel any better, I was planning on contacting you directly for a while now. Today I heard you crying, however, and it seemed today was as good a day as any."
Flushing from head to toe, Sakura averted her eyes and shifted against the hard wooden seat of her chair. She hated knowing she had been so exposed and vulnerable to a stranger in such an emotionally raw moment.
God, this was too much for one day. First Kakashi, then the murder. Now Sakura learned a strange female vampire had been stalking her for years right outside of her home.
Why? What did Anko want?
What could Sakura possibly provide her?
And what would Kakashi do to her if he found out what was happening?
For a long time, the only sound Sakura could hear was her own labored breathing.
Finally, Anko broke the silence once more. "I can smell your fear."
Sakura blinked at her.
"Is your fear for me…or for Kakashi?"
Sakura felt she could trust Anko about as far as she could throw her, but she didn't get an outright aura of malice from her. Unlike the nightmare scenarios playing out in her mind that starred the Kakashi she'd come to know, one who was evil enough to embody the very word.
Sakura didn't say as much, but she could tell from the way Anko's nostrils flared that she now understood which of the vampires pulled the strings of her fear.
"May I ask you a personal question? I promise, I don't already know the answer." Anko looked at Sakura with a clear expectation in her eyes.
Because Sakura sensed that Anko would actually let it go if Sakura declined, she nodded.
"Do you want to be free of Kakashi?"
Free? It had been so long since Sakura had even allowed herself to consider what that could feel like.
No more endless, useless hypnotherapy sessions to appease Kakashi's megalomania.
No more anxiety over the possibility of seeing him tying her stomach in knots and waking her up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.
No more guilt.
No more emptiness.
No more feeling numb to everything good as life passed her by.
If it meant a chance to climb out of the deep emotional pit Kakashi had tossed her into…
"Yes," Sakura said, voice soft.
"And what would you be willing to do for that freedom?" Hardness painted onto Anko's countenance. "Could you kill him?"
Sakura's breathing stuttered at hearing the word, but she felt it all over her body like cold rain. "Yes."
"Hm." Anko nodded. "And killing Kakashi…is that also something you want ?"
Want wasn't the right word. It wasn't strong enough nor deep enough to properly encapsulate what Sakura felt.
She needed to kill him.
"Yes. Yes, I want to."
Anko made a noise that sounded suspiciously like approval, then said, "That's good, but that means I have more questions for you." Squaring her shoulders, she shifted to a businesslike tone. "Considering the fact that Kakashi would decimate you with little effort in your current fragile state, are you also willing to undergo training that will feel akin to death in and of itself?"
Sakura didn't hesitate this time. "Yes."
"And could you give up your humanity for the power to set yourself free?"
Could she?
When it came down to it, what did Sakura have left? Naruto was gone, as was his father. Her mother was dead and her father was catatonic, left to wither away in a hospice. She never had many friends, but of the ones she did have, she abandoned them effectively five years ago.
She had no one. Her world was Kakashi, his mindless drones, and nothing else.
Sakura knew she'd be leaving nothing behind, even as the thought of crossing into this unknown world made her shake so hard her muscles ached.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes."
Lips stretching into a genuine smile, Anko clapped her hands once. "That's the kind of enthusiasm I was looking for." She patted the tabletop. "Give me your arm."
"My arm?" Her entire body prickled with alarm.
"It's less painful than the neck."
Sakura started at that. But it didn't matter. She needed to do this…for herself.
Stretching her arm out across the table, she took a steadying breath and offered herself to destiny.
Anko's teeth sank deeply into Sakura's flesh an instant later, before she could truly register the pain.
But the pain did come, drawing up a scream of agony that seemed to boil up from an endless well deep inside of Sakura. This was a new realm of pain, an unmaking of her being at the cellular level from the inside out as Anko's mouth sucked hard at the wound and drew Sakura's essence into her body, making little moans of satisfaction all the while.
Just when Sakura thought the pain itself would kill her, a tingling pleasure began to trickle in over her wailing nerve endings. It began to grow in strength, pounding its way through her bloodstream with such tantalizing force that Sakura didn't realize when she began grinding her cunt against her chair in blind lust.
On the verge of an orgasm, the fearsome burning returned a hundredfold and Sakura's screams began all over again. She was hardly aware of Anko finally leaning back, standing up over Sakura's chair and gently placing her cold hands on either side of Sakura's head.
Sakura neither heard nor felt the sickening crack when Anko snapped her neck in one swift twist of her hands. All Sakura knew was blackness and the blissful absence of that pain.
It seemed a moment later that Sakura's eyes were blinking open, her head feeling light and strange…so strange. Every part of her felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else.
Someone stronger.
Frowning in confusion, Sakura lifted her head from where it lay on the kitchen table and looked up to find Anko smiling down at her with the benevolence of a proud mother with blood smeared across her mouth.
"What happened?"
Anko gave a shrug. "I killed you."
" What?"
"It's just part of the process. How do you feel right now?"
At this moment, that was certainly a loaded question. Considering, Sakura wiggled her fingers and toes. Everything looked the same, but she could tell there was something fundamentally different about her body – and her mind, for that matter. She felt sharper, harder. More resilient.
Ready to fight.
"I feel strong ." Sakura flexed her suddenly taught muscles. "I want to start training tonight. Let's start with teaching me how to kick someone's ass."
When Anko smirked this time, Sakura offered one to her in return.
"Okay, Sakura. I think I can handle that."
Several weeks later, Sakura landed on her back with enough force to knock every last bit of air from her lungs. Again.
In the daily combat sessions she'd had with Anko, Sakura had quickly learned just how hard she could hit.
It's a lesson Anko apparently thought should be repeated. Her sharp eyes never left Sakura's form sprawled in the rotting leaves of the forest floor. This week, they practiced deep in the wooded area near Sakura's home, where they could run combat drills undisturbed.
Anko kept pacing. "Again! Get up, Sakura."
Even though this new version of her body never tired like it did when she was human, Sakura could feel a phantom sort of fatigue borne of repeating the same motions again and again. Mostly swinging at Anko and missing, only to have her do a leg sweep beneath her and knock Sakura onto her backside.
Sakura could already see the physical changes in herself. Her body still responded to exercise as it did before her change, but more quickly. Most of her feminine curves had melted away with all the fat. She was leaner than she had ever been, all sharp angles and sinewy muscle.
If only Sakura's mind and her coordination could get with the program as well. Daily practice, working herself to the bone, constantly covered in bruises and cuts she always had to keep hidden under several layers of makeup – Sakura worked so hard. Still, she had yet to land a single blow on Anko.
She was too fast. And strong. Anko could cross from one side of the clearing they used for practice before Sakura could blink, let alone defend herself properly. Even though her own body was exponentially faster and strong than it ever was.
Sakura supposed that moving through the world as a vampire warrior was much, much more difficult in real life than she had imagined there in that brief moment at her kitchen table between life and death.
Gritting her teeth, Sakura dusted off her yoga pants and swiped away the blood from the cut on her lip with the back of her hand.
Anko said nothing else, just fell back into her fighting stance, her fists up before her face, one leg back for leverage and balance. Sakura mirrored her as they faced off once again and began circling each other in the clearing.
With a battle cry, Anko went on the offensive as she always did, attacking Sakura with a flurry of kicks and swipes and punches that moved so quickly, Sakura's new eyes could barely perceive them.
And, as always, Sakura spent all her energy trying to block attacks from above and below and behind, her brain constantly trying to play catch up with her own hands and feet.
But it felt good to fight back. It felt good to fling her body at some purpose beyond that of Kakashi's will.
Kakashi. The mere thought of him was like kerosene on the fire inside of Sakura that had been relit by her transformation. She had been keeping thoughts of him at bay in an effort to focus, but now Sakura let them flood in.
Memories of how many times he'd humiliated her and used her for his own selfish purposes. Of how he had made her believe in him. In herself. Only to crush her spirit.
The thoughts made her kick faster, punch harder. She threw herself at Anko with everything she had, heedless of the physical consequences.
All she could see in her mind was Kakashi's smug, smiling face – splattered with his own blood.
The next moment Sakura became aware, her forearms had come up to block Anko's incoming attacks, one after the other. With a screech, Sakura reached straight out with her fist and struck flesh for the first time.
Sakura came back to herself with a gasp, chest heaving as she took in the state she'd left Anko in. Her head was still snapped to the side, glossy blood dripping from her nose where Sakura now-bloody knuckles had landed a blow at last.
The fear of Anko's retaliation was very real. She'd already proven she could snap Sakura's neck like a twig; Sakura had no doubt Anko could do the same to another vampire, especially a new one.
"Oh, I'm sorry – I didn't mean – "
Anko's sudden bark of laughter brought Sakura up short. She tossed her spiky head and wiped her nose with the heel of her hand like it was nothing.
"About time," Anko said, beginning to pace again in that way of hers before starting a new combat drill. And just as before, she fell into her fighting stance and jerked her chin at Sakura. "Again. Oh – and whatever you were thinking about just now? Keep thinking about that."
Chapter 22: Murder On Her Mind
As the months since Anko's arrival rolled by, Sakura settled into a new secret routine, one that ran concurrently with the one Kakashi had designed for her.
She still woke every morning before her alarm went off, but there was a fire in her eyes when she opened them to stare at the ceiling – unlike the way she did so all those years before in despair.
Now, with each day she greeted, the hope Anko had sparked only grew.
Sakura moved through her days much the same as she had before so as not to arouse any suspicion in her master. Her morning routine hadn't changed, and she still saw the "clients" Kakashi kept sending her way every afternoon and evening – although the frequency of their arrivals had begun to trickle off. Sakura couldn't account for that, but she was not about to ask Kakashi any questions. Besides, she was grateful for the extra free time.
She used it to her advantage. The moment her last client was gone for the day and her front door was locked was the time that Sakura allowed herself to throw off the disguise of her old self, the one Kakashi had fashioned for his purpose. Obedient and docile. Quiet and meek.
No longer.
Kakashi's predictability of late also worked in Sakura's favor. She could hardly remember the last time he'd dropped by unannounced, preferring to call or text her on the rare occasions he needed to interact with her directly. Most days, he seemed to be too busy conquering the country to worry about torturing Sakura and didn't contact her at all. With the threat of an unexpected appearance greatly reduced, Sakura felt comfortable diving into her training with Anko every evening.
Trading painful blows with her vampire sparring partner felt so much better than wading through the darkness of her life in Kakashi's service, waiting to die.
Sakura found her new vampiric nature had all sorts of benefits she hadn't expected. Aside from the fact that it was no longer physically necessary to eat or sleep, her hypnotherapy sessions had greatly improved. Anko had been teaching Sakura how to use her mind to control the humans around her in addition to hand-to-hand combat.
It felt beyond odd at first, to reach out with her thoughts and force them into those of another living being. It felt like…a violation of sorts, but Sakura knew she was only trying to make her hapless clients' transitions from freedom to servitude as painless as possible.
Especially when she combined her vampiric influence with the traditional hypnotherapy techniques. Sakura had learned a hard lesson with the demise of the client Kakashi had broken and drained dry in her office. She'd decided then and there she would never allow anything like that to happen on her watch ever again.
Ever since she'd learned how it was done, Sakura was able to give a subtle mental nudge to any clients who proved in her practice to have an indomitable will without too much trouble. She'd reach out with her thoughts, visualizing a vast and empty space inside their heads until she could slide her mental fingers inside and start pulling strings for the desired result.
Kakashi hadn't complained about insubordination among his growing ranks, so it must have been working.
She hoped it would last.
Thinking about the possibility that her efforts could one day be in vain just made Sakura anxious, so when she wasn't working, she kept her focus singular.
Her days belonged to Kakashi and to building his empire.
Her nights belonged only to her, so she could make herself strong enough to kill him.
"You did well today," Anko said to Sakura as they finished up her training for the night, brushing dirt from the black fishnet mesh bodysuit she wore under a burnt orange mini skirt. It wasn't the most practical outfit in which to do battle of any kind, even practice, but it never seemed to encumber her in any way.
She still always managed to thoroughly kick Sakura's ass.
Today they'd abandoned the woods and ventured back out to an abandoned parking garage Anko had discovered a few months back. She thought it was good to shake things up every once in a while, for Sakura to practice on different surfaces to make sure she was able to stay adaptable.
Sakura grinned at Anko, beaming from the compliment. Her chest heaved as she braced her hands on both knees, but she'd found she went through the motions of catching her breath more out of habit than necessity. She liked that she still had human moments like this. Her revulsion to Kakashi's feeding had never faded even after all this time. Anko took mercy on her, periodically bringing Sakura Styrofoam cups of blood that she could sip through a straw so the bloodlust didn't take over.
At times, Sakura felt more grateful for this particular kindness of Anko's than any other. Sakura would never – could never – hunt and feed on anyone, even though starving herself of blood would absolutely drive her to madness. Vampires were pretty hardy creatures, but Sakura knew she'd find a way to kill herself before she'd hurt anyone else.
Other than Kakashi, that is.
Dusting off her hands, Sakura approached her mentor. Anko stood with her hands on her hips, looking over the edge of the four-story structure into the sparkling lights of the city beyond.
"Sometimes I forget there's still beauty in this world," Anko said, her voice more contemplative than Sakura had ever heard it. Since she started training her, Anko didn't say much beyond yelling orders at Sakura as they sparred again and again.
Sakura moved to stand next to her at the tall concrete railing. Sometimes she forgot, too. All the city lights looked like multicolor stars shining just below them against the dark. Sakura had lived in such darkness for so long, it was difficult for her to remember much else.
If she tried really hard, digging around in her own mind for the memories of her human life that were already beginning to fade a bit, she remembered.
A smile touched her lips as a breeze tousled her hair, caked with dirt from rolling around on the ground in combat. She used to love sunsets. Sakura had forgotten all about that.
She stole a glance at Anko's profile. "I feel stronger than I've ever been." Sakura flexed both hands into fists. Those hands had punched holes into concrete walls. Her legs could propel her from the ground to the tops of ancient trees.
Surely she was strong enough to do what needed to be done by now.
"Do you think I'm ready?"
Anko made a noncommittal noise, something between a hum and a snort. "I know you're not." She turned to face Sakura, her arms crossed over her chest. "It usually takes decades to learn everything I've been trying to teach you over the last few months, let alone the time it takes to master it. Are you trying to kill Kakashi tomorrow or something? Do you have a deadline?"
That made Sakura scowl, all the fleeting good feelings wiped away by the cold chill of reality. She wanted Kakashi gone from this world yesterday. Now that she actually had the power to do something about it – or would eventually, according to Anko – she couldn't think of anything else.
Instead of cooking or eating or drinking or sleeping or crying, she thought about killing Kakashi.
Would she slit his throat? Rip his head off with her bare hands? Disembowel him and make him eat his own entrails?
There were too many possibilities and Sakura knew she would relish any one she chose. But she'd never get there if Anko never let her graduate to the next step.
"I need this. He needs to go, and I need to be the one responsible for it." Sakura set her jaw. "What more do I need to do? What are we doing with…all of this?" Frustrated, she gestured wildly at the dark, drafty building around them. "You were supposed to be teaching me to kill."
Anko glared back at her. "I am, but what you have to understand is that you won't be doing anything to anyone until you learn to control your new body and your mind. It doesn't work the same as it did when you were human."
"I've known that for a while now," Sakura said hotly, chest warm and heavy with unspent rage at her captor. "I've learned how to make body do what I want it to do – "
"Trust me when I tell you, it's not enough. You still have to master the mind-body connection. That's the hardest part." Her face drew back into a grimace. "Until you do, he will always be able to break you in half."
God, Sakura was so tired of hearing that. She'd had enough of feeling powerless.
Not much she could do about it at the moment. The sun was just beginning to lighten the eastern sky, and Sakura knew she needed to get home to prepare for the day.
She nodded at Anko. "Same time tomorrow?"
"Yes. But back in the woods. We need to practice your jumping technique on some softer ground for a while. If you land any harder on your back inside this parking garage, you might knock it to the ground."
Just when Sakura was about to give her a dirty look, she caught the tiny tic at the corner of Anko's mouth, her only giveaway. A joke.
Closing her eyes, Sakura took in a deep and needless breath. Out here in the city, the air tastes different. A million different flavors settled onto her tongue all at once – the bitterness of industry, the salty brine of the sea, the savory taste of thousands of breakfasts cooking at once.
"Tomorrow," Anko said, then moved so quickly it seemed she flitted out of existence.
Sakura smiled in her wake. She could move just as fast now.
To that end, she had run the length of the city and was back at her country home on the fringes in what felt like a matter of minutes. As she walked up through the overgrown front yard, she wondered if she should sell her car. Not like she much needed one anymore.
After she stepped over the threshold and locked the front door, Sakura bypassed her closed office door and turned into the living room.
If Sakura's heart still beat like that of a normal human woman, it would have gone into full cardiac arrest at the sight of Kakashi leaning against the back of her old, weathered couch.
She remembered at the last minute that her adrenaline was supposed to be pumping because she was frightened so unexpectedly. "Kakashi," Sakura said, pressing hand to her chest as if to keep her heart securely inside where it belonged, "what are you doing here?"
She swallowed hard, grateful that the only light in the space came from the small night light plugged into a wall outlet in the hallway. What could she do if Kakashi realized what had happened to her, that she had been transformed into the same creature he was?
Clinging to the deeper shadows around the perimeter of the small room, Sakura watched Kakashi with a wary eye. The silhouette of his clothes against the darkness surrounding him suggested he'd changed up his attire, abandoning the sharp, crisp angles of his dress suits for a looser, more casual outfit.
Her hair stood on end when he pushed away from the couch and walked toward her, stopping only when they stood nearly nose to nose.
Sakura's nostrils flared at his scent. It was equal parts metallic and sweet, as if he'd found a subtle cologne that smells like blood and power.
"How interesting to find you so filthy in the wee hours of the morning, Sakura." Kakashi cocked his head. "Whatever have you been doing at this hour?" He smiled his oily smile. "Have you taken up gardening?"
Sakura bristled and backed away, trying to create some distance before Kakashi's suspicions grew too obvious to go unaddressed. She walked into the kitchen, kicking off her sneakers as she went. "I was working out."
She could feel Kakashi dogging her steps without looking as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured herself a glass of water from the fridge.
"Do you usually work out in the middle of the night?"
Sakura took a single sip of her water, then put the glass on the counter before peering at Kakashi over her shoulder. "Only when I can't sleep. Am I not allowed to have occasional insomnia?"
Calm. She had to stay calm. The air felt poisoned by his presence, but if she behaved in any way that could be perceived as abnormal, Sakura would blow her cover as his obedient servant long before she was ready to kill him.
And she knew if that happened, she'd never get another chance.
Better to deflect. "You still didn't tell me why you're here."
Kakashi leaned over to brace his elbows on the countertop, still too close by for Sakura's comfort. That eerie smile made an encore appearance. "It's been a while. I was starting to feel like I was neglecting my favorite person in the world."
"Is that all?" It was becoming more and more difficult to stop gritting her teeth and forcing the tension out of her body.
Sakura hated him so much. His smell, his stupid smile, his aura, his ideology. Everything he did to her. Everything he made her do to someone else….
It was too much.
She needed to get him out of her house before she did something she couldn't take back before she was ready.
"No, that's not all, actually." Kakashi's eyes glittered in the low light, like that of a cat on the hunt for prey. "I realized the other day that I couldn't remember the last time I had one of your client's break on me. I've been able to make deals left and right with no interference. It's been smooth sailing for months and months…what have you been doing differently?"
"I…" Sakura hadn't expected that. "I guess I've been employing more relaxation techniques to go with the hypnotherapy bit." She crimped her mouth into a wan little smile. "Glad to know…it's been effective."
"Oh, very. So much so, in fact, that I felt it was high time you received a performance award."
Sakura almost laughed at the absurdity of his statement. Almost. She caught it behind her teeth just in time and camouflaged it with a cough. "I'm sorry…a performance award?"
"Of course!" Kakashi smacked the countertop with the flat of his hand. "It's the least I can do for your many years of tireless dedication and loyalty."
Part of Sakura wanted to retch. She was so tired of this. But if he was really offering a reward…
Maybe, if she asked Kakashi nicely, he'd give her the freedom she'd been denied for so long.
She didn't dare speak that aloud, but she did look up at him through her lashes in the coquettish way she knew he loved. "What did you have in mind, exactly?" She might have been imagining it, but she could have sworn her heart was racing a mile a minute waiting for him to answer.
"Anything you want. Name it."
There was only one thing Sakura wanted, and she knew Kakashi would never be so benevolent as to lay down his life at her feet.
"Ah, to clarify – you may have any physical object." Kakashi smirked and crossed his arms as he regarded her with amusement. As if he read her mind.
Oh yes, the caveat Sakura knew was coming. Despite the fact that he was making her skin crawl, she offered him a sweet, doting smile. "I see."
She sobered as she thought about the only other tangible things she could have wanted that had been out of her reach.
"A tombstone."
Kakashi made a face like someone had just dropped one on his foot. "A what?"
"A tombstone. Two of them, no dates. One for Naruto and one for Minato."
Kakashi's restless eyes scanned her face, looking for evidence of a sick joke. His humor faded when he found none.
"Alright. Two headstones, coming right up. I'll even make them solid black granite for you."
Sakura gave a nod, her stomach twisting at the thoughts of her sweet Naruto and his father. "Thank you, Kakashi. I appreciate it."
"I'll send a crew to place them in your backyard. Just tell them where to put the stones when they arrive."
There was plenty of room back there. The yard to the rear of the farmhouse was as wild and overgrown as the front, eventually petering out along the edges to make way for the woods. It would be a good place for Sakura's good memories to live.
"I'll be here."
Silence stretched between them, growing more tense with every breath Sakura took. Now she couldn't stop thinking about Naruto's face as Kakashi stared at hers. The combination of love and hate and grief that Sakura felt in that moment made her nauseous.
Kakashi rapped twice on the countertop with his knuckles then turned to leave. Sakura heaved an inward sigh of relief. "Keep up the good work," he called to her down the hallway before closing the door and disappearing into the early morning.
Her feet moving before her mind had fully registered the move, Sakura rushed down the hall to lock the door, then did an about-face and ran the other direction, up the stairs to her bedroom. She peeled off her filthy clothes and threw herself into the shower. She needed to wash herself clean of this day – Kakashi included.
A two-man crew arrived the next morning, true to Kakashi's word. He'd even thrown in two wildflower bereavement bouquets as a final touch. Sakura thought the two identical headstones were beautiful, each curved piece fashioned from a solid piece of black granite that had been polished to a glossy shine.
Sakura led the uniformed duo around the house to the back, where they followed while pushing their red hand trucks along ahead of them. She had the stones placed next to each other, in a shady spot of a large oak that still received lots of sunshine in the morning.
Once the workers had gone and her privacy was restored, Sakura knelt down next to the stones, her bare knees sinking into the soft, moist soil.
Her throat closed as she ran her fingertips over the etched letters of Naruto's name. He would have loved being there, out in the sun.
The tears gathered in Sakura's eyes. Naruto had been the sun in her life. Nothing about her was the same after Kakashi took him from her. And all Minato had ever wanted was to help her and to make the world around him a better place for everyone.
Both of them were lights in the world, taken before their time. No one had ever been less deserving of their fate.
And no one had been more worthy of revenge.
Sakura stood and wiped her wet eyes. She may not ever be an avenging angel, but she sure as hell could fight like a demon to ensure the person responsible for their deaths never took another breath.
So Sakura fought Anko harder than she ever had before in the months that followed. She pushed her body to the limit and beyond to gain better control over her abilities. She practiced every day without fail.
The day Sakura was able to freeze Anko in place with only a command spoken in her thoughts, she heard the words come from her teacher that she had been waiting to hear for what felt like eons.
"Looks like you're ready," Anko said with a little smile.
Finally,
Sakura hoped Kakashi would be ready to die. She was more than ready to kill him this time.
Chapter 23: From The Penthouse Suite
Chapter Text
It was finally the witching hour, the time of night when the sky – and Sakura's thoughts – were the blackest. Sakura did her best to make sure she was knocked out cold by this time in her human days, swallowing sleeping pills by the palmful to keep the nightmares of Kakashi at bay.
Her more recent vampiric condition didn't allow for the mental escape of sleep, but that didn't matter so much tonight.
Sakura stood in the bathroom, the steam still hanging heavy in the air and thick with the scent of blooming night jasmine from her bath. She ran her fingers over the clothes she'd laid out with the utmost care on the tiled countertop. It was a suit of armor, of sorts. Or perhaps a disguise would be a more appropriate description – the items that would allow Sakura to appear as she always knew Kakashi wanted to see her. Most of all, it would hide her true intention.
Resolute and methodical, Sakura's expression in the mirror remained steely as she strapped herself into the black and baby pink lacy bra that lifted her modest breasts and pushed them together, giving her the cleavage of an amply endowed stripper like magic. She shimmied the matching crotchless thong on next, turning sideways to examine her exposed backside with an impassive eye. The garter belt, the last piece in the set, she clasped around her waist.
Sakura hiked up one long, slender leg after the other on the sink to slide on real silk stockings that felt like cool water against her skin before snapping them securely into the black garter clips dangling from the belt.
Slipping her feet into the impossibly high patent leather stilettos she'd practiced wearing around the house for weeks, Sakura scrutinized the image staring back at her.
She knew what Kakashi would see: his demure protégé-turned-slave, dressed up like some sensual dessert, come crawling on her hands and knees to suck from the fount of his greatness.
Sakura didn't see that girl in the mirror. Not anymore. All she could see was the protection she'd designed her disguise to be: medieval breastplate and faulds for her torso, greaves and sabaton for her feet. The only thing she needed now was a weapon made to kill quickly and quietly.
Abandoning the bathroom for the coolness of her bedroom, Sakura pulled open the top drawer of her vanity. She took out the contents with a reverent hand.
A solid silver blade, so thin and fine it resembled a thick needle. Anko had gifted it to Sakura after she finally bested her in a scrimmage. "Might come in handy against a vampire," she'd said with her usual smirk.
Sakura was counting on it. After running her fingers through her damp tangles, she wound her hair up into a low chignon and used the blade to secure it at the base of her neck.
Then, after the barest touch of makeup and a touch of musky perfume, Sakura was ready for war.
She felt grateful for the warmer night after she tied on a wrap dress and topped it with a light trench coat that she belted around her waist, heading for the cab already waiting for her at the curb, goosebump-free.
The driver accepted the scrap of paper she handed him with Kakashi's address downtown and pulled off, leaving Sakura with her tumultuous thoughts in the darkness of the back seat.
For the first time since the night began, her stomach did a flip and formed a hard knot. Sakura was taking an enormous risk banking on Kakashi's affinity for sex to enact her plan for revenge. He hadn't touched her in years.
No…no, It didn't matter. Vampire or not, he was still a man who loved control and Sakura planned on giving it to him long enough to lower his defenses – then go in for the kill.
She had to stick to the plan.
Seduce him.
Fuck him.
Stab him through the heart.
In that order.
All Sakura had to do was forget that the thought of Kakashi touching her made her want to wretch.
It was hard to believe she ever craved his attention more than anything else in the world.
The cab slipped through the dark city streets, glossy from a recent rain. Sakura stared out of the window with her hands balled into fists in her lap and saw nothing but the anxiety-inducing scenarios playing out in her mind.
What if she couldn't fake her desire for him?
What if she never got another chance to kill him?
Sakura realized with a start that the cab had just stopped in front of Kakashi's high-rise apartment building.
No more time to ruminate.
She handed the driver a wad of cash and slid out of the car before he drove away into the night.
If Sakura's heart was still beating, it would have been fluttering in her throat.
She forced herself to stop wringing her hands as she approached the uniformed doorman, who grinned and let her pass once she batted her eyelashes at him.
He may have been easy enough, but the security guard sitting behind the solid black marble desk was already scowling at her like he could smell Sakura's homicidal intent. This was the biggest gamble; she intentionally hadn't called Kakashi to tell him she planned to visit tonight, but the element of surprise was a double-edged sword. If this guard didn't let her up without calling the penthouse for approval, her entire ruse would be blown and she'd have to return home with her tail between her legs to try again.
Sakura subtly licked her lips and sauntered up to the counter, giving the stoic guard her best bedroom eyes. "Good evening."
He looked her up and down. "May I help you, miss?"
With a nervous giggle, Sakura placed her hands flat on the cool, smooth countertop. "It's embarrassing, really…but I seem to have misplaced my key to my apartment."
The guard grunted and looked back at the computer in front of him. "Name?"
"Mrs. Hatake." It made Sakura's stomach hurt just to say that out loud.
"And the apartment number?"
"It's the penthouse on the top floor."
The guard's narrowed eyes flipped up to Sakura's just before he reached for the phone.
"No – please, it's late and my husband is sleeping…I don't want to wake him. He's a very busy and important man, you see."
Pulling a face that belied his disbelief, the guard grabbed the phone receiver.
Shit, Sakura had hoped to avoid using her powers, but there was no help for it –
"You will hang up the phone and buzz me up to the penthouse," she said, her voice low and tone dark with imbued power as she felt the man's will bend to her influence.
Eyes glazing over, the guard slammed the phone back down and hit a button hidden from Sakura's view, opening the door to her left that led to a bank of elevators. She pivoted and headed that direction, not bothering to thank the man since he wouldn't remember anyway.
After a surprisingly long, solitary ride to the top of the building, the elevator doors opened with a "ding" onto the penthouse floor. Every muscle in Sakura's body tensed as she stepped into the thickly carpeted hallway with golden sconces lining the walls on either side.
She fingered the key she'd retrieved from its hiding place inside of her bra, hoping against hope that Kakashi had never bothered to change the locks.
Kakashi's door stood at the end of the long hall. Sakura approached as if in slow motion, unable to make her body move any faster for the sense of dread that grew more intense with each step.
When she reached the entrance, she pressed an ear against the smooth wood. No sound coming from inside, but that could have simply been excellent insulation.
Taking a deep breath, Sakura's slipped her key into the lock and gave it a twist.
The door opened, silently, without a creak.
Sakura thought she would faint with relief.
She eased her body inside the foyer. Glossy black marble shot through with veins of gold covered the floor and extended up the walls to the ceiling. Sakura managed to close the door without incident. At the same time, she noticed the low rumble of male voices coming from somewhere down the hallway, likely from one of the rooms in the back of the palatial apartment.
Her first inclination was to remove her heels and maintain an element of stealth for her mission, but Sakura thought better of it. She'd made her way into Kakashi's lair. Better now for him to think her unannounced visit was an innocent surprise instead of carefully planned malice.
Sakura tightened the belt to her trench coat and began to walk down the hall, her stilettos clicking loudly against the polished stone floor and announcing her presence to Kakashi's vampire ears. Sure enough, the flow of muffled conversation came to an abrupt stop.
She paid no heed to the gigantic, expensive paintings that graced the walls or the soft scents of vanilla and tuberose emanating from the candles burning in and out of sight around the space. Sakura strolled up to Kakashi's office and found the door partially open. From the hall, she could see him sitting behind his imposing desk, a dog she had never seen before perched on Kakashi's lap. Kakashi glared at someone else in the room that she couldn't see. His eyes glowed a vibrant red.
Kakashi had to be forcing his will upon someone. Sakura didn't know the identity of the unfortunate recipient or why they were there in Kakashi's home, but she had no intention of standing by and allowing it to happen on her watch.
It was now or never.
A shudder went through her body as Sakura settled her sexy persona in place and carefully lock her true self away for the time being.
She gave the door a timid knock, the soft impact opening the door a few more inches.
Kakashi finally flashed eyes her direction that had faded back to their usual icy color. Any normal man would be blind to Sakura presence in the shadows, but she knew Kakashi could see her as well as she could see him.
"Come in."
With a hard swallow, Sakura stepped inside the room just as a sniveling man in a dark suit nearly knocked her over in his hurry to leave Kakashi's presence. She watched him retreat for a moment, knowing the feeling.
"Sakura," Kakashi said as she finally walked into the room and already felt overwhelmed by his presence, which seemed darker and more foreboding since the last time she'd encountered him in person. She stood before his desk with lowered eyes and looked up at him through her lashes. It would work in her favor to appear as demure as possible.
"You aren't supposed to be here without my permission." It was a statement of fact, nothing more. Sakura couldn't easily gauge his demeanor like she had in the past.
She'd have to let her instincts, old and new, be her guide.
Willing her tense muscles to relax and soften, Sakura stared at Kakashi and let her voice become baby soft and sweet, hoping she sounded convincingly contrite. "I'm sorry, Kakashi. I didn't mean to interrupt your evening unexpectedly, but…I had to see you."
Kakashi studied her as she spoke and Sakura did the same to him. He looked different. It appeared he had taken to dressing more like a wealthy drug kingpin than a CEO. The soft sheen of his black turtleneck suggested an extremely expensive cashmere. A thick gold herringbone chain hung low against a chest Sakura didn't recall being so defined. His hair looked more white than silver in the low light from the glittering black chandelier hanging above them from the cavernous ceiling.
Kakashi didn't even smell the same, having switched to a cologne that smelled of smoke and dark spices. Luckily for Sakura, the sensual scent was making her warm in the right places. It helped that the way he was looking at her now, equal parts intrigue and disapproval, brought back shades of the attraction she felt sitting across from him in his therapist's office all those years ago.
If she focused on those things, maybe she could do this after all.
The dog Sakura noticed previously gave a little huffing bark, drawing Kakashi's intense scrutiny away for a moment. It gave her just enough time to collect herself and refocus.
"When did you get a dog?" It would be amusing, really, that creature like Kakashi would have such a pretentious-looking pet, if his capacity for cruelty didn't make it outright horrifying.
Kakashi actually smiled, and in a way that didn't chill Sakura to the core. "His name is Pakkun. He was a gift from…an associate." He patted the wriggling pug with a sleek coat the color of peanut brittle before placing it gently on the floor and shooing it from the room.
"You've never said why you are here."
Having been watching the little dog strut proudly from sight, Sakura blinked in surprise at Kakashi addressing her directly once more.
Why was she there?
Ah, yes – to administer justice in the form of gruesome death.
"Well, to be honest, I've been thinking a lot about the mission." Untying the belt to her trench coat and ignoring the renewed tightening of her gut, Sakura refused to let her gaze stray from Kakashi's. She let the heavy fabric slip from her shoulders to puddle on the waxed wooden floor at her feet.
"And I realized," Sakura continued, slowly undoing the sash of her thin wrap dress, "how wrong I've been in not seeing your vision for the future. For not throwing myself wholeheartedly into your work." Milking the moment, she glanced down at her body to watch her hands pull the sash free completely before flipping her eyes back up to Kakashi's piercing stare. " Our work."
The instant the dress joined the coat on the floor and revealed the lingerie hiding beneath, Kakashi's immediate reaction made Sakura have to suppress a feeling of triumph.
Her sharpened senses allowed her to detect how his pupils had blown wide with arousal, his nostrils flaring with the effort she could tell it took to maintain control of himself.
She almost giggled to herself. With great risk came great reward.
Letting her hips swing, Sakura slowly approached his desk, relishing the feeling of power flowing through her veins at the knowledge it was her body on display that had left Kakashi in a near-panting state. "I feel ready now," she told him as she climbed up onto the desk with as much sex appeal as she could manage, knowing he'd ask her to elaborate.
"Ready for what?" Kakashi never tore his eyes away.
On her knees now, Sakura ignore the pain caused by the unforgiving ebony wood and balanced herself with her hands. She leaned in close, nearly nose to nose with her enemy and former mentor, his cologne muddling her senses. Sakura wanted to make sure he felt her words on his lips.
"To take over the world with you."
She could have sworn Kakashi's chest puffed up with pride.
He studied her for a moment longer, a complicated expression crossing his face before he finally smirked and got to his feet, knowing the motion would put his crotch at the exact level of Sakura's mouth.
She blinked up at him and licked her lips, forcing her eyes to go wide in something like looked like wonder.
"How about you show me the depth of your belief in the cause?"
She knew exactly what he meant. The knee-jerk reaction she'd developed in his servitude over the years was complete and utter revulsion, but she knew she had to swallow it down before he could detect it. She couldn't afford to blow her own cover.
So, even though it made her feel like an absolute whore, Sakura pouted prettily and unzipped his fly.
She couldn't look at him, though. The humiliation in that moment was too great and Sakura knew Kakashi would see it on her face, so she focused instead on pushing down his briefs along with his slacks and freeing his thick stiffness with her hands.
God, that was bigger than she remembered, too.
Sakura closed her eyes and fisted his cock. She could do this.
Kakashi groaned deep in his chest when she stuck her tongue out to flick it at the tip of the bulbous head. It was already weeping, slippery with drops of precum that she spread around it with the flat of her tongue.
His hands reached out and Sakura panicked for an instant, not wanting him to find her hidden weapon. To dodge him, she bent low and pulled both of his balls into her mouth, earning a guttural curse from Kakashi.
She threw herself into the task after that to keep him distracted, gently swatting his hands away and following with a soft stroke of his forearms whenever he got the urge to force her to choke on his cock. As long as she could pretend that she loved all of it – the heady flavor of his skin and fluid in her mouth, the weight of his veiny member in her hands and its smoothness against her lips – she could bring him to the brink enough times to end him.
Sakura varied her technique often. Sucked him shallow and hard, then soft and fast and deep. Took him all the way down her throat until she gagged and choked and hot tears trickled down her face. Ran her open lips up and down the underside of his length until Kakashi's breath came labored and fast and his thighs trembled under her hands.
Every time she heard the tiny hitch in his breathing, a whimper that gave away how close he was to tumbling over the edge into ecstatic oblivion, Sakura took great sadistic delight in pulling back.
Before Sakura could start him up the mountain again, Kakashi grunted with frustration and ripped off her bra and panties with a flick of his wrist. They fluttered away from her body as if they had been made of candy floss rather than imported silk satin. Though it was warm in the room, Sakura froze, feeling an abrupt chill wearing nothing but her heels and stockings.
Kakashi didn't wait for her to ask any questions. He was rough when he grabbed her by the waist with both hands and flipped her around atop the desk so that she faced away from him.
With one hand forcing the back of her head down and the other gripping her naked hip, Kakashi yanked her back onto his burgeoning manhood.
Sakura couldn't help it. The scream filled her throat and erupted from her mouth before she could stop it. It had been so long she'd been with anyone and the sensation of… invasion took her breath away.
She gritted her teeth and braced herself, hands planted flat on the desk to keep from bruising her cheekbone.
There was nothing but pain. At first.
Then biology took over, and Sakura was reminded in a hurry all that she had forgotten about how her body used to respond so acutely to Kakashi's, how he could read her like a book and play her like an instrument for his own amusement. By now, he was grunting in time with his deep, hard strokes as he railed her from behind like a dog, and Sakura started to have a difficult time resisting the compulsion to grunt back in kind when he changed his angle.
That made all the difference between humiliating misery and the sudden rising tide of an orgasm bearing down on her.
Sakura had forgotten, but her body remembered how much it loved the way he filled her to capacity, her walls gripping him like a lifeline as he pushed ever forward, ever deeper, not taking no for an answer from her tiny pussy.
She shivered and flushed with shame when she realized the low, animalistic moan she was hearing was coming from her.
Goddammit. Having prepared for this day for what felt like ages, the last thing Sakura had expected to encounter was a betrayal by her own flesh. She hated Kakashi, for all that he was and had taken from her, but…God, he was fucking her so good , it was hard to feel anything past the blazing pleasure spearing through her belly with his every thrust.
Kakashi showed no signs of stopping. Sakura formed a new mantra in her head: don't come, don't come, don't come…
She hadn't come here tonight to seek her own pleasure. Knowing how much Kakashi enjoyed watching her fall apart, Sakura didn't plan on giving him the satisfaction. She refused to let him take anything else from her ever again.
To that end, she pulled away long enough to flip onto her back. Careful not to move inhumanly fast and give away her secret, Sakura grabbed Kakashi's broad shoulders and maneuvered him beneath her so he lay on the table looking up at her, his feet flat on the floor.
Sakura looked down at him and watched him study her body. It had to look different since the last time he saw it. Her stomach rippled with delicate muscle, her arms and legs leaner and stronger than they had ever been.
With a lopsided smile and an evil glint in his eye, Kakashi finally met her gaze, daring her to continue.
Sakura balked at the challenge before her, chest heaving. Could she kill Kakashi before he caught on to her? Could she fuck him like this and not lose herself to her body's carnal impulses, letting him win again?
Only one way to know if she truly had what it took.
Sakura gripped his cock at the base, lined him up at her wet entrance, and slammed her hips home until he was in to the hilt.
They both let loose a ragged moan of surprise.
Sakura recovered from the onslaught of pleasure first. With Kakashi's fingers still digging into the sparse flesh of her hips, she rode him like her life depended on it – dipping, churning, bucking like a wild and mindless animal with no concern for its own wellbeing. After a while, Kakashi propped himself up on an elbow and snaked his other arm around her back to hold her bouncing torso flush against his own, trapping her.
That arm felt as strong as a steel cage. Only able to move her hips now, Sakura bit her lip and watched his facial expressions when she began to move her bottom half in concentric circles, slowing down and speeding up, fucking just his tip only to take him deep again with every new circumference.
She felt smug when Kakashi began to pant in time with her movements, but it faded the second she realized that she was as well. That delirious, pleasurable pressure was building again, throbbing low in her belly and tingling at the base of her spine.
Sakura knew she had to hold it back. All of this tonight couldn't be for nothing. She couldn't whore herself out to him again; she'd never be able to look at herself in the mirror or train with Anko or have any hope at all. To let him pull an orgasm out of her would be to admit that no matter how many years he went without touching her, no matter how far she might try to run, no matter how well she learned to fight, Kakashi could make her own body betray her whenever it suited his fancy.
No. She'd resist even if it killed her.
And she thought the effort would do just that when Kakashi began to slam his hips upward to meet hers. She caught a glimpse of his newly extended fangs before his other arm whipped behind her and he curled his upper body around hers, pressing her heaving breasts against his sweater.
Sakura might have been close to the edge, but so was Kakashi. She knew that for sure when his movements turned erratic and his hips lost their rhythm. It became a race against her own obliteration as she slammed her clenched pussy down around him again and again, trying to get him there, just close enough to…
The instant she felt him twitch inside her, Sakura almost wept with relief. It was almost over.
With one arm wrapped around his head and Kakashi's face buried in the curve of her neck, she kept moving and let him muffle his moans in the flesh of her shoulder. She used her other hand to pull free the dagger holding her chignon together at the base of her neck.
She never stopped grinding on him, unable to afford him losing the distraction, even as she chuckled darkly low in her throat when she gripped the dagger over his shoulder, aiming to pierce straight through his heart through his back the instant he started to come. No male could stop in the middle of orgasm, human or vampire.
Retribution was at hand.
For Sakura herself. For Minato and Naruto.
For Mebuki.
Before she could blink, Kakashi's hand had reached backward over his head and seized Sakura's wrist. She heard nothing but pure amusement in his chuckle.
"Such a valiant effort at seduction, my dear Sakura," Kakashi cooed, lips ghosting over her neck and around the shell of her ear.
Terror, sudden and complete, had Sakura's in its grip. She couldn't move in that moment if she wanted to. Kakashi, on the other hand, had no such qualms. He was still inside her, hips pumping leisurely as he held her captive against him.
"Tell me…did you think you could hide your transformation from me?" Kakashi ran the sharp tip of a fang up her jugular vein, making her shiver with fear. She couldn't respond to him. She could barely think.
Was he going to kill her now? Rip out her throat and let her bleed out on the floor?
Kakashi sucked on her earlobe and whispered to her like a lover. "I knew you'd become a vampire months ago."
Oh, god.
Sakura felt one of his hands slide into the pink waves of her loosened hair. She winced when he grabbed a handful close to the root.
He forced her head down to peer into her wide eyes, still moving slowly. Kakashi moaned and stared back at her. A smile of pure evil stretched across his face. "Anko, is it?"
Sakura stopped breathing altogether.
Huffing a laugh at her shocked reaction, Kakashi continued. "It seems your new friend has a few pages missing from her 'vampire instructor's manual'. You were so intent on learning how to beat me in combat that you failed to learn all the more important aspects of being a vampire."
He was wrong about that. Anko had tried to warn Sakura there was so much more she needed to know…
Kakashi's lazy stroke began to increase in speed. He began to moan again, swiping the flat of his tongue up from the hollow of Sakura's trembling throat to her jawline.
His voice was commanding when he spoke again.
"Look at me, Sakura." He grinned and she felt ill. "I want to see how you really feel about me. How much it must have killed you to make yourself fuck me when all you wanted to do was slit my throat."
Sakura decided to give Kakashi what he wanted. Let him see the hatred brewing in her soul for him. Let him understand that if he gave her wrist an inch of leverage, she'd end him in a heartbeat and dance in his spent blood.
It was a strange sort of relief, not having to hide any longer.
She could feel Kakashi's cock pulse deep within her once more. Her distress was about to do him in.
"I heard every thought you had of killing me," Kakashi said, starting to sound breathless as his pace increased. "I heard every step of your ridiculous plan." He was fucking her again, and though Sakura could distantly feel pleasure swirling around the edges of her conscious mind, she was now much more focused on surviving the next few minutes.
"But I am so impressed with your tenacity tonight, I'll give you what you want – ugh! " That low moan and last few pumps marked the end of Sakura's ordeal as Kakashi finally – finally – let himself go, his cock thickening as he filled Sakura to the brim with his noxious seed.
She moved to get away from him but he held her fast, one hand clasped around her chin so she couldn't look anywhere but at Kakashi.
"Learn all you can of the lessons you've missed, because in one month, I will give you your only real opportunity to kill me."
His last words were all Sakura could hear echoing in her mind from the time she fled his apartment until she made it back home via cab and thew herself into the shower.
She scrubbed herself from head to toe with bleach and scalding water for hours, until her skin was bright red and raw and the spray had gone ice cold. Sakura feared she'd never get the feel of him off of her body.
When she was done, she called Anko on her cell. She didn't sleep, so Sakura knew she would answer.
"I tried to kill Kakashi tonight." Sakura didn't dare tell her the manner in which she had attempted to do so.
"And I take it he is still walking around as we speak."
Sakura sighed. She had never been so angry with herself for underestimating Kakashi yet again. "Unfortunately, yes. He saw me coming. In his mind, I mean."
"I'm not surprised."
"Listen, I still need your help. He's challenged me to a sort of…duel, but I need you to help me master the mental aspect of my training. That's where he seems to be strongest."
"Can't say I didn't tell you as much," Anko said in her dry tone.
"I also need to be proficient enough to end him within the next thirty days."
Anko cursed, then heaved a long-suffering sigh.
"I'll be there in five minutes."
Chapter 24: No Regrets
Chapter Text
Sakura's teacher and vampire mentor arrived at her house the same night of her depressed phone call, after an amused Kakashi had sent Sakura packing for her aborted murder attempt.
Anko gave Sakura no time to sit around and feel sorry for herself. She dragged her outside in the back yard with hardly a word, in sight of the memorial headstones of Naruto and Minato, and put her right to work.
If Sakura thought the physical training with Anko was difficult, learning to use her mind as a weapon was absolute torture.
It felt so different than merely sending suggestive thoughts to a human's malleable mind to force them to do what she wanted. Trying to control another vampire with her will felt like trying to roll a boulder up a steep hill with just her forehead.
Twenty minutes into Anko's training, Sakura found herself face down in the grass with no desire to get up. "I feel like someone stabbed me between the eyes with a butcher knife," she said to Anko, her words muffled by the damp soil.
"It will feel much worse when Kakashi kills you, trust me." Anko paced from her place across the yard, several feet away from Sakura's prone form. "Now, get up."
Sakura groaned, the loamy scent of the earth filling her nostrils. Her entire body already felt weak, as if she had been attempting to run a marathon midday in one-hundred-degree heat. How was it possible to feel this drained when she had barely done more than attempt to issue a single-word command aloud in her mind? And unsuccessfully, at that?
Her arms trembled as Sakura pushed her weary body off the ground into a crouch. Looking first to the headstones, then up at the sky, she felt her eyes get wet as a sense of despair crept in. "I don't think I can do this," she said, her voice breaking. She couldn't tell if she were saying it to the loved ones she'd lost or to Anko. Maybe her decree was to all of them.
When she didn't receive an acknowledgement, Sakura turned her sad eyes to Anko and found her usually stern face wearing a sympathetic expression that was very uncharacteristic.
"Listen, Sakura. I have my own reasons for wanting Kakashi gone, and you have the best opportunity to make that happen. I wouldn't be helping you if I didn't believe you could do it. Will it be insanely difficult? Yes. Will you constantly want to die rather than continue? Probably. But I'll do everything I can to make sure you are ready within this absurdly short timeframe. Okay?"
With a heavy sigh, Sakura nodded and got to her feet. "Okay."
"Then try it again," Anko said, falling back into a fighting stance. "Stop me before I can strike you."
It took days and days for Sakura to succeed in preventing Anko from knocking her senseless with her vicious flurries of hands and feet with just her thoughts, and over two solid weeks for Sakura to get a grasp on overriding Anko's will to force her to perform Sakura's issue mental command.
Neither of them rested. To Anko's credit, she was all seriousness as she guided Sakura through drill after drill, attacking her again and again until Sakura was able to stop her consistently. She didn't poke fun at all at the times Sakura failed to make her abort an attack or take a knee. Anko understood what was at stake for both of them.
They stayed in Sakura's yard day after day, night after night, pausing only long enough for Anko to procure enough blood for the two of them to keep going.
Doubt followed Sakura like a shadow. One chance, one opportunity. That's what Kakashi had said. She hadn't seen him snooping around since her visit to his penthouse, but she imagined he was keeping tabs on her somehow in order to assess the level of threat she posed for him. He knew about Anko, after all.
That knowledge attacked her confidence. Sakura had every intention of giving her all in her attempt to destroy Kakashi and rid the world of his evil forever, but if she failed and he remained able to rule her life…Sakura didn't want to think about that possibility at all.
The day of Kakashi's deadline arrived. Even if Sakura had still been human, she wouldn't have been able to eat or sleep.
She hadn't bothered with going upstairs to her bedroom – what would be the point? Instead, she paced the kitchen for hours, sitting at the table with crossed legs then standing up, going to the window above the sink to peek needlessly out into the inky darkness of the back yard. She could still see well enough to know that Kakashi wasn't already out there waiting for her. His ego wouldn't allow him to arrive a moment sooner than necessary.
While Sakura was standing at the stove, biting her nails, her cell went off on the kitchen table. She dashed over to pick it up, heart in her throat.
She took a breath when she realized it was a text from Anko: "GOOD LUCK."
No niceties or encouragement of any kind, but Sakura had come to learn that wasn't Anko's way. She appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.
Sakura had paced her way through her silent house to the living room when her phone went off again. She ran back into the kitchen at vampire speed in the blink of an eye and snatched it off the table once again.
Another text. This time from Kakashi.
"SUNSET"
The single word sent ice water coursing through Sakura's veins. This was really happening.
Nothing to do now but pace and wait.
The moment that dusk arrived, Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself and left the house through the back door. She took her place in the wide expanse of yard at the rear of the house, in the area she had practiced over the weeks with Anko.
As the sun sank lower and lower, Sakura scanned the horizon for signs of Kakashi, not daring to blink in case she missed him and left herself vulnerable to a surprise attack. She continued to pace. Her hands flexed compulsively as she moved. A deep frown settled between her eyes as she listened intently for the soft crunch of tread-upon pine needles or the snap of breaking twigs – anything that could give away Kakashi's approach.
She continued to wait, every well-honed muscle in her body coiled with tension and purpose, filling her thoughts with vivid visions of every horrible thing Kakashi had done to her and the people she cared about so dearly, letting the banked coals of her rage build into an all-consuming conflagration that could fuel her to victory.
Defeating Kakashi would likely be the most difficult thing she had ever done, but Sakura knew her life – her freedom – depending on her giving this fight everything she had.
"Hello, Sakura."
Sakura jumped when she realized a grinning Kakashi was standing directly in front of her. She had not seen or heard him arrive, despite how hard she had been looking.
He took her in from head to toe in a glance and cocked his head at her. "Are we going somewhere instead of doing battle? You look ready for a date."
Backing up a few paces, she quickly tamped down her surprise in favor of trembling fury. As Anko had pointed out during their most recent session together, there was no point in Sakura wearing true armor of any kind; Kakashi would always be physically stronger than her, and her clothing would offer no protection against any of the mental attacks he was sure to put in play.
That was why Sakura had opted for a simple sports bra top, long cargo shorts and heavy boots to help her keep purchase on the damp grass beneath her feet.
She ignored Kakashi's barb, shooting daggers with her eyes as she began to pace again, this time with purpose. "Let's do what we came to do." She was done with the tension and anticipation and frankly, the fear. A sense of clarity and calm settled over Sakura. She was as ready as she was ever going to be. The time was now.
Kakashi himself wore a black t-shirt, sweatpants, and sneakers, looking for all the world as if he were headed out for a grocery run. He gave a nonchalant shrug. "Fine…I just hope you remember all of those 'lessons' that Anko had to teach you, Sakura." He grinned again, light eyes following her movements. "It would truly be a shame to have to kill you today. Nothing worse than wasted potential."
Talk, talk, talk. That's all Kakashi ever did. He was trying to goad her into action. She couldn't allow his taunting to make her lose focus.
Die. He had to die today.
Sakura made her entire being coalesce around that singular thought, the way Anko had taught her. Kakashi continued to ramble on.
She let her eyes settle closed. Felt the cooling breeze against her cheeks tousle the tendrils of hair that had fallen from her braid. Heard the crunch of dirt against her boots.
Everything in her told it her was time to attack –
A scream wrenched free from Sakura's chest as she launched herself at Kakashi, fists flying.
He barked a harsh laugh and dodged her more easily than she would have liked, considering she'd tried to take him off guard, and hit her with a countering fist to her neck that sent her sputtering and coughing to her knees.
Kakashi tsked with his hands on his narrow hips as he watched Sakura recover. "Hm, perhaps I may have underestimated you, Sakura. It does look like you've been practicing hard."
He was still laughing by the time she dusted off her knees and got back to her feet. Sakura wouldn't give him the satisfaction of responding. She clenched her fists and fell into her fighting stance, waiting for Kakashi to make a move that she knew he would. He'd be on the offense now.
As she predicted, Kakashi's smile fell from his face just before he hit her with a flurry of attacks – punches, kicks, leg sweeps. Thanks to Anko's training, Sakura's honed instincts kicked in and she was able to block Kakashi at every turn – until his fist caught her on the side of the head. The impact made her stumble, her head spinning as she saw stars for a moment.
Kakashi was barely breathing hard as she watched her right herself once more. He crossed his arms, his smile back in place. "Honestly, Sakura, you'll have to do a lot better than this if you expect to kill me."
Though she fought to keep her face impassive, Sakura began to panic. This wasn't working. She might have been able to fend off Kakashi's attacks thus far, but she knew in her gut he was holding back, toying with her until he understood the true measure of her strength. She would have to put much more power behind her blows to knock him off balance. And that smirk off his face.
Sakura set her jaw and took a running leap at Kakashi this time, opting for one of the aerial attacks Anko had taught her, intending to come down on him with a rain of punches. While she was midair, she noticed too late Kakashi's eyes flash crimson just before she felt more than heard a word in her mind: STOP.
Truly panicking now, Sakura landed hard in the grass on her face. She quickly righted herself but when she tried to advance again, it was as if her muscles had frozen in place. She could move backward but not forward, after Kakashi.
"You are awfully quiet, Sakura." Now it was Kakashi who paced the grass opposite Sakura, eyes still glowing red and studying her intently. Looking for an opening, a weakness.
Like the last time they were together, Sakura decided she would give him nothing. She closed her eyes. What had Anko tried to drill into her mind during their endless practice sessions? Sakura should do everything she could to draw Kakashi out by using his own ego against him.
Allow him to think he was winning.
"What's the matter? Nothing to say?"
Sakura ignored him for the moment. She stood tall, keeping her breathing calm and even.
LOOK AT ME.
The instant compulsion to open her eyes hit Sakura like a blow to the back of the head. She obliged Kakashi's command but came at him physically again as she did so, grunting into her attack instead of screaming her fury and pain in an effort to maintain control of her intense emotions.
Strike, strike, parry, block. She threw herself at Kakashi relentlessly. Each time, she felt his commands in her mind like a blade slicing through her white matter, the pain increasing exponentially the harder she tried to shake them off. She was nearly in tears as she swung at him again and again, swiped with elbows and struck hard with knees. But she let herself look more tired than she actually felt. More defeated than she was.
Sakura pretended to be unsteady on her feet after Kakashi finished dodging a fresh barrage. She made a show of taking another swipe at him and heard " FREEZE" loud and clear in her mind, which caused her muscles to follow suit. She couldn't move, her arm frozen above her head as her neurons erroneously told her muscles to freeze.
True to form, Kakashi gloated. "It would appear you are woefully unprepared once again. Honestly, Sakura. This is starting to bore me." He held a hand in front of his mouth to stifle a wide yawn.
Sakura kept watching him from the corner of her eye from where she knelt on the ground. She must have looked like she was near death from exhaustion from the way she was making her chest heave.
"Let's end this," Kakashi said, dusting off the clothes that had scarcely gathered more than a streak or two of dirt from their fighting. "I have other business to attend to."
Sakura could feel what was coming like a drop in the temperature before a storm. This was it. This was her opening.
And her physical position gave her the perfect idea.
Kakashi was going to try to put the nail in her proverbial coffin and opt for a physical attack over a mental one.
She smiled to herself when she felt the wind shift as he launched his body into the air, coming down on her for the kill.
Focusing all the energy her body contained, she shouted her command with her mind and infused it with all of her pain and anger and piercing desire to end their dynamic for all time.
KNEEL.
Sakura heard Kakashi shout in surprise just before he landed before her with all the grace of a sack of potatoes thrown from a cart.
Taking her time getting up, she strolled over to where her former mentor fell.
FREEZE.
She took great pleasure in watching him struggle against her commands. He writhed at her feet, red eyes glaring up at her.
Out of nowhere, his leg shot out and tripped her and Sakura fell on top of him. Kakashi was still stronger than she was, mentally and physically, and fought his way free of her mental stranglehold. He let loose a maniacal laugh and tried to pin her beneath him, trapping her in with his knees and grinding his pelvis against hers.
"Are you sure you want to kill me?" Her face screwed up tight, Sakura struggled against his heavy weight atop her until she was able to roll them to the right and regain the upper hand. "We could still have so much fun together…"
He elbowed her hard in the face. Sakura yelped and fell backward, but her intense focus helped her recover quickly this time and issue another freeze command. The heel of her hand in a quick strike to Kakashi's Adam's apple gave her the leverage she needed to plant her knees on the inside of each of his elbows.
She didn't wait for him to react, hoping her command would hold long enough to let her do what needed to be done.
Her hand snatched the thin silver dagger out of its holster attached to her right thigh that was hidden beneath her loose shorts. With a battle cry, Sakura slammed her fist straight down onto Kakashi's chest, driving the pointed blade straight into his heart with all her might.
He screamed, and it was the most beautiful sound Sakura had ever heard. She tilted back her head and closed her eyes as she straddled him, the music of his agony washing over her like warm, summer rain.
When she finally looked down, Kakashi's face had frozen into an expression of disbelief and pain as she clutched at his chest. And perhaps…pride?
Silence surrounded them, neither of them breathing. The only sounds that came were the occasional whisper of the wind passing through the towering pines surrounding them.
Even in the darkness that had descended since they began their duel, Sakura could see the circle of blood growing larger in circumference around the hand that still gripped the dagger. A smile flitted around Kakashi's mouth. Slowly, he reached up and ran his fingers down her cheek, smearing his blood across her skin in the process.
He coughed, blood bubbling and pooling in the corner of his mouth. "I don't regret anything, you know," Kakashi said, his voice growing thready and weak. "I'm happy I was able to mold you into this dark version of the girl – the woman – I was so fond of." He smiled full out at her, the effect grotesque for the blood coating his teeth. "You're much more beautiful this way, Sakura."
The smile Sakura gave back to him as she leaned down closer to his face looked more like a grimace. She was almost glad his need to have the last word stoked the anger within her all over again. She looked Kakashi dead into his red eyes so there could be no mistaking her true feelings about him.
"Fuck you," she said, and twisted the blade with both hands.
Kakashi cried out one last time. Sakura watched the light leave his eyes and the red color along with it. Just before he closed them for the last time, they'd faded back to their natural icy color.
Sakura released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding the entire time.
Finally,
Kakashi had died at her hands. Her tormentor was gone.
She was free.
But not free enough, not yet.
Sakura wasted no time dragging his body through the grass and into the house through the back door. She flitted around downstairs looking for all of the old oil lamps used by the former owners of the house that she had stored, throwing them down at Kakashi lying on the floor in the middle of the living room. The air filled with the sharp, acrid scent of kerosene as the fluid soaked Kakashi's clothes and pooled around his body.
Rummaging around through the drawers in the kitchen, Sakura's trembling hands found a box of matches and tucked it against her chest as she strode past the body and out of the back door once again.
She didn't bother closing the door. Sakura turned to face the house, struck two of the matches on the side of the box, and tossed the lit flames into the living room from her spot in the yard.
Sakura waited, watching until the flames had crawled up to the second floor and had consumed the roof. She watched it burn, flooded with relief as Kakashi and every aspect of the life he had forced her to live and all of her naïve decisions, burned to ash along with him.
When she walked away into the night, she didn't look back.
Hours later, the body of the creature known as Kakashi Hatake lay among the charred remains of the farmhouse far beyond the edge of the city, which burned itself out before the local fire crew could even take notice.
Anyone coming to investigate would see it was remarkably preserved, as if the flames had no effect.
As if the man were still alive.
Then the eyes – such bright, red eyes – snapped open. And the man laughed, loud and long, in a way that would chill any listening to the marrow in their bones. The laughter continued as he moved his legs apart and arms up and down over and over, his limbs clearing a space in the soot and rubble shaped much like the kind of angel a child might draw.
She missed.
Sakura's silver dagger had poisoned him and robbed him of strength, but she hadn't left it in his heart long enough to end him.
Maybe there was a god after all. One that loved him and saw fit for him to live and bend the world to his will once again. One that had chosen him for that exact task.
He had intended to take over the city, but…maybe his dreams weren't big enough. He hadn't dreamed as big as he was truly able, had he?
There was so much more that he was capable of.
Like taking over the country.
The world.
"But first things first," he said quietly, his voice hoarse from the smoke, "I'm gonna need a sparring partner."
THE END
