Ino Yamanaka.
He let out a soft snarl as he remembered being stabbed. Sure, he hadn't been handling Ino as well as he could lately. Turning from a friend to wanting him dead, though? Sure, he had...technically...murdered Hinata. And yes, he threatened to slaughter Ino's parents and drain them of blood. Attacking him at home? He hadn't expected that.
Luckily, it seemed the blonde woman had missed his heart, even if just barely. He felt horrible all over and the wound burned like fire, but he was alive. Somehow. For now, he had to figure out where he was. He could worry about dealing with Ino later. If there was a later. His head felt like it had a spike jammed through it, his eyes burned and his body felt weaker than it had since becoming a vampire. He had to figure out where he was.
Despite being at death's door, Sasuke's enhanced senses still seemed to work. He heard two heartbeats approaching. He managed to look up as a door opened and let out a growl of pain as the bright light burned his eyes even more.
"Sasuke, you're alive!"
"Sakura...where..." he whispered. She rushed over to him and helped him sit up, pulling him into a gentle hug. He pressed his lips against her throat and breathed in her scent. His body ached for blood but he was too weak to even sit without the woman's help. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted away.
When his eyes opened again he found himself on a bed in a dark room. His lips felt wet and it only took a moment for him to recognize the smell of blood. He managed to sit up, barely, and saw his chest wrapped with bandages. Turning his head, he found Sakura in a chair next to the bed. She had two small holes in her arm from a bite and looked a little pale. He reached out, wanting to wake her, but the pain in his chest returned and he let out a snarl as he gripped the sheets tightly. He moved to the side of the bed and stood, placing his hand on the wall for balance. He shook his head when Sakura began to stand as well.
"Sasuke, you haven't finished healing yet. You need rest."
Sasuke smirked and showed his fangs. "What I need is blood. And I know just the blonde to get it from." He tried to turn but she grabbed his wrist. Glancing down, he watched Sakura shake her head with a frown. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before picking her up with ease. "You're the one that needs rest," he added in a softer voice. He stared down at her and smirked. "Or...seeing as how Itachi doesn't seem to be here..." Sasuke set her on the bed as he spoke. His eyes slowly turned black as he stared at his lover.
"Yeah, we're not having sex while Itachi is in the other room," Sakura responded. She got comfortable under the covers before glancing back up at the smirking vampire. "What's so amusing, dear?"
"So you admit you want to have sex?" He moved into bed next to her as he spoke, his grin only growing. "It's been awhile, after all," he pointed out.
"But...but your chest..."
"I bet I even have enough time to give you an orgasm before Itachi returns..." He leaned closer and kissed her lips.
"Yeah, I'd prefer not to walk in on that...again," Itachi said from the doorway. "If you two insist on fooling around with me still in the house, could you please learn how to lock the door? I've walked in on you plenty of times by now."
Sakura covered her face with the blanket, her cheeks burning. "S-sorry, Itachi. Sasuke was feeling a little...excited after he woke up...Probably still a little drunk on our blood."
"I'm totally fine. Just a little soreness," Sasuke assured them. Itachi walked up and pressed his hand against his chest and smirked as Sasuke snarled at him. "Fine, it hurts like hell. But I'll survive." He looked at Sakura. "By the way...where is Ino? I'd love to talk to her." He tilted his head. "Or rip her throat out. Whichever happens first."
Sakura pushed her blanket away and sat up next to him. She grabbed his arm tightly and shook her head. "You aren't a complete monster, Sasuke. We both know you wouldn't murder someone like that," she whispered. "You aren't that person anymore..."
"You've done a lot of good for Konoha since coming home after our fight," Itachi added. "Don't ruin that because you're angry."
Sasuke closed his eyes. He focused on the sound of Sakura's heartbeat to calm himself, tapping her hand with every beat. His fangs went away and he smiled softly. For the moment, his anger was gone and he felt relaxed once more. He wasn't sure how long his peaceful mood would last, but he was going to enjoy every second. "Your heart sounds strong," he whispered. "It's really relaxing." He opened his eyes and looked over at her. He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry for trying to jump you like that. And for threatening Ino. You have my word, I won't kill her." He got out of bed and stretched before turning to Itachi. "Do I need a babysitter or am I allowed to go outside?"
Itachi rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Sakura, you get some rest. I'll go with Sasuke for a bit," he said. He nodded at his brother and the two left the room. They went outside and headed for their private training grounds. Sasuke looked around and took a deep breath. The cool breeze felt good against his bandaged chest. He took a seat in the middle of the training field and looked up at Itachi.
"What happened? Last thing I remember was being stabbed...How am I alive?"
Itachi took a seat by his brother. He looked exhausted. "Ino missed your heart, barely. If she hadn't rushed, you would be dead. Sakura brought you inside and I went after Ino." He glanced at Sasuke with narrowed eyes. "She's lucky to be alive. Unfortunately, killing her isn't an option. In the long run, that won't solve anything." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Are you alright? You seem worse than usual."
"I'll be fine, Sasuke. I just haven't had time to take my medicine lately."
Sasuke closed his eyes and focused on Itachi's heart. It sounded much weaker than Sakura's had and the man seemed to be having trouble breathing. He looked over and locked eyes with the older Uchiha, a small smile coming to his face. "Why don't you go get some rest?" he said in a calming voice. Itachi seemed confused for a moment before slowly nodding. "You get some rest. I'll be just fine by myself, don't you agree?"
"But..." Itachi tilted his head. His eyes began to burn with sudden exhaustion and he frowned. "Sasuke...what...what are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Itachi. But I need to see Ino, and...well, you'd only get in my way," Sasuke whispered as Itachi fell to the side, the man struggling to stay awake. Sasuke stood and brushed himself off before picking his brother up. He returned to the house and found Sakura asleep as well. He put Itachi in bed next to her before he put on a long sleeve black shirt as well as his cloak, then slipped his cell phone into his pocket. "Sorry, you two," he repeated quietly. "But Ino needs to pay." He stopped at the door and looked back at the two one last time before he left, heading for Ino's house.
It was Sai who greeted him when he arrived.
"Hello, Emo," the pale man said as he opened the door.
Sasuke forced a barely convincing smile. "Hello, Sai," he replied. "Is Ino around? I needed to talk to her. It's very important." He glanced inside and focused for a moment. It was still a little difficult, but he soon managed to focus his hearing on just the house. Only one heartbeat.
"Beautiful left a few minutes ago. She should be back soon if you wish to wait." Sai stared blankly for a moment before glancing behind him. "You can wait inside, Emo."
This was the perfect chance to get back at Ino. Sasuke could slip inside and either drink Sai's blood until he was empty or he could simply hurt the man to send Ino a message. With his strength and speed, and with Sai not expecting anything, it would be so easy to attack him. Sasuke even took a step forward, following Sai inside, but stopped before he entered the home. He stared at the pale man and listened to his heart. His eyes darkened and his fangs began to grow as he thought of how good it would taste to drink Sai's blood.
"I have to go, Sai. I'll find Ino myself," he muttered and turned, rushing away from the house, leaving Sai standing there in silence. He walked quickly through the village and ignored everyone he rushed by, focused on finding Ino. "What would be the perfect punishment?" he wondered. "Should I drink from her? Or maybe I should turn her into a monster like me?" He laughed at the second option and shook his head. "No, I'd rather die than share my blood with Ino. Maybe I'll just..." He trailed off when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He let out a soft snarl and turned.
"There you are!" It was Naruto, a goofy (annoying in Sasuke's opinion) grin on his face. "I think I found a solution to your...uh...diet!" The man trailed off when he noticed Sasuke's scowl. "Oh come on, why are you looking at me like that?! You always have an attitude!"
"I'm busy, Naruto. Get to the point."
"Well, you mentioned my blood seems to be pretty strong for you right? Like, you don't need a ton of it?" Naruto lowered his voice as he pulled out a small silver flask. "I put some of my blood in here with Hinata's help. I figured it'd last you a good amount of time until ya find a new source of blood..." Naruto glanced at the flask then back at Sasuke, offering it yet again. He grinned again when Sasuke took the flask.
"You realize this will likely go bad before I finish it, right?" the Uchiha finally replied. "And it'll make me look like an alcoholic if I'm drinking from this in public."
Naruto's eye twitched.
"Are you always suck a pain in the ass?! I'm trying to help you, ya dick!" he shouted, waving a hand at the flask. "I don't see you coming up with ideas!"
Sasuke covered his ears as his friend shouted at him and narrowed his eyes. "Quiet down, will you? You're giving me a headache." He raised the flask to examine it. It wasn't anything fancy, most likely something Naruto grabbed cheaply. He'd have to get one made later if he was forced to use one at all. He opened the flask and took a very small sip of Naruto's blood. Like the first time he tasted it, he felt energized. His chest wound even stopped hurting as much. Unlike usual, though, Sasuke didn't feel like he was wasted. His head felt a little light but mostly he felt fine. "I guess I can tell people I started drinking after 'almost' dying during that mission." He closed the flask and pocketed it. When Naruto didn't leave, he asked, "Was there something else?"
"Are you okay? You look a little uncomfortable."
Sasuke looked at the people walking by and shook his head. "We can't talk here, idiot. Follow me." Naruto started to complain but Sasuke had already started walking. The two soon arrived back at the Uchiha compound and Sasuke headed for his house. He froze a few feet from the door and glanced at Naruto. "Watch what you say. I can hear Sakura and she sounds angry."
When the two stepped inside they could hear Sakura shouting. "What do you mean he got away?! I thought you were watching him!"
"And I told you, he put me to sleep," Itachi replied in his usual calm voice.
Sasuke and Naruto went to the kitchen and stared at Itachi and Sakura.
"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.
"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted back with a grin. She stared at him with a soft pout until he raised the flask. "I was with Naruto," he explained. "He thought of a solution for my diet, even if it makes me look like an alcoholic."
"Hey!"
"I know you're worried about me being alone right now but I promise everything is alright, Sakura." Sasuke moved to his girlfriend and smirked softly. He cupped her cheek and held her gaze for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her lips. "So why don't we stop worrying for once?" He turned back to Naruto and dropped his cloak to the side before removing his shirt, showing the bandages. "Ino did this to me, Naruto. She tried to kill me earlier."
A flash of rage shot through Naruto's eyes when he saw how hurt his friend was. Ino, who had been friends with Sasuke once he returned home years ago, had been willing to attack him? He stepped closer and studied the bandages before saying, "Why did she do this...? What can I do, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked first at Naruto then glanced at Itachi and Sakura. "I need to get out of the village for a few days, at the minimum. Give Ino time to cool down, and let me fully heal in case she tries something else. Do you think you could get me a mission, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded and hesitated for a moment before he turned and began to leave. Itachi followed him in silence, leaving Sasuke and Sakura alone. The two sat at the kitchen table. He watched Sakura, who avoided his gaze. Was she actually angry about him sneaking out? Nobody had been hurt for once, so Sasuke didn't see an issue. Sure, he had wanted to tear Ino apart, but...
"Sasuke, um...There's...something I need to tell you tonight, if you're going away..."
He studied her again. Her heart seemed fine, from what he heard. Her previous paleness was already going away and she seemed relatively fine. Perhaps it really was about his outing. "What's up, Sakura?"
Sakura shifted in her seat and looked down. She tapped the table slowly, seeming unsure. She tilted her head a little then looked up, a nervous smile coming to her face.
"Sasuke, I'm pregnant."