Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
XXX
I had no idea how long we were in that room training for, but it didn't bother me one bit. I reveled in the exhaustion that came afterward, that sense of putting in a good amount of sparring that I haven't been able to do in a while.
And throughout the whole thing, Sasuke was very instructional.
He would stop our attacks to point out a better spot to aim for, a more realistic way to move against a skilled vampire. I soaked it all in, retaining it thoroughly.
We stopped when Yuko interrupted us, a series of knocks at the door. Sasuke opened it for her, and she said, "Lunch will be ready in a short while, sir."
"Thank you," he said and gestured for me to leave through the door with a nod of his head. "Yuko can show you where to get cleaned up, and then we can eat."
Without answering, I walked up to Yuko, who gave me a small smile. I shot Sasuke a quick glance before toting after the young woman. Even though I was grateful for the helpful information he gave me today, it was all still so weird to comprehend the logistics of what was actually going on.
Yuko brought me back to the room I'd woken in, this time walking in and opening a door I hadn't noticed before that sat at the opposite side of the bed. Behind it was revealed to be a bathing room. An elegant tub had already been filled with water, heat rising from its surface in a lazy manner.
She opened a slight closet door to the right. "This is where the linens are kept," she said while handing me the white towel.
She nodded back at the room. "Changes of clothes have been prepared for you, and they can be found in the dresser."
"Uhm...thank you," I said awkwardly, not really sure how they already had clothes for me to wear.
She smiled, the gesture reaching her eyes in a sincere manner. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask me or any of the other staff members."
My head tilted to the side. "There are others working here?"
"Yes, a few of us are under master Sasuke's employ."
"Do you...like working for Sasuke?" I wanted to form my thoughts correctly. "He doesn't...he's not controlling you into staying somehow?"
At this, Yuko was offended. "Master Sasuke has been nothing but kind to me and the others. He has taken us in and given us a safe place to reside. I am very grateful for his protection." Her words were clipped, and when she was done she made her exit. She only turned briefly to give an obligatory bow, and then she shut the bedroom door resolutely behind her.
That was...strange. If they weren't being forced, they were here of their own free will. Their own desires being to serve a vampire.
So...Sasuke protects them? Protects them from what? Are there other vampires after them?
I couldn't stop thinking of it throughout my bath, but then another thought resurfaced when I stood before the dresser and took in all the clothes folded within. They were pretty basic, nothing fancy. Training pants and shirts, as well as sleeping attire and everyday clothes to just wear around.
How had they all got here? And how did they all look to be my size?
I pulled on black leggings and a red shirt, and then combed fingers through my hair as I stepped foot outside the room.
The realization that I had no idea where to go to eat came to me as I automatically began walking in the direction of the training room.
A man had just rounded the corner before me and his eyes lit with excitement. He appeared to be in his mid 60s, his white hair thinning atop his head and a bushy mustache lay atop his upper lip.
"Miss, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Banri, and I've come to show you to the dining room."
"Thank you," I said, nothing more. I still couldn't understand why these workers were so nice, and yet they were working for Sasuke, a vampire.
He brought me down a hallway that lead to an open area, the entrance had no door, but rather a tall archway. The table was a beautiful wooden structure with matching chairs, and a chandelier hung in the center above it.
Sasuke was sitting down at the end of the table looking over a bunch of papers, his brow furrowing in thought. He barely even looked up when I slid out the chair to the left of his.
But, as I sat down, he swiftly gathered the papers up and handed them to Banri. "Put those back in my room."
Banri grabbed them up. "Yes, sir." And then he left.
It was just the two of us now.
"How many people work for you? They all seem to be human, so why do you have humans here? Yuko seemed thankful to be here even, how is that? Why aren't they scared of you?"
The side of his mouth tilted slightly after the questions left my mouth in a whirlwind. But, rather than answering me, all he did was stare.
Well, I stared right back.
A dark chuckle escaped him then. "You don't seem to fear me, why should they?"
It was true, and it still shocked me. I really didn't fear him, not in the way that would have me cowering in the corner. Sasuke wasn't about to hurt me, though I constantly reminded myself that he was more than capable.
"But...how did they come to be here? You don't seem like someone to keep humans around for their own good."
His eyes glossed over then, clearly his mind bringing him to a different time, his past swimming before him.
"They each have a different story," he finally said. "Though, they are not mine to tell."
Okay, well I knew of at least one story for him to tell.
"Then tell me the time of when we met."
His eyes whipped to mine so instantly that it was jarring, and it made me sit up straighter. His mouth set in a tight line.
He did not speak.
"That is your story to tell," I said. "You were there, and I was there. But, I don't remember anything aside from your voice. Tell me what happened."
He held my gaze for a moment further before it traveled towards the ceiling. The silence in the room was deafening, stifling even. I wanted to drag the words from him, force him to talk.
But, then Yuko came in with a plate of food in each hand. Her bubbly smile felt wrong as she encroached our immediate area to set the plates on the table.
"Enjoy," she said. I looked down at the plate of roasted chicken and vegetables, and interestingly enough, the same thing was on Sasuke's plate.
"You eat...food?" I asked, dropping the subject of our meeting for the moment in light of this revelation.
Without speaking, he picked up his fork, speared a carrot slice, and popped it in his mouth. He chewed slowly before answering. "My body functions similarly to that of a human. The blood is just a necessity to remain functional, but other forms of food keep my body going in between feedings."
I cringed at the last word, which had Sasuke sobering.
"You asked me how we met," he said. "I will tell you soon, but not today."
I picked up my fork and began pushing the vegetables around. "What's with the change of heart?"
"I am a monster, Sakura. I need to remind you of that before our time here comes to an end."
XXX
Sasuke left me alone for the rest of the day, telling me that he had work to attend to, and he would not let me accompany him no matter how much I begged.
He just gave me an amused look before completely vanishing from sight.
Without anything to do, I wandered aimlessly around. It was a big place, Sasuke's home, and I was already tired of not knowing where things were located.
Something interesting I found was that I was unable to open the training room doors. It didn't appear to be the normal manner of being locked, but rather it was spelled shut.
Huh, that was going to be something else to talk to Sasuke about.
Other than that, there was nothing all that interesting. A bunch of empty guest rooms, the kitchen, dining room, a large library, the huge living room with the glass wall, rooms labeled with names on them, which I took to be the worker's rooms as I recognized Yuko and Banri's names on two of them, so I did not open those ones.
There was a lone door that was different from the rest, the black door much more ominous than the others. This room, too, I was unable to open as it was spelled shut. I took this to be Sasuke's room.
After meandering around without finding anything, I finally stumbled upon a room that was surprising. I rushed in and closed the door behind me. The room was dark, barely lit aside from a small light emanating from the center of the room.
It reminded me of the sun bomb that Sasuke showed me deep under the ground. This orb was settled upon a pedestal in the center of the room and glowed in a light silvery color. I approached it carefully.
Smoke swirled and played within the confines of the crystal, and when I reached out to touch it, the same smoke moved faster and faster until Tsunade's face came into view.
My eyes widened and I snatched the orb up in both my hands, running a thumb over my sister's face.
No sound came from it, just the flash of images. The scene changed to show the rest of my team, Ino, Naruto, and Sai. All of them looked worried, well save for Sai who looked like his same stoic self.
I couldn't get close enough to it, my nose was practically touching the smooth surface as my eyes soaked in the images.
The scene changed again, this time my mom's face filled the tiny orb. She was crying, her head held in her hands as silent sobs escaped her.
"Mom," I whispered, my eyes stinging a bit from underlying tears.
Not even thinking about it, I took the orb with me as I left the room. I made my way back to the large living space, settling into a plush chair facing the outside world. Night had begun to fall then, the dark sky sweeping across the horizon.
Those earlier clouds had been swept away with the afternoon wind, making way for the breathtaking view of the valley below.
My earlier thought was correct, we were up so high, situated into the side of a mountain. The drop below was great, it would mean instant death for a human like me if I were to fall from this height.
Sasuke living up high must mean something, he must find safety in these locations. Or, perhaps he figured that no one would come after him here.
Either way, it didn't seem important right now, just a fleeting thought as I stared into the orb.
The images just kept switching from my team to my mom, and they were very worried still.
What was this orb? Did it show them in real time? In the future? How did it show me these specific individuals?
"I knew you would find the Eye of Amavi."
Sasuke's voice cut through the silence, and I turned to see where it had come from. He stood a far way away as he stared at me and then the orb within my grasp.
I pulled it to my chest, protecting it. "Eye of...Amavi. What does it do?"
He strode over to me then, his gaze utterly captivating. "It shows you the person or people that you want to see."
I looked down into it again, the same people swam in the smoke.
"I am sorry I had to take you from them to bring you here," he said. The remorse in his voice was apparent, the statement obviously the truth. "But I stand by why I did it."
There was nothing that I thought to say to that.
He came even closer then, kneeling down before me. "You may write to them if you wish. I can get it to them."
My mouth fell open a bit. "Really?"
He nodded once.
A small smile graced my lips. "I'd love that. Thank you."
He stood, walking over to a nearby table. He pulled out a hidden drawer from its side, withdrawing papers and a pen. Handing them to me, he said, "Whenever you are finished, I will have them delivered."
I took the items in hand, staring at him in surprise. "I thought you wanted me to see that you were a monster. This isn't exactly helping your case."
He gave a slight glare at my words before stalking away.
I couldn't help but smile. No, this was not the act of a monster.
XXX
Question timmeeeeeeeee
Q: What's the funniest TV show you've ever seen?
A: THE OFFICE OBVIOUSLY! Can anyone disagree with me? No, you can't, I will fight you! I have been watching it on repeat for like the last ten years of my life. XD I can quote almost everything in it, and know so many facts that it's crazyyyyy! I will never ever ever ever get tired of that show. :')