The day had finally come when the genin teams would be assigned. All the waiting students were anxious to hear who their teammates would be and who would be lucky enough to be assigned on the same team as their friends. Several girls naturally hoped to be paired with Naruto and another several hoped to be paired with Sasuke. The two boys in question just hoped the girls they were assigned with would be professional about it, as would the girls who weren't.
The biggest worry naturally was if they would actually become genin. Because of last year's low turnout of just one official team, all students this year knew that apparently there was one more test before their ninja careers were official. And if last year was anything to go by, the success rate wasn't in their favor. Of course, the general concession was that last year had failed to compensate for the demon factor in all the genin-hopefuls and that's why the teams couldn't achieve what the jounins were testing for. It was either that or the jounins were demon-haters who never intended to pass the teams, and the first option at least gave them something to hope for.
"Alright class, settle down." Iruka said, trying to call them to order. He was glad that for once he didn't have to use the Big Head Jutsu to get them to shut up; apparently they all were eager to hear what he had to say for once. "You're all genin now, and I'm proud of all of you. From this day forth, you will be putting your skills and talents to practical use and serving your village. Remember, being a ninja is not all fun and games. There will be tough times ahead and there is always the risk of death, either your own or your teammates. But as long as you train hard and take this career seriously, you should be fine."
"Of course, there is also the additional risk that you all will experience, the risk of exposing your hidden natures." Iruka added, knowing this part was essential for them to hear. "As you all know and need no reminder of, you cannot let the outside world know what you all really are. You should not feel ashamed of yourselves, but most of the world still has myopic views of demons and will have no qualms about killing you on sight if they learn what you are. Or worse, they will abduct you and enslave you for their own purposes. I trust you all to know what to do when and if the time comes."
He saw many nod and smiled. "Okay then, with that done, I'll list off the set of teams. Team One..." He went on for a bit.
"Team Seven is Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Namikaze..." Right now several girls were anxious to be called on. "... and Sakura Uzumaki."
"YES!" The banshee shrieked in joy, making everyone's ears hurt. Even a few people in other rooms and outside the academy heard her.
"Sakura shut up!" Iruka shouted as best he could. Fortunately she got her excitement out of her system and settled down, unaware that several set of eyes were boring into her right then.
'Why her? She already lives with the guy isn't that enough?' Ino jealously asked herself.
'I see you get frisky with Naruto-kun I'm going to give you way worse than a cold shower.' Hinata silently threatened.
'If you think you've won you are sorely mistaken girl. No way I'm giving up that easily.' Yakumo internally declared.
'Do anything to Sasuke and I swear I'll find a way to make a banshee bleed.' Kaede rued, along with other Sasuke fangirls.
"As I was saying, Team Seven's jounin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake. Team Eight is Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyoga." Like Sakura, Hinata changed her surname after being cast out of her family. She changed Hyuga to Hyoga, reflecting her new element. Hanabi shared the name too, even though she wasn't an ice elemental.
Said yuki-onna was notably upset she was not paired up with the kitsune she admired while the banshee who also lived with him was.
Sakura was elated. 'I get to be around Naruto. This is going to be fun. Maybe he'll even start thinking of me as a possible mate in time, rather than just adopted clan member.'
-Flashback-
"Mrs. Namikaze?" A young Sakura nervously asked Kushina, who was busy making dinner alone for the hungry inhabitants of the demon orphanage. Fortunately there were only a couple of children living there at the time so it wasn't something she couldn't handle.
"Yes Sakura?" Kushina asked, looking at the child yet still working.
"I was hoping you could help me on something I was thinking about today." The pinkette asked timidly, like she was afraid of being dismissed.
"Such as?" Kushina inquired further.
"Well, I don't think I can call myself Haruno anymore, so could you help me get a new name?" Sakura pleaded.
Kushina thought it over. "Well, if you don't want that name anymore you have two options. Either create a new name for yourself or get adopted into a new family. In a legal sense, the second choice is the quicker and easier of the two."
"But who would adopt me? I mean, me and the others are here because we're not wanted." Sakura asked.
The redhead smiled warmly at the young girl. "I'll let you in on a little secret. I may be called Namikaze now, but I am still part of the Uzumaki clan, and as such I do have the right to welcome new members into that if I deem them worthy enough."
Sakura sure was surprised. "Re-really?"
Kushina nodded. "Yes. Prove to me you're a good girl and I will let you call yourself Uzumaki."
Sakura straightened up as if a burden was taken off her. "I won't disappoint you Mrs. Namikaze."
-End Flashback-
'I'm sure glad I didn't.' Sakura told herself as she finished her memory.
"Team Eight's jounin sensei will be Kurenai Yuuhi. Team Nine is still around from last year, so Team Ten is Shikamaru Nara, Chouji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka. Their jounin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi." Iruka continued.
'It could be worse.' Ino told herself, already aware such a set-up was practically mandatory. While the change to demon had changed their version of the classic Ino-Shika-Cho dynamic, everyone had expressed hope their family jutsu would make up for it and still allow them to function as a team. Apparently no one had given a good reason to suggest otherwise.
"And lastly, Team Eleven will consist of Yakumo Kurama, Kaede Shizuka, and Sai. Their sensei will be Anko Mitarashi." Iruka concluded.
"Two genin kunoichi on one team? Isn't that a bit unorthodox Iruka-sensei?" Yakumo asked.
"Unorthodox? No. Uncommon? Yes." Iruka plainly answered. "You all will be given an hour break to relax and get to know your new teammates better, but be back here to be picked up by your new senseis. Dismissed."
Not wanting to spend their free hour stuck in a classroom, all the students went outside. Before she could get outside, Sakura found herself cornered by Ino, Yakumo, Hinata, and Kaede. "What? Jealous?" Sakura could not hide her grin, because part of her was glad to have what they wanted.
"You won the battle, but you haven't won the war yet Forehead." Ino said.
Ignoring that, Sakura turned to Kaede. "Why are you upset? You know I'm not interested in Sasuke."
"Good, because I intend to ensure you stay that way." The vampire girl stated.
Sakura then looked firmly at the other three girls. "You better be careful. Naruto wouldn't like it very much if you attacked his friend and teammate."
"We know, that's why we're here to tell you that this doesn't mean you've won him from us." Yakumo told her.
Sakura then playfully smirked. "Not yet, but I will." Before they could react she turned ethereal and walked through the wall, laughing.
Naruto was outside enjoying a roast beef sandwich his mother prepared for him. It took some effort, but Kushina had managed to at least make ramen no longer an addiction to her son. Sure he liked it and still went to Ichirakus when he was in a good mood, but at least now ramen was no longer Naruto's permanent first, second, and third choice for food.
"Hi Naruto, mind if I sit with you for a bit?" Sakura said as she came up to him.
"Sure Sakura. Do you want the rest?" Naruto replied, offering her the half of his sandwich he hadn't bitten yet.
She smiled and accepted it. "Remember that you did this exact same thing the day I moved into the estate?"
He nodded. "Yeah, but you didn't take it then."
"I was still a bit spoiled and didn't like the idea of eating something others had already touched back then. Then Mrs. Namikaze told me how you almost never had any food, and yet you were still willing to share what you had just so I wouldn't be hungry too. I was really surprised. I kept asking myself why you would do that."
Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "I just don't like being selfish. Never felt right."
'Probably because you were so used to selfish people keeping stuff from you that you couldn't bring yourself to be that way towards others.' The pinkette told herself as she ate some of her half-sandwich. "That's one of the things I like most about you Naruto. You've got the biggest heart of anyone. Everyone was stupid to think you were evil incarnate all those years ago." She said after she swallowed.
"They were just confused, hurt, and scared." He told her.
Sakura shook her head. "No Naruto, they weren't. Not in any way that you should forgive just like that. They may have been upset about the old kyuubi's attack, but they had six years to get over it and they were under no obligation to get it out of their systems by taking their grief out on you. They also didn't know anything about seals so they had no right to judge how the one on you was working. And they showed they had no trust in the Yondaime's ability to keep them safe. I know you don't like hating people, but there are times someone deserves to be hated."
"What would it change?" Naruto asked, confusing Sakura. "Would it make them stop hating me? Would it make them like me or accept me? Hatred is just a wasted emotion."
"Did it feel like that when you were on the receiving end of it?" Sakura inquired.
"Yes, because if I had done anything about it I would have been killed a lot sooner and never met my mom." He said, but then looked a bit crestfallen. "But of course no one else would have become demons and some like you wouldn't have become orphans. So I don't know what to think now."
Sakura took ahold of Naruto's hand. "Naruto, I don't regret what happened. I do not blame you and none of the rest of us do either. It wasn't your fault we became like this. It was the fault of all those idiots who tried to kill you. It's like Mrs. Namikaze told us, if they had just left well enough alone the seal wouldn't have been overworked and damaged thus spreading youki all over Konoha. We are what we are because of the humans, not because of you. Besides, sometimes it's really nice being able to walk through walls."
"But don't you miss your parents?" He asked.
"At first I did, but then I realized something. If they can't accept me why should I accept them?" Sakura told him. "It's been six years Naruto and my parents haven't even so much as said hi to me in passing. Even Hinata gets to talk with her family on occasion. But my parents, it's been so long since I've even seen them that I don't even remember what either of them look like. They made their choice; you had nothing to do with it."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Naruto said.
And then Sakura smiled. "Besides, I happen to think that Mrs. Namikaze is a much cooler mom."
There was no argument there.
Meanwhile, Hinata was trying to find someone other than Naruto for once. She left the academy and headed for the Namikaze estate, where someone who contacted her yesterday was waiting for her.
"Hello Hinata. I'm glad to see you're still well." Hiashi said as he saw her come into view.
Hinata smiled. "Hello Father. What was it you wanted to see me about?" She greeted with a kind smile, seeing Hanabi resting in Hiashi's lap. The girls usually only got to see their father once a month, and that bothered Hanabi more than it did Hinata. Not that Hinata didn't enjoy these visits; she was just old enough to no longer be bothered by the lack of them anymore.
"Mostly I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming genin and wish you luck on the final test to make it official tomorrow." The Hyuuga head told his former heiress.
"Nee-chan will do great!" Hanabi cheered.
"Thank you. Was there anything else?" Hinata replied.
"There was, but Kushina already alleviated my concerns on that. I was worried about the potential risks you might face from your teammates, since I don't know how demons interact with each other or with the opposite sex."
Hinata looked bothered. "You were worried I was going to be molested or something?"
"As a parent the thought was something I needed to address. Fortunately, Kushina assured me that you are currently in no risk. One of your teammates is an insect demon and they generally don't consider ice demons as potential lovers, and the other one is unlikely to even consider you seriously until you reach the age where you start ovulating. Which Kushina tells me isn't for several more years."
"I could have just told you I'm not interested in either. The boy I like is on another team."
"I was concerned about any interest they would have in you Hinata, and I felt I could relax better if I knew you weren't being sent out on missions with an additional danger from within your own team. I'm pretty sure the fathers of the other girls are concerned about the same thing." Hiashi told her.
As if to prove Hiashi right, right now Ino was being visited by her own father. "Hi Daddy. Something on your mind?"
He nodded and sat down. "Yes princess. I imagine you're a little upset at not being put on a team with Naruto are you?"
Ino shrugged. "A little, I admit it. But I'm not that surprised by who I was paired up with instead."
Inoichi nodded. "Yeah, but I just wanted you to know that I was asked what I thought about you being included in his team. Most of us were asked that by Hokage-sama."
Ino sure was surprised. "You were? What did you say?"
"That I thought it wouldn't be for the best for either of you or help the two of you." The Yamanaka head answered. "Sure, you'd be glad to have more time with him, but I knew you'd be tempted to use your siren song on him and deep down neither of you want that. This way you are away from such temptation and can be part of a team which supports your abilities more."
Ino slowly nodded. 'I admit I have been tempted to use my siren song to make Naruto like me more than the others, but I'm afraid it wouldn't last long and he'd hate me for doing it. And he's too nice a guy who's suffered enough already in his life for me to be comfortable adding to it. I want him to like me on his own, not because I forced him to.'
"Besides, you're still young. As you get older your interests might change and you'll find someone else to pursue." Inoichi added.
Ino scoffed. "It's not going to be either Shikamaru or Chouji Daddy. They're practically brothers to me anyway. Besides, I'd enjoy being with someone who can swim and neither of them can do that. Shikamaru flies and Chouji digs instead. I need someone who doesn't mind being near the water."
Inoichi smiled and hugged his daughter. "Good luck princess. And if anyone in the team is being lazy, don't be afraid to motivate them. Sometimes men need a push from a woman."
"I'll tell Mom you said that next time you avoid helping her. "Ino said with a laugh as she walked away, leaving a worried Inoichi behind.
"Where the hell is he?" Sakura shouted as she sat at her former desk while she, Naruto, and Sasuke were still waiting for their sensei to arrive. All the other teams had left with their senseis, except for Team Seven.
"Why don't you scream and see if that makes him show up sooner?" Sasuke sarcastically suggested.
"Ooh, good idea." She replied with a smile, and then took a breath breath.
Sasuke looked horrified. "No. No! NO!"
Sakura then just laughed at his expression, and luckily the laugh of a banshee wasn't painful to hear. A bit creepy and unnerving under normal circumstances, but not painful.
Feeling bored himself, Naruto started working on a harmless trap for his tardy team leader. He went for something simple, the old eraser above a slightly open door.
Sasuke saw this and groaned. "You really think a jounin would fall for something like that?"
Naruto shrugged. "If he's any good he'll see it and avoid it. At least it'll show him not to be late so much." He then moved away and sat back at a desk. Sakura smiled and Sasuke rolled his eyes.
A few minutes later the door opened and in walked an unfamiliar man to them, except Naruto. Naturally Kakashi made it a point to help out Naruto over the past few years now that the stigma on him had lessened considerably.
When Kakashi opened the door the eraser dropped and hit the top of his head, making him stop and Sasuke and Sakura widen their eyes.
'He... he actually fell for it?' Sasuke asked himself. 'Is this guy any good at all?'
"My first impression here is... Naruto's going to be a bad influence here." The cycloptic jounin told them. "But for now, meet me on the roof in two minutes. Don't be late." He then disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves.
Sasuke and Naruto had to run to the roof, but Sakura just turned ethereal and floating up through the ceiling and next level of the building. So unlike her friends, she wasn't breathing hard when they all got to the roof. And judging from the looks of it, neither was Kakashi, who was seated on the ledge.
"Good, you're not slow." Kakashi said when all three were there. "Go ahead and sit down. We'll begin the team introduction."
The three new ninja, Sakura solid now, sat down in front of their new personal instructor. Sakura sat in the center with Sasuke to her left and Naruto to her right. This allowed Sasuke to sit in the shade of an air vent since as a vampire he needed it more.
"So what are we supposed to do then? We already know each other." Naruto pointed out.
"You three may, but I don't know all of you and you all don't know me. This way we'll be a bit more familiar with each other. Just say things like your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, you know, that sort of thing."
"So why don't you go first Sensei? Give us an example to follow?" Sakura asked.
"Me? Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't really have any desire to tell kids my likes or dislikes, my hobbies... let's just say I have hobbies. Same with my dreams."
Needless to say, all three genin did not look satisfied. 'All we learned was his freaking name!' They all thought in various degrees of annoyance.
"So now it's your turn." He told them.
Naruto adjusted his hitai-ate before he spoke. "Okay, I'm Naruto Namikaze, a kitsune with currently three tails though Mom says I'm close to getting a fourth. My likes and dislikes are already known here, as are my hobbies and dreams." Sasuke just rolled his eyes while Sakura suppressed a chuckle at her sensei's frustrated look. He noticed it too. "How does that feel Kakashi-sensei?"
"Very funny Naruto. Now do it for real this time." The jounin told him.
"Fine. I like ramen, my mom, my friends, all of them even though sometimes they want me to pick favorites, and gardening. My dislikes are people who hurt or kill for fun, those that hurt my friends, the man my mother wants to kill, and waiting for ramen to finish cooking. My hobbies are training and pulling pranks around town, and my dream is to become a kage that my mother and father can be proud of."
Kakashi showed no reaction, mostly because he wasn't surprised. 'I just hope he can someday get out of his father's shadow.' "Okay. Next."
This time Sasuke spoke up. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha, a vampire. I mostly dislike bright sunny days like today and things like garlic and water, things that limit what I can do. I like tomatoes, fresh blood, nights with clear skies, and what's left of my family. My hobby is mostly learning new techniques, and if I must say I have a dream, it would be to have another spar with my brother someday and hopefully surpass him."
Kakashi nodded. "And lastly..."
Sakura straightened up. "I'm Sakura Uzumaki, a banshee and proud of it. I like Mrs. Namikaze and my home, and spending time with my friends. The only thing I really dislike are people who hate us, like my parents." She glowered a bit at that part. "My hobbies are doing fun girl activities with other girls I know and occasionally helping Naruto in his pranks. My dream is to just be happy when I'm an adult."
Kakashi was a bit unnerved to hear she helped Naruto in his pranks. 'But then again, that could explain how he succeeded in several of them since she can pass thru walls. I bet some of his other friends helped out too.' Kakashi repositioned himself, crossing his arms and adjusting his legs. "Ok, now that that's out of the way, we can begin our duties tomorrow."
"Is that when we get our next test?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Because of last year, you all already know that the graduation you just underwent was mostly to determine who all had the theoretical skills to be genin, and now you have a test to see who has the practical skills too. In a normal situation, about one-third of these genin even pass, and the rest are sent back to the academy for additional training. Last year even less did, but hopefully this year will be different for you."
The jounin then stood up. "Tomorrow you'll be graded on how you perform on the field. Bring all your shinobi tools, and skip breakfast. You won't be able to keep it down anyway. Be at Training Ground 7 at 7:00 AM, ready for anything." And once again, the cycloptic ninja vanished in a gust of leaves, leaving the three shinobi sitting on the rooftop.
"That is actually pretty cool, being able to vanish like that." Sasuke said as he moved a little deeper into the shadows and away from the sunlight.
"But no breakfast?" Naruto said, sounding like such a thing was completely unimaginable. "Forgot that, how would he even know anyway if we did eat?"
"He might not know, but I sure would." Said a sudden voice from behind that made all three of them jump in surprise. They each then spun around to see Kushina standing there on the roof ledge looking at Naruto with a raised brow.
"Naruto, did I just hear that you were planning on disobeying an order from your new sensei?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer. The blonde/redhead opened his mouth to respond but Kushina answered for him. "Because I hope that I am wrong, otherwise I might have to decide to not make you lunch or dinner for tomorrow as well." She then smiled. "So what was it you were going to say sweetheart?"
Naruto gave an ashamed grin. "That I am gonna listen to Kakashi-sensei and not eat breakfast tomorrow."
Kushina nodded. "That's what I thought. Now, let's go get some dinner big enough to make up for no breakfast tomorrow. My treat."
During the day the Namikaze estate was bustling with activity. Demon children of every age, shape, and size would be moving about, practicing their abilities on the training grounds, or simply mingling and being friendly with each other.
But at night, the manor was silent, save for the few nocturnal youkai wandering around. Like Sakura for instance, being a banshee she was capable of remaining up at all hours of night without feeling tired, although she did not do that often. She found that the night life was not as fun as many made it out to be. Maybe it would have been funner if she was allowed to leave the estate, but Kushina had a strict curfew that applied to any demon living there. Sakura could go nowhere at night without permission.
At the moment though Sakura wasn't interested in going anywhere. Instead she was reading in her room a romance novel that she had picked up from the book store. It was a good one and she had just gotten to the juicy bit.
The two of them were alone in the park together, finally away from the prying eyes of others. Away from the whispers of the people who called their relationship strange and unnatural.
But to the young lovers, those words meant nothing, because the hateful words of the others would not keep them apart.
Seto gently brushed a strand of hair out of Yukari's face. "You're so beautiful" He whispered.
The girls face immediately turned red at the compliment.
"Can… can I kiss you?" He asked.
Always so polite, so respectful, it was one of many traits she loved about him.
"Yes, please, you and only you."
The two of them leaned forward, their lips drawing closer together, ready to taste the-
There was a knocking at Sakura's door, which brought the girl out of the story. She quickly hid the book under her pillow, thinking that it was one of the younger orphan children coming to complain about a nightmare. It happened before, and with her being one of the oldest kids there it was her responsibility to help care for the younger ones.
"It's open." She called
When the door opened it was revealed to not be a young demon, but Kushina, who smiled warmly at Sakura. "Shouldn't you be getting your rest? You have a big day tomorrow at the training field."
The banshee girl nodded. "Yes Mrs. Namikaze, I was just about to go to bed." She answered aloud while thinking 'After I finish my book.'
"Always so formal with you Sakura." The red-haired mesugitsune said with a smile as she walked over and sat down on the edge of Sakura's bed. "I just finished telling Naruto and Hinata, so now I want to tell you how proud I am of you."
Sakura felt a wave of happiness. To her, getting praise from Kushina was the highest honor there was. "Thank you Mrs. Namikaze. I wanted to make you proud, and to show you that I am worthy of the name Uzumaki."
Kushina gave a light chuckle and nodded. "Yes, you have proven yourself indeed worthy to be part of the Uzumaki clan. Which is why Sakura, I need to ask you a favor, from one Uzumaki to another."
Sakura sat up right in her bed. "Anything Mrs. Namikaze, anything at all."
Then from within the sleeve of her shirt, Kushina withdrew a small sealed scroll, which she held out in front of Sakura. "I need you to guard and protect this scroll with your life." She said as she placed it in Sakura's hands.
"What's in it?" The banshee asked.
"It is something important, something I can only entrust to you Sakura. Can you promise me that you will protect that scroll? The only requirement is that you must promise to never look in it no matter how tempted you might be. Can you do that?"
Sakura stared deeply at Kushina for a moment and then she slowly nodded her head. "I swear Mrs. Namikaze, I, Sakura Uzumaki, will guard and protect this scroll with my life. And I will never allow myself or another living soul to gaze on what is inside it until you say otherwise."
Kushina smiled warmly and patted Sakura on the head. "I knew I could trust you." She said as she got up from the bed. "Now, get some rest. You have to get up bright and early tomorrow." She then headed for the door but paused. "Oh and I told this to Naruto already, but I am going to tell it to you, I sealed off the kitchen for tomorrow morning, so don't even think about trying to sneak in any breakfast."
"I'm still full from that dinner earlier. But what about the others?"
Kushina smirked teasingly. "Oh, I didn't say it was sealed off from everyone. Just you, Naruto, and Hinata." She then left the room.
Sakura leaned back on her bed. "Sometimes that woman's even better at tormenting someone than Naruto is."
"Thank you." Kushina's voice was heard from the other side of the closed door, making Sakura blush and turn invisible.
At the same time, Sasuke was out enjoying the cool refreshing night air. It was a clear night with no clouds and stars very visible with a full moon. It was the kind of night he liked the most. His current location was atop one of the many buildings in the Uchiha district away from his home so he wouldn't risk disturbing his mother. Mikoto didn't like how he sometimes stayed up all night, but knew it was in his nature to do so now.
Sasuke leaned back trying to find all the constellations he could recognize. 'Sure gets lonely occasionally here. I wish there were a few more nocturnal types like me that were fun to be around.' In the distance he heard the howl of a werewolf, not uncommon on these types of nights. 'Kiba must be feeling restless too. Too bad he's not my idea of good company.'
As if someone had heard him, he heard the sound of something approaching. He sat up and his nightvision showed a bat approaching him. The bat then stopped beside him and transformed into Kaede. "Hi Sasuke. Glad to see you're up too."
"Hi Kaede." The vampire boy told the vampiress. He knew full well she had a thing for him and while flattered, he wasn't yet ready to consider who to take as a mate and didn't want to lead her on.
'Female demons have a tendency to seek out mates sooner than male demons do.' Kushina once told him and many other youkai boys, her words echoing in his mind now. 'Part of it's because like human females they mature faster than boys, and thus the instinct to find a mate and have offspring hits them sooner. Fortunately most of them don't become fertile until years later so the male has time to catch up.'
"You look bored. Want to go for a flight around town?" Kaede offered.
"Why? Where is there to go for us?" Sasuke asked, knowing most places open now, such as bars and nightclubs, wouldn't let them in because of their age.
"Well there are the late movies. Or some last minute training. Or flying around for the heck of it and scaring the werewolves. C'mon, I'm feeling a bit restless and would like to have some company Sasuke. Do you really want to just lay there and look at the sky?" Kaede responded.
Sasuke shrugged and leaned back down. "It's a lot more enjoyable than what Shikamaru likes to do."
"It's the exact same thing, just different timing."
"I'm trying to conserve my strength for my team's test tomorrow. You would be wise to do the same." Sasuke told her. He looked away so he couldn't see what the vampiress would do next. Naturally he was a bit surprised when he heard and felt her lay next to him. "I thought you said you were restless."
"I did, but you've got a point about saving it for tomorrow." She then looked up at the stars. "Am I bothering you that much?"
He was silent for a bit. "No, not really."
With that, the vampires just relaxed and enjoyed being in their element.
Yakumo was in her room painting since she had an image in her mind she really wanted to capture on canvas. It was a portrait of her and Naruto in a kitsune wedding wearing fancy kimonos and their kitsune features showing proudly while there was some light rain with a sun in the background. She also left room to add extra tails to both of them as they got stronger.
"Someday my Naruto. Someday."
There was a light knock at her door. "Yakumo, are you still up?" It was her mother's voice. Since Yakumo's Id never went out of control her parents and clansmen never died in a fire created by her. She did almost burn down part of the house when she first practiced foxfire jutsu years ago, but thankfully no one died from it.
"Yes."
"Please go to sleep."
"I will when I'm tired." She answered plainly, her hopeful vulpine eyes never once leaving her artwork.