The Hunted
By Kuro Doragon Enkou
Summary- Normal. That was all that could describe Haruno Sakura, a girl in her second year of high school…at least…until they came along. Vamp fic.
Pairings-Sasuke/Sakura/Naruto, Shino/Hinata/Kiba, Neji/Tenten, Shikamaru/Ino
Genre- Romance, Drama, angst, humor, horror, mystery, action/adventure, suspense
Rating- M for thematic elements, language, sexual situations.
Anime- Naruto
Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto®, so please, do not rub it in.
A/N- Alright, this chapter is really late, but school has started and it's been taking up a lot of my time. Anywho, this chapter will be pretty long to make up for the wait although, the next chapter won't be coming for maybe two weeks to a month, so sorry about that.
Chapter Four
Smiling in the Shadows
"Mmm..." Collapsing with a sigh, Sakura rested her slightly larger-then-normal forehead against the cool surface of her desk, annoyance passing through her as she glared in the direction of the door.
"Sakura-chan, you alright?" Blinking, the said petal haired girl looked up and gave a light grin as Tenten slumped down in the seat next her, "You look kind of tired…did you get any sleep last night?"
Sakura shook her head slightly before turning her head to glare out the window before turning her gaze towards the front of the room, her sea-foam eyes resting upon the spot that the two new students- Naruto and Sasuke- would eventually sit down in.
Ah…speak of the devil.
Glowering, Sakura propped herself up and glanced slightly towards the brunette girl next to her, before turning her sea-foam gaze towards the two vampires, annoyance passing through her every pore as a smirk tugged itself onto Sasuke's lips as Naruto grinned from behind the raven haired male.
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"Heh…Sasuke-teme…" Naruto gave a chuckle as he eyed the glowering petal-haired girl, "Looks as if you really made her happy! She just looks overjoyed to see you!"
Sasuke glared, the smirk perched on his lips fading slightly as he glanced at the blonde, "Shut up dobe."
The blonde ignored him to simply stare at Sakura for a moment before turning his cerulean gaze towards the dark eyed boy beside him, "Y'know what teme," a grin grew on Naruto's tanned face as he gave a cheerful smirk, "If you're not careful, I might just decide to take her from you!"
Sasuke's smirk was erased completely as his dark eyes quickly shot from the glowering flower-haired girl to the cheerful blonde beside him, "You wouldn't dare."
Naruto merely grinned at him, "Maybe I would…maybe I wouldn't…" a grin passed across his face as he glanced at Sasuke from the corners of his eye as he eyed the taller male's scowl.
"Oh…by the way teme, Neji-teme and Hinata-chan are joining our class today…" a grin made it's way once more across the blonde's face as Sasuke's gaze once again turned back to him, "…so be prepared to greet them. They've got some info from Itachi-san to be relayed to us."
Sasuke bristled slightly at Itachi's name, a prickle of fear mixed with incoherent rage shooting up his spine, "Don't bother with the honorific dobe…he doesn't deserve that kind of respect."
Naruto grinned, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, "So says you teme."
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"Forehead-chan…" a wince made itself around Sakura's face as she eyed an annoyed looking Ino, who like the petal haired girl, had heavy bags under her eyes, "Where were you this morning?"
Sakura gave a light laugh, as usual, Ino was slightly late, having to scope the halls for potential gossip, before coming into the room.
"Umm…well…uh…" Struggling for words, Sakura fumbled through her sentences, a slight twinge of nervousness passing through her.
"I wanted to ask you more questions dammit! How the hell did you know-" Blinking, Ino suddenly quieted down, a sheepish smile on her face, "Never mind…" the blonde's gaze was locked on Tenten who looked at the two curiously.
"Know what?" Tenten's chocolate eyes were narrowed and her brows furrowed with her confusion, "What are you two talking about…" the brunette's gaze narrowed suspiciously.
"Ah…nothing Tenten-chan," Sakura glanced slightly at Ino through the corner of her eye as the blonde nodded along with her story, "My cousin just came over last night, and Ino-pig wanted to know why…" Sakura gave a slight glare in the blonde's direction, "That's why we both look like a bunch of pandas."
"Your cousin? Which one?" Tenten gave a curios blink before her face spread into a grin, "Was it Psycho-bitch, Barbie-boy or Panda-chan?"
Ino scowled, the remembrance of last night piling into her head as she answered for her petal-haired friend, "Panda-chan." The evident annoyance in her voice caused Tenten to raise an eyebrow.
"Ah…did he do something?"
Sakura grimaced slightly. "You have no idea Tenten-chan, you have no idea…"
"Hey…wait a minute…forehead-chan," Ino blinked for a minute before narrowing her eyes, "Isn't Gaara enrolling in the school?"
Sakura winced slightly, "Yeah…"
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"Neji-nii-sama…" Hinata glanced slightly about as she twiddled with her fingers, glancing nervously at the door before her gaze drifted towards the window, the feeling of the sun on her skin causing a nauseous feeling to pass through her stomach, "A…A…Are you s…sure the serum w…won't wear off?"
Neji scowled slightly from his seat on the bench before he turned his pale gaze to his cousin, "Yes, Hinata-sama, I'm sure…now stop asking that question…it grates on my nerves." His statement was punctuated by a cold glare before he once again turned his gaze towards the window, "The serum won't wear off until nightfall."
Hinata looked down slightly, nodding before gulping once more, "A…ano…"
"Hinata-sama," Neji's voice was cold and sharp, "Forget about the serum. If it wears off, it wears off…end of story. We are simply here to keep an eye on Itachi-sama's younger brother and Uzumaki…nothing more."
Hinata nodded, her lavender gaze turned to the side as she slumped, her fingers twisting nervously, "...H…hai…Neji-nii-sama…"
"What are you doing here?"
Turning quickly, the two pale eyed vampires stared with shocked orbs at the red haired man standing before them.
Hinata's lavender orbs immediately began to fill with fear as Neji quickly stepped in front of the pale eyed girl, his moonlike eyes narrowed, "I should say the same for you…Gaara."
A smirk came across the crimson haired male's face as he raised a nonexistent brow, "Simple…" his voice oozed like dark honey before the smirk became slightly psychotic and his dead jade eyes swirled with the promise of cold rage, "I'm here to rid the earth of scum like you."
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"Damn it…where the hell is Sarutobi-sensei…" there was no mistaking the annoyed tone of Sakura's voice as she tapped her pencil anxiously on the desk before her, "He's unnaturally late…" the petal haired girl's voice was slightly taking on a worried note as she glanced briefly at the clock stationed at the front of the room.
"Meh, the old guy's probably just late…the old fart most likely slept in." glancing up, Sakura's sea-foam gaze was met by two cheerful blue eyes, and vaguely, the petal-haired girl felt her stomach drop.
Staring happily into her face, stood Uzumaki Naruto, with a completely pissed of Uchiha Sasuke glaring behind him. The seats the had two occupied before were currently unoccupied, and at that moment, Sakura wondered just why kami-sama hated her so much.
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Stance ready for combat, Neji eyed Gaara circumspectly; shifting his stance slightly in preparation for the oncoming blow he knew was to come.
"Come at me." The moon-eyed vampire's fingers twitched slightly as he egged the crimson haired human before him on, trying to provoke him into an early move, a smirk perched precariously upon his lips.
Gaara merely arched a nonexistent eyebrow, his hand reaching slightly to the pocket of his uniform, as a smirk, much like the one on Neji's face, began to tug itself onto his thin lips.
"N…Neji-nii-sama…!" Hinata's voice was quiet as she quickly jumped in front of the two, her hands trembling with apprehension as she tossed a cautious glance towards Gaara, who merely scowled at her in reply.
"We….we can't fight here….it could…it could blow…" A slightly discomfited hue filled Hinata's face as she glanced to the side, Neji's pale eyes boring into her own with refined rage.
The girl's voice quieted as she slowly released her cousin's jacket, lavender eyes glued to the floor as she slowly took a step back. "…it could blow our cover…" Hinata's voice had dropped to nothing but a fearful whisper as she blanched; her already pale face now the color of snow. "…Gomen."
Neji's eyes were cold as he stepped away from the pale eyed girl, glancing down distastefully where her hands had clutched at his chest before dusting it off as if some ill conceived disease had touched him there. "Hinata-sama is right…" he frosty eyes glanced slightly towards his cousin, a disgusted sneer perched upon his sophisticated features before he once again turned towards Gaara. "We will finish this later Hunter."
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"What do you want Uzumaki?" There was no doubting the animosity lurking within Sakura's voice as she glared at the tanned blonde before her, automatically distrusting him for his association with the glowering raven haired vampire behind him.
"Ne, so hurtful Sakura-chyan!" the blonde merely grinned at her through squinting cerulean eyes, a slightly mocking tone perched within the smiling blue depths of Naruto's eyes as he drew out the honorific attached to her name in an almost taunting manner.
Internally, Sakura felt her hackles rise as she glared at the two, a sneer erupting on her face while Ino and Tenten looked on worriedly, "It's Haruno-san to you, now, what do you want?" the flower-haired girl's voice was cold as steel.
"Oh, it's nothing really…" the grin on the blonde's face widened as he looked back towards Sasuke, widening ever more as the frown upon the dark haired male's face deepened considerably. "Sasuke-teme and I just want to talk you for a minute…" noticing the look in Sakura's eyes, he waved his hands in a disarming manner in the air, "We only want to talk…nothing more…" there was a pause as Naruto's eyes visibly narrowed before once again the cheerful mask came on full force, "After all, it doesn't look like sensei," the tone of the blonde's voice was mocking as he said the word, an amused twinge settled inside his eyes, "won't be here for a while."
Sakura arched a dubious eyebrow before slowly straitening, glancing slightly over at Tenten and Ino who merely glanced at her in concern, vaguely Sakura remembered that she had not given her blonde friend the true story. Pity that.
"So you'll come?" there was no hiding the eagerness in Naruto's voice as he watched Sakura fidget slightly under his gaze, before she slid out of the chair, a resigned yet cautious look upon her flower-like features.
"Hai…I'll come…" the sea-foam-eyed girl's voice was cautious, her eyes narrowed suspiciously at the blonde before they darted uneasily to the scowling form of Sasuke, just behind the blue-eyed male.
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"She's actually going with you…" the distaste found deep within the crevices of the raven haired vampire's voice left no qualms about the fact that the normally onyx eyed male was annoyed.
"Of course, Sasuke-teme…" the smirk upon Naruto's face was wide as his smile revealed ivory fangs that flashed ominously in his mouth, "After all, who could resist me?"
Sasuke merely arched a dark brow, a sardonic smirk flashing mockingly upon his pale features, "Well, dobe…I for one can…" with a passing glare, the raven haired vampire stepped back from his place beside the smiling blonde, a questionable look resting in his eyes.
"Listen here dobe…" Sasuke's deep voice was ever so soft, fluttering upon Naruto's ears like a deadly wind, "You hurt her, you die. She's my prey."
Naruto merely glanced at the scowling flower-haired girl stalking before him, his voice dropping ever so slightly to so soft a tone that only those within a two inch radius would be able to hear, "What ever you say, teme…what ever you say…"
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Scowling, Sakura stalked towards the door, her hand resting upon the metal handle before she glanced back once more, brow furrowed as she glared at the two vampires behind her.
"Well, aren't you coming…?" the girl's voice was a hiss as if she was doing something completely against her will, although, it was nothing of the sort.
Glancing over, Naruto winked a cerulean eye at the scowling petal-haired girl, "Coming!" running over, but without a passing smirk to the scowling Sasuke, the blonde vampire wrapped his arm around Sakura's shoulder, "Well, c'mon Sakura-chyan, me and Sasuke-teme just had to do some chit-chat, so he won't be joining us!"
Sakura merely glared at the arm the blonde had draped across her shoulders, before shrugging it off in an almost annoyed manner before opening the door, walking out of the room before freezing completely.
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"Hey, leeches, this another friend of yours?" Gaara's tone of voice was apathetic as his jaded eyes glanced from the blonde vampire before him to the pale eyed vampire's sitting at his side.
Neji merely glanced forward before his eyes widened slightly in shock while a slight tremble shook Hinata's entire frame.
"Ohayo, Neji-tan…Hinata-chan…un…" the smirk on the blonde's face revealed razor fangs that could cut through flesh like melted butter, "Remember me…un?"
End Chapter Four: Smiling in the Shadows
A/N- Not my favorite chapter, but it set's the stage for what will happen next. Once again, sorry about the late update, but updates will be very sparse as I'm struggling to make it through my sophomore year of high school without to many problems…anywho, I'll try to get the next update up as soon as I can, so until then, be patient…well, hoped you liked the chapter and please don't forget to review, as constructive criticism is always welcome.
Dictionary
-chan, -kun, -san, -dono, -sama, -teme, -tan, -pipi...- suffixes used at the ends of names, although ones like –teme, -sempai, -kohai, and –sensei can be used as individual words. The new ones introduced in this chapter (-tan, -pipi, -rin) are used to make the name's sound cutesy, and are very similar to –chan, as they are commonly used by teenage girls to make them sound cuter, although, it is being used to mock Neji.
Teme- Bastard
Dobe- Dead last
Hai- Yes
Ohayo- Good morning
Un- It translates to 'Yeah' f
Gomen- Sorry
Reviewer Responses
Vamplover- Sorry about that, here's the other chapter!
Honey I just wanna hear you- Yeah…I know I said that, but currently, high school is taking up a lot of my time so updates will be spontaneous and very few and between unless I have enough time. Anywho, here's the fourth chapter, I hope you enjoy!
VixenOfDeath809- It's okay, anywho, glad you liked the chapter!
Someoneyoudontknow- Yup, vampires! Anywho, looky, I updated!
LeolaTaylor- You think it's interesting? Yay! Anywho, looky I updated!
StormDragon666- Yup, Gaara is Sakura's cousin and a vampire hunter, and he's not to subtle about that fact either…which could be decidedly strange if he starts shooting in the middle of a grocery store, I don't think the police would believe his story…pity. Anywho, as for the machine gun…heh...he might actually take up that offer…poor, poor Sasuke…he better run fast…that is, if Gaara saves up enough cash for one. As for Hinata, she and Sakura will be meeting in the next chapter, and of course, Sakura won't have any idea what's going on…or will she? Anywho, thanks for reviewing!
Valkyrie of the Rohirrim- Yup, Gaa-chan's in this story! He's one of my favorites too, he's just so…well…Gaara-ish! And yeah, Gaara is a hunter of the damned, and as for Sakura's fighting abilities, she might have some, she might not…I haven't decided about that yet…and yes, the Hyuuga Clan, Uchiha clan, Uzumaki clan and one other clan of vampires (who have yet to be revealed) are the four most powerful clans. Anywho, thanks for reviewing and hope you liked the chapter!
BloodRuby- Yup, Sasuke's having some complications on his conquest for Sakura, and as for why he wants Sakura, that little tidbit will be revealed in later chapters, although, I will tell you Sakura's dream has something to do about it. Anywho, hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reviewing!
Sak558- Yup, it's a good thing Gaara saved her, and glad you liked the chapter!
Mfpeach- Glad you liked the chapter, thanks for reviewing!