We laughed
We cried
We played
We shared
Be it food
Toys
Parents
Memories
We were the best of friends
We were the worst of enemies
Our weakness was shown to one another
-- Siblings.
"…!"
A pale fist curled itself around Temari's neck, choking her. The blonde girl gasped as the hand squeezed tighter. A decoy. The soil was a decoy!
Gaara grinned, his bloodshot eyes widening. His madness was being made very clear to Temari.
At first, the girl felt fear. For the first time in her life as a hunter. She'd battled and killed many vampires, but this was different.
Then her sadness sank in. I made him out to be like this.
It was all my fault.
All my fault.
"Why? You're not fighting for your life, hunter?" Gaara asked, taunting her. "Come on. Stake me."
Temari started to feel out of breath. She was running out of air. Fast.
Is this punishment? Is this punishment for my doing?
Should I just…
…Die?
"G-Gaara…" She choked.
The vampire lost his grin. "Who are you?" He demanded, baring his fangs. "How did you know my name?"
Temari couldn't respond. I—should… die--
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU JUST GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS?"
"!"
The siblings both stopped, noticing the intruder… Or take that two intruders.
Shikamaru stood on another rooftop not too far away, his hands positioned in a hand seal, ready to take action. Sasuke stood beside the boy, his arms crossed.
"I thought I told you to shut up."
"L-Look." Shikamaru swallowed. "I can't just shut up at a time like this." He whipped out a stake and proceeded to charge.
"N-No!" Temari gasped, her face turning pale, and both of her hands trying to pry Gaara's hand away. "D-Don't!"
Sasuke grabbed Shikamaru by the scruff of his collar and threw him some distance away. But the landing was still on the rooftop itself, though.
"Calm down much?" The raven-haired boy asked, his eyes piercing.
Shikamaru groaned, rubbing his back.
No. I shouldn't just give up.
I shouldn't die.
I won't die.
Temari gasped again as the grip around her neck tightened. S-Shit. I can't breathe… I can't breathe!
I-CAN'T-BREATHE!
She summoned every once of strength she had, and her feet went straight into her brother's stomach. There was a startled yell, then the vampire growled, his arms raised.
"VAMPIRE HUNTERS DISGUST ME!"
He did something that was unexpected.
-
White.
Purity.
Black.
Filthy.
Those two colors mix to give grey—a dull result of combination.
What would mixing purity and filth give?
It can't be possible, can it?
What happened was that two pale, strong palms pushed Temari down the roof.
"TEMARI!" Shikamaru shouted. Even Sasuke lost his annoyance, and instead fright replaced his features.
Fortunately, Temari managed to get her mind back in one piece. She landed on the floor on all fours, and grabbed her fan.
"HEAR YE!"
She threw her fan up in the air, and did a hand seal. "I am from the family, and my orders will be obeyed!"
"Wth?"
Sasuke slapped his head, sighing, and went for cover. Shikamaru did the same, his mouth open in disbelief.
"…Why is she using magic and wind? And her family's traditional spell, too?"
Dramatic. Sasuke thought, his eyebrow twitching. He hadn't bothered to answer Shikamaru's question. The guy was smart—something that everyone knew. He was either trying to make conversation or just act stupid.
"BARRIER! NO ONE SHALL BE PERMITTED TO ENTER!"
That sentence threw both the boys off-guard. The spell hurled them out of the boundaries immediately.
"What the hell is Temari thinking?" Shikamaru growled, skidding to a halt some miles away from the actual scene. Temari's newly-formed barrier had done a pretty neat job of blasting them out. Sasuke stopped himself just in time before he hit a tree. And he understood perfectly. Her intentions, that is.
"Let's just watch." He snarled, wiping dirt away from his face. That barrier just took out half of her power, and no doubt her energy.
But it wasn't hate. Her attitude towards her brother wasn't hate at all. Not like me.
"…You wouldn't want intruders, do you, Temari?"
-
Naruto wiped the blood from his cheeks. He didn't feel good. He never did feel good after preying. And this time, it seemed to hurt even more. As though he'd let down someone important to him.
But who would be important to him? Who would be disappointed?
The same distorted, hazy image of a certain man came to his mind again. It was the very same image that'd occurred to him a few days ago…
..Gaara had wanted to prey on Sakura, and I couldn't do anything…
…What happened next? Ow…
"There's nothing wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with you at all."
Tanned skin, a scar across his face, a gentle smile, a black ponytail.
A man. Who was that man?
Naruto turned around, leaving his prey unconscious on the bench. The girl he'd preyed on would live. His preys always did. Naruto did not believe in killing. Although he'd drained much more blood then usual today.
The boy glided, as a vampire would, through the night sky. No one would probably notice him except for those nasty vampire hunters.
Tears flowed from the little blonde boy's eyes as he struggled with the rope.
"I'm not weird! I'm not a monster! I never was! Let me go!"
Naruto's blue eyes narrowed. A monster... He hated that word.
-
Author: Good chapter? Bad chapter?