Author: I'm sorry if I did a bad job on the previous chapter… (Falls into depression) My exams are coming… I have art projects on hold, I'm struggling in Photoshop… (Screams head off)

Uh… Sorry. A little on edge here… Coffee…! (Grabs for coffee mug)

-

The 'buggy guy' that Kiba had mentioned was a peculiar character.

He was a tall guy with sunglasses, a high-collar coat, scandals, and brown hair that stood up in 'gentle' spikes—not like that of Naruto's, though.

The boy's name was Shino. According to the database that Temari currently wields, there is no other type of hunter families that uses insects to combat vampires, except Shino's.

Stakes, holy water, and magic are not respected or favored by Shino's traditional family. They believe in using the forces of nature to locate and kill vampires—and that came to using a certain bug which fed on blood.

The bugs occupy the hunter's body. In return, the bugs do not feed on the host, and work for him.

But enough of that. Let's get back to the story.

-

Shino adjusted his trademark sunglasses and placed a firm hand on Kiba.

"Sit down." He whispered.

Kiba glared, but he obeyed.

Temari fell onto the couch, her eyes blank.

"Kakashi is one of the best hunters in the region. He will know what to do." Shikamaru said in a neutral tone. "What brings you here, anyway?" He glanced at Shino.

"My bugs sensed something big coming up, and they led me here." The boy said smoothly and quietly. Shino didn't like noise or speaking in loud tones. "It seems that one of us is converting, am I right?"

Kiba grunted. "No need for you to be so long-winded. You should know, obviously." He sniffed the air and slapped one hand over his nose.

"I hate the smell of bugs…"

Shino sat down on the couch comfortably. "Blood-sucking ones. Of course, not many people accept our way of slaying vampires, but we get the job done all the same."

"Those bugs are vampires themselves." Kiba retorted. "They suck the blood of vampires. They suck the blood of everything."

Shino did not respond to that.

Then yelling came from Sasuke's room and echoed around the hall, making everyone jump to their feet.

-

"I feel sick… Like one part of me is… detaching itself from… my body…"

Neji supported his chin with his hands, his eyes narrowed upon hearing Naruto's shaky sentence.

The blonde vampire was lying on his blood-stained bed sheets, his face flushed and hot.

"I can't believe… this." He groaned, putting one hand on his forehead. "I'm having a fever…"

Neji glanced at the blood pool near his feet him. "Here goes your dinner yesterday, huh?"

"I didn't take that much blood." Naruto coughed. "I- I think—most of it is my blood."

Sliver eyes blinked.

"Yeah. I smell it. What did you exactly do yesterday?"

Naruto's face, if possible, turned even redder and hotter than it was.

"That girl's blood." Neji said instantly.

"I- I sucked Sakura's blood. So?"

"You did something more, didn't you?"

"I didn't."

"Really? If you don't tell me what you did, you'll die, you know."

That dissolved Naruto's sheepish look pretty fast.

"I…I..." Naruto stuttered.

Silver eyes reflected the nervousness that was in the blonde boy, making him even more nervous than he was.

Neji stood up, pulled his friend up roughly.

"You fed her your blood?" He said in a dangerous tone.

Naruto looked away.

"That's what we do when we find our eternal partners. Are you planning to marry her or something? You're a tad young for that."

"Even so, I- I don't see why I'm vomiting like this." Naruto tried to pry Neji's arm from his collar.

"Gods." Neji slapped his head in frustration. "Dad's not going to like this."

-

Sakura choked and threw up her breakfast.

"I'm… sick…" She groaned, holding her head. "Mom… Dad…"

Her parents won't be there. They're working.

Always working.

She couldn't count on her parents. They were never there.
They are never there.

Picking up a fifty dollar bill from the kitchen counter, Sakura coughed and pulled on a sweater.

"Doctor." She muttered, and opened the door.

-

There were stakes all over the room.

Sasuke stood in a corner, panting, his eyes fixed on his teacher.

Kakashi stood on the spot, unmoving.

Then another stake shot towards his student, and this time it worked.

The boy fell to his knees, yelling and screaming in agony as the holy water in the stake started to spread into the wound, making it burn—like acid.

"Why? Don't you want to die?" Kakashi said calmly, watching his student writhe on the floor.

Sasuke closed his eyes, his teeth gritted to prevent more yells from coming out.

Stake vampires…

It was his duty. Killing himself is the way to go.

He had to.

No.

I don't want to die.

Sasuke, his eyes still closed, began to gasp as blood flowed freely from the wound.

His fangs were growing again. But this time, it didn't hurt. His mouth seemed to be numb.

And he could taste blood in his mouth as both fangs pierced through his gums.

I don't want to die.

Sasuke saw Itachi in his hazy vision, and hate overpowered him in an instant.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!"

A shaking hand ripped the hateful stake from a bleeding arm and threw it at Kakashi.

Kakashi dodged, and threw the windows open, flooding light into the room.

"…!"

Sasuke stood, dazed.

Itachi was disappearing. He was going out the window, with that haunting look of his…

"Your parents are dead…"

He would not die. He will kill Itachi. That had been his aim for so very long…

Why had he forgotten it?

With that, Sasuke closed his eyes and fell onto the bed, losing consciousness.

-

Temari stormed out of the room, unable to take it anymore. Sasuke's screams were very much like Gaara's…

Too alike for her to take.

So she'd taken a walk on the street, and spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

Pink hair. Green eyes.

That girl. And she didn't look like herself…

"Do I care?" Temari muttered, holding up her head high and intending to walk past her in a huff.

Then she noticed something weird.

Her hunter skills tingling, she grabbed the girl by the arm, and saw, in horror, the spots on her arms.

"L-Let go of me…" Sakura whimpered, clutching her chest.

Without another word, Temari abandoned any thoughts she had, and marched the girl back to the mansion.

-

"I'm… not a monster…"

"Kid?"

A blonde boy looked up, his teary blue eyes blinking furiously.

It was a man. A tanned young man with a scar across his face.

A brown ponytail.

A rough, tanned hand reached out.

Naruto blinked again, recoiling.

The man put his hand on the blonde's hand.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

The little boy winced, his eyes on the bruises on his hands.

"They hit you, boy? Did you do something bad?" The man asked softly.

Naruto looked up at that.

"Naruto didn't do anything bad. Naruto didn't."

The man's eyes widened at the sound of Naruto talking in third person.

"They said that… Naruto was a monster. But Naruto isn't a monster"—The boy choked, and started to cry again.

The man held Naruto high up, alarming the sobbing kid.

Naruto looked at the surroundings with his tear-filled eyes.

"Now take a look at the field you're on." The man said, letting Naruto sit on his shoulders. "Isn't it pretty?"

And the boy saw the flowers, the sky, the castle where he lived, and green space all around.

"It is your space." The man continued.

Naruto smiled, relaxing. This man is a good person.

-