Night Walker
Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN NARUTO. My only OCs are Yoru, Niiro, Mei, and introduced last chapter, Rokku. Just for the record, he is the tall dark-haired man from the prologue…oh and Sasuke doesn't like very much.
Intro: I can't believe this story is coming to a close! It's going to be finished before my first story is. That's like…amazing but bad at the same time. Someone is so going to kill me for this.
Chapter 17
…Yoru's POV…
It had been at least two hours since we'd started our journey. I hated not knowing where we were going. I thought of the possibilities of Rokku being an imposter, like Itachi or Mei, but I tried to put those thoughts aside and put the concern of my clan first.
"Yoru, are you sure about this?" Sakura asked me.
"No," I replied plainly.
"Then why are you doing it?" she asked with a look of shock on her face.
"I have no choice, Sakura. And besides, it is my duty to look out for my clan even if I've never even met any of them."
"Wow, being an heiress sounds like a drag," she replied and Hinata, who'd been listening to the whole thing just laughed.
"Yoru hasn't had to spend her entire life with the responsibilities and expectations of being an heiress like I have. She's lucky not to have a father that is so overprotective that he wouldn't even let her be with the man she was prophesied to be with," she said without stuttering at all. (a/n this is just because I'm tired of having to type all of the t-t's and d-d's when she talks. It's annoying.)
"Well actually,…Kuro did try to stop me from seeing Sasuke but he eventually gave up," I said with pain at the remembrance of the fact that he'd accepted Sasuke only minutes before he died.
"Oh, well I guess you know a little bit about it but my dad told me that I couldn't marry Naruto unless he gave me permission and I don't know how that will turn out," she replied looking down at the ground.
We'd slowed down in order to get farther away from the boys so that we could talk without worrying about them hearing. "Has he proposed already?!" I asked in shock.
"No, not yet. I think he's scared to!" she answered, looking at me with amusement in her eyes.
"Well maybe, or maybe he's waiting until you guys are older," Sakura said looking at us before looking at Gaara who was walking in between Sasuke and Naruto. I noticed something strange in her eyes but I didn't ask.
"Sakura's probably right. You're turning fifteen this year, right?" I said in agreement. When Hinata nodded, I replied, "You've still got at least another year to go."
"You've got two then!" Sakura exclaimed. "I, on the other hand, could choose to get married at any time since I'm sixteen."
"Well, I don't plan on rushing into anything just yet. I like things the way they are now," I replied looking at Sasuke and thinking about the things that had happened recently. Even though we'd declared our love for each other over and over again there was still a sense of desperation because we weren't completely bound for life yet. We still had to maintain our high relationship status, no matter what it consisted of. I feared that once we got married, that would all change.
"Hey girls, Rokku says we're almost there," Naruto said, turning around to look at us.
"How much farther?" I asked.
"You'll see it soon," Rokku said from the front of the group. I sped up a little to get closer to the front and Sakura and Hinata followed my lead.
Without us even noticing, the forests and barren landscape of the wilderness had risen into tall sky-high snow capped mountains. The sides were covered in coniferous trees that ended about fifty feet below the line of snow. There were a total of five large mountains from what I could see. The center of the five rose higher that the other two and seemed to have dark clouds gathering over it. The closer we got to the large mountain, the more apparent it was that there were indeed dark clouds above it. Lightning cracked through the clouds as we came within one hundred feet of it and rain started to pour down.
"Come here, Yoru," Sasuke said to me when he saw that I was getting wet. He pulled me in closer and used his cape to shield me from the rain.
"Why did it start raining as soon as we got near it?" I asked.
Rokku heard me and answered, "It is a warning for the vampires within that there are non-vampire beings coming towards the underground city."
"Underground?!" I asked in shock.
"Yes, the city was forced to move underground after what Itachi and the Akatsuki did. Almost all of the vampires in existence would have been killed if not for our back-up plan of going underground. Spells have been used to teleport the entire city into the mountain," he replied as we made it to the base of the mountain.
It seemed as if there was no way in but Rokku knew different and he walked right up to the rock, looked back and motioned for us to follow as he walked into the rock and eventually disappeared. (a/n if you've ever watched Harry Potter, it's like the portal to Platform 9 ¾)
With looks of disbelief written on our faces we walked up to the rock and into it just as Rokku had. As Sasuke and I walked through the portal, everything changed. We were in a red clay-walled cave with guards on both sides of the entrance. Ahead of us, the cave opened up and we could see numerous buildings made of red stone blocks and bridges of bamboo and oak boards. As we walked out into the open, we could see that the buildings were built into the mountains that surrounded the one we were on. Looking up, I could tell that there were buildings up there too, and bridges that went from one mountain to the next.
Below us, at the base of the mountains, were fields of vegetables and green fields farther out with forests edging them. All over, there was a constant bustle of working people, running across the bridges and delivering messages, bringing crops in from the fields below. Even though technology had progressed so much, they still lived in the quainter of times where everything wasn't bought out of stores and everyone didn't own a cell phone. Compared to the city life I'd known up until now, this place was wonderful.
Apart from the houses in the mountains, there was also a ground level community of farmers and villagers that looked just as busy as the ones up here. Once everyone had come through the portal, Rokku led us down a set of stairs. At the end of this set there was another set(carved out of the mountain)to the right that went down and led to the base of the mountain and on the left, there was a beautiful stone walkway with a dark red wood railing that went around the mountain and disappeared as it turned to our left.
Rokku walked along this path and we followed behind him in single file. We went around the corner and a building came into sight. There was a bridge away from the mountain that led to this building that was large and had dark grey marble walls and red wood trimmings. It had a Japanese palace style roof that was also red and made of wood. Between the palace and the side of the mountain there were also huge gardens that looked warm and inviting. "This, my lady, is your palace," Rokku said with pride as he looked at the marvelous structure and then back at me.
I couldn't help but gape in awe and happiness at the fact that this whole thing belonged to me. "Wow," was all I could manage to say. Rokku gave me a warm smile before leading all of us into the palace.
The inside of the palace was much brighter than the outside. The walls in the large hallway were made out of cream-colored stone with red wood doorframes and oak doors with gold handles. There were servants walking down the corridors that stopped to look at us as we passed by them. Their glances immediately fell onto Sasuke and I, along with the necklaces around our necks. When they saw my necklace, they immediately bowed as I passed by them.
We took a left turn into another hallway and walked up a flight of stairs and entered into a large room with large ballroom style carpets and a chandelier ceiling. There was, of course, a large chandelier that hung down from the ceiling and cast a beautiful light onto everything in this open room. Across from the stairs was a pair of majestic oak doors with silver handles. Rokku led us to these doors and ushered me forward. On the door handles, there were silver moons that matched the one on my necklace. At eye level, there was a slot with a line that made the shape of a crescent moon on one side and the shape of a three-quarter sun on the other. That seemed quite odd and I gave Rokku a quizzical glance.
"This door has been locked for fourteen years," he said looking at me and then at Sasuke. "It has a seal that was placed there by our village elders. It can only be opened when our heiress has met the werewolf from the prophecy and they come here together."
I looked over at Sasuke and he looked at me before looking at Rokku. "There is only one way to open it," he said looking at me and I looked from my necklace to the slot in the doors. "Together," he said in a whisper now.
Sasuke took his necklace off as did I, and we brought them closer to the slot. I placed my pendant in the crescent moon shaped slot and Sasuke placed his in the sun shaped slot. As we released them, the magnetic attraction pulled them together and the gems flashed. Mine flashed green and Sasuke's flashed red. With the sound of the seal being broken, the doors clicked.
We took our pendants from the slot in the doors, and they slowly opened to reveal a large room with a high ceiling and tall windows covered by dark colored drapes. The walls were made of dark grey stone and had dark red trimmings on the corners and the base boards. There were black, silver, and red tapestries hanging from the walls and a 180 degree full-length mirror to the left with silver trimmings. To the right, there was a king-sized canopy bed with the same matching dark red wood as the rest of the room as black covers with white and red pillows. To the right of the bed was a closet with the same red oak doors with silver handles.
"Wow, this is…amazing," I said as I took in all of the surroundings at once.
"This is your bedroom, my lady," Rokku said looking over at me. "In fact, the entire palace belongs to you now."
"I can't believe that this is all mine!" I exclaimed looking at the now smiling vampire beside me.
"Neither can we! We are so having our sleepovers here from now on!" Sakura exclaimed and Hinata nodded her head excitedly. I smiled at both of them before looking at Rokku.
"Tonight, you will have to make a speech to our people. You don't have to say much, just let them know who you are. Most of them think that you were killed with your parents so they may not believe you. We will have guards positioned so that they can protect you, should anyone get any ideas about attacking you," he said to me and I nodded my head before everyone left but Sasuke. (Rokku is taking Naruto, Hinata, Sakura, and Gaara to their rooms.)
"Sasuke, I need to talk to Niiro and find out what happened," I said looking him square in the eyes. He reflected equal concern back at me. What if Itachi had attacked him? I needed to know.
"We'll go ask Rokku where he is," Sasuke responded and we left my room to go find Rokku. It didn't take long because he was walking back towards us. When he saw us, he nodded his head and motioned for us to follow him.
He led us downstairs to a room with a white door. When we went in, we found that it was an infirmary. There were two or three people in this big room and I was looking to see which one was Niiro, but Rokku pointed toward a door at the back and led us into it. These were the private rooms. Rokku led us into the first one we came to. There laying on the hospital bed was the unmistakable red-headed vampire, Niiro.
He looked like he was asleep but I knew better. I could see some of the white of his eyes and knew that he was awake. "Do you want me to get the others?" Rokku asked.
"Yes, bring them also," Sasuke answered while I looked at Niiro. Rokku left the room and I went and sat by the bed. "Is he awake?" Sasuke asked me.
"Yeah. You can quit playing possum now, Niiro," I answered and a smirk came across his face.
In a low voice, he said, "It's good to see you again."
"Same to you," I said. "We…Sasuke and I wanted to know what happened to you."
Looking over at Sasuke and then back at me he said, "I had almost made it to the city…when out of the woods…came four werewolves…all with…red eyes. I tried to fight back,…but I was too outnumbered and…I nearly died."
I gasped quietly. "Was Itachi there?" Sasuke asked me.
"No, he wasn't there…That's what really worried me…I thought that…he was using this to…distract me so he could…get to you, Yoru."
"He did," I answered.
"What?!" Niiro exclaimed before he started coughing and he lay back down.
"Sakura and the others came to warn us at about one in the morning. He'd formed a mob and they were after Yoru. We had to run and escape Konoha. But he and some female werewolf named Mei stopped us and we had to fight them off. They'd already gotten Hinata and Gaara who were supposed to be leading them away from us and so it was just Naruto and I fighting them because Yoru was helping Sakura. But then, Itachi broke away from me and went after Yoru who was trying to get Gaara to Sakura. And Yoru…well she fought Itachi," Sasuke said, leaving out the part about me drinking Itachi's blood.
"I shouldn't have left you guys. You could have been killed Yoru. I am so sorry," Niiro replied shaking his head.
At about that time Gaara and the others came in. "Niiro, you crazy fool! What do you think you're doing going off on your own?" Gaara said in a strong voice. I could tell he was hiding his concern for his friend. He walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.
"Like you could have done any good, smartie," Naruto said. Gaara glared at him.
Sakura said, "Gaara, you shouldn't treat the wounded like that!"
Hinata was silent.
I could only smile as my friends started talking and I looked over at Niiro and he, too was smiling.
…7 PM that night…
I had taken an hour to get dressed. I had to go to what used to be my mom's closet to find some appropriate clothes. I'd finally found and black and red corset style dress with a thin silk skirt that hung in wavy tapering strips. It was short in the front and got longer in the back coming down halfway between my knees and my ankles. I had my hair hanging down like normal, my necklace in place along with a gold, jeweled armband on my right arm.
It was time; time for me to address my entire clan. I had no idea what to say to them. Maybe I wouldn't have to say anything, which would be great.
Standing at the doors to the balcony, I took a deep breath. "Don't worry, Yoru. You'll do great," Sasuke said to me kissing me gently on the lips. "Just remember what I said to you that day when Niiro was talking about leaving."
I remembered Sasuke's words that day: "You're very good at being a leader and making wise choices. Once you're of age, I'm sure you'll be a great queen for the remainder of your people."
"I meant it," he said when he noticed the look I was giving that said I remembered. "I'll be right behind you okay? So will everyone else, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Thank you," I said to him before leaning in to give him a kiss. Just as our lips met, Rokku said, "It's time, my lady."
I looked at him and nodded my head. Taking another deep breath, I walked out of the great oak doors and onto the balcony, followed by Rokku, the two guards, Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, Hinata, and Sakura.
Rokku walked with me to the very edge of the balcony and raised his arms. All of the noise from below immediately vanished and all of the people below us were silent. Thousands of pairs of eyes looked up at Rokku and I. "My fellow vampires, I present to you, your queen, Yoru Hokousha!" he said addressing the entire clan before backing away and leaving me standing by myself.
Some people cheered, some clapped but others glared at me. One man in the middle of them all, jeered, "Yeah right! Lady Hokousha's daughter is dead! She died with her parents thirteen years ago." (a/n Yoru was one when her parents died.) He appeared to have dark blonde hair and black eyes.
"Aisu is right! She's an imposter!" another said. This one had jet black hair and brown eyes.
"Yoroi, how do you know that?" another said and then they all started arguing.
I am not going to listen to this, I thought to myself as a plan came to mind. The servants in the hall had immediately bowed to me once they saw my necklace. Maybe it would work for these people too.
Concentrating my thoughts on my transformation, I sprouted my wings out of my back. My eyes turned green and my fangs grew sharper. I did not transform fully, just needing to use my wings.
I jumped down from the balcony and straight in front of this Aisu guy. He immediately stopped arguing with the person next to him and turned around in shock. "If I am not your queen, daughter of Hana Hokousha and the rightful heir to this clan, then how do you explain this?!" I asked him holding up my necklace, the opal in the center flashing green and then back to blue as my eyes returned to normal.
"L-Lady Nobara's necklace…Y-you really are Yoru Hokousha. My lady, I apologize," Aisu said as he bowed down to me. His friend Yoroi soon followed his lead and then almost at once all of the vampires in the clearing bowed.
I looked around at them before smiling to myself and flying back up to the balcony. A female vampire shouted out, "All hail the queen, Yoru Hokousha!" And in her wake everyone stood up and cheered for me.
When I turned around, Rokku was smiling at me, along with Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Gaara who just smirked.
End: I hoped you liked it. It's official now, Yoru is the queen of her clan. I didn't mention anything about a crown or any of that stuff because she technically already has her crown, the necklace, and because she's a vampire. They normally don't wear crowns. Unfortunately this story is coming to a close, but I want everyone to review for these last three chapters, especially the last one! I know you might not want it to end but it's getting close and besides the sequel will probably come out the day that the last chapter of this one is posted. Plz read it! The title is "Flower of the Lion."
Tootles!!