Ah. So here it is after a few months... The second chapter of Blood Ties. Enjoy. Though I know that I left off in an awkward spot. I can't figure out how to end the chapter. Sleepy time seemed best.

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Chapter 2

Jin woke up cold and wet, her neck itching like a semi-healed wound. A soft sigh got her attention and she glanced around slowly her eyes finding a dark silhouette in a corner. Slowly she tried to sit up but her shoulder seized up and she cried out in pain. "You shouldn't move too much…" A deep, familiar voice soothed," You will be sore for at least another day." Jin whimpered softly before glancing at the dark figure again," Itachi….?" She asked softly, recognizing her best friend's brother's voice. "Yes," was his simple reply. "Bastard…" she whispered before the darkness swallowed her again. She woke to immense pain in her neck and the feeling of blood escaping her throat. She choked and groped for Itachi's hair pulling him away from her with an anguished cry. His dark red eyes met hers and she weakly bared her teeth in a sign of defiance. He sighed and moved away from her while she struggled to sit up. "You fucking bastard," she hissed," You can't just bite me once, you have to go for it twice?! It isn't enough you've ruined my humanity, you have to be a glutton about it?!" Itachi looked away, almost as if he were ashamed," Jin, I have to drink blood to survive. I can't infect you twice." "WHY DO YOU CARE?!" Jin suddenly shouted, tears stinging her eyes," IT'S NOT LIKE SASUKE WILL EVER BE ABLE TO LOOK AT ME WITHOUT HATRED!!! AND IT'S YOUR FAULT," she succumbed to a coughing fit, reaching to press a hand to her bleeding wounds," I hate you…" she cried weekly," I hate you." "I'll take you back to the Konoha gate tomorrow. I suggest you find my brother. He'll either help you or kill you. Go back to sleep for a few hours." She heard him leave the room and instead of doing as he said she slowly got up, her neck still stiff and now freshly stinging. The blood flow had stopped and she quickly found a mirror. Tears started to slip down her face from eyes that had already faded into a washed out gray and soon to be black. Her hair would also turn dark and the only thing that would mark her a non-Uchiha would be the fact she would not have the sharingan like them. Slowly she looked around for her kunai and shuriken, she knew Itachi wouldn't have let her keep them after all, that would have been a stupid move to say the least. She finally sighted them across the room and started to stumble toward them when she finally got to them she heard the door open and she quickly snagged a kunai before flinging it at the murderer. He caught it easily," If you aren't going to sleep we're leaving now." He walked over and despite Jin's pitiful attempt at fighting he drug her out of the small hut and into the forest. When Jin finally stumbled and fell from the pain in her neck. The dull ache kept her from getting up and Itachi eventually picked her up, slowly carrying her toward the village. Somewhere in between the two places Jin fell into an uneasy sleep.

~.~.~.~

Sasuke slowly walked home, returning, very sore, from the Land of Waves and all of the trivialities it had aroused. His sharingan had awakened, meaning his thirst wouldn't be long to follow. Rain began to pour heavily as he walked, washing away the scents that were muddling his senses with their unfamiliarity. As he turned into the gates of the Uchiha district a new scent assaulted him. Warm, frail, human, those were the thoughts that immediately ran through his head, that was until he smelt the familiar scent of vanilla and cinnamon, Jin. He started running then, following his nose to her, knowing the only way for her scent to still be around would be for her to be inside one of the many houses in the district. When he finally found her she was soaked to the bone but unconscious, he gently brushed her cheek and her once green eyes snapped open to reveal a dark but still washed out gray. Jin watched in anguish as Sasuke's face contorted into a mask of sorrow and rage before he pulled her into his chest into a rough and uncomfortably wet hug. The youngest Uchiha held her for what seemed forever before pulling away and offering to help her up. When he pulled her up she winced and the hair that had been hiding the steadily healing wound Itachi had caused ravaging her throat fell away. When Sasuke's eyes fell on the torn flesh and bruised skin he snarled his fangs revealing themselves to a fearful Jin who pulled away from him in fear. "Jin…" Sasuke pleaded," I'm not going to hurt you…but he….Itachi did this to you. Didn't he?" She nodded slowly revealing more of her darkening hair to Sasuke who barely contained his rage at his brother. He had killed his clan, taken away the only people that would have been there for him always in a flash of a katana and a splash of blood. And now. Now Itachi had taken another piece of him, his best friend was no longer who she was, but a shadow of herself. A hollow shell of the girl she once was. Gently he pulled her close to him and then guided her back into the rain; the Hokage would have to know immediately.

~.~.~.~

Itachi watched the tender display between his brother and Jin; jealous of the bond they shared, knowing he could never have such a thing again. The display of animosity toward him made him flinch inwardly, his brother truly hated him. His loving older brother that never seemed to have time for an annoying younger sibling… If only Sasuke knew the truth of what had happened and why Sasuke no longer had parents to love and take care of him. Then he would understand the truth of everything, but until then, if ever, he had to remain the evil that Sasuke had to overcome.

~.~.~.~

Jin stumbled along with Sasuke her breathing becoming more and more shallow as she fought off her growing hysteria. With every heavy intake of breath Sasuke's grip would tighten fractionally until finally he pulled her around to face him," Jin, what's wrong with you?" Jin finally dissolved into tears clinging to his shirt as sobs of hysteria wracked her body," You hate me now…. Now that… now that he did this to me…." Sasuke's eyes widened in shock and he pulled her close again," Jin. You are my best friend, I could never hate you, it was him, and he is the one to blame… not you, never you…." Sasuke gently held her, trying to comfort the girl in his arms, realizing for the first time just how much he cared about her," At least… at least we can go through this together, you don't have to be alone." Jin glanced up at him, slowly calming down. Eventually Sasuke gently took her hand and pulled her along, closer and closer to the Hokage Tower. Jin was grateful for the rain, without it she would have gotten more attention than she wanted. When Sasuke knocked on the Hokage's door he looked back at Jin, her shivering form didn't look any more intimidating than a wet kitten. The low call for them to enter came slower then Sasuke liked the sound of. The Third Hokage looked at Jin, and for a moment didn't recognize her before Sasuke explained what had apparently happened in his own words while Jin shivered from the double dose of cold she had gotten that day. The Third glanced from Sasuke to Jin occasionally noticing how she would every once in a while give Sasuke or one of the many ANBU guards a curious sniff, her transformation was happening quickly, more rapidly than Sasuke's natural change. Eventually he stopped the Uchiha gaining himself the rapt attention of everyone in the room. "Jin will move in with you. That feeble apartment will drive her mad with her new senses… and I would prefer her have someone that knows how to control their powers, Sasuke, she will need you quite a lot. Sasuke nodded and gave Jin a glance," I know, but she's my best friend I don't mind." The third smiled," Jin, will you please allow me to talk to Sasuke alone?" Jin nodded," Of course," she said before disappearing out the door. "Sasuke," The Hokage started," She is going to need you more than you think. With her appearance change and the fact of who she now looks like the women of this village are going to turn savage against her, a few of the men may as well. She will need you to help her not hurt them in a fight, her strength will be new to her and she may lose control at the smell of blood. I'm trusting you to take care of her." Sasuke sighed and looked away," I know, I don't want her to get hurt anymore, it was enough to see that Itachi had…. Bitten her and made her just like us. I didn't want her to get so involved with my family." The Hokage nodded slowly," Take care of her then and don't let anything else happen to her." Sasuke nodded and started out the door," Nothing will."

~.~.~.~

Jin waited outside the door staring out a nearby window into the rain. When Sasuke finally emerged from the Hokage office Jin looked at him and gave a weak smile. Sasuke smiled back lightly before offering his hand to her," Let's go get your things." Jin took his hand and he gently wrapped it around his shoulder before picking her light form up. As they moved through the village Jin looked up at Sasuke and watched the changing looks on his face, eventually she found herself looking into the dark eyes of the Uchiha and she blushed faintly and he leaned down to press his lips to her cheek. "You are being very calm about this Jin," he whispered," Thank you for keeping calm about this, if it weren't for you keeping your head I would have lost mine." Jin smiled weakly and curled into his chest gently," Sasuke, I'm thirsty." Sasuke looked down at her," We'll take care of that when we get back to my house, I promise." Jin nodded vaguely her darkening eyes slipping closed," M'kay."

~.~.~.~

Sasuke carried Jin gently through the streets and into the Uchiha district, with the way she was healing her stuff would have to wait. Carefully he carried her into his room and gently sat her on the bed," Jin," he gently shook her," Wake up." The groggy girl looked up at him her eyes almost solid black," Hm?" "Are you still thirsty?" He asked. "Yeah…" "Then sit up," he said reaching for a kunai. Deftly she watched as he gave his wrist a shallow slice and the scent of his blood reached her quickly. She looked at him and he nodded. Gently she took his wrist in her mouth and drank. Sasuke gasped, pleasure welling up in him at an unprecedented rate. Jin slowly pulled away from his wrist and looked up at him, pausing at the look in his eyes. He shook his head lightly and gestured for her to lay back down. "Go back to sleep, you need rest to heal." She nodded curling on her side to doze back off. Sasuke sighed, glancing out the window at the pouring rain and the darkening sky, his own sleepiness beginning to set in. Slowly he dozed off unconsciously curling into Jin.