I hadn't moved much. I went from standing with a look of shock on my face to lying down on my sleeping bag without blinking very often.

I couldn't cry. It had been too long, too hard, and too damn fucked up to think about or cry over since they died, and I refused to lose control around someone I was starting to consider a friend.

I think back on a couple of years ago, and I realize that Sasuke still hadn't had time to adjust to Konoha's lax rules and policy on saving, not slaying. I guess, that whole I had been too bus fuming over his attitude, I hadn't noticed how he softened, relaxed, and opened up a little bit.

I only hoped I had done the same.

---

He came out of the shower dressed and his hair was damp. He was looking a little paler than usual. I think it might have been the tomatoes. He sat on the bed, and for a minutes, there was a tense silence between us. I was trying not to blurt out how I felt, to not tell him the whole story, and he was trying not to ask.

Thankfully, I looked out the window at the navy sky, stars twinkling to life as street lamps came on with individual hums that my newly heightened sense could hear. I dashed to the shower with a change of clothes, with a hurried "We're leaving soon!"

I thought I heard him curse as the bathroom door snapped shut.

---

I brushed my hair out and applied mousse to my ringlets. My hair was so curly, it almost had a mind of its own. I put on some mascara on top of the eyeliner I was already wearing. A pale pink lipstick finished my face, since I decided to forego face powder.

I slipped out of my jeans and shirt. I reapplied some more deodorant, you can't be too careful, and slipped on a yellow halter dress. It had a modest neckline, but was tight across my knees, chest, and hips, giving me the illusion I had more curves than I really did. I slipped some floppy no-nonsense sandals on my feet and checked my reflection. My bra was adjustable, so I just removed the straps.

I stepped back out into the room, where Sasuke was lining up syringes inside his jacket. He was wearing almost too big jeans that were held on by a belt, with a pair of scuffed up black sneakers. His shirt was red, making his skin look a pink-tinged pale that contrasted warmly with his hair. He looked up and stared at me for a few seconds. I couldn't even tell you what he was thinking. Boys are so beyond my skill level.

I slipped a holster unto my thigh, several more needles went down the front of my dress, and we were out of the hotel by the time the sunlight had completely faded from the sky.

---

We were headed to a club a couple blocks from our hotel that was always swarming with both sleazy humans and vampires starved for blood. It was half night club and bar, but it had a fancy restaurant attached to it, and that's where we headed.

The dimness of the lights made me feel more relaxed, but the vampire injection was making me more paranoid than usual, and every person, infected or otherwise, walking by was humming and filled to the brim with life and it was going to drive me mad.

I didn't want blood. The serum, which Tsunade had dubbed VE1, gave every symptom except for the blood craving. My heightened awareness had calmed over the past couple of hours, or maybe I had just gotten used to it, but I could hear the heart beat of every living thing in the room. Next door, the pounding music was too loud from even here, and I could smell sweat, sex, blood and urine wafting from the bathrooms and dance floor. I almost gagged, but I was in public, and managed to pass it off as a hiccup.

We were seated close to the club, and another waft of human made me choke as I sipped my water. Sasuke gave me a wierd look, but I smiled back prettily, playing my role of an average club go-er. We were trying to not act like vampires, which would hopefully give real vampires the impression of what we "really were".

Suddenly, Sasuke stiffened, and I did too when I caught the scent.

Vampires were near.

And we could smell them, their scent like an overpowering perfume in a small room. I spotted them.

Two males, one female.

The female's hair was a lurid red, and shiny, glistening like blood in the dim lights. The shorter male's hair was bleached to a dull sheen, almost blue in the semi-darkness, and from across the room, he looked like he was not a person to mess with. The tall one, more like a giant, with huge slab-like shoulders, looked almost sad. I couldn't discern a haircolor in the lamplight, but his size alone could identify him easily.

Sasuke whispered to me as quietly as he could without moving his lips.

"They're from Sound" he said, not looking at me.

I pretended to read my menu and pointed at the seafood entrees.

"Really? I wouldn't have guessed by the way they smell." I wrinkled my nose polietly, and took another sip of water. I was hungry.

"I worked very closely on a mission with them after I tranfered here. I was hoping to get a chance to find the vamp who infected..anyway, they were part of Sound. Orochimaru-sama was overthrown not very long ago, but he wasn't killed, and alot of people were loyal to him." I nodded my head polietly and pointed at something on his menu.

"I hadn't heard about that. Do you think they could be using VE1 too, as a lure?" I murmered.

"That possibility has entered my mind, but if they are really infected, we should do something about it." I glared at him discreetly, pretending to pout. I noticed the blue-haired males eyes on me. I had to keep acting.

"We shouldn't stray form the mission. I'm hoping to get this done quickly, and at least not get ourselves killed. We have to infiltrate a very powerful and dangerous horde Sasuke. We can't deviate from the plans. We need to form contacts and visit the actual warehouses before we can call in the ANBU corps. This is top priority."

He sighed.

"I understand that Sakura but..." I grabbed his hand. All three of them were watching us now.

"Sasuke-kun! I want to dance, can't we order now?!" I said loudly and obnoxiously.

He almost looked over to where they stood, but picked up his menu at the last moment. The waiter came, and both of us ordered the filet mignon, rare.

"What are their names?" I asked him.

"Karin's the girl. Suigetsu's the blue haired one, and yes, he dyes it. Juugo...has some emotional problems. He's perfectly sane most of the time, but the tiniest things can set him off...he's killed so many people on accident, and he hates it." I frowned in pity.

"Would they take the risk to defect from the Organization?"

He looked me straight in the eye, and the darkeness in his own sent a chill down my spine and caused warmth to stir in my belly.

"I don't know." I realized after we got our food, that he still hadn't let go of my hand.