Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Or Radiant Gardens. x3
Please leave reviews! They go much appreciated!!
Sasuke's jaw hardens, and his brows fold together in anguish. "Naruto?!" he demands.
"Mhmm," Kakashi continues. "I just locked the door. No worries, his windows have been locked from the beginning."
"What's he doing?" Sasuke questions quickly.
"He could've been awake for a while, just lying there," Kakashi replies drowsily. "But he's screaming now. Hear it?"
Pausing, Sasuke's ears strain through the muffled sound from the metal.
"Are you coming?" Kakashi asks.
Sasuke nods, only to remember that the older man can't see him. "Yeah, of course."
With that, the receiver clicks wistfully. Sasuke frowns, a dark contrast. Hell knows what he's thinking.
Breathing another moment, he stands and collects a complacent center. Truthfully, he's more comfortable in this no-named town. Now that hunger has ceased to blind him, he can sense the auras of one other of his kind, half a mile away. It was that familiar assurance that he knew where he was.
Konoha was shrouded in black and a maze of sound-proof walls. One "vampire" would reveal him or herself at a time, each time with a knowing smirk. And Sasuke knew nothing.
Prepared for the run, Sasuke inhales that last strand of assurance, sanity, and dashes from the assylum's corner. He relishes that taste of wind and his pace quickens. His advanced eyes glow hotly in shadows of the sky. He swoops past a lone couple, walking an inch an hour from his sight. Unsuspecting of the raven creature, they continue contentedly. Sasuke sprints, already meters away. He could run for days.
Kakashi sits contentedly across the screaming room, scanning his faithful little novel. He sits in another one of the Uchiha mansion's dens, one leading to four other hallways and adjacent to five guest rooms. He lies across a sofa, elbows resting on the chair arms and hands clutching his book. He smiles ridiculously behind its cover, absorbed in the absurd plot.
It was God-sent luck that he happened to be dropping by while the house was empty of masters. Where the young Uchiha and the soon-to-be were, was beside him. Kakashi had slipped into the house easily; he only needed to knock. From his knowledge, one of the young-appearing servants had a fancy for him, a petite blood-sucker called Rin.
The servants were a calm mass, standing stern outside a closed-off room. Yelps banged from the doorway, and the occupant's flurried shadow flickered at the space between the door's bottom and the planked floor. Kakashi was satisfied to be showered in salutations and humble pleas for help.
So he'd phoned the "young master" and was reigned a hero. And now he remains in the cozy old den, stuck to a dusty sofa, but dust is no matter to an entranced man. Kakashi grins, flipping two pages at once.
The den is medium-sized, a shadow of the castle's full scale. Tangled cobwebs line the room's corners, gliding the cracked paint of the walls. The chairs' cushions wheeze at every movement of the users. The lights are dim, two of the gothic chandelier's bulbs flickering simultaneously. The rusted chain that sustains it wobbles.
"A message, Hatake-sama," a servant murmurs behind him, just loud enough to cover the hoarse cries of Naruto. He holds a folded parchment.
"Mmm...mmm..." Kakashi holds out a polite hand and thanks the short vampire. Dropping the paper to his knee, Kakashi looks back to his book. He smooths his gray hair with a gloved hand, humming.
"Ah! Mistress, you return!" a female servant calls across the thin walls.
There's a pause in noise, an elapse quick enough to make room for a nod.
"Hatake-sama is in the other room. The boy--" the cracked voice of the woman fades from hearing as her voice lowers. The sound of steps crescendoes, ceasing finally behind Kakashi. A harder bang arises from the adjacent room, and Sakari back-steps out of reflex.
"Hey! Someone let me outta here!"
"So he's really awake," Sakari says softly. She rubs her eyes with one hand. "Is it wise to talk right outside of him?"
"From what I understand, his voice is too loud to make room for ours." Kakashi marks his place, his eyes settling on one line, and he shuts the book.
"Where have you been?"
Exhaling, her fingers crumple the couch's worn material. She replies dismissively, "You teachers should mind your own business." She turns her gaze to the leaflet on his leg. Her expression changes oddly. "A message?"
"Read it out loud." Kakashi hands her the paper.
Sakari unfolds it, opening her lips. "'Addressed to Hatake Kakashi. A couple of orders from that kid, and I'm here. Look what's become of us. I'll be arriving in Konoha in a day. Signed--'" she drops her held breath "'--Iruka.'"
Kakashi's face brightens, like a child discovering presents, but he says nothing.
"Someone get me the fuck out of here!"
Sakari changes her attention again. "He's going to starve. We can't wait anymore."
"Then go inside and explain things to him."
The chandelier's crystals tremble under the waves of the walls. The open window clatters against its frames. Sakari examines the faulting wood of the door; she steps forward, but someone else dashes into the room.
"I'll do it."
"Sasuke." Sakari acknowledges him blandly.
The dark boy strides further inside, frowning at the quivering door. Behind him, Sakari's brows furrow downward. She opens her mouth to speak, but
Kakashi cuts in. "You're covered in blood."
Sasuke nods stiffly. "I fed, so what?"
Kakashi shrugs. "Well, you'll scare the kid to death if you walk in like that."
Huffing annoyedly, Sasuke looks from the teacher to the shaking doorway and concedes. "Then I'll be right back." He stops his eyes at Sakari and moves forward. He stands just a few centimeters taller. His voice comes quiter than expected, "Are you alright? You look--"
She turns away. "Just tired. I'm gonna try to sleep." She walks down a certain corridor, and Sasuke quickly ensues.
Kakashi settles back to his novel, a smile creeping as he looks from his book to parchment. He opens the novel, sticking the note in the back, for later use of marking.
By the time Sasuke returns to the den, Kakashi is gone. A quick message delivered by a flustered servant is all remaining. Sasuke moves uneasily, an odd sort of fear in his frozen throat. Thoughts scour at the back of his head, and he longs faintly to see to the abnormally pale Sakari. The adjacent door crinkles wearily.
"Some...b-body..."
Sasuke sighs, moving hurriedly and turning the knob's rusty lock. The door bursts open, and a panting blonde pushes past it, charging with a growl.
"Finally! Now get ready to--" Naruto stops and stumbles backward. "H-Hey--S-Sasuke?? Wh-What the hell. This is your place?"
Lids twitching, Sasuke nods dismissively. "Come on, you hungry?"
Naruto edges out of the room, staring at his stomach. "Y-Yeah, I guess."
Sasuke twists to another hallway, to a small kitchen with a single stove and table. The lights are dim, and pale moonlight floats through the wide window. A small Styrofoam bowl sits on the table. "There."
Naruto creeps from the doorway before entering. He shakes a little and examines the old walls; he knocks on them curiously.
"Are you coming?" the black-haired boy says tiredly.
Giving his attention to Sasuke, Naruto's eyes widen. "That's it?? That tiny thing? This place is huge! It's gotta have way more food."
"I don't have a lot of guests," Sasuke chooses his words carefully. He leans against the wall, motioning for his friend to sit.
Naruto does just that, finding a pair of disposable chopsticks beside his steaming bowl and shoving his face into the hot noodles.
Sasuke cringes a little; beneath his lips, his tongue runs over his jagged fang.
Naruto slops down the instant soup with a hungry gulp and wipes his mouth. Satisfied, he looks up, a narrow scare in his eyes."So--Wh-What happened
back there, with that freak?" he says cautiously. "I mean, Sakari was there. And you, too! I was just--"
"Why were you there?" Sasuke glares.
Flinching, Naruto looks back warily. "I--um--After you guys left, I went to the warehouse. Then I sort of wandered 'cause no one was there. And I heard yelling and voices and--" The poor boy swallows, becoming increasingly unsettled at each of Sasuke's stares. "You're not gonna eat me, are you?"
Sasuke freezes, and he feels his elbows quiver. Had the boy discovered their nature?
Naruto's eyes widen in horror, and he stands quickly, edging towards the exit. "I-I was just jo--"
"Joking!" Sasuke says quickly, a little loudly. His shoulders drop in relief. "Y-Yeah, me too. Why the hell would I eat you, dobe? Figure you'd probably taste like crap anyway."
Naruto laughs uneasily and stares at his empty bowl. "Uh--Is there any more? I'm so damn hungry, and it's only been a couple of hours..."
"Six days, actually," Sasuke contributes. He waits for a reaction before scavenging for another instant bowl; it was best not to call for a servant at this time.
"Six freaking days??" Naruto screams, slamming his fists in a reminiscent fashion to the first school day. "And you wanted to feed me one tiny bowl??"
He kneels to a dusty cabinet below and pulls out a box of instant ramen. Knowing his friend thus far, he'd ordered the servants to stock on human food.
He shoves the entire pack to Naruto. "Is that all you think about?" snorts Sasuke.
Grabbing a bowl from the cardboard pack, Naruto tears open the paper and dashes towards the sink, pouring hot water and flavoring. "Fine. So I'm guessing you saved my ass."
Sasuke returns to his standing position and holds his elbows in his hands. He lifts his neck in a sophistic manner. "Something like that."
"Who were those freaks? Were they from Radiant Garden or something?" Naruto dips his finger in the hot water and squeaks. "The prisses there're crazy.
I'd go shitty if they named our school something fucked up like that, too."
"They weren't from around here," Sasuke mumbles. "Rivals from my last town, you could say."
"Fucking lunatics." Naruto digs into his new bowl hungrily. "Fighting with knives. You too, Sasuke. You're a fucking lunatic. And--" the blonde looks up charily. "Hey, what about Sakari?"
Deep in his throat, Sasuke growls. "Now, she's fine. Now."
Naruto slurps a couple of more noodles, staring at the raven before him. "Six days, huh? What happened?" His face twists in anguish. "Aw! I missed the movie!"
Sasuke rolls his eyes. How did something so--well--stupid show any importance? Wasn't the blonde confused?
"Wait, uh, Sasuke," Naruto says sheepishly. Sasuke takes his gaze. "Uh, why didn't you take me to the hospital or shit? And who else knows about me--"
"Getting beat to a pulp?" Sasuke distracts his reply.
"Shut up," Naruto grumbles, "but yeah. Answer the question."
"Didn't wana get questioned. Plus, it wasn't like you were dying." It isnt all a lie.
"All right, then who did you tell?" asks Naruto suspiciously.
Sasuke answers rushedly, "Like I said, teme, we didn't want to get questioned."
A strange look crosses Naruto's narrow face, and he nods slightly. He stands, pushing away his noodle bowl. He regards the dainty room and fingers the wood-carved chairs, the simple table. He does this all, with the same aghast shadow in his eyes. "I think I'm gona go now..."
"You can't."
Naruto looks up to his friend nervously; his fingers clench onto the back of his chair. His blonde spikes seem to rises straighter. "Why the hell not?"
"Because you can't."
His voice is simple, and the hairs at Naruto's neck rise apprehensively. What kind of freak show has he stepped into? He chokes on a clump of noodles, dropping his bowl. Soup splatters the ground, but neither of the two seem to notice. "Yes, I can!"
"Listen, Naruto, stay calm," Sasuke says softly. His composed tone, the raven notices, resembles his brother's. His feelings are mixed. "You can't tell anyone about anything."
Naruto stiffens. "Don't you wana call the cops or something? The weirdos got away right?"
"Yeah, but," Sasuke speaks slowly now, "there's something that connects them to us. And it's a secret, something--"
"You mean, when they called me 'human'?" Naruto backs away. "Sasuke, what are you?"
"I said stay calm," says the darker of the boys. "We're not the ones who wanna hurt you. They--"
"Whoah! Who wants to hurt me?" Naruto demands. "Those guys are after me now? What is this, a horror fest?"
"Not exactly," Sasuke sighs. "Just let me finish. We--"
"No, pretty boy. Answer me!" Naruto breaks out in a yell. "What are you?"
"An immortal," Sasuke hisses, "if it will shut you up." It does. "Look, all you need to know is we can't trust you, at the moment. I'll put it in simple terms.
You were never supposed to see us, and as far as our coven's concerned, this has never happened before. So someone has to come and pass judgment on you. You're gonna have to stay put until then."
"Then I can go?" Naruto squeaks.
He nods riggedly. "If he lets you."
"Then who's this bastard I have to suck up to?" Naruto grunts. Strangely enough, he calms down. Sasuke silently thanks whatever God for sending him.
Sasuke's lips press into a grim line, "My brother."
Sakari drops a heavy towel over her wet hair before slipping inside the dark bedroom. The door eases shut behind her, and she leans against it jadedly.
Her arms fold as she looks across to the open balcony. Wind sighs at its edges but cannot penetrate the black of the room. Long branches grope for the stone arms.
She strides to the long bed where she'd unceremoniously dropped her bags. Her clothes and belongings that Sasuke had insisted she keep there. The white sheets stretch over the huge mattress, idiomatic compared to the night air. They're smooth and unslept in.
Her bare foot lifts from the grass-like carpet; she bends to grab her phone from the school bag. It isn't special, neither a new model nor an old. Sakari flips it open before striding outside for a breath.
The stone does nothing for her exposed soles, not a scratch or a mark. The circular moon reflects her fangs but revels in her eyes, an uncommon, wet hazel. The morrow will be a new moon, she knows that. Sakari's thumb holds down the number 3. The '1' key was voicemail; '2' was obsolete. A shredded leather chain hides behind her loose sleeping shirt, a ring hanging; the moon searches for more light.
She hears the receiver pulse like beats, heartbeats.
Ba bump.
The air wisps in white strings. Yet another winter was advancing, stalking on its frozen haunches. White strings, like silver. Sakari shivers. The receiver pauses before automating to a nonexistent voice mail. One.
Sakari shuts her phone before calling again; she doesn't bother to press it to her ear. Her elbows rest on the carved railings, and she looks without watching. The manor stretches to an empty graveyard. No corpses lay in that field, only cracked slates of marble. Nevertheless, a graveyard. Bump.
The voice mail sounds; two.
She closes her phone again, and this time shuts the speaker. She holds it to her face, imagining the stretch of the castle. A cobble-stoned path runs from the backest door, an exit directly below the balcony, winding at least a third of a kilometer. The receiver rings and cuts off. Then the road forked, to be cliché, and a forest erupted from the right. To the left was the marble graveyard.
Three.
"What's wrong?" the soft voice compresses into the hand phone, and yet the wind chills a little more.
Sakari spots the fork finally, her advanced eyes magnifying it. No, the graveyard was to the right. The forest lay to the left. Had she come to convince herself otherwise?
A dark sigh floods through speakers, but there is no question in the tone. The tone is thick, not broad; it reserves itself in a whisper. "Sakari."
"Come," she murmurs. Her gaze loses the path's fork. Instead she can see only grass, trees. Slight movement as the wind moves again. "Now."
The tone clicks, and the phone moans a monotone beep. A recording soon covers it up, and Sakari hangs up. Her eyes release their strain and raise inaudibly, looking.
Please review!!
