Thirteen years ago
"Get her into the maternity ward, NOW!"
Several doctors were quickly pushing a stretcher down a hospital hallway towards their destination. Laying on top of said stretcher was a woman with long dark brown hair that matched the color of her eyes. She was dressed in a white maternity dress and judging from the size of her belly, the woman was in her final trimester of pregnancy…and judging from the pained expression on her face, she was in labor.
Now a woman giving birth was really nothing new for the men and women of Konaha Medical Corps. But when a woman was about to give birth AND had a very nasty looking wound on her neck at the same time, that was a different story.
"But what about that wound on her neck?! If we don't do something, she'll bleed out!" One of the doctors yelled as he started to hook up an IV bag.
If Ami Xiayu heard anything, she gave no sign. She was just in so much pain, from the wound on her neck to the life that had been growing inside of her that was ready to leave the womb. As this was happening, she could also feel something else. It was as if her entire body was going through some kind of change. The lights in the hospital were suddenly much brighter. Her teeth, specifically her canines were sharper.
And despite all of the pain she was in, Ami felt very thirsty all of a sudden.
"Okay Miss Xiayu, push!"
One of the doctors' voices managed to cut through the daze she was seemingly in. Ami did as she was told and was rewarded with a fresh surge of pain for her efforts.
"Please, let my baby live." Ami thought as she continued to push her child through her birth canal.
With a final push and another loud scream, Ami could feel the mass that had been growing inside her for the past nine months finally leave her body. A moment later, the sound of a crying newborn could be heard.
The last thing Ami Xiayu saw before darkness took her was the sight of her baby girl cradled in a nurse's arms and looking down at her with the same dark brown eyes as her.
"Tenten. My sweet little Tenten." Ami said before she fell into unconsciousness.
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Tenten opened her eyes to see that she was in her coffin. Her nocturnal eyesight allowing her to see in the darkness of the coffin with the lid shut. Glancing to her right, the brunette Jiang-Shi saw that Kin was cuddled up next to her, sleeping peacefully.
Tenten gently ran her fingers through Kin's jet black locks as she thought back to the dream she just had. It wasn't the first time she had that particular dream and it certainly wouldn't be the last. It was obviously about her mother in her apparent final moments and Tenten's very first moments. She was clearly too young to remember anything else after that. All Tenten could recall from her youth was that she was an orphan until she was about five when she was adopted by a local blacksmith named Genosuke. He was a good man who did his best to raise Tenten, and she did have to admit, the blacksmith did a good job…until she found out what she was.
The brunette Jiang-Shi remembered when she first became aware of just how different she was from everyone else.
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Eight year old Tenten could already sense that today was just a horrible, lousy, no-good, rotten day and class at the academy hadn't even started yet. She felt worn out and exhausted, even though she had gotten a full night of sleep the night before. And for some odd reason, the lights were brighter than they usually were, forcing the little girl to squint to protect her eyes from the seemingly blinding lights. And to top it all off, she was very thirsty.
"I don't get it. I drank three bottles of water and I'm still thirsty." Tenten thought to herself as class began.
"Are you okay, Tenten?" The young brunette looked over to see one of her only friends, Rock Lee, walking over to her with a look of concern on his face. "You don't look very well."
"I'm fine, Lee. Thanks." Tenten replied with a smile. "I'm just tired that's all."
The chunin in charge of the class was about to begin when he noticed Tenten's appearance. She looked deathly pale and exhausted. Feeling some pity for the girl, he sent her to the nurse's office, whom in turn summoned her foster father to take her home.
Once she was home, Tenten went up to her room, drew the shades on the windows and instantly fell asleep the moment she touched her bed.
Genosuke, Tenten's foster father, decided to head over to the market to pick up some things to make for his adopted daughter. He only hoped that he could help out with whatever was wrong with the little girl.
When Tenten fell asleep, it had been around mid morning. When she woke up, the sun was almost down. Sitting up in her bed, the brunette stretched her tired muscles. She still felt tired, but nowhere near as much as she did earlier. In fact, she felt much better. The only thing that was still bothering her was that she was still so very thirsty. Reaching for a glass of water that Genosuke apparently left, Tenten took the liquid in great gulps, but it didn't seem to quench her thirst.
"Maybe I just need something to eat." Tenten said to herself as she got up out of bed and made her way downstairs.
"Well, look who's finally awake." Genosuke said as he saw his adopted daughter enter the kitchen.
"Hi, Daddy." Tenten said, wincing slightly at the light
"Are you feeling better, kiddo?" Genosuke asked, concern lining his features.
"Yeah. A lot better compared to this morning." Tenten replied. "I just feel so thirsty."
Genosuke fixed the girl a glass of water. "Here you go, dear."
Tenten just shook her head. "I've tried that. I must've drank two gallons worth of water today and I'm still thirsty." That was when Tenten was hit with a sudden urge. "Um Daddy, can you excuse me for a moment?"
With that, Tenten suddenly bolted upstairs to the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came back down, looking more relieved. "Much better."
By the time Genosuke and Tenten finished dinner, the sun had completely set and Tenten felt considerably better, though she thought it was because she had another meal made up of her foster father's excellent homemade pork buns.
After dinner, Genosuke went to his workshop to finish up an order of kunai daggers. Tenten went with him to see if she could help out. While he was working, Genosuke accidently cut his thumb. Tenten ran to the bathroom to get the first-aid kit.
"Okay Daddy, let's get that wrapped up." Tenten said as she got out a band-aid. "But first, I gotta kiss it so it'll get better."
Genosuke smiled at his adopted daughter as she kissed the small, but steadily bleeding cut. When Tenten kissed the wound, the blood got on her lips. The brunette licked the blood off her lips…and was suddenly overcome by a strange sensation.
"What is this feeling?" Tenten thought to herself. It was indescribable. The blood, it was…delicious.
Without thinking, Tenten put her father's thumb in her mouth and started to suck the blood flowing from the cut.
"What the? Tenten! What are you doing?" Genosuke asked, pulling his thumb from Tenten's mouth. "What's the matter with you?"
If Tenten heard her father, she gave no sign. She was too lost in her erratic thoughts. "The blood. It's the blood that quenched my thirst." She thought.
"Tenten! Snap out of it!" Genosuke said, shaking the girl's shoulders slightly. It seemed to work as Tenten blinked several times as if coming out of a trance.
"Tenten, what just came over you?" Genosuke asked with a worried expression on his face.
It was then that Tenten just realized what she just did. "I…I…don't know."
The next morning, Tenten got out of bed feeling drained. She looked out the window to see the sun gradually rising out of the east. It looked like another beautiful day…and Tenten thought she was going to be sick. It was strange. She felt great last night, especially after the small taste of blood from her foster father's wounded thumb. Now, she felt like hell in a hand basket. Of course, that could have been because she had to get up multiple times during the night to use the bathroom.
As the brunette little girl sat up in her bed, desperately trying to gather enough energy to at least stand up, she also tried to make sense of what happened last night.
"What's happening to me?" Tenten asked herself, suddenly feeling disgusted with herself as the events of the night before came back to the forefront of her mind.
Just then, there was a knock at her door. "Tenten, are you awake?" It was Genosuke.
"Yeah Daddy." Tenten answered as her father opened her door. He was holding a scroll.
"Are you feeling better, Tenten?" Genosuke asked.
Tenten shook her head. "I feel lousy."
"Maybe you should stay home for today." Genosuke suggested. He then handed the scroll to his adopted daughter.
"What's this?" The little girl asked.
"Don't know. It was on the front porch this morning." Genosuke replied. "It's addressed to you, sweetie."
Tenten took the scroll. It certainly was a fancy-looking scroll, even more so than the ones that her father used for storing weapons. The paper was pure white with red and black trim. Her name was written on a small piece of paper that was attached to the seal. As she looked at the scroll, Genosuke turned to leave.
"I have some errands to run this morning, kiddo. Are you going to be alright by yourself for a while?" The blacksmith asked his daughter. Tenten nodded and yawned.
"I think I just need some rest." Tenten said. Genosuke nodded and left. A few minutes later, the sound of the front door could be heard opening and closing, meaning, for the time being, Tenten was alone.
While she was dead tired, Tenten removed the seal from the scroll, curious to find out what it was. When she opened the scroll, a separate letter was attached to the inside of it. "What's this?" Tenten thought to herself as she started to read the letter.
Hello Tenten. I hope that this letter finds you felling at least a little better. I'm afraid that I cannot tell you much about myself, other than the fact that I may be able to help you. I am sure that you have a lot of questions and they will be answered in due time. But for now, it is imperative that you are made aware of what is happening to you and what you must do in order to survive.
Tenten's eyes widened as she continued to read the letter.
First of all, I know that you have been plagued with a feeling of extreme fatigue, especially during the daytime hours. This is also accompanied by sensitivity to light and a nigh unquenchable thirst. By now, you have probably realized that there is only one thing that can satisfy your thirst. You received your first taste just last night.
Tenten almost dropped the letter right there. "This has got to be some kind of a joke." The little girl thought, but the more she read, the more she knew that whoever wrote this letter was dead serious.
Now as you read this, your first instinct would most likely be to talk with your foster father. I must insist against that. This letter and this scroll are for your eyes and your eyes alone. In case you have not figured it out, the only thing that can quench your thirst is blood.
You see Tenten, you may think that you are what many would call a vampire. That is not exactly the case. You are a special kind of vampire, a Jiang-Shi, a vampire from a land known as China. While it is true that Jiang-Shi feed on blood like typical vampires, we feed on human life force as well. Here in the Elemental Lands, the life force of mortals in mixed with chakra, thus, we feed on blood and chakra. And yes. I said 'we,' meaning that I am a Jiang-Shi as well.
Another thing that separates us from 'normal' vampires (other than the fact that we do NOT sparkle. Damn whom ever wrote those infernal books that inspired those damnable movies. They give us creatures of the night a bad name. Sorry, my own little rant there.) is that we can actually survive in direct sunlight, however, in your weakened state, it will not last. If you do not feed within the next 24 hours, I am afraid that you will not survive much longer. Once you have fed on enough blood and/or chakra, you will gain immunity from the cursed sun. Also, depending on how strong your prey is, you will absorb their strength, thus increasing your own strength, chakra capacity and so on.
Within the scroll, I have enclosed a canister of blood for you to consume so that you may keep up your strength. But after that, I'm afraid that you're on your own. You will also find the techniques we Jiang-Shi use to feed. I suggest going after a homeless person or someone who will not be missed for your first feeding.
I know that it will be hard, but sadly, this is the world that we live in. It is actually not all that different from what the shinobi of these lands do. The fools who teach at the academy may try to sugar coat the fact, but the truth is that shinobi and we Jiang-Shi are a lot alike. We hunt and we kill. The main difference is that while the ninjas do it for a job, Jiang-Shi do it to survive.
I hope that this has helped you gain a clearer understanding as to what is happening and what you must do. I will be watching you Tenten. Perhaps we will be able to meet one day. Until then, do try to stay alive and stay safe.
Tenten just looked at the letter, trying to digest what she had just learned. "I'm…I'm a Jiang-Shi?" Tenten said to herself. A part of her wanted to believe that this was some kind of elaborate joke, but for the most part, the little girl knew what she just read was pure fact.
Putting the letter down, Tenten then turned her attention to the scroll. It was split into sections. The first of which was something that Tenten recognized instantly: a storage space. Inscribed beside it were the instructions on how to unseal what was contained within. The young brunette followed the instructions and with a puff of smoke, there was a glass drinking container with dark red liquid.
As she held the container, a myriad of thoughts ran through Tenten's mind. Part of her wanted to resist and pretend that this was all some twisted dream. But as she looked at the viscous red liquid, she could feel her thirst returning, stronger than ever. Instinct overrode common sense as Tenten tore the top of the container off, brought her lips to the edge of the glass, tilted it and drank. With each gulp came a wave of relief mixed in with a sensation of sheer ecstasy.
When Tenten emptied the container's contents, she tried to lick up any remains. "Ahhhh!" Tenten licked her lips. Never before had she feasted on something so wonderfully delicious. "I must have more." The little girl said to herself. She remembered what the letter said. That container was her only freebie. If she wanted more, she had to get it herself. Grabbing the scroll and feeling much better than she was not a moment ago, Tenten started to read.
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That memory brought a smile to Tenten's face as she thought back. It was almost like a lullaby to help her sleep. The brunette Jiang-Shi then thought back to the events that occurred later that very day. Her first true feeding.
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After about an hour of reading through the scroll, Tenten now had a basic idea as to what she needed to do when it came time to feed.
It was then that she heard something downstairs. "Daddy?" Tenten said softly. Putting down the scroll, the little girl quietly snuck over to her door. If it was her foster father, he would have announced his arrival. But then again, he probably thought that she was asleep.
Opening her door as quietly as she could, Tenten tiptoed towards the stairs. Looking down, she saw a man dressed in all black, kind of like the ANBU guys Genosuke told her about, only he didn't wear an animal mask, just a regular mask that covered all except his eyes. A burglar.
She was about to yell, until she suddenly remembered the letter and the suggestion for her first feeding.
"No one's going to miss a burglar." Tenten thought to herself. Suddenly, the little girl felt a feral grin form on her face. "Lunch time."
Tenten quietly snuck downstairs without the intruder noticing. Whoever this thief was, he or she was no shinobi. Or if it was a ninja, he or she needed a lot more training, especially if an academy student was better at stealth than they were.
Meanwhile, the burglar was gradually making his way towards Genosuke's workshop. "Heh heh. That stupid blacksmith. Refusing me service when I told him I wanted weapons to kill that demon brat." The thief laughed to himself, unaware of little Tenten sneaking up behind him. "Too bad he won't be around to refuse anyone else service." He then took out a bloody knife. Tenten almost gasped in horror. She could smell the blood and she instantly knew that it was her father's blood. "My little friend saw to that."
"He…he hurt Daddy." Tenten thought. Sorrow quickly made way for anger. No longer intent on staying hidden, the little girl moved away from her hiding place and cleared her throat, announcing her presence. The thief turned around to see Tenten. He smiled evilly under his mask.
"Well, well. What's this?" The thief said in an amused tone of voice.
"You hurt my daddy…and you're going to pay." Tenten said in a voice that was devoid of fear.
The burglar just laughed. "And how are you going to do that?"
Tenten just smiled like a predator ready to attack. "Like this."
With that, Tenten sent two kunai daggers that she had hidden on her into the thief's kneecaps. The result was rather academic. The thief yelled in pain as he collapsed to the ground. The daggers were thrown so fast and hard that they actually pierced the bones.
When Tenten got close, the burglar tried to swipe at her with his knife. But Tenten merely kicked it away. She had gotten additional lessons in self-defense from Genosuke after all.
"And now, it's time for you to pay." Tenten as she took two more kunai daggers out and used them to nail the thief's hands to the ground, to which he yelled in pain. The thief was on his back, wondering what the little psycho was going to do next. He saw her make some handsigns that the ninjas around the village used. What he saw next was enough to make him wonder if the pain was making him delirious as he could have sworn that the girl just grew a set of fangs.
Tenten then got on her knees and used one of her hand to push the burglar's head to the side slightly, giving her a clean shot at the side of the man's neck, more specifically, his jugular vein.
"Wha…what are you doing?! Wait! Stop!" The man pleaded just before Tenten bit into his neck and began to feed.
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"I suppose it is true what they say. You DO remember your first." Tenten mused as remembered what happened next. It turned out that the thief had wanted to buy weapons to kill the 'demon,' which she now knew was Naruto. Genosuke refused him service. Apparently, Genosuke was among those that never saw Naruto as a monster, but rather as the one who kept the monster at bay.
The burglar obviously didn't appreciate that, so he stabbed Genosuke when he was out doing errands. Tenten would later find out that Genosuke died from his wounds. It saddened the brunette greatly, but at the same time, it really opened her eyes and it served as a lesson that the world was not always a pleasant place.
After gathering up all of her foster father's weapons as well as her own possessions and sealing them inside storage scrolls, Tenten set fire to her former home. The fire was blamed on hoodlums in the area. Not long after that, the Hokage gave Tenten her current residence, which has served her well thus far.
And that brought her to the present, laying in her comfortable coffin alongside her beautiful servant. Tenten softly kissed Kin on her forehead before she started to fall back to sleep, resting for the oncoming day.
"Ah, another beautiful day in the Leaf Village." Tenten said with a serene smile on her face…that instantly turned into a scowl. "Makes me wanna hurl."
"Overcast is never around when you truly need it." Kin said as she and her mistress walked down a street that would take them to the market. Kin was using a henge to alter her appearance, just in case someone from the Chunin Exam recognized her. She looked more or less the same, except her jet black hair was now a dark violet and her eyes were dark brown like Tenten's. Also, her complexion was more tanned.
Currently, the two Jiang-Shi vampires were going to market to pick up some groceries. Even though they lived on blood and human life force, neither Tenten or Kin could ever give up their favorite foods while growing up. For Tenten, it was pork buns. For Kin, it was okonomiyaki.
Just as the two girls were about to reach the grocery store, they both heard a familiar WHOOP. Tenten and Kin looked over to see that they were about to pass by Ichiraku's Ramen. And entering the small stand was a familiar figure dressed in his trademark orange jumpsuit.
"Kin, are you in the mood for ramen?" Tenten asked her henged servant.
"That and other things, Mistress." Kin replied.
"I think it's time you and I properly introduce ourselves." Tenten said as she and Kin walked towards the stand.
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Meanwhile, Naruto had taken his usual stool inside the stand. "Hey Teuchi. How are you and Ayame doing?"
The old ramen chef turned around with a soft smile. "We're doing good, Naruto. Thanks for asking."
The blonde Jinchuriki had a look of worry on his face as he looked at Teuchi. He looked tired and appeared to be suffering from a lack of sleep. Honestly, Naruto couldn't blame the poor guy. "Where's Ayame?"
"She's at the hospital." Teuchi replied. "It's time for her therapy session. What happened on that morning…it really messed with her mind."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Naruto said, feeling sad for the ramen chef and his daughter.
"It's okay though." Teuchi said, brightening up some. "Inoichi and Lady Tsunade are really helping her recover."
"That's great." Naruto said, brightening up as well.
"So, what will it be today, Naruto?" Teuchi asked.
"My usual." The blonde replied. Teuchi nodded and got to work.
As Teuchi fixed his meal, Naruto thought about the recent events in the village. "I guess when it rains it pours around here. First there was the attack on the village from the Sound and Sand Villages and now, there's a murderer on the loose."
Before Naruto could get any further in his thoughts, a voice interrupted him. "Are those stools taken?"
"Hmm?" Naruto turned around to see two girls pass through the curtains of the stand. One was a girl with long violet hair, dark brown eyes and dressed in a black spaghetti top, grayish purple camo pants and combat boots. The other girl was a brunette with her hair tied into two buns. Like the first girl, she too had dark brown eyes, but unlike the first girl, she had a leaf headband tied on her forehead. She wore a green Chinese style shirt with gold trim, dark blue pants and ninja sandals. And although Naruto never met either of them, the second girl with the buns in her hair looked familiar.
"The stools. Are they taken?" It was the brunette who asked.
"Huh? Oh, no. No, they're free." Naruto answered. The two girl smiled and each took a stool. The girl with the violet hair on his right and the brunette to his left.
"Uh, I don't mean to sound rude, but have we met?" Naruto asked the brunette. "You look familiar."
Tenten smiled, but she internally sighed. 'Why are the cute ones always so dim?' She thought to herself. "Actually, we have…well sort of. My name's Tenten, Tenten Xiayu. We were in the Chunin Exam together."
"Oh yeah." Naruto said as he brought his fist down into his palm and realization dawned on him. "You're on Bushy Brows' team."
This got a snicker from Kin, who got a look of annoyance from her mistress. Tenten just continued as she smiled at Naruto. "This is my friend, Kinsumi. She goes by Kin for short." Kin waved at Naruto.
"Well, my name is Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage." Naruto proudly proclaimed. Tenten and Kin had to sigh. Having observed the blonde from afar for a time, the two vampires knew of Naruto's obsession with becoming Hokage.
Noticed the looks from the two girls, Naruto decided to give the whole 'I'm gonna be Hokage' thing a rest. "Sorry about that. It's kind of a habit."
"It's okay." Kin said. "It's actually kind of cute." This got a blush from Naruto.
"Thanks. So what brings you two around here?" Naruto asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
"Oh, we were just out and about and then, we noticed you sitting here, looking a little lonesome. So we decided to join you." Tenten replied. "Oh, by the way. I want to say thanks."
"For what?" Naruto asked.
"For knocking some sense into Neji back at the Chunin Exams. Hell knows Lee and I have been meaning to do it for a while." Tenten answered.
"Oh, not a problem." Naruto said. "So, is he still talking about that fate junk?"
"Not as much." Tenten said.
"That's good." Naruto said. He then turned to 'Kinsumi.' "So Kinsumi, are you a kunoichi too?"
"Uh, no. Tried to be one, but let's just say I…found my calling in life." Kin answered.
The three continued talking until Teuchi brought Naruto his ramen. "So what'll it be, ladies? My treat."
"Oh thank you." Tenten said. "Um, I'll take pork."
"I'll have miso." Kin said.
After the three teens finished their meals, they left the stand. "So, Naruto. Have anything planned later on?" Tenten asked.
"Um, no, not really." Naruto replied, scratching the back of his head. "Why?"
"Well, Kinsumi and I were wondering if you'd like to come to our place for dinner tonight." The brunette replied.
"Really?" Naruto asked, unable to believe his luck. "Alright. I may not have gotten promoted to Chunin, but two hot girls asking me over for dinner is one hell of a consolation prize." The blonde thought.
"Yeah." Kin replied. "You seem like such an interesting person and Tenten and I really want to get to know you better."
"Plus, you paid for our lunch, it's only fair that we make you dinner." Tenten added.
"You two can cook?" Naruto said, looking surprised.
"Of course we can." Tenten said with a slight huff.
"Oh no, I meant no offensive." Naruto said, afraid that he may have accidently insulted the two girls. "It's just that no one's offered to cook for me before, well other than Teuchi and Ayame that is."
Tenten and Kin realized what the blonde was saying. "Oh it's no trouble at all." Tenten replied. "Besides, you did manage to get Neji off his high horse, you brought Lady Tsunade back and she's helping Lee walk again. So as near as I can tell, it's the least that we can do to for you."
"Thanks Tenten. Thanks Kinsumi." Naruto said. "Where do you two live?"
Kin took out a piece of paper and wrote some directions on it. When she was done, she handed it to Naruto. "Six alright?" The presently violet haired girl asked.
"I'll be there." Naruto said. With that, the blonde young man happily walked off, leaving the two Jiang-Shi to watch.
"I take it that it's time to move things along, Mistress?" Kin asked.
"Yes." Tenten said before walking off. "Come on, let's get the stuff for dinner."
Unbeknownst to them, a certain indigo haired Hyuga girl witnessed the interaction between Naruto and the two girls…and suddenly felt a small sense of jealousy that was most uncharacteristic of her.