The Curse

Chapter Six: Investigation

Emerald orbs stared distractedly at the three flames flickering in the cold air of the house. The three sticks of wax had dwindled steadily in the past few hours, the white substance dripping onto the wooden table and drying in large drops and occasional rivulets from the uneven surface. Her skin felt numb because of the cold and it didn't help that she was only wearing a fishnet tank-top and thin, black leggings. Her Jounin flak-jacket had been left behind on the Bridge along with her medical bag – items that had been used to help prop up the injured – and dying – Satsuma Yoshiro.

Sakura closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly as she remembered his agonized yells and his blood everywhere; his foot clutched in the hand of a little girl – or what seemed to be a little girl. She was familiar with death, her professions – as a Medic and Ninja – dealt with it every day, but never in this sense, never had she seen it so brutally carried out. Hours had passed and as the fear from before had settled into a feeling of confusion and desperation and a little disbelief with her situation, Sakura sat in silence, trying to figure out how she was going to approach this new threat and unsure if there was even a solution towards this seemingly unreal problem.

She opened her eyes, gaze landing once more on the candles before flickering upward to watch Makoto Dai. Makoto Dai, who was her rescuer yet also the one who condemned her to this chaos, sat tiredly on the recliner, arms crossed over his broad chest, warming himself, yet dark blue eyes remained trained on the shadow still swaying on the other side of the sealed shoji door. Sakura didn't want to look at the shadow, she was already trying her best to block out the constant hissing and broken laughter sounding just outside the windows, and the periodic groans from the swaying silhouette was reminder enough that it was still there.

However, she watched Dai, his shoulders were hunched and he was fighting to stay awake. Occasionally, his eyes would briefly scan the glowing ofudas sticking to the walls making sure they were in proper working order; the wards were what kept the shadows at bay and were what ultimately kept them safe. Throughout the entire time she had been sitting silently on the couch Sakura had been turning the boy's words over in her head.

Apparently he was very informed and knowledgeable of these creatures, at least enough to have an idea about some of their weaknesses and survive against them. Judging by his exhaustion and heavy eyes – his breakdown even – these deaths had been happening for some time, which corresponded with the records found at the Administrations Building. Although he had informed her that he was a Chuunin from Bird Country Sakura was uncertain if she had remembered his quick explanation correctly, and as much as she searched she still could not find a hitae-ate on his person. She'd probably inquire about it later, when she felt like talking, when the shadows were finally gone.

The Medic couldn't help but allow some skepticism to return, still unsure why she had been chosen among his found records to aid him and why Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, and Neji had also been candidates. She wondered how Satsuma Yoshiro played a role, whether he really was mentally unstable or was merely mistaken for it when he was simply just scared out of his mind. Because – ANBU Ninja or not – Sakura was scared, she didn't like dealing with the unknown, she didn't believe in Curses. Someone had to be playing with them; this had to be some kind of Jutsu or Bloodline Limit, right?

She sighed, looking away from Dai and towards the hardwood floor, eyelids heavy with fatigue not only from the high levels of energy she exuded hours prior – healing Yoshiro, running in the forest, painful injuries – but also from the sheer emotional stress and the constant whirlwind of thoughts and questions brewing in her head. This mystery was eating at her and she was only hours into trying to solve it; the frustration was overwhelming. The only thing she could do was look forward to the morning, when those things left, when Dai could finally debrief her completely, and when she would be able to send word to Naruto and Sasuke of her condition and the obvious reinforcement she was going to need.

'…Haruno Sakura…Dai-san…You didn't come out to play…'

The Medic lifted her head, Dai doing the same, switching his gaze towards the window where the little girl's lilting voice echoed. The figure behind the shoji began to move and Sakura and Dai followed its uncoordinated trek across the hall until its shadow was no longer visible.

'But we'll come back for you…' The little girl continued, her voice also fading away, 'Yes, we'll come back for you so we can play…We'll come back…Just for you…'

And the collection of groaning and hissing decreased until silence prevailed, Sakura and Dai watching the curtain-covered windows warily and after almost a minute of complete quiet light filtered through the cracks of the thick drapes, hitting the floor in yellow beams, steadily getting brighter. Sakura released her knees with a start, standing up and staring at the rays of light stretching across the floor with curious eyes. Her viridian orbs were wide – a little blood-shot from lack of sleep – and she released a long shaky breath. Dai had stood, purposefully moving towards the window and with a breath of his own pulled the curtains open effectively causing the entire room to be filled with warm and bright sunlight.

Sakura stared, seeing the Village streets cleared of mist and shadows, the sun rising above the horizon, the tree outside a lush green and its swaying swing empty.

Morning had finally come.

Azure orbs were narrowed in complete determination. They were going too slow, he wasn't running fast enough, his unlimited supply of chakra was failing him. Forget that his heart couldn't take much more pressure after running non-stop for hours without rest, forget the fact that his legs and limbs could only do so much to keep up with his excessively-chakra-powered self, forget that he also had to pace himself for his other comrade who may also be fast but was also human without either the aid of a tailed-demon or a previously acquired Curse Seal. It didn't matter that he hadn't had an ounce of rest since the night before, that his short meeting with the Tsuchikage had hardly been a recovery period, and that the reputed heat of Earth Country was already sapping his energy, drenching him in unneeded pounds of sweat.

What mattered was finding his Team Seven female comrade. What mattered was keeping her safe.

They weren't far now; his running was becoming a little more uncoordinated and sluggish but his cobalt gaze could already see the forests and the general area of the clearing that he and Sasuke had been the day before, parting away from Sakura with the notion she was on a harmless healing Mission. Naruto and Sasuke were running down the mountain trail at flash speed, a blur to the untrained eye, their steps quick and soft, stealthy like ninja should be yet not minding any trails left behind. Morning had come on swift wings, the sun rising from the horizon and although the heated weather and clear skies overhead promised a beautiful day the two Leaf Ninja gave little notice; their minds registered morning, their minds registered passing minutes that could make the difference of the limited time their comrade had left; a life was on the line and their haste was necessary.

Her safety was more important than any followers that chose to trail them, whatever their reason. Naruto's blonde brows furrowed; let them come, he wouldn't mind beating the shit out of anyone that had the answers he was looking for. If they took Sakura then there was going to be hell to pay.

A grunt sounded from his companion and Naruto slid his gaze towards the darker blur beside him, bright azure instantly connecting with dark obsidian and communication was passed with little trouble. Sasuke veered completely off the steep path of the mountain and leapt, down towards the forest with crimson eyes, completely bypassing the mountain trail in favor of saving time – even if it meant jumping off the rocky path into a seven-hundred foot fall. But the Uchiha fell without fear, head first, eyes narrowed, Sharingan spinning.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk, his agreement of the idea in the form of jumping after the ex-Avenger, gaining speed and rapidly heading towards the forest floor, wind whipping past his tanned face and through his spiky-blonde locks. One-hundred feet from the canopies of the approaching trees and Sasuke glanced Naruto's way; Naruto answered with a single nod before he closed his eyes and placed his hands in a single hand sign.

Being a Wind Elemental sure came in handy.

With a sweep of his arm, Naruto could feel the wind bend to his whims, slowing his and Sasuke's rapid descent and cushioning them against the impact of the trees' canopies. Once they had flown through the first level of leaves and branches Naruto swept out his arm again and he and Sasuke landed with ease on a couple of strong, sturdy branches. Breathing once and after a short triumphant smirk Naruto's expression melted to determination once more, blue orbs connecting with flickering crimson and obsidian before both nodded and jumped from their respective perches, speeding deeper into the forest, closer to their designated clearing.

"I'm not sensing any chakra," Sasuke stated darkly, the meters closing in, "She's not there."

"You don't know that!" Naruto snapped anxiously, picking up his pace, "She's got perfect chakra control; she could be practicing suppressing her chakra or something!"

Sasuke glanced at him with a slightly raised, disbelieving brow, but didn't comment further.

With a scowl, Naruto pushed forward with renewed energy, calling forth the Nine-Tails' chakra, breaking through the last of the foliage and landing heavily on the forest ground, "Sakura-chan?"

Silence greeted him. Trees and more trees greeted him. Naruto's heart stopped in disappointment and fear.

Sasuke landed beside Naruto, frowning as he looked around, quietly assessing the clearing, undoubtedly checking if there were signs of an attack or even signs of Sakura's return at all. He stepped forward, Sharingan returning, looking to the floor and examining a patch of dirt and grass before kneeling beside it.

"She's not here," Naruto whispered, despair lacing his voice; his eyes snapped wide and he immediately reached for his ear then collar, flipping on the device with urgency, "Naruto to Sakura-chan! Naruto to Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan, can you hear me?"

The blonde released the button and was answered with static. He frowned, waiting a few moments before pressing the button again.

"Sakura-chan, do you copy? Sakura-chan? Answer me, Sakura-chan!" Again he released the button and was answered with static, "Damn it! Teme, is your radio working? I think mine is busted!"

"Your radio is working fine, Dobe," Sasuke answered calmly as he stood, dark orbs scanning the clearing again, "I could clearly hear you on mine," He then locked orbs with Naruto, brows creased, "She's either out of range or her radio's been damaged," He glanced back at the patch of grass and dirt, "The only other signs of people here were the three of us when we separated," He shook his head and sighed, "Sakura didn't come back."

Naruto frowned, stomping forward, fists clenched as he glared at the floor, "Just because she didn't come back and isn't answering doesn't mean she's in trouble!"

"It doesn't mean she's fine either, Naruto," Sasuke reasoned earning a glare from his companion for his pessimism; Sasuke nodded his head westward, "We'll just have to go to the Village she was assigned to and investigate, another three hours of travel according to what she said."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he followed the Uchiha's gaze, crouching low, and ready to leap into action, "We'll make it in two hours."

Sasuke nodded minutely, following the blonde's actions, "Hn. Or less."

The challenging grin couldn't help but cross Naruto's lips, "Yeah! We're coming for you Sakura-chan! Hang in there."

And the two shinobi disappeared in yellow and blue blurs towards the West.

Sakura warily watched as Dai stood beside the shoji door, the stack of ofudas he had used during the night now tucked away in his back pouch. Unconsciously, the Medic had removed a kunai from her thigh holster – the tenseness in her shoulders returning even after her new companion had thrown her a curious look and opened the paper-partition with little caution. It seemed he was confident that the shadows had left after the morning's arrival but Sakura couldn't help but stay alert, her lack of experience with her current situation keeping her anxious and out of her element; having the kunai in her hand gave her at least some kind of advantage or some semblance of control.

Quietly, she watched Dai poke his head out into the adjacent hallway for a brief moment before stepping out fully, his hand coming up in a gesture to follow. Sakura crept carefully towards the shoji, her fingers clenching and unclenching around her kunai, before finally, she stepped out of the safety of the living room, head whipping around in caution of her surroundings. She was met with nothing but the same homely interior she remembered running through the night before; to her right was the front door, still locked and untouched, and directly in front of her – across from the shoji – was a staircase leading to the second level. Craning her head to gaze up at the top of the staircase she found nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing everything cleared Sakura could feel the tension leaving her shoulders and her armed hand dropped limply to her side.

"Sakura-san."

The Medic turned her head towards Dai's call and froze with returned unease. To her left was the narrow hallway that led to the small kitchen and even from where she stood she could see the back door that Dai had broken open was ajar, leading to the back alley, the wind causing the entryway to swing lightly. Yet, what unnerved her most was the dark trail that led from the opened back door to the hallway she was standing in. A few feet away from her Dai was kneeling beside the trail, examining it but not touching it, his brown brows furrowed before he returned his gaze to her.

"It's probably from the creature that was standing outside the room," Dai stated, "I've seen this trail before…It's water…Water and blood…"

His analysis made Sakura snap to curious attention, her mind whirring with numerous thoughts as she stepped towards the trail and knelt beside it, green orbs narrowed, "…There's dirt too…Soil it looks like, probably from the forest…But this trail looks so dark, black…" She looked at Dai, "And you're saying blood? Could you identify whose blood it is?"

Dai paled at her question, his head bowing before he shook his head – not out of not knowing the answer, but more in disbelief – he sighed, "…We ran tests and we found it was a mixture of people's blood…It's the blood of those who have disappeared, blood of those who have died in front of me…Blood of those they feed off of…" He looked up at her, dark blue orbs almost bordering black, "It's everyone's blood."

Sakura swallowed, not liking the answer, not liking what that answer meant and what it could mean for her investigation. With a frown and another glance at the dark trail the kunoichi stood and went back into the living room. Her eyes swept over the room in contemplation before she made her way towards the bookshelf, raking over the various titles before grabbing a few off the shelf and flipping through them, testing out the thickness of the sheets before finding some that fit what she was looking forward – rigid and blank – and ripped three out with ease. Then she walked back towards the hallway as she slipped on one of her black, rubber gloves, brows furrowed as she assessed the trail once more.

Dai watched her silently, one of his brows rose as he observed the Leaf Ninja and the meticulous way she folded her sheets of paper and then ripped each of them into eight, even rectangles making twenty-four total. Sakura then knelt down beside him and the trail, her gloved, right hand slowly but purposefully heading for the black substance, forefinger stretched out.

Sakura didn't know what would happen if she touched the trail – if she couldn't even touch the creature she wondered if there were any consequences touching what it left behind – but risks had to be taken and hopefully her glove could provide enough protection. Holding her breath, she touched the substance – silently wishing she had tools for a proper extraction – and scooped up a tiny blob onto her finger, carrying it over to one of her twenty-four pieces of paper and scraping it against the white surface. It smeared black, some particles of soil were visible and it remained wet, only a tiny amount of crimson could be seen but Sakura could only assume it to be blood.

Sakura continued the process an additional seven times on some of the remaining pieces of paper. Eight were smeared with the substance, black with the occasional red, dismal against the stark white of the leaflet. Dai watched the kunoichi without question, knowing that she needed and wanted as much evidence as she could get. When her extraction was finished, Sakura rummaged through her back pouch and removed a small scroll, rolling the blank parchment out and lining up the eight pieces of paper atop it. Using her ungloved hand – the one she hadn't been using to transfer the trail – she bit into her thumb procuring an outlet for her blood and signed three simple characters on the right side. Instantly the eight pieces melted into the parchment and Sakura grinned as she rolled the scroll up and placed it back in her pouch for safe-keeping and later use. The remaining unused pieces were stored in her belt for additional use also.

"Done," Sakura affirmed as she stood up, carefully removing her glove and heading towards the kitchen to wash it, "Next we should follow the trail, see where it leads to, and then we'll head back to the Clinic to look at Yoshiro's room."

Dai stood, nodding his head in agreement, "Alright…And I'll tell you whatever you need to know. Once you're done here with whatever you want to look at we'll head to my Village. I suggest we hurry so we can leave before night falls…"

Sakura frowned as she packed her gloves into her belt and turned off the water faucet, viridian orbs meeting deep blue, "You said that you have enough wards to stay another night?"

Dai stared at her, confused, "Yeah…" He raised a single brow, "Don't tell me you want to stay here tonight, I assure you, it's a lot safer in my home Village."

"I believe you, Dai-san," Sakura responded before leaning against the counter, a sigh escaping her lips, "But my teammates think I'm on a simple, healing mission. When I don't show up at our designated spot tomorrow they will come after me; and I need to be here so they don't get hurt…I can't have that happening to them."

Dai watched her, could see the determination and clear care for her comrades shining brightly in her eyes and he couldn't help the subtle tremor that shook his body as he thought about his own past. He covered up the shiver by nodding his head in acquiesce and Sakura answered with a small, grateful smile.

"Don't worry, Dai-san," Sakura declared as she pushed off the counter and began to follow the dark trail to the back door, "My teammates are smart and pretty powerful themselves…They'll be a great asset to this investigation. The more help there is, the better."

"Of course," Dai agreed and followed after her.

Sakura examined the trail as she walked alongside it, its consistency in the form of dark smears, wet, with the occasional crimson of blood. Its trail marks were the result of the object being dragged and the kunoichi could imagine the feminine creature on its stomach, pulling itself along the floor, following after her and Dai in their search for safety. She and Dai kept along the tracks through the alleyway until it went onto the main street, veering right towards the direction of the Bridge and Forest. But Sakura had stopped in her movements, overlooking the trail to take in her surroundings.

The Village looked different in the morning. It almost looked calm and serene, with brightly lit roads, lush green foliage, and blue skies with the occasional fluffy-white cloud. The atmosphere almost looked homely and inviting and Sakura couldn't help but briefly wonder if the night before had really been a dream. However, Dai's presence and her worse-for-wear condition only reminded her that the night before had actually been real and that a problem was still in her hands – a problem that she needed to help solve.

Now was the time to collect evidence, as soon as she could, when its clues were still fresh.

Unfortunately, she only had a few hours to do it – from daybreak until the early afternoon – because once the evening started rolling in so did the tell-tale thick fog and then when darkness descended so did the shadows that wanted to come out to play. Although Sakura had time to do some problem-solving and observation and research with the presence of the cooling mists she didn't want to risk any run-ins with the creatures like she had experienced the day before, running around in circles trying to find children to save only to stumble upon something far more dangerous was not an experience she wanted to relive.

Yes, Sakura would investigate the Village in the morning, the forest in the afternoon and when the evening and mists rolled by so would her long-awaited conversation and interrogation of Makoto Dai.

It was good to have a plan. It was real, it was solid, and it worked. It had to.

"Sakura-san?"

The Medic returned to reality, snapped out of her musings and threw an apologetic smile toward Dai for her zoning out. Removing her kunai, Sakura resumed her following of the trail, fingers fiddling with her weapon, peripherals attentive of any sudden movements that could prove troublesome for her.

Troublesome. Kami, she wished Shikamaru was around, his perception was much sharper than hers and having someone to deliberate and bounce ideas off of was very appealing for a situation like this. She supposed she would have to wait until Naruto and Sasuke got to her.

"Dai-san?"

"Yes?" He responded, picking up his pace to walk alongside her.

She cast him a side-glance before allowing her eyes to follow the trail again, "You said before that you were contemplating Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, and Hinata to aid you with your investigation. I was wondering what your reasons were for considering them."

Dai had gone quiet, brows furrowed in confusion before understanding dawned and he answered thoughtfully, "I considered Nara-san because of his high IQ and high success rate in missions that are similar to this kind of problem – mysteries. Yamanaka-san I believed would be helpful because of her hidden technique, the mind control abilities that her clan is known for; perhaps it would have proved useful by having her look into the minds of the creatures and find any valuable answers but I realized it was too dangerous a risk for her since we hardly know what these things are…If we can't touch the body who knows if the mind is any different…"

Sakura nodded her head, taking in Dai's theories and ideas, adding it to her own speculations; Dai placed his right hand in his pocket and ran his left hand through his shoulder-length locks, "Hyuuga-sans I was considering for their Byakuugan abilities, I was wondering if the creatures exude any type of chakra at all and their bloodline could probably help in discerning that…"

Sakura tilted her head slightly, "So why me? Why didn't you call for them?"

"…Nara-san had been my first choice," Dai admitted, a tint of pink on his cheeks in a display of embarrassment that surprised Sakura, "But I've heard rumors about you too, Sakura-san. You're smart and, like I said before, your Medical Knowledge would be very useful. It also was an easy reason to get you here – your healing abilities – for civilians…I apologize again for my deception."

"Oh…" The kunoichi turned this over in her head, not in the least envious of Shikamaru for being first choice – she would have picked him first too – but taking in his words; perhaps she could send for back-up, tell Katsuyu to tell Tsunade to send Shikamaru and at least one Hyuuga; Dai's theory about sensing chakra from the creatures through the Byakuugan was promising.

Katsuyu.

She still needed to summon the large slug to inform Sasuke and Naruto of her whereabouts before they went crazy with worry. Looking up at the rising sun Sakura decided to summon the slug when noon arrived, she wouldn't want her good friend to be waiting numerous hours alone in the forest; Sasuke and Naruto probably weren't going to leave Iwagakure no Sato for another few hours yet, knowing how Naruto liked to sleep in. She briefly touched her ear and sighed, wishing her radio hadn't been lost the night before.

"It leads into the forest…" Dai stated, pulling Sakura once again out of her musings – she really needed to stop doing that – and focused her sights on the Bridge laid out before her.

The trail did indeed cross the Bridge and disappeared into the darkness of the foliage, green trees swaying with the morning wind, and Sakura could feel a shiver crawl up her spine, eyeing the blood trail Yoshiro had left behind the night before. The red trail from Yoshiro and the black trail from the creature were side by side, both heading towards the forest, but on her end of the Bridge, the trails parted ways. The black trail veered left towards the house she and Dai stayed in and the red trail veered right towards the Clinic.

The same questions from the night before entered Sakura's mind again as she looked at the red trail. As she pictured Yoshiro's body, his feet were positioned towards the forest and his head towards where she currently stood. He had been on his stomach, crawling. It seemed – Sakura thought as she eyed the deep crimson – that Yoshiro had been taken from the Clinic and dragged towards the forest.

But…

"Don't! Don't let them take me! No! Not again! No! Help me!"

"Not again…" Sakura whispered in remembrance as she knelt beside the blood tracks, "He had been taken – dragged away – from the Clinic but…they stopped for some reason. He started to crawl back, he was trying to get away, and they were allowing it. Why?"

"…They'll be coming…For me…A-And…They'll be coming for you too…"

"Did they know I had come? Did they know I was coming?" Sakura questioned with deeply, furrowed brows, her hands already going through the task of taking four pieces of paper and transferring Yoshiro's blood atop it, then securing the evidence in the scroll with the others, "Was he the trap?" She stood up, taking in the tracks again and warily eyeing her medical bag and Jounin flak-jacket left behind, untouched; but she didn't feel like getting it, not yet; she turned to Dai, "These creatures are smart, aren't they? They're just limited, like daylight and ofudas…"

Dai nodded, "I don't know the extent of their intellect but yeah, they're pretty smart for such unintelligible creatures."

Sakura didn't know if Dai was making a joke but she couldn't help but agree that what he said was true. Despite that the majority of the creatures' sounds were hissing whispers and groans at least two of them could speak; the feminine shadow that was at the shoji door and the little girl. Maybe those two played a key to the mystery.

"Come on," Sakura sighed as she cast a glance at the two trails and her personal items on the Bridge a final time, her body turning in the direction of the blood trail, set on heading to the Clinic, "We've still got a lot to do…"

The walk towards the Clinic was silent, Sakura pondering over the current situation and Dai watching her with a mixture of curiosity and awe. Yes he was aware that Haruno Sakura was a famed kunoichi and her name's power also equaled those of Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, the teammates he assumed that would be coming to help; another stunning realization for him, to be in their powerful presences. But what was surreal for him was her calm demeanor, something he should have expected from someone of her status, but she was also too calm, especially for someone that just recently encountered a Curse.

Unless she honestly didn't believe in them. He frowned; if that was the case she was going to be in for a rude awakening. He had been witness to these murders for years, this was definitely a Curse. After a few more nights in this hell she would begin to realize it; he was just sorry that he would be the reason for it.

"I would imagine a little more questioning from you, Sakura-san," Dai offered kindly, "It's not every day one faces what you just did. I admire the calmness with which you're handling it though."

Sakura responded with a soft snort, a small lift at the corners of her lips, "Oh, you'll be questioned Dai-san, no need to worry about that. And yes, I've never been a situation like this but panicking isn't going to help me any…However, if you were in my head right now I suppose you'd understand just how incredulous and confused I really am."

Dai sighed, "…I know this is annoying Sakura-san, but I really am sorry for this situation."

"Stop apologizing," Sakura snapped, a tad irritated, "You've made it clear you're sorry, I see that. Yeah, I'm upset and for the reasons I said before, it's difficult to help you when I'm thrust into a Mission with such disorganization and little time to research and prepare, but I agreed to help you. I could have left; you're apologizing for dragging me into this, but I decided to stay, that isn't your fault. After seeing what I've seen, I want to help stop these murders too."

Dai was speechless. He had also heard rumors of Haruno Sakura's temper and he had a feeling that what he had just seen wasn't even scratching the surface. So he remained quiet. When the two reached the Clinic, Sakura looked up at the building, blew a strand of pastel-pink from her face, and pushed the doors open.

"It didn't look like this when I left," Dai breathed as he looked at the same upturned chairs and shelves Sakura had seen the night before.

"I'm guessing the creatures did it," Sakura responded as she stepped over a knocked-over couch, avoiding some broken glass, "There's no black trail though…So I'm guessing the shadow at the shoji didn't come in here…I have a feeling that's the only one that leaves the trail…"

They walked through the dim lobby towards the room Sakura had stumbled upon before, the trail by the secretarial counter more prominent in the daylight. The gold numbers 102 shined dully and with a calming breath Sakura pushed the door open, entering into the bloody nightmare with a grimace.

"He didn't listen to me…" Dai whispered as he examined the other side of the door where a ward stuck, "I told him to stay put…He must have opened the door to try to get out…"

"Which in turn, broke the seal – his protection," Sakura finished sadly, walking towards the center of the room where prominent hand prints were visible – it appeared as though Yoshiro was looking for something to grab onto while he was dragged towards the window, "…He must have stepped out of the room, the window opened, they grabbed him and dragged him through the window all the way to the Bridge."

"…They must have tortured him first…" Dai added with disgust, putting a sleeve to his mouth to block the smell as much as he could, cobalt orbs looking at the broken mirror, the shards lying in the sink and on the floor, "He wasn't injured when I locked him in, he was just crazy…Muttering and wide-eyed…"

An influx of questions surged into Sakura's head and she turned to him, lips pulled to a grim line, "How did you know him? Do you know what happened to him? And…Why did you leave him alone?"

She asked in a way that wasn't accusing, just curious, but Dai looked guilty anyway.

"Rain ordered for this village's evacuation a couple weeks ago and Yoshiro-san was left behind," He explained, heading towards the bed where he found more of his wards, "He wasn't fit to travel, dubbed crazy and mentally unstable, so they left him. I didn't know that, I came here to do some investigating since the village was empty, prime opportunity to sneak around without being suspicious but I found Yoshiro-san wandering in a daze. I looked through the Records to find out what happened to him; turns out he was one of the disappearances but he turned up a few weeks later at the Bridge, starved, wounded – they said self-inflicted – and not himself; the doctors thought he just got lost in the woods and was traumatized – he's only a civilian, I suppose a person without training in survival could turn out like that – so they didn't look into it. I wasn't expecting him so I locked him in this room and stayed with him for a few nights since I needed to do some inspection. Then I had to go back to Bird Country to get extra help – Torio can't carry the extra weight and I wouldn't want to have had Yoshiro-san clutched in his talons like he did you, sorry about that too, by the way – and because he was unstable I wanted to transport him in more comfortable means and during the day, so he'd be more at ease," He picked up the used ward and sighed, "I should have just stayed with him an extra night until morning…He was another reason why I called you Sakura-san…When I looked through the Records here I saw your file and forged the Mission Assignment for your assistance…You got here faster than I anticipated, I wasn't expecting you for another few days…I supposed it's a good thing I came back when I did…"

"…Yeah…" Sakura agreed quietly as she took in the new information, the light throbbing in her head warning of a headache to come, "…I suppose so…"

The Medic looked around the gruesome room, taking in the bloody handprints, puddles of the thick crimson stained across the sheets, walls, and floors, and looked out the open window where the trail inevitably led to the Bridge. Her heart was hammering in her chest; even in the safety of the day the shadows haunted her, Yoshiro's wide eyes, begging her to help him and she couldn't.

"Kami…" Sakura muttered as she began to mechanically take four pieces of papers' worth of blood samples, labeling them with a pencil she kept in her back pocket.

"They feed off blood," Sakura wanted to reaffirm, flinching as her boots squelched against the wet floors, "They're attracted to blood, right?" Dai nodded in response and Sakura pressed a little further, "But they don't take too well to high-levels of chakra?"

"At least from what we observed," Dai replied, "Only civilian villages have been affected and evacuated and when a shinobi disappears they're usually on low-number patrols or missions. They don't go near any Hidden Villages, their range is only as far as this village, the edge of my village, and the borders of Earth Country…so far, I think that range is growing though; this village's recent evacuation is proof of that. But yeah, back to the chakra…The wards I used last night have ten-shinobi's worth of chakra, and I have to use a minimum of fifteen wards to keep them out, any less and they'll find a way to break through…Believe me, I've been through years of any and all attempts to kill these things…Shinobi in Bird Country aren't even volunteering to help out as much anymore and Toki-sama is getting stretched thin with all the problems this is causing."

"Fifteen wards…" Sakura muttered, "That's about one-hundred and fifty shinobi…" She sighed, "I guess it's too much to ask to have so many go through the forest to wipe them out, that's almost an entire war regiment on the same mission…"

"It's hard enough making the wards," Dai added, "It takes time and if shinobi ever volunteer to aid in this problem, it's pretty much just to lend their chakra…Besides, that forest," He pointed out the window to the foliage beyond the Bridge, "Is their playground, these creatures know it well, even if we had so many shinobi go in there it has to be at night – the only time they come out – and darkness is very much their advantage; they'd pick us off one by one…"

"…You sound like you've tried it," Sakura observed; her brow raised in question.

Dai frowned, hand clenching, "…A couple of years ago. There were twenty of us in the group…Only three of us made it out."

"How?" Sakura asked quietly, not wanting to push him but needing to know as much as she could.

"…I summoned Torio…" Dai answered, head bowing in shame, "I summoned Torio and we retreated…"

Sakura bit her bottom lip. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't apologize, it wouldn't make things better and trying to cheer him up would be pointless, his experiences would live with him. Instead, she dropped the subject.

"Let's go," She declared, walking towards the door, wanting to leave the bloody scene behind her, "We're going to the forest…Maybe there's more clues in there."

Dai followed with a nod of his head.

A/N: So yeah…I kind of got carried away with this story over the weekend and ended up typing out this chapter and the next one. So, I hope you aren't mad that It All Started With, False Façade, and Forbidden Bonds weren't updates but rest-assured, those chapters are what I am currently working on. So, I've decided to upload this one, I will upload Chapter Seven sometime this weekend and along with Chapter Seven will also be updates for IASW, FF, and FB. So bear with me, I really appreciate your patience and support and I will work extra hard this week to get these chapters out to you, until then, I hope you enjoy The Curse's update and please drop a review with feedback and constructive criticism, I really want to get this Horror down right.

P.S. Yeah…Sasuke and Naruto reappeared, but not with Sakura. Don't worry though, we're getting there. I'm trying to make sure I'm laying out the plot-work right and creating an interesting storyline. Let me know what you think, yeah?

And yeah, for those still wondering, yes there will be Sasuke/Sakura Romance, haha.

Disclaimer: Kishimoto-san will not give them up so easily…

Next Chapter: Reunion.

Thanks again for all the support and feedback, those who are reading and especially to those who have reviewed, this chapter is Dedicated To You!

Oh! And I plan on sending out some Pokémon (AAML), Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin), and Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa) Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!

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Luvinukag83
aka Len83

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