Camouflage, one of nature's most ingenious tricks.
The ability to hide, to blend in, to wear a mask. It was all needed for the survival of the fittest and, of course, rule number one was always to survive. The weak only roam on this earth to be fed on, to be used and abused by the strong. But it's not always about power.
It's about how you use that power.
Because in a world where being a power-hungry monster can get you killed, destroyed, hunted, you only have one choice:
Blend in.
[6] The Intruder
In Konoha's infamous "Dead End", the abandoned houses creaked eerily as the wind blew. Naked tree branches scratched broken glass windows and boarded up doors. Old stone driveways and fountains eroded erratically over time. The dead end was the dark blemish on the wealthy northern suburbs. At the end of the once-glamorous street, a lone mansion was the only building with any sign of life.
"So…," started Naruto, chewing on the eraser of a #2 pencil. "How'd you get number one again?" It was the dark, early hours of the morning and the schoolboy could only put off the suffering for so long. Even though he started his trigonometry homework an hour ago, he made zero progress. Procrastination at its best.
Sasuke, who was sitting next to the procrastinator on the living room couch, groaned in annoyance. He was already on the backside of the worksheet and he started it 10 minutes ago.
"Cosecant is a reciprocal of the sine of the triangle…"
"What's sine?"
"Opposite side over the hypotenuse."
"What's the reciprocal?"
"Hypotenuse over the opposite…"
"Wait, what's a hypotenuse again?"
"Why the fuck are you in AC Trig?" Sasuke wanted to bang his head into the floor. He figured Naruto barely understood the basic concepts of math as it is, so taking a college-level course wouldn't help him one bit. In reality, it would just confuse the poor idiot even more.
"It would look good on a college resume!" answered Naruto, attempting the first homework problem yet again.
As if you'd even make it to college…
Naruto ended up erasing his whole answer a second later. On the day after Sasuke transferred, Naruto walked into the Algebra II and Trigonometry classroom with a goofy smile on his face. It was the perfect first impression. Mr. Kakashi was just as confused as all the geniuses in the classroom; they all knew the blonde's reputation at school.
The biggest knuckleheaded goofball ever.
According to Naruto, there was a monumental screw up in the scheduling system. A lot of students had their courses rearranged, he himself included. But unlike half the student body, he didn't really mind so he didn't march down to the guidance office and complain. He insisted that he wanted the challenge. He was ready for this class!
But Naruto, in reality, was getting wrapped up in the hype of college like the rest of his junior class was. All the test taking, essay writing. Sending in transcripts, applications. He was absorbed by the rush of moving on to the next part of your life, to becoming an adult. But the truth was he wasn't human like everyone else. He sometimes forgot that, as a vampire, those times of his life were coming down much, much further down the road.
A very lonely road.
For now, it was the procrastination talking.
"Ah, whatever! I'll figure it out later!" exclaimed Naruto as he tossed the paper aside and turned on the gaming system. He was already locked in a trance the second the game showed up on screen. Sasuke just rolled his eyes at the booming music from the surround-sound system.
He placed the completed worksheet in his folder and stuffed it in his backpack. His tired feet trudged over to his room and he collapsed on his bed. The glowing green numbers of the digital clock mocked him endlessly. In less than an hour, the sun would come up, he'd have to go to school and he'd have to suffer with this invisible restraining order he placed over Sakura Haruno.
If blending in meant doing homework, going to school, and staying two feet away at all times, then that's what he had to do.
Whatever it takes.
Naked. Exposed. With no one to witness it.
Sasuke stood under the scorching water, completely dazed. The pitter patter was slowly lulling him back to sleep. Before his shower, he was knocked out for 30 minutes, which felt more like a nap than an actual night's sleep. The average vampire managed two to five hours of sleep a week. For the Uchiha, he needed it every night. He really could've fallen back asleep right here under the heated waterfall…The steamy warmth of the shower was the perfect blanket.
"YO, SASUKE, WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!"
And Naruto was the alarm clock.
.
On the other side of town, a certain pink-haired girl was also having an unpleasant morning.
She rolled out of bed, quite literally, when her face met the floor. Meanwhile, her alarm clock buzzed incessantly on the nightstand above her; a weary hand reached up to turn it off. The next few minutes were a blur because she somehow ended up in her shower. Instead of focusing on proper hygiene, Sakura's mind went blank while her body operated on autopilot.
She had quite a night.
It was safe to say she slept for about half an hour, most of which was unintentional on her part. Her stupid body just did not know how to adjust to her plan for surviving her junior year of high school. The plan? Never sleep. Do all the homework. Study for everything. And never sleep. Sounded like a good idea.
And if a "good idea" meant falling asleep in the shower, then she seemed to have everything under control.
.
Sasuke sat down in his usual seat while Naruto took the seat next to him. His friend was babbling about something, but his mind was somewhere else. From the look of things, his little prey was running late. It caught him off guard; she was usually the punctual one. The first bell rang and Mr. Kakashi started off the lesson with a review on the properties of the unit circle. Sasuke thought about how pissed she would be for missing a lecture; she was usually the one, if not the only one, taking notes. And, oh no, Kakashi just issued a pop quiz. Now, Sakura would be fuming. She cared about her grades more than her own health.
"Sorry, I'm late…," breathed out a beaten Sakura, holding onto the doorframe to keep her from falling. Her hair was completely disheveled and her eyes looked as dead as a buried corpse. She shuffled into the classroom as the teacher was handing out the pop quiz.
"No, you're right on time," said Mr. Kakashi. She could tell he was smiling under that mask because it looked like his eyes smiled, too. But Sakura knew better. After a full week with him as her teacher, she knew that smile had an ulterior motive behind it. "And since you're right on time, I added a couple more questions just for you. How does that sound?"
Of course.
He handed her a different quiz on her way to her seat. It had 50 questions. 50 long, intimidating questions.
Since when did "a couple" turn into 50?
Her eyes scanned the material and she exhaled out in relief. It looked good; she knew most of the material on this quiz. Thank God for cramming. Maybe she could ace it…? Her confidence level went through the roof.
"You have five minutes to complete this quiz. Good luck."
And then it did a complete 180.
Crap.
Sakura looked around her and saw that the kid to her left had a quiz with only 5 questions. 5 questions in 5 minutes? That's doable. 50 questions in 5 minutes? Impossible. Even Kakashi's NORMAL questions were hell. Now, she has fricking 50 of them right in her fricking face. The numbers and letters morphed into some undecipherable language and stared to jump off the page and strangle her. She spun her cherry blossom pendant furiously, having a panic attack right in her seat.
Sasuke could smell the hysteria radiating off of her. It was delightful, but it wasn't the particular brand he enjoyed. He would've preferred it if he was the reason she was having this episode. Like a reflex, he sprung into action. He pulled the back of her chair close enough for him to whisper in her ear as he leaned over his desk. The girl freaked out even more when she thought her chair was moving on its own.
"You owe me," he whispered quickly. He watched Kakashi put his feet up and read another dirty novel hidden behind a textbook. Good, he was distracted. In a quick movement, the vampire snatched her quiz and switched it with his. When she was about to turn around and protest, he placed his palm over her mouth. Then, he pulled out a pencil and got to work.
Sakura stared in disbelief at the gift from God sitting on her desk.
Did that really just happen…?
She turned around in her seat and could still see Sasuke working on her mission impossible. He was breezing through it, like he wasn't even reading the questions at all. At this pace, he was answering questions faster than even Kakashi would have. And here she was, failing his quiz by being completely useless. The pinkette decided to shake off the nerves and try her best, as well.
.
"Time's up." Every head looked up to see Kakashi ready to collect papers. Half the class groaned and the other half rushed to finish any unanswered questions. Sakura belonged in both categories. Sasuke handed up the 50-question quiz for Sakura to write her name on it. She still couldn't believe her eyes. Every answer was filled in, all work shown.
"We don't have all day…," sighed the grey-haired professor whose hair was getting greyer by the second. Once all the papers were in his hand, he said, "Quizzes will be graded by next week. Try not to cry about it until then…"
.
'Why did I do that…?' Sasuke thought to himself as he drifted through the crowd of nameless faces. He wasn't a superhero; he isn't supposed to save the day. He wasn't a prince charming, either, so no need to save a damsel in distress. So why would he even bother to lift a finger for her?
Sasuke stopped at his locker on the way to Chemistry. He could feel the atmosphere shift as Sakura passed by, en route to the same class. She didn't notice him or she did a good job of hiding it. She seemed just as distracted as he was, still thinking about her test. Even so, her aroma lingered even when she was further down the hallway.
He inhaled the air for the sole purpose of smelling her sweet cherry-blossom scent. It's been a few days since his last meal and he was managing without the blood of a nobody. While every other scent was dying out, hers was definitely getting stronger. It seemed he was developing an acquired taste to something he has never had before…
A part of him figured that's why he helped her: to get a little closer to her. Just to find another reason to be around Sakura Haruno. But he wanted 500 reasons to be around her, no matter how lame it sounded. It was merely for pragmatic reasons, he wanted to tell himself.
Another part of him figured that he's just crazy and he should get over it by killing her. Now.
Sasuke slammed his locker in frustration.
This was more confusing than Kakashi's test.
It was a really awkward morning ever since first period. Sakura, who had the next following 5 classes with her math savior, didn't really know what to say to him. A "thank you" would suffice for a normal person, but Sasuke didn't even bring it up afterwards; he barely even looked in her direction at all. It was like a giant barricade surrounded her, keeping a certain good-looking genius away…
"Do I smell?" A brown paper bag crinkled on the lunch table as Sakura took a seat. Hinata, who was sitting across from her, looked up from her textbook and took a whiff of the air.
"No...You smell just like Sakura," she answered with a smile and then went back to her unfinished homework.
"Is that bad?"
"No? You smell fine. What's with the weird questions?" asked Ino, placing a fork-full of leafy greens into her mouth. Sakura played with her necklace and thought about the right words to say. Before she could get them out, she lost her train of thought at the sudden outburst.
"Oh my god, it's HIM!" Ino squealed enthusiastically. The blonde was blatantly pointing at the boy that was plaguing Sakura's mind all morning. "That's the new guy everyone's talking about!"
"Everyone?" asked Hinata, looking over. "I've never really seen him before…"
'I have…,' Sakura moped internally. She looked over at him with sad eyes, but he didn't return the favor.
"He transferred here like, last week? He's so hot…can anyone say gorgeous?" purred Ino, biting her lip with a sly smile. "I think I'm in love…"
"In love? You barely know him," Sakura rolled her eyes. If anyone deserves Sasuke, it's me! I saw him first!
"Oh, puh-lease! I can be in love with whoever I want! Who are you, the love police?" Ino responded with a dash of immaturity. Sakura had a comeback on the tip of her tongue, but didn't want to stoop to her level.
"You're crazy, Ino…" Yeah, a crazy bitch! BACK OFF.
"What can I say? Love makes you do crazy things. Right, Hinata?" Ino nodded confidently. She turned her head to the dark-haired girl who was completely distracted. "Hinata…?"
Sakura raised an eyebrow and followed Hinata's line of sight. She was looking over at Sasuke too, sitting a few tables down. Don't tell me the whole school is in love with him!
"Ohhh, I get it… Hinata's got the hots for Naruto!" exclaimed the blonde, jumping up and down in her seat. Hinata's face flushed instantly. That was all the proof she needed. "That's cute!"
"I-Ino! Quiet! He'll hear you…," whispered Hinata, stealing glances as the blonde boy sitting next to Sasuke.
'Well, that makes sense now…,' thought Sakura as she couldn't help but look over as well. It was as if all the good-looking boys in school decided to sit together and bask in their unobtainable beauty.
Kiba Inuzuka sat at the same table. He had the hunky-aggressive animal-lover thing going on. There was Shikamaru Nara; a true genius, but he was lazier than a pile of bricks. Then, there was Hinata's older cousin, Neji Hyuuga. He had the class, the brains, and the seriousness of a true aristocrat. Of course, Naruto Uzumaki: the secretly charming joker. And, last but certainly not least, Sasuke Uchiha.
'Sasuke…,' Sakura thought sadly. 'How would I describe Sasuke?'
He was definitely confusing. A complete jerk one minute, then a knight in shining armor the next. She has no idea what goes on in that unstable head of his. She didn't really understand him, but then again, she barely knew much about him. At this point, she was just as bad as Ino…
"I need to go over there and talk to him!" Ino announced happily. "But he can wait... I'll make him suffer. He'll be dying to talk to me by the end of the week. Just watch…"
And it's only Monday… Sakura placed her head down on the lunch table, completely crushed. With a nearly even score, Ino definitely had the advantage: the courage, the charm, the charisma. Not the mention the difference in cup size... All Sakura had in her arsenal were her "striking features". But "striking" doesn't always translate to "appealing." Sure, she had the brains, but would Sasuke really go for nerds, anyway?
"I should learn his name! Yeaaah, that would be a good start…"
Fuck Mondays.
Clad in her red and white uniform, Sakura stood by the desk at the nurse's station. She watched countless nurses run back and forth in what almost looked like a chaotic mess. Today, the nursing staff was being evaluated by Dr. Tsunade, so everyone was trying to be on top of their game. Meanwhile, Sakura was busying herself with filing papers in alphabetical order. It wasn't exactly the most demanding assignment, but her work was so sloppy that it was on the verge of being catastrophic. Her emotions were in too much of a whirlwind for her to get her head on straight.
"Sakura! Since when did 'X' come before 'C'? C'mon, get your head in the game!" Shizune ordered as she quickly checked the filing cabinet. Shizune was buried under her own work. The woman hurried downed the hospital wing and disappeared into another patient's room.
"Oh…right, sorry…," the candy striper managed to murmur before spacing out once again.
'Of all guys in the whole school, it just HAD to be him…Seriously, Ino? You couldn't have drooled over someone else?' Sakura sulked to herself. 'Ugh, it's no use…Ino always gets what she wants…
Even if it is Sasuke…'
"Okay, what's the matter? You're making me worried," a sudden voice asked. Sakura looked up to see Dr. Tsunade placing down a pile of papers and giving Sakura her full attention. "Let me guess. Boy trouble?"
"How'd you know?" Sakura reacted in bewilderment. And when did you even get here?
"You're not that hard to figure out, Sakura," the chief winked at her. "He must be really important, too, for you to not even notice the Chief of Medicine was standing right here the whole time," she laughed. "Plus, when I was your age, I had my share of boy-related problems, too."
"Doesn't everyone?" smiled Sakura, trying to hide her distress. But Tsunade was already one step ahead of her.
"Tell me about it, I could use a break," the elder suggested with true intentions of helping out. Sakura hesitated to answer.
"It's okay, I'll be fine... I'm sure things will get better, somehow…" Not.
"Well, take the rest of the night off, anyway. At this rate, the files will be starting from Z and ending with god knows what."
Sakura chuckled and agreed to leave the extra hour early. She was ready to go to the locker room and change out of her uniform when Tsunade placed a hand on her shoulder.
"If you ever need someone to talk to…just remember: there are some perks to working at a hospital."
I'll keep that in mind if I ever think of offing myself... "Thanks, Dr. Tsunade. You always know the right thing to say."
.
Sakura stepped off the bus, but still had a long way to walk home. There was only one bus running that would get her anywhere remotely close to her house, but it beats waiting for her usual 10 o'clock bus for another hour. Her time schedule felt a little off since her departure, but she was still thankful for the empathetic gesture from the chief herself.
The girl braced for the cold when a chilly breeze wisped around, making fallen leaves dance in the streets. The streetlamps were only lighting the roads for her; she could see no one else walking this late at night. Even so, she felt chills from an eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach.
That feeling that someone was following you.
She whipped her head around and her rosy locks followed suit. There was no one in sight, but the feeling wasn't dying down. She trusted her warning-senses; they never failed her before. But were her eyes lying to her? The dreadful feeling was only getting stronger.
Calm down, Sakura! You're just being paranoid. The more you think about it, the worse it gets…
The lone walker convinced herself to start thinking of random things like food, homework, movies, Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke…
Damn it, what is WRONG with me?
While she was mentally punishing herself, she heard a wary sound from behind. It stopped her right in her tracks. Her paranoia was kicking into full gear again.
"Hello?" she called out, half-expecting an answer. For a minute, she strained her ears to hear a response. Nothing came, but the chills down her spine. Of course. In all the horror movies, no one bothered to answer back… But then, the distorted sound came again. It was coming closer.
Louder.
Her breath quickened, along with her pace. Her eyes darted in all directions, looking around for the source, but she was completely alone. Just her and her shadow.
Adrenaline was pumping through her veins as she was nearly running now. As she took a step, Sakura heard a distressed screech that made her yelp out loud. She felt herself step on something…
She looked down and found the culprit, licking its wounded tail. Sakura sighed in relief.
"It's just a cat," she said to no one in particular. Sakura felt like a dumbass, but still felt the giant weight lift off her shoulders. She bent down and placed a hand out to pet the little creature. It was surprisingly friendly, even after Sakura flattened its tail. Its furry head leaned into Sakura's hand, encouraging more petting. The girl happily obliged and ran her fingers through pale-brown fur and noticed darker brown patterns on the cat's forehead and cheeks. Sakura thought it was the cutest thing ever.
"I wish I could take you home with me," Sakura smiled sadly as she stood up to continue her walk home. The cat responded with several meows and followed along. She felt bad for hurting it, but the cat seemed fine now, happier even. "Are you sure you want to come? I don't know how my mom feels about cats…"
"Merow, Mreow!"
"…GAAH! Why are you so CUTE!"
Sakura laughed wholeheartedly and picked up the animal in her arms. Her previously saddened heart completely melted and turned into a pool of glee. She couldn't help that she was a sucker for adorable little felines, especially ones that were as cute as this. The cat, which turned out to be a female, was unexpectedly tolerant of being carried around like a baby. She enjoyed the warmth of Sakura's body heat the rest of the walk home. Once at the front door, the girl fiddled with her key and managed to kick the door open. Before she could even get inside, her new friend jumped out of her arms and looked like it was about to run off. Instead, it just sat at the doorstep.
"Don't you wanna come inside? It's getting cold," Sakura warned, kneeling down. The cat meowed, as if it actually understood what the pinkette had said, and let itself in.
'Man, cats are weird,' she thought as she closed the door behind them. 'Maybe she's just not used to my house yet…' Sakura pulled out some turkey cold cuts from the fridge and shredded it into tiny pieces. The meat was placed in a small plastic bowl and onto the floor. The girl sat down and watched as the hazelnut cat ate its makeshift dinner. It was fascinating, even though she's seen animals eat food thousands of times before. This time was different. It wasn't a lion stalking around the savannah or a shark chomping down on some chum on TV.
This time the animal was right in front of her. Her cat.
She felt giddy thinking about actually calling it hers.
.
Multiple chemistry textbooks were lying open to random pages on the crowded desk. Sakura's mind was fully focused on how to find the pH of a solution that carried a mix of different elements. She pushed some buttons on the calculator and jotted down some calculations into her notebook. The pencil wiggled between her fingers as she tried to make sense of all the gobbledygook scribbled on the paper in front of her.
On the floor, the feline sat and watched Sakura work the night away. Its tail swished back and forth, hoping to catch the owner's attention. It was already 3 in the morning, and by the looks of it, Sakura was well aware of that. She yawned heavily and nearly dozed off before getting back to the chemistry problem. The cat took it upon itself to pull the tired student away from her work. With a graceful leap, it landed on top of the textbook. The sleepyhead couldn't resist.
"Hi there," she said, immediately forgetting about chemistry. "Tired, too, aren't cha?"
She earned a meow in response.
"I can't blame you…" Sakura watched the cat jump onto her bed and curl into a ball on the soft sheets. A bed never looked more welcoming. This little creature was definitely sent from hell to tempt her. And damn it all, it was working.
"Oh well…What's one missing homework?" she asked rhetorically, putting her pencil down and crawling onto her safehaven. She lay on her stomach and tickled the feline's fur. Gentle purrs erupted from the cat's throat. After another yawn, Sakura tucked herself in and her fury friend went by her side to curl up against her.
"You know…" Sakura mumbled before drifting off to sleep. "I still need to give you a name..."
"Hina…" came a quiet whisper. "Hina is a good name! Hinaaa…."
Sakura slept peacefully under her many blankets and puffy comforter. She snoozed softly as the hours ticked by. The cat, on the other hand, was wide awake and leaning closer to the human's ear.
"Hinaaa! Call me Hina…"
"Hina!" hissed an unclear voice. "What on earth are you doing?"
The feline whipped her head around to see a fellow cat sitting outside the open window. It was a darker-colored cat, with brown-black ears and a poufy tail. After instantly recognizing him, Hina leaped onto the dresser and rushed to the windowsill.
"I'm just giving her a little hint, that's all," she explained through the window's mesh netting. "I can't tell her what my name is, but her subconscious can."
"That's the dumbest thing I have ever heard," spoke the male cat, perching on a long tree branch. "And I've been around for many years."
"You're such a skeptic, Denka," the female shook her head. "So, how would you explain talking cats? Hmm?"
"Vampirism may have something to do with it… Bah! I didn't come here to talk nonsense," spat Denka, getting back on topic. "Master wants a progress report."
"Mmm…There really isn't much to report on. She's just a regular human…She eats, sleeps, studies, does her homework. Nothing suspicious here."
Denka tilted his head in confusion. "Are you sure you have the right girl?"
"Now, that's just insulting! Honestly, how many humans have green eyes and pink hair?"
"Fair enough…but he won't be very happy when he hears this," Denka warned. He can already see the look of disapproval on his master's face. Even in his imagination, it wasn't pretty.
"Want to come in here and see for yourself?" challenged Hina, claws bearing.
"You know I can't! The girl has to invite me inside..."
"Then just take my word for it! I'll let you know if anything new comes up…," Hina said as she jumped off the dresser and back to Sakura's side. Denka rolled his eyes and leaped from the tree. Four nimble paws landed on the ground and headed towards home.
.
Denka sprinted through the vast yard and ended in front of an opening in the ground leading to the basement. The cellar doors were slightly ajar, so he slipped through the opening with ease. The hallway was dimly lit as always, but louder than ever. A sickening scream echoed and bounced off the stone surroundings, but it soon stopped, followed by the sound of blood splatter repainting the walls. Even without searching for a scent, he instantly knew which room to check in.
The killer was standing over a mangled body completely drained of blood; the rest of the red, either dripping from the ceiling or coating his hands. He brought his fingers to his lips and licked them hungrily before he noticed the vampire cat sitting at the door.
"Denka."
After being acknowledged, the cat walked inside and sat at the vampire's feet.
"Master." Denka bowed his head. Even after serving the Master's family for ages, he never failed to show respect to his owners. "Hina didn't find anything strange about the target. She's quite…normal."
"I figured as much," the man responded before taking a seat against the wall. Denka followed behind. "I already know she's not a vampire."
"If you already knew, why are we keeping an eye on her?" Denka asked curiously. With a thousand years of experience behind him, he knew an Uchiha never did something without reason. Denka sat patiently, not wanting to step out of place. It was quiet for a few minutes, since the man didn't respond. Suddenly, Sasuke stood up and walked towards the door.
"…She interests me."
The Intruder
.
.
Please review.
Denka and Hina are actual characters in Naruto.