No one has ever seen a mummy move so quick… or at all for that matter. But right now Naruto needed to jump out of character. He needed to find Sasuke, and fast.
God knows what that psychopath's doing!
Ever since he came back to Konoha, Naruto noticed Sasuke hasn't been particularly…well. He would kill way too often and not in very pleasant ways either. Naruto was aware of what the guy had some issues, but damn, he didn't know that Sasuke lost his marbles somewhere along the way. Yeah, sometimes Naruto gets bored, too, but you don't see him tearing off limps and laughing at people's pain and anguish in his free time. It was certainly bizarre. Even for a vampire.
Naruto quickly wiggled through the dance floor, gliding past break dancers and grinders, and raced toward the stairwell. He took a hefty whiff of the air and could already feel his fangs lengthening in a physiological response. The pungent smell was growing heavier and heavier as he ascended.
By the time he reached the second floor, the whole hall was swallowed up in the stench of blood. Even a human would be able to tell, if he or she wasn't smashed a combination of drugs and alcohol, that is.
Naruto made cautious steps toward the door. He knew what would be behind it…he now hoped Sasuke wasn't going to be there as well. With a quick turn of the knob, the door flew open and Naruto grimaced as he looked inside.
The entire room was splashed with red. The floor, the ceiling, the windows. It was a gruesome sight, whether you were a bloodsucker or not. But it wasn't the sea of blood that caught his attention.
It was the slashed up body lying in the middle of the room. Completely mutilated. And belonged to a girl who looked all too familiar.
"…Holy shit."
[9] The Chaos
The final drop of blood.
Nothing in the whole world could have tasted better.
Sasuke pulled away to relish the moment. Not one drop was wasted and every ounce was enjoyed. Even her heartbeat that once filled the room ceased to exist. A murderous hand covered his face as his mouth slowly twisted into a maniacal grin. His mind was clouded with blissful chaos; he wasn't in his right state of mind. The only way he could react to it was with a demented chuckle that echoed into the teeming darkness surrounding them.
The hunt was finally over.
It was almost exhilarating how freeing this was…
To finally have Sakura Haruno dead.
To finally feel satisfied.
He released a heavenly sigh from his bloodstained lips. It was like being able to breathe again after being stuck under dark, murky waters for far too long…
And damn, it felt so good – it was maddening.
The peachy tint to her complexion was completely sucked away. She resembled a doll, lying in his arms so quiet and still, skin as white as snow and lips so inviting. Sasuke watched her unmoving figure and his eyes strangely softened. To him, she never looked so beautiful and delicate. Like a real porcelain doll.
Even in death, she looked so…appetizing.
They were facing each other when Sasuke lifted up her chin to get a good look at her face. Dark, sinister eyes looked straight at her parted lips. They were fading into a violet-pink, but they looked plump and vivacious as always... Ignoring the nagging urge to feel her lips for himself, he examined the wound on her neck. A precious mark that would always brand her as his. An egotistical smirk graced his features before a sudden glint caught his eye. He then pulled the collar of her dress to see a silver chain running down her neckline and he touched a small, floral pendant.
He remembered seeing it before; she would wear it a lot actually, if not every day. He decided it would be a nice souvenir to remember her by. Sasuke yanked the chain and lifted it up to see the tiny cherry blossom twinkling in the moonlight…
How fitting.
But playtime was cut short. He heard footsteps coming this way. He glared at the locked door and waited for someone to try entering, someone who was interrupting their sacred time together.
But he heard a recognizable voice. He quickly put on a stone-cold front and reached for the doorknob.
.
"What are you doing here?"
Naruto spun around and spotted the very person he was looking for, coming out of one of the countless rooms further down the hallway. A skeptical expression appeared on his face as he watched the dressed up vampire close the door behind him.
"Did you do this?" asked Naruto, pointing wildly at the room on his right.
Sasuke maintained a flawless façade when he walked over and glanced inside. Even he was caught off guard, but he didn't let his actions show it. He casually entered while avoiding the splatter near the front of the room. The blood covered and soaked boxes and the old, arranged furniture. It seeped into the floorboards that creaked as the two walked towards the center. Sasuke examined the disfigured body, crippled on the floor. It was definitely female, but not someone he recognized…
"Heyyyy, I think I know who this is..." Naruto rubbed his chin as he tried to match her bruised face with a name. "Uh…Ari…? Or something…She's suppose to be the girl hosting this shindig."
"Whyrn't chu…wit Ami?"
"You mean 'Ami'?" So this is the girl Sakura was talking about…
"Ami…Ami…! Oh yeah, that was it! Hey, how'd you know that, anyway?"
"Lucky guess…," Sasuke responded as he squatted to get a closer look at the damage. The cuts along her body never failed to miss a major artery or vein. Every incision was neatly executed in a way that would maximize the bloodshed. After taking a look around, he could see practically every square inch was touched with death. Impressive.
Whoever did this was skilled, no doubt. But why go through all the trouble… If this person really wanted to kill Ami, why make such a big show of it?
Entrails hanging spotlessly from the ceiling, pieces of flesh sprinkled around the room. It was like a white Christmas in July. Totally unexpected, but still appreciated. He couldn't help but enjoy it.
"Weren't you in the next room? How the hell did you not notice a bloodbath was going on?" asked Naruto, wandering around the crime scene.
Sasuke looked up from admiring the killer's handiwork and began to wonder the same thing. He figured was too immersed in a little project of his own. After a few minutes of locking himself in that room, his senses were completely disoriented from the sight, smell, and sheer proximity of Sakura Haruno, his special little prey. As soon as he distanced himself, it was easier to pull himself together. But he couldn't let Naruto know about his hidden obsession, especially with her bloodless body lying in the room next door.
"…I was sleeping."
"Again!" Naruto slapped his forehead. "Who the hell goes to parties to fall asleep? That's just dumb!"
"…" Sasuke had so many things to say in return, but decided against it. He had his own crime scene he needed to attend to and useless arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere.
"Do you think it was another vamp?"
Sasuke considered Naruto's proposal. But the blood, the body, the method of killing… "Then why would he leave so much evidence behind…?"
Naruto shrugged. "Iunno, maybe he wanted to get caught?"
Why would a vampire want to be exposed? Unless…
"He didn't want to be caught by a lifer…," Sasuke stated as he pulled the pieces together. He picked up a plastic cup that littered the floor. By this time of night, no living person would even be sober enough to climb the stairs, let alone find this place.
He wanted one of us to find him.
Sasuke whipped his head around to take in every detail of the room. There must be some kind of clue somewhere, anywhere around here…
"Waittt…you lost me. What're you saying then?"
At that moment, Sasuke spotted a red and white phone still hidden in the corpse's grip. He carefully pulled it from between her bruised fingertips and examined the last screen she was on before she was torn to shreds. An unsent text message:
Let's play a game.
A game? He scoffed at the challenge. Any game that involved death just sounded pleasantly appealing, and it would be undoubtedly rude to just ignore such a straightforward request. He looked at the screen once more before sliding the cell phone into his pocket without Naruto seeing.
A maimed party host staining the floor.
A bloodless nurse lying in the next room door.
A killer vampire on the loose looking for another killer vampire on the loose.
Sasuke smirked as he slowly rose from his squatting position. He could already feel his vampiric blood rushing with excitement.
Challenge accepted.
.
Sasuke pushed past the blonde and walked out into the hallway. He decided on his own that this was a two-player game. No annoyances allowed.
"Oi! What the hell are we supposed to do about THIS!" Naruto yelled, pointing at the storage room.
"Nothing," Sasuke replied curtly as he proceeded to look over the dancing crowd below. "No one will find out about it. As soon as the party's over, this place will be empty for another hundred years or so."
"I like a clean getaway as much as the next guy, but don't they throw parties here like every year?"
"Not for long." Sasuke placed his finger on the green dialing button on the phone and waited for the ring tone.
"Hey…what are you-"
Naruto noticed at the corner of his eye the red and blue lights making patterns against the cracked windows. The accompanying sirens were blaring so loudly, even the music paled in comparison. Within seconds, men dressed in uniform entered the party with disapproving looks on their faces.
He swallowed the lump in his throat. Something tells me they're not here to party…
"Hmm… that was fast," Sasuke remarked, silently placing the dead girl's phone back into his pocket.
"YOU CALLED THEM HERE!" yelled Naruto. He watched over the railing as soon as one of the cops pulled out a megaphone. The music was immediately cut off. A static-y voice called for everyone's attention:
"The party is OVER, anyone caught with alcohol or other illegal substances will be PERSECUTED accordingly under the law."
The whole room went silent.
"EVERYONE, RUN FOR IT!"
A drunken mob scattered in all directions, followed by blend of screams and yells. The horde of party goers swarmed around the front door, only to be blocked off by the barricade of officers. The back entrance was being blocked off as more people attempted to escape. As chaos ensued on the floor below them, Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his shirt and looked into his eyes with bewilderment.
"What the hell were you thinking?" He tried to find any glint of concern, but the Uchiha's eyes were completely blank. Dark orbs glared back with a much higher intensity.
"It's the fastest way to get rid of everyone." That includes you…
The mummy uncharacteristically bared his teeth in protest, but then heard a voice coming from the ruckus down below. He leaned over the railing to see Hinata, unable to make sense of all the confusion.
"Ah! HINATA!" Naruto swiftly ran to catch up to her. He shoved through the pandemonium until he heard her voice again in midst of it all.
"Na-Naruto!" she called out, spinning around in circles and bumping into the people running around her. A forceful push sent her flying towards to floor, but a strong hand grabbed her wrist just in time to pull her to her feet. She stumbled for a few steps before looking up to see her hero fully wrapped in two-ply.
"See? I told ya I'd come back for you!"
She smiled gratefully and feels her heart flutter in her chest, but she stopped. "W-wait…I can't leave without Sakura and Ino!"
"CRAP, really?" Naruto scanned the crowd and spotted a flamboyant cowgirl's hat near the front door.
"C'mon, I see Ino!"
.
Sasuke watched the stampede of zoo animals trampling over each other and trying to find refuge from a future behind bars. Then, he stepped into the shadows when he saw a heavy man in blue trudge up the stairs. He rolled his eyes at the idiotic human who definitely needed more exercise than just step aerobics. Before the officer said any word, he was hypnotized by the crimson illusion emanating from the vampire's eyes.
"No one's up here. Report it. Now," Sasuke said sternly with the Sharingan activated.
After taking a quick second to process the instructions, the officer grabbed hold of his radio and pushed a button to signal the others.
"Second floor's all clear," he reported as he plopped down each step. "We got ourselves a one-floor party. The back entrances are being covered as we speak…"
As the fat man left, Sasuke stayed hidden to evade any more potential witnesses. He advanced, passing by Ami's final resting place, towards the final door. His porcelain doll lay unspoken and unmoved since he left. The smell of her blood completely left this earth, but her body was almost as alluring.
Almost.
He eyed her nicely shape, clad in lascivious attire. With his free hand, he stroked the ice cold skin of her cheek and the soft strands of her hair. It turns out he had a bad habit of playing with his food.
The vampire gazed at her whitened face one last time.
"Now…what should I do with you…"
The slamming door echoed throughout the foyer as Naruto entered the mansion. He stomped his way to his "best buddy's" room all the way on the top floor. It was dark except for the flickering colors from the plasma screen suspended from the ceiling. The raven haired male was taking it easy on his king-sized bed, but Naruto was willing to change that.
"What's the big idea? Crap loads of people are gonna get in trouble for that, ASS-SUKE," stated the wrapless mummy who threw himself onto the nearby lounger. He still had pieces of toilet paper trapped in his hair, but that was the least of his concerns.
"One, 'ass-suke' makes no sense," Sasuke countered, flipping through the channels on the TV. "And two, that's not my problem."
"Not your problem? People were throwing chairs at windows to get outta there! Some dude was so drunk, he couldn't even move out of the way! AND…I almost got ARRESTED."
"But you didn't," he retorted quite simply. Sasuke sat at the edge of the bed and asked with false concern, "How's your girlfriend?"
"G-GIRLFRIEND? What girlfriend? What're you gettin' at?" Naruto asked, completely mystified.
"The Hyuuga girl."
Naruto did a spit-take with an invisible beverage. "WHAAAT? No, no, no. It's not like that, at all! Her dad would KILL ME." The instigator shrugged because he was just mocking the poor guy out of pure entertainment. There was nothing good on TV at 4 in the morning.
"I was just out for a while 'cause we needed to find Sakura. We couldn't find her anywhere, so we hadda leave without her." It was Naruto's turn to shrug. He just thought she left the party earlier than they did. "Good thing she did, too, she missed the cops."
"Good thing…," Sasuke said, with thoughts of her in mind. Naruto jumped up and stretched before throwing punches into the air.
"Oi, I'm gonna play that new fighter game I got, you wanna try it out?" He started jogging in place and then threw another left hook. The virtual fighter could already envision the world champion's belt in his hands.
"No. Get out, I want to go to sleep," grumbled the vampire in PJs, who was pulling the fluffy blanket over his body. In a few more hours, the sun would rise again making him even more annoyed than before.
"Yeah, yeah, we both know you'd lose any way!"
"Tch."
Sasuke listened in silence as the footsteps slowly faded away. He then threw the comforter off of him, and glanced at his unique party favors. The red and white phone with a cryptic message. The pink and green flower that symbolized a life. Ever since her passing, there were no signs of the uncontrollable urges, the unwanted fatigue, and the raging temptation that drove him to insanity.
He was finally free.
The vampire sat up and leaned against the backboard. The pendant dangled from the silver chain as he watched it sway back and forth…
The party was worth it.
Hinata sat in the backseat as her driver took her deep into the city. Ino was next to her, leaning against her shoulder and mumbling random sounds in her drunken stupor. The ballerina nervously played with her phone as she watched the minutes go by. It's been 10 minutes since she tried to contact Sakura, and still, no answer.
"Ko, turn here please," she directed. The driver nodded and followed obediently. The car changed direction and they continued down an empty business street. Ino's flower shop was right ahead. At the curb, the vehicle slowed to a stop and the aide stepped out of the car.
"Do you need some help, Miss?" asked Ko, holding the door open for the young women.
"N-No…," Hinata winced as she pulled the cowgirl into a standing position. "I think I g-got it." She was lacking in upper body strength and the alcohol was not making it much better. Ino groaned for she wanted to just lie down and sleep in the car. She leaned her whole body weight onto Hinata as they made an attempt to walk.
Hinata led her down the side of the building and towards the shop's backdoor. She grabbed the hidden key under the mat and trudged onward. They ended up in the staff-only back room that had the stairs leading to the apartment. The dark-haired girl struggled even further as she ascended every step. Ino's coordination was visiting another planet as she simply dragged herself along and the ballerina currently hated Ino for not sticking to her diet.
"Al-almost there…," she whispered. When they reached the top of the steps, she breathed deeply. The intruder snuck Ino inside and threw the blanket over her as the Yamanakas snored in the next room. She tip-toed out of the flat and locked the door behind her. Quiet as a mouse.
The girl hustled to the car that was parked down the street. The engine was still running and puffing out mist into the cold night. As she slid into the back seat, featureless white eyes reflected in the back mirror. She checked her cell phone again for any missed messages or calls.
Nothing.
She was starting to get worried.
Hinata flipped through her electronic address book and selected Sakura's number. The ringing on the other end went on and on until a dull robotic drone spoke about a voice mailbox. She hung up, not wanting to just leave another useless message, and tried her number again. Her foot tapped impatiently on the car floor with every unanswered ring.
"Is everything alright?" The driver asked when he started up the car. They took off down the street, passed brick buildings, parked cars, and city signs. The shadows of trees zoomed by as the sky slowly shifted into its morning glory. She wondered if Sakura could see the sky from where she was standing.
"I hope so…"
"What? Were you having a nightmare about me kickin' your ass?" Naruto cursed when his character was sent flying across the screen. His fingers smashed against the buttons faster than the console could even keep up with.
"Che, in your dreams, loser." Fantastic bubble letters popped up on the big screen and the victorious words appeared on Sasuke's side: Winner, Winner! Sasuke placed the controller down on the table and walked away before Naruto could scream in his face. The failure threw the controller across the room and suspected foul play.
"REMATCH! You cheating bastard!"
"You wish, Naruto. You just suck. Horribly," replied the champion fighter, taking a blood bag from the fridge. He strolled back to the living room and kicked his feet up. The cap popped off and Sasuke took a victory sip.
"Oh man, can I have one of those?" Naruto asked, eyeing the bag of O-positive.
"Last one." Sasuke took another sip. "Loser."
"ARGHH!"
As Naruto roared at the top of his lungs, Sasuke remained unaware of the missed calls. The device sitting in his room was buzzing constantly as the screen lit up. It vibrated towards the edge of the side table, before falling onto the floor and shattering into pieces. The battery popped out of the back, rendering the device useless.
.
Hinata sat in her room and watched the sun rise over the vibrant trees. The orange glow started to stretch across the horizon and birds were starting to chirp to welcome the morning. No matter what, she couldn't enjoy the view.
Not when Sakura was missing.
She had her ear against the phone again, trying one last time to call before getting some sleep. She wondered how she could even get any amount of shut eye when this feeling loitered in the pit of her stomach. Just when she finally thought she got through, the ringing stopped – without the voice mail answering. She sighed and just placed her phone next to her bed. There was nothing left to do but wait. Maybe Sakura was passed out from partying. Maybe she didn't want to talk about her beef with Ino. Maybe her phone was just on silent the whole time.
Maybe she was home, safe and sound. With a pair of comfy PJs and her nice fuzzy slippers. Studying for a test or researching the cure for cancer. Maybe she's just A-Okay.
Maybe…maybe…
Hinata placed her head down on the satin pillow and closed her eyes. In less than a second, her cell phone buzzed and rang. She rushed to pick it up and placed her ear to the phone.
"Hello?" she asked in desperation. Sakura? Is that you? Are you okay? Where were you? Why didn't you call? A million other questions formed at the tip of her tongue.
After recognizing the voice on the other end, Hinata suddenly found it hard to swallow.
"O-Oh! Ms. H-Haruno…"
Oh no...
The Chaos.
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