To them, this moment was natural. Human nature. Vampire nature. Natural.
His hand was firmly planted onto the small of her back, keeping her close, keeping her his. The heat of the moment was luring her in with an astonishing force. She did not fight it. Instead, she embraced the familiar ache of his lips, tongue, teeth. Some masochistic gene tainted her; some sadistic gene was alive in him.
Every bite was euphoric. Every touch, like fire. Every sensation, heightened.
Every second felt wrong and right. Paradoxical, but honest.
Her breathe hitched, feeling the coolness of his fingers slide under her blouse. He nibbled against her neck teasingly as intermission, before going for another taste. Their bodies were tight and locked as the expensive leather of the car seats generated fabulous friction against their skins. The sense of urgent need rushed in their veins. They were growing so deeply consumed. Addicted. Their worlds began to bend and intertwine almost perfectly, innately.
And with teeth clenching, hands gripping his hair, she was fighting the need to wail out in a troubling mix of pain and pleasure. Pain from his teeth, pleasure from everything else. In a gratifying compromise, the sound from her lips formed a tasty, sensual moan that sent blaring signals through him.
Insanity ensued in the pleasure centers of his mind.
A pressure was building; an unseen tension, a fiery spark rising within. It was something they both wanted to avoid. It was something more dangerous, sinister. But it was ready to collapse, detonate, ready to ruin the order of their worlds.
Ready to ruin them.
And before it could blow up in their faces, destroying the entire fabric of their relationship, they pulled away.
Sakura, panting for air.
Sasuke, panting for control.
He roughly wiped away the excess blood from his perfectly shaped lips; she was too flustered to look him in the eye and leaned into the backseat. The heaviness still pushed on them to move towards one another, to recreate their special brand of disorder that only brewed when they were together.
The desire to ruin each other. To create chaos.
Stuck in a moment.
[17] The Moment
The meaning of life twisted in a new direction.
Sakura finished her week of detention and Sasuke, seeing no point in going anymore, skipped every other session to their teacher's blatant dislike. He was back to his relatively normal self, together with his usual brooding and sanguinary nature that was masterfully managed. She was back in her starchy uniform at the Medical Center and happier than ever. They started their negotiated routine. On certain days, he would pay her a non-medical related visit that involved sneaking away to a vacant room.
Or to the tall stacks of books at the library between classes.
Or to the bathroom stalls when no one was looking.
Or to the locker rooms before the start of gym.
Or to the backseat of his car after school.
Or to anywhere. At any time.
Their secret moments.
Sakura would look forward to them and it wasn't for the questions she got to ask because at this point, she talked whenever the hell she felt like it. And he would respond with a sufficient-enough answer that would keep her mouth shut for a while. It was a good system; it worked for them. But she was curious, captivated by his everything and it was exhilarating and heart-pounding and just about every good feeling in the entire world wrapped around a hint pain that she soon adjusted to.
And Sasuke, a forever slave to his vampire greed, wouldn't miss a chance with her. His cravings were fulfilled past heavenly perfection, but every few days when his urges would resurface, he'd come back to her for another slice of heaven. Another slice of her.
Sneaking away to be indulged.
Together, alone.
This became their norm.
.
"Three? That's it?" Sakura stepped into the snow and dug through her purse for a set of elusive house keys.
"We have to set boundaries." Sasuke stood aside on the porch, observing her mounting frustration and dazed walk to the front door. "…You talk too much."
"But three questions a day?" she asked exasperated, mostly for a different reason. "There's no way that would satisfy my curiosity."
"It's called compromise. Light feeding isn't as satisfying as you'd think."
"What do you expect? A full course meal? In case you didn't notice, I'm not the biggest fan of passing out and if I end up in the hospital again, I'll gladly send you the bill."
"Like I said: Compromise. We're doing it for a reason."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm just saying there should be room for a little more compromising… and damn it, where are my fricking keys?" Sakura griped, ready to spin her bag upside down. "This bag swallows up everything…" Then, she raised her head and saw her ring of keys dangling in her face. She instantly shot the vampire a look.
"Back pocket," he deadpanned, tossing them to her. Uncouthly, she caught it against her chest, mumbled a "thanks" and fiddled with the lock. She entered.
"Take your shoes off, by the way," Sakura called, customarily sliding her shoes off and walking into the kitchen. "My mom hates when the floors get all muddy." Leaving her bag at the table, she opened a cabinet and reached for a tea cup on the top shelf. She struggled on her tippy-toes and briskly back tracked to get help.
"Hey, can you get something for me?" She cocked an eyebrow at Sasuke who, with a wound up expression, stopped at the door. "…Why are you just standing there?"
"You have to invite me inside," he stated plainly.
"You need an invite? You can't just walk inside?…Is that a vampire thing?"
He nodded.
Something clicked in her head and a sly smile met her face.
"I think I'll just grab a chair…," she snickered, scurrying to get her tea started.
"…Sakura!" he growled aggressively, watching her turn the corner. A dynamic vein throbbed at his forehead. "Annoying…"
A few minutes later, Sakura reappeared with a steaming cup of unsweetened tea. She shuffled to the door with fuzzy slippers on her feet and inhaled the steamy aroma.
"I made enough for the both of us," she sing-songed with hidden laughter in her voice. "How's my front porch? Is it still snowing?" The unwelcomed visitor glowered in her direction. "Oh calm down, you grouch. I'll invite you in…sooner or later." Her shoulders quaked with silent giggles.
"Che," he said, turning on his heel and heading down the steps. After nearly dropping the scorching tea, Sakura quickly set down the delicate porcelain and called after him.
"Hey, I was just kidding!" She stepped outside and sprinted through her front yard, fumbling on her slippers. "Don't go! Who's going to help me study for the literature test?"
Sasuke paused, hand planted on the car door's handle.
"You want me to stay?" She nodded profusely. He crossed his arms and pulled out a cocky half-smile. "Beg."
"Beg?" She laughed. "No way. I'm not a dog. I won't stoop that low."
"Then enjoy failing tomorrow," he said, sliding into the Oto-Viper. The door slammed and the car started up a nanosecond later. In an instant, Sakura found herself jumping into action.
"Hold on a minute!" she exclaimed, rushing to his window. He opened his door and leaned out; the engine purred in the background. She took a dramatic breath and swallowed her pride. "You're a lot better at this topic than I am and I don't understand the century-old speech and the way they write… and I know you probably heard them talk first-hand so, it would be useful, you know? And failing isn't an option here…."
"That doesn't sound like begging."
"I'm getting there!"
"Then hurry up. You're wasting my gas."
"No one said you had to turn the engine on!"
He shrugged, waiting for his show to begin.
"God, this is so demeaning," she thought out loud. All of this to feed his fat ego. He cleared his throat to push her to continue. "Sasuke, please stay. I need you and you're the only one who can help me. Please, please, please with a nice, juicy cherry on top and sprinkles and whipped cream and hot fudge…and blood, if you're into that. Please." She slapped her palms together and prayed for his generosity.
But he wasn't feeling very generous today.
"…Begging sounds better when you're on your knees."
"ARGH, you ego monster!"
"Do you want to pass or not?"
.
"Know the symbolism and the notable connotations, then you should be fine for the test."
"Okay," Sakura said, jotting down notes. She flipped through the heap of papers layering the top of the kitchen table. "And connotation is like a hidden meaning, right?"
"An implied or underlying meaning of a word or phrase," he answered, bored out of his mind.
"Wow, verbatim…I'm impressed," she declared, reading the highlighted material from a study packet. "Did you memorize that?"
"Unintentionally."
"Do you naturally have a good memory or is that another vampire thing?"
"Both," he said, distracted. "Where's your cat?"
"Hina?" Sakura rose from her work and surveyed the room. "Hm, I don't know. She's usually following me around. Maybe she went outside…"
"In the snow? You're not a very good owner…"
"She likes the snow! It doesn't even bother her. She's a weird one, but she likes being outside, so I let her be. That doesn't make me a bad owner," she defended, pressing her pencil harder into the page.
"Hn." The rev of an engine pulled him away from the conversation. "…I thought you said your mother works late."
"She does." Sakura read the clock, 8 at night. "She should be, anyway."
"Someone just pulled into your driveway," he announced, pushing out of his seat. Sakura witnessed blinding headlights peering into the kitchen window and sped over. Her stomach felt heavy when she recognized the vehicle.
"Crap, it is my mom. You should teleport…or whatever you vampires do. Oh, I know! Turn into a bat!"
"Funny." He leaned against the banister and watched her scramble around the foyer. "Why does it matter if she knows I'm here?"
"She doesn't know I have company over."
"So?"
"Sooo, she'll be pissed because I invited a guest when the house isn't clean and there's crap everywhere. But then again, she always says the house is a mess, so I guess there's just no pleasing her…? Ugh! It would be a lot easier if you'd just disappear, okay? And don't say anything!"
Sakura abruptly spun around, exhaled her nerves, and opened the front door.
"Hi, Mom. You're home early."
"Oh hi, Sweetie. And yeah, there's this business meeting going on so we had to close the restaurant early today. Apparently our profits are dropping, so they're brainstorming on what to do next. It's a giant hassle, let me tell you…"
"I hear ya," Sakura said unenthusiastically. She threw a glance over her shoulder and saw an empty staircase. Score. "So, I was just studying in the kitchen. Hope you don't mind. I'll clean all that stuff up in a minute."
"It's fine, I'll be out of your way after I have some tea."
Sakura trailed after her mother, expecting her carelessly scattered notes to be decorating the room. Instead, she saw them nicely stacked and she ended up seething with annoyance. Her mother, in contrast, was pleasantly surprised.
"Hello. Who's this, Sakura?"
Sasuke. Shuffling the papers into a neat pile and setting them down.
"I thought I told you to disappear," Sakura whispered through gritted teeth.
"Did you?" he asked, feigning innocence. "I don't recall…"
Her eye twitched. Good memory, my ass.
"Good evening, Mrs. Haruno." A charming air graced his features as he stepped forward, offering a hand. "Sasuke Uchiha. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you too, Sasuke." The woman grinned after taking his hand. "Sakura didn't tell me she was bringing someone over."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Surprise, surprise."
"I'm going to bring all this to your room… If that's alright with you," he said, looking at Sakura, then at her mother.
Oh god, not my room…
"Go ahead, I need a minute with my daughter anyway."
He packed up, taking the mess with him; they exchange unsaid words when he walked by. The teenager threw herself into a chair and waited for her mother's speech of disapproval.
Here we go... I already know what you're going to say, Mom:
"Why is he here? You know the house is filthy and I left the laundry lying around because I was going to do it first thing tomorrow. You didn't even tell me he was going to be here! Did you vacuum the floor? Or sweep the kitchen? You didn't, did you? And to think you two spent all afternoon in here! It's disgusting! Blah blah BLAH."
Let's just get this over with so I can kick him out…
The woman had her back turned, pouring hot water into a mug and taking her sweet time. Sakura sat still with killer anticipation. With a steaming cup firmly in hand, Mebuki faced her daughter and leaned against the counter. She took a long, gratifying sip.
"He's cute."
That's what you say? HE'S CUTE?
Not that I don't agree with you…
"Sure…," Sakura replied, still expecting the volcano to erupt and spew menopausal rants at her. "You're not going to yell at me?"
"Well, you could have told me you were bringing a boy home."
"I didn't think you'd be home this early."
"And I never thought I'd catch my daughter sneaking around with a guy."
Whoa, back up.
"Sneaking around? We're studying together. STUDYING. The most innocent, educational, and nerdy interaction between two people. Nothing inappropriate is happening anywhere in this house."
"What do you want me to think? This is the first time you brought a boy home."
"And this is also the first time you let a boy in my room…," Sakura stressed, wondering what he could be doing up there. He mind reeled with the possibilities.
"Well, he seems like a nice guy."
"Haha! Nice isn't exactly the word I'd be going for…"
"Why not? He's lovely, polite. He has a very good handshake. I get a good vibe from him."
You're a sucker.
"…Whatever you say."
Sasuke's playing you like a nicely tuned violin, Mother.
.
"Thanks for NOT listening to me," Sakura grumbled, announcing her presence.
"I manipulated her so she wouldn't yell at you," Sasuke said, messing with the vibrant perfume bottles embellishing her dresser. "So, you are welcome."
"Can you manipulate her to never lecture me? That would be great because she wouldn't stop bringing up proper protection and being careful like I'm some sex-crazed teenager." She shuddered. "I specifically told her we weren't up to anything, but she'll never let me live this down." Sakura pounced onto her mattress, but failed to relax. "You know, you could've saved me the hassle if you just left through the backdoor."
Sasuke uncapped one of the bottles and took a whiff; his nose twitched in response. "Technically, we are sneaking around… it's just not the sneaking around she's thinking of."
"Yeah, but she's still has her doubts. At least she approves of you with all your phony charm and politeness," Sakura sighed, lying in her mountain of pillows. "Why can't you be a lovely kiss-ass all the time?"
"Tch, I'm being respectful; that's how I was raised. And is it wrong to have your mother like me?" he questioned, sampling another one of her body sprays.
"Oh, don't worry. She LIKES you. Maybe even a little too much…"
After the conversation died, she remembered the situation they were in. They were alone. In her bedroom. She tried desperately not to think about it too much, but damn. Sasuke was in her bedroom. She never thought this day would come. A familiar pressure filled the room and Sakura wondered if she was the only one it was affecting. Sasuke went to her door and it made her sit up immediately.
"Don't close it. She said to leave my door open if I'm going to be here with you…"
He closed it anyway.
"She doesn't have to know."
He climbed onto her bed and she fell back, apprehensive; it only prompted him to move forward. All of a sudden, Sakura was trapped with Sasuke hovering above her. The tension was definitely in the air.
"What are you doing?" she muttered, hoping to be miraculously absorbed by her mattress. She attempted to shy away.
"Nothing." Yet he was boldly inching closer to her face.
"Y-You're making me nervous," she whimpered. Her heart was aching to explode. "You know she's already suspicious."
"Then let's give her give her a real reason to be," he challenged, filling the space between them. He dipped his head and placed his ear against her chest. The rhythmic pulse rushed through him in the form of ecstasy. He then brought his mouth to her ear and whispered with a low, yearning voice:
"… that sound."
He smirked, hearing her heart pound even faster.
"Stop playing with me, Sasuke," she said, her voice quivering.
I don't think my heart can take it.
"You're right… I shouldn't play with my food." His lips touched upon her neck in what felt like light kisses. He opened, ready to take a mouthful of her. Her eyes fluttered closed as Sakura prepared herself for the bite by gripping the sheets surrounding them.
"You should stop wearing this perfume."
The bite never came.
Sakura snapped her eyes open to see Sasuke strangely at her dresser again. He was holding up an amethyst bottle that sparkled in the light, but she could still feel his lips whispering against her skin. "I don't like it," he continued, but his eyes weren't on her. Instead, he watched the bedroom door from where he stood and Sakura caught on.
"Sakura," came the muffled voice.
Her mother. The moment killer.
The woman entered as Sakura tried to save her erratic thoughts. "I told you to keep your door open. And Sasuke, are you joining us for dinner?"
"…I need to go, actually." He stole a glance at the pink-faced girl, lying awkwardly on her bed. There was the aching throb of missed opportunity. "But thank you for offering."
"Anytime. It was nice having you," Mebuki grinned sweetly. "Sakura, why don't you walk him out?"
.
They were standing alone under the glow of the porch light. Small bouts of snow tumbled to the ground as Sakura shivered. She breathed into her hands and embraced herself from the winter currents. Sasuke stood, impervious.
"Well, that was awkward," Sakura admitted, watching her feet. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner? My mom's a really good cook."
"I don't like what's on the menu," he said, staring at her. She felt the gravity in his voice.
"O-Oh… Sorry, we're not u-used to serving vampires," she trembled uncontrollably.
"I'll survive."
He turned to leave, but Sakura caught the sleeve of his parka. He then froze and watched her lips ice over into an unhealthy purple hue. He removed his navy jacket and protectively threw it over her shoulders. After feeling its soothing embrace, she began to thaw. A giddy feeling invaded her thoughts.
"T-Thank you…" She fiddled with the long sleeves before returning his stare. "I have one more vampire-related question left, r-right? And I was just wondering for a really long time…
What do I taste like?"
Every other question was simple. But this one, Sasuke took a moment.
Remarkable? Exceptional? Out of this world?
What did Sakura taste like?
She tasted like every guilty pleasure that wracked his mind. If true bliss had a flavor, it would be Sakura Haruno. Every gourmet meal in the world couldn't top her. She tasted like freedom because she was his cure, she freed him from his psychotic cage; she was the one thing that made him remotely sane. Because of her, he could do the ordinary, the things he once took advantage of. But all descriptive words in his vocabulary seemed to evade him when it came to answering this one question.
What did she taste like?
"…Better than words can describe."
The house phone rang at breakfast on a Friday morning. Mid-chew, Sakura answered and it was the person on the other end that threw her off.
It was the busiest woman on the planet. "Dr. Tsunade?"
"Good Morning, Sakura." The woman's voice was pleasantly professional as always. "How are you doing?"
"Fine…?" There was confusion listed in her one-worded answer. Even when the question was just a casual formality, Sakura remembered she was still talking to a doctor. "And a little tired, to be honest."
There was a pause at the other end. Thoughtlessly, the schoolgirl swirled her alphabet cereal in wait.
"Well, it is fairly early…" Another pause and a shuffling of papers. "I've been meaning to ask you about your…accident. Is everything going okay?"
This again? Sakura impatiently tapped her spoon against the edge of the bowl. "I'd say so. The cut's all healed. No more kitchen accidents here."
"That's good… But I'd like you to come see me for a follow-up, anyway, if that's alright with you. We treated you as a critical patient, so I'm just trying to follow procedures and I know you don't normally come in on Sundays…," her voice dropped down into static silence.
"Uh, sure, if it's really that important."
"Wonderful, I'll see you this weekend. Oh, and have fun in school." Fun? In school? The call went dead.
"I should've never answered…," she groaned, placing the phone onto its cradle and throwing away her plans of a freeing Sunday afternoon. She flexed her fingers, trying to feel for any aftermath of her "kitchen accident" and felt nothing. The doctor wasn't going to find anything new, so what was the point?
Doesn't she have more important things to do?
After a nearly fatal trudge to school, Sakura arrived to class on time to see Mr. Kakashi doing the same. Something in hell must've frozen over.
"Morning," Kakashi greeted, writing on the chalkboard. Between his tardy escapades and cryptic messages, Sakura wasn't left with much when it came to sizing up her masked, one-eyed teacher. It was clear to her that he had something against Sasuke, but she decided to play it cool.
"G'morning. You're here early, Mr. Kakashi."
"I know," he said, sounding surprised himself. "I had luck defrosting my car, so I came earlier than I anticipated."
"It's always better than coming in late…"
"YES, IT'S SNOWING!" yelled Naruto as he made his grand entrance. "This is fucking awesome." With a grin like that, he looked like he had just won the lottery. He gawked at the puffs of white December frost floating to the ground; the snowy blanket was a foot thick and it was only getting higher from there.
"It's been snowing, Naruto…," Kakashi said, dreadfully monotone. "And watch your language."
"The snow's been getting worse since last night," added the pinkette, joining him at the windowsill. "I had to walk in it just to get here…"
"You won't have to walk in it for long, Sakura! Christmas break, here we come!"
"Haha, sorry to burst your bubble, but you know, we still have a whole week left of school," she sighed and sadly glanced at the pearly white sky. "And all of our classes are going to give us piles of homework like they do every year."
They look at their teacher for confirmation; he held up the thickest packet they have ever seen.
"Aw, damn it…" He took a seat for the start of class. "Eh, it's not like I really do the homework anyway."
'Lucky you,' Sakura thought sourly, watching the door from her desk when class began. Kakashi started the lesson with a festive review question on the board, but Sakura couldn't concentrate for the life of her. She waited and waited because something, someone, was missing.
Sasuke wasn't here.
And he never missed one of their meet-up days.
Kakashi was droning on when Sakura reached for Naruto's attention.
"Where's Sasuke?" she whispered softly.
"Iunno, he said he was tired or something."
"So he just doesn't come to school?"
"Guess so."
'Tired? That's his excuse?' Sakura shook her head and grew deeply disappointed.
She floated on to her next class alone, embracing herself to make up for the indolent heating system of KHS. The one thing she was missing most was Sasuke's navy parka that he lent to her last week, the heavy downed coat that smelled like freshly fallen rain and his notable musk that drove her through infinite levels of insanity. Meanwhile, the coat's rightful owner was always cold to the touch, but he never cared to acknowledge or be bothered by it. For camouflage, he argued was the only reason he brought it to school; it would've been strange if he was comfortable in a short-sleeve shirt in the middle of December. He did end up taking it back much to her discontent.
"It's not like y-you n-need it," she had complained, teeth chattering.
"But I do." He shrugged on the parka and held it against himself. Teasing her was his favorite pastime.
"You're c-cruel," she stated, missing the warmth already.
"Hn…It smells like you."
Sakura spaced out ahead, remembering the expression of haughty delight on his face whenever he smelled the collar of his parka. Back then, any emotion was barely noticeable, but now, she learned to pay attention to every little idiosyncratic movement; for someone like Sasuke, a twitch of the lip spoke volumes.
"Heeey, wait up!" A voice called behind her.
She froze and wished it was Sasuke with his coat. And maybe a warm cup of coffee or tea. But it was Naruto, peppy as always despite the freezer they called a school. "Hey, you're lookin' kinda pale."
"I am?" She was aware, but she touches her cheek anyway. Ice cold. Her whole body shivered.
"Yeah, like a ghost."
"Or a vampire?"
Naruto laughed. "You're not freaked out or anything?"
"No, I think I'm used to it by now."
"Aha, that's great! Most people wouldn't be," he said, walking towards his locker. "Not that I really blame 'em."
"I guess I'm not like most people."
"That's for sure," he said, laced with some hinted implication, but Sakura failed to catch it, with her head miles and miles in the clouds. The blank, misty gaze in her eyes made Naruto snicker as he clawed through the trash in his locker.
"Thinking 'bout Sasuke?"
"Wh-what?" The comment got her blood going as it simmered beneath her skin.
"Haha! Look, you're not pale anymore."
Her blush spread like wildfire. "Why do you bring Sasuke into this?"
"You guys are spending a lot of time together," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Was it supposed to be a secret?"
Her eyes widen. "I just didn't think anyone noticed…"
"Well, you must've fixed that loose screw in his brain because he's better now. He's been skipping psycho mode for the last month, he doesn't knock out all the time, he's not as bitchy," Naruto paused, counting with his fingers. "It's noticeable."
She squirmed. A sudden image of her locker being defaced flooded her mind. In his few shorts months at Konoha High, Sasuke somehow generated a wild cult of pubescent followers. And they weren't kidding when they said there was strength in numbers. When he would walk in the hallway, girl after girl would come up to him asking for his hand in marriage or to procreate or any other crazy schemes they could come up with. And Sakura was there every single time to witness it. And if those rabid, hormone-indulged hellions were psychotic enough to ask him out seven times a day on average – she did the calculations – they would jump at a chance to set his maybe-rumored-love-interest's locker on fire.
It irked her.
And for some reason, Naruto was finding this hilarious.
"Is everyone talking about us?"
"Not everyone everyone. More like the group, if ya know what I mean."
The group. His friends and her friends, including the little vampire faction hidden somewhere in the middle.
"…Basically, everyone that matters," Sakura brooded, foreseeing her impending doom. This was definitely going to get out to the public one way or another. "It's not like we're dating or anything…"
As if Sasuke would ever date me…
"We're just friends…? Right? It's complicated."
.
For the remainder of the day, she drifted through the hallways alone in the bustling crowd and mulled over the madness of her new life. Ever since she learned about vampires, she became a different person. She thought educating herself about their world would help her cope, but if anything, it just made living a lie more confusing. Her sense of normalcy was entirely altered and she really wished for something to make her feel normal again.
"Sakura, my love!"
But that was not what she had in mind.
While this was a part of her old life, it was a part she was willing to cut out completely. She cringed, kept her head low, and kicked it into high gear, knowing whatever followed that voice would only throw her into a deeper mayhem.
"Please wait! My angel!"
"Eeek…!" Sakura screeched, throwing herself around the next corner. She scanned the crowd for the hideous bowl cut or an awful green jumpsuit. With no sign of him anywhere, she dashed towards her locker and planned a quick getaway before he returned. Lock in hand, she spun the dial faster than ever before.
"Hello, the most beautiful flower on the entire Earth!"
Her skin crawled considerably. Sakura turned her head in a robotic fashion and threw on a hesitant smile "Hi, Lee…"
Rock Lee, Konoha High School Senior. Fire Country's martial artist of the year in the high school division, making him stronger than he looks, but still light-years beyond creepy. Hair, hideous. Eyebrows, even worse. He talked like he was from another planet and he resembled a crossbreed between a human and a caterpillar.
"Your youthful beauty blossoms like no other, my Sakura!"
But when all was said and done, he was the quintessence of a true gentleman.
"Thanks, Lee…," Sakura said, grabbing her sketchbook for Drawing, the last period of the day. He bowed to her and extended a hand.
"Is Sasuke no longer accompanying you?" he asked, radiating excitement from every pore of his jump-suited body. "It would be my pleasure to escort you to class."
"Um…" She tried to find words to soften the blow of rejection, but the hope in his eyes was agonizing. Her insides wept as she said, "…Fine."
It's not like it would kill me…
Lee was beaming brighter than the summer sun as he walked side by side with the love of his life. Sakura winced further, cognizant of all the weird looks being thrown their way. Lee has always been that kid with an unorthodox way of doing just about everything. The way he talked, the way he dressed. Especially the way he showed his undying passion for the girl of his dreams. He was infatuated with Sakura ever since elementary school when they first met on the swing set during recess.
A true love story. The poor fool had been smitten ever since.
It was normal for them; he would ask her out, she would reject. Ever since the second grade. But as of late, he kept to himself, mostly because Sasuke was around his angel 24/7 and he was indeed a formidable opponent for Sakura's heart. Plus, Sasuke was scary as hell.
"I'm honored to share this walk with you," he confessed joyfully.
"I'm…glad…you feel that way."
Sakura wondered how Lee could possibly take such a one-sided love affair without losing his mind. He would always happily accept any gesture she would throw at him and he seemed content with it.
"Your sketches burst with youthful talent!" exclaimed Lee. He sifted through the pages of her book.
"They're not that great…"
"But they are! Something as marvelous as this should be publicly displayed for the entire world to see!"
She gave a pity laugh, but he really needed to move on to find someone who would appreciate him and every bizarre thing he did. She was sure someone somewhere would love him and the way he yells 'youthful' in every other sentence or how he never waxes his eyebrows or how he falls in love so deeply without getting love in return...
Then, her thoughts shifted and she began to question if she was exactly the same way.
They approach the art wing and he handed back her sketchbook. He seemed to have some kind of stress-induced muscle spasm as a fiery pink tint colors his face. Sakura already knew what was to come; she waited for it.
"Sakura Haruno," he proclaimed in a booming voice. Shamelessly, he took a knee and pulled out a rose from one of the many hidden pockets tailored into his outfit. The rose was new to the program. "My love for you shines brighter than the stars! Please, accept this token of my love and go out with me!"
He gave her a blinding, good guy smile.
He received a blank expression.
"I-I don't know…" The reaction was strikingly honest.
Do I say yes and give him false hope? Or say no and reject him again?
The fruitless attempts, the tender determination, the shine in his eyes…
They were kindred spirits, both hoping for something that may never happen, destined for a life of failed wishful thinking and pipe dreams. She felt her heart sink at the realization. He didn't move an inch, still posing like the good guy he is. His love, just like his posture, was so unwavering. If she was in his shoes, what would she wish for?
Maybe he deserves a chance.
She gingerly took the rose and felt the waxy smoothness of its petals.
Maybe THIS is my only shot at a love life.
He was still beaming at her and she half-heartedly simpered back.
Maybe I should say yes…
"I think–"
Sakura broke off when someone shoved her and abruptly cut in between them. She was about to spew some nasty remark when time trickled to a stop. The dominating presence took her breath away and she forgot how to form words. The raven eyes. The inscrutable expression.
Her very own pipe dream.
Sasuke…
For a guilty second, the air of her response was caught in her throat.
Sakura then noticed his officious hand slipping around her wrist and the forceful tug that followed. Sasuke continued to take her along in his direction without breaking stride, pulling her away. Everything happened so fast and in a rush, Sakura could still see her infatuated suitor on his knee, absolutely crushed. It pained her.
"S-Sorry Lee! We can talk later!"
"I'll wait for you forever, dear Sakura!"
And with that, Sasuke gripped her even tighter. When they arrived at her class, he abusively dropped her arm and glared at the jumpsuit down the hall. Sakura delicately rubbed her bruising skin.
"You can't just come out of nowhere and whisk me away. I was in the middle of a conversation."
"You're welcome," he spat, quietly aggravated.
"And what should I be thanking you for?" she spoke openly, unafraid.
"As if you really want to go out with him."
"Maybe I do," she challenged with a defiant leer. "What's it to you?"
"I wouldn't allow it."
"What? Do you think I'm your property or something?"
She crossed her arms and gave him a fierce look, seeing what she interpreted as a hint of jealousy. He parted the locks of her hair and exposed the discolored skin on her neck. The only scar on her body.
"According to this…," he gestured, tenderly grazing her flesh. "You are."
The bite on her neck, she remembered initially gaping at it in a mirror for hours. It used to heal, but thanks to their little get-togethers, the injury kept reopening. It lingered on her skin almost-everlasting as a trademark and a memory of their deal.
And Sasuke ached to remind her.
"You are mine," he stated for the entire student body to hear. A mass of whispers erupted around them and Sakura felt the room jump a million degrees. Sasuke was the last person she thought would be responsible for outing them. She gulped down the air that somehow suffocated her.
So much for keeping this a secret.
"I can go out with whoever I want. You don't own me, Sasuke," she asserted herself, but inwardly swooned at his declaration. She tried not to show it and with practice, she's been improving. But her mouth could say what it wanted; in the end, her hurried heart always betrayed her. Sasuke heard the rhythm trapped under her ribcage and it was music to his ears.
"Little does she know," he monologued aloud, vanity dripping off every syllable. His fingers danced along her neck. "I own you."
"You're so damn possessive." She swatted at his hand, but to no avail.
"I am." His announcement, lined with hardened pride. He poked her in the forehead only to get his hand slapped away, successfully this time. "And he can't have you."
"Jerk," she growled, but then lowers her intensity as she stroked the edges of the rosy petals, avoiding his gaze. "Where were you this morning?"
"Busy."
"Doing…?"
"It doesn't concern you," he answered rather coldly, but she was used to it by now.
"Fine. But are we still on for tomorrow?"
"Aah." He didn't even remember what the plans for tomorrow were exactly, but he complied nonetheless. "I need to see you later."
"Okay," she agreed, clearly hearing the famine in his voice. "Oh, and can you give me a ride to the hospital on Sunday?"
"You don't volunteer on Sundays." He already knew her schedule like the back of his hand.
"I know, but Dr. Tsunade wanted me to come in and I can't exactly say 'No' to the chief of medicine." She shrugged apathetically. "It sounded important."
"Hm."
"So, I'll see you later?" she asked, skillfully sensing his growing indifference.
"I'll be at your locker."
And that was it.
He doesn't look over his shoulder. He doesn't show any emotion, no affection, no hugs or kisses. No falling on one knee, no flowers. Nothing.
In a second, he was gone.
She was left standing there, alone. With a wilting rose and a love life that was smothered beyond repair.
Sakura waved at nothing and the emptiness haunted her.
Decorative candles lit up the chapel in a spectacular show, making the building ready to inhale the Christmas spirit. The twinkling lights danced among the shadows of hanging wreaths and garland twisting around the columns and ceiling beams. A massive tree towered over the altar and earned silent praise from Yamato for its stature and splendor. Gently, he closed the doors behind him, but the sound multiplied in the sheer vastness of the church.
"Back in time for the holidays, I see…" Chiyo held up a freshly lit candle and stood it on the altar.
"There's so much more to learn," he said, admiring the ornaments adorning the tree. "I couldn't stay away." He was lured to the eye-catching display. An angel sat atop the bristling pines and glowed against the needled green. He could recognize the smell of fresh evergreens anywhere. "A real Fraser Fir, that's a nice touch."
"Plastic Christmas trees don't quite cut it."
"I couldn't agree more."
Back in the priest's chambers, they settled at a familiar table. Reaching into a grimy paper bag, Yamato pulled out a container filled with an organic cream soup and slid it towards the elder.
"You didn't have to do that." She seemed slightly ungrateful, but took a plastic spoon regardless.
"'Tis the season," he replied, holding up a container for himself.
"Well, thank you." The container's plastic lid popped off and the steam rose from below. "Where's that friend of yours? Haven't seen 'em in a while…"
"He's at school, exactly where he should be."
"He goes to school?"
"He's a teacher."
"Bah! Him, a teacher," she cackled. "He's too serious to handle children."
"He's only serious when he needs to be…"
The chowder spun along as she motioned the spoon around the edges of the container. She was quiet, bothered and deep in thought.
"If there was a good time for the two of you to get serious, it's now."
He had a taste and hummed in delight. "Don't worry," he reassured her. "We take hunting seriously."
"Then I really hope you're prepared. How's your doohickey coming along?"
"Almost completed."
"And the holy water?"
"I just gave it to him. He'll find it useful."
"That's good. Vampires are the strongest in the winter, you know," Chiyo reported, taking a virgin spoonful. "The longer nights, the shorter days. My brother once taught me that, being involved in this lunacy longer than I have."
"It's also the cloudiest time of the year," Yamato added, quite proud of himself. "…Saw that on the news this morning…"
"It's not wrong," she humored him, leaving her food aside. "I'm sure you heard that the sun is a vampire's leash. It restrains them and weakens them, but still allows some room for roaming. But in the winter, when the sun isn't as high in the sky and covered by clouds, the leash becomes close to useless. They begin to rely more on their instincts and desires. The closest thing to their demon selves."
"They're almost unmanageable. I've been warned before. When we used to attend ANBU summits, they advised us to take extra precautions at this time of year," he recounted. Wrinkles formed on his stressed brow. "Vampires are incredibly active because they would 'recruit' for their hordes, or at least that's what they told us."
"That is true, so maybe those ANBU hunters are not complete imbeciles," she spat. Yamato simpered awkwardly. "Can you believe they never knew holy water was fatal to vampires? Honestly, they impudently underestimate God's will…"
"I'm sure they will find good ways to use it if they get their hands on it. Splattering grenades, modified guns."
"Barbaric. Why did you two quit again?"
"More like laid off." The chair squeaked as Yamato leaned back and scratched his head, embarrassed. "We had orders from the higher ups to stop hunting in Konoha. My life is there – my shop, my home – I couldn't just leave, so I settled as a permanent carpenter. But Kakashi was in it for more than the pay. He had an innate duty to it; his father was an operative, his grandfather. He didn't want to let it go… But it did pay well, so I can sympathize."
"Then, he became a teacher."
"First, he travelled for a while, searching for an open mission, found nothing, and then he settled for a teaching career. It's good for him, he needed the solid ground." Yamato eyed the empty seat at the table. "Actually, it's probably the most stable part of his life right now…"
"Heh," the woman snorted. "Life is too short for stability."
Yamato smiled. "What makes you say that?"
"Do you really want to live a long, tiresome life only to end up dying safely? I've lived long enough to realize that I would never want that." Chiyo shook her head. "My life has been very adventurous with many twists and turns. And when my time comes, God will allow me to rest peacefully. But in life…," she sighed, looking into space. "Commotion, indeed, makes life interesting."
He laughed, but soon restrained. "I'm sorry; I didn't expect that from you of all people, Priestess Chiyo."
"It's only natural to search for moments that make you feel. We are all pulled to those that make us feel alive even in times of darkness." Her wrinkles pulled against her face as she smirked. "Am I wrong?"
Yamato watched her twirl her nearly untouched soup. The bland whiteness of the cream continued spinning on and on, featureless and unharmed. He tried for another spoonful of his own only to realize the tastelessness.
It was no surprise she didn't like the offering.
He took her words and imagined a life of pure, uncontrolled emotion. A life of commotion.
Is that really what it means to be alive?
"No, I think you're very much right."
After leaving Sakura in her class, Sasuke walked the halls and avoided going to his own. He was too restless, too eager, too thirsty.
He needed to feed.
He contemplated pulling her out of class, but he quickly learned his lesson after the last time he tried it.
"We're going to miss the notes. AGAIN," Sakura nagged with Sasuke pinning her with nowhere to run.
He touches her scar. "I really don't care."
"Well, I DO." She pushes him away and he stumbles, too distracted by his hunger. "Unlike you, I have to actually GO to college."
This speech again.
"And if I'm gone all the fricking time, I can say goodbye to any chance of going to medical school. Would YOU trust your life to a doctor that doesn't even show up? No, I didn't think so. You'll be dead before you even have a chance to sue. Well, I don't mean you specifically, but you get what I mean. AND that stupid week of detention – Yes, I am bringing it up again – won't just disappear, okay? It's going to be on my permanent record FOREVER. I repeat, FOREVER. And I don't–"
He groaned.
So for the past few days, she's been happily on time. And he's been impatiently waiting, but still waiting nonetheless.
Hands in pockets, Sasuke aimlessly strolled along the backside of the school, skipping class and killing time. As he stepped onto undefiled snow, he heard the crisp crunch under his feet. Footprints were left in his wake as he circled around the field and tried to clear his rampant thoughts. He noticed his wristwatch seemed to tick even slower when his needs were ablaze. It was mocking him incessantly. He was already on a deadly edge and Rock Lee, coming in his direction, was just the thing to set him off.
He was the last person he wanted to see.
The boy's bug-eyes looked strangely determined or demented – Sasuke couldn't figure out which – and he halted, standing at eyelevel with the vampire. The bushy brows on his forehead pulled together and he pointed an exigent finger straight ahead. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and felt the peculiar air of fear radiating off of the ignorant fool, but it wasn't the usual aroma he was used to.
For whatever reason, he was utterly disgusted by it.
"I'm glad I finally found you. You are indeed a worthy adversary, Sasuke Uchiha."
The vampire kept a poker-face and said nothing, but felt a growing vexation with a stubby digit pointed in his face.
"I challenge you!" The decree rang out in the empty field. "A duel! For Sakura's heart!"
Sasuke, slightly amused, questioned Lee's mental state: Was this kid for real?
For Sakura's heart?
Was this his death wish?
Judging by the stupid sparkle in his eyes, Lee was seriously ready to give up his life for a girl he could never be with. And Sasuke, now corrupt with another desire, had no problem with that. Vexed, he lowered the finger and crushed it, slowly, in his grip. The once-resolved face twisted into one of horror as Lee winced and vainly attempted to curve away from the ever-growing pain.
"I wo-won't lose…her," Lee declared, voice cracking under the fear that Sasuke detected and ultimately detested.
His irrational fear of losing the love of his life, Sakura.
How dare he, to think he even had the right feel anything so beyond him.
Sasuke sneered and spoke with disturbed poise, "…She was never yours to lose."
Trapped in an unbreakable hold, Lee's wrist bent back entirely, earning pops and cracks from the shattering bones and ligaments. His pain threshold was breaking as he breathed heavily to push away the agony. He dropped onto one knee as Sasuke continued to snap the fibers in his wrist. The human coughed with stifled gasps, but refused to shriek with defeat.
Sasuke allowed him to wither. "Sakura belongs to me."
"Y-You don't d-deserve Saku–Gaaah…!"
Then Lee was forced to his feet with a powerful grip that went straight for his neck. Sasuke raised him off the ground and squeezed without restraint.
"Say her name again, and I will end you," he hissed under his breath, quickly losing his composure.
"I-…hngg!," Lee managed to wheeze, feeling the constriction growing tighter. He thrashed while his vision grew damaged with sporadic flickers. His world soon faded to black. Behind his eyelids, he saw her face, her smile. He needed air, desperately, to say words he's been dying to say.
"I…lo-…love… Sak…kur-ra…"
A hostile desire impulsively took over and suddenly, Sasuke was seeing red.
A lot of red.
.
They always make plans to be out together, but it was never a date. They were getting comfortable with each other, but never too close. They were intertwined, but never tangled.
And Sakura wanted nothing more than to change that.
Sure, they were friends. Friends with highly deranged benefits. He got whatever he wanted, then as soon as they were done with their secret meetings, it was back to being the emotionless, hard ass he is. And what did she get out of it? Dizziness, a sore neck, and a pressure in the pit of her stomach… and not the mention the mixed signals floating between them.
They were the reason the word "complicated" was invented.
She thought things were fine, but hell. They weren't.
It was then Sakura realized she wasn't like Lee, a guy without a greedy bone in his entire body, a guy who would buy flowers that symbolized more than just love, but his undying endeavor for her heart, a guy who would face rejection and come out resilient. He wouldn't rush her. He wouldn't push her to do anything she didn't want to do. He would stand aside, like a gentleman, and respect her boundaries.
But boundaries be damned.
Sakura had esuriency coursing through her veins and it wasn't ready to let up. The hunger she felt went beyond flowers and grand gestures and meaningless compliments and secret meetings and stupid coats. She wanted love and affection and Sasuke.
Love and affection from Sasuke.
She didn't to just be his personal blood bank. She didn't want to just belong to him.
She wanted him to belong to her all the same.
Then without warning, Hinata's voice broke through her newfound resolution.
"Huh?" Sakura asked, doe-eyed and off guard.
"I said," Hinata raised the volume of her natural softness, "Who are you drawing?" Her voice was still a whisper compared to Ms. Kurenai's blasting hippy music.
"Sai," she answered, pointing to the pale guy sitting in the middle of the room. He had been posing on a chair for the last fifteen minutes, displayed for all the drawers to see. "We're drawing models today, aren't we?"
"W-We're supposed to…" Hinata snuck a peek at Sakura's sketchbook. "But that doesn't really look like Sai…"
"C'mon Hinata, what do you expect? I'm not that much of an art…ist…," her voice trailed off, noticing the outlandish errors on her charcoal piece. The brows were too knit together, seeming irate and disturbed. The jaw line, shapely compared to Sai's face.
"N-No! I'm not saying it's bad. You… barely looked up at all, so I was just wondering…if you were drawing from memory?"
In the drawing, the lines of hair were disarrayed and spiked up entirely. The eyes, dark and penetrating – endless, like the universe. Her universe, which revolved around only one thing.
Damn it, this is– "Yeah… I don't really know what I'm doing."
Sakura ripped the cotton fiber page from her book and crumpled it without a second thought.
"Ah, Sakura! You don't have to throw it out."
She plodded over to the garbage pail and tossed the wad carelessly inside. The way the page folded and crinkled, she could still make out one of his flawlessly drafted eyes, studying her as she walked away.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to criticize," Hinata apologized when her friend retook her seat.
"Don't worry, it was the good kind of criticism." The crumbling medium left ghostly marks on the fresh, white page. She focused attentively on the shape of her subject's nose, ears, hairline. "I'm supposed to draw what I see and not what I imagine, right?"
"Mhmm, that's what Ms. Kurenai taught us."
"Then that's what I should be doing."
Whether it was pure trickery of the mind or from her actual line of sight, the only thing she could see was him. No matter what she did, he was being reborn into a black and white art form right in front of her. The lines seemed to create themselves, reliving her recent failure that rotted in the trash.
It was no use.
"Goddamn it," she cursed, tearing the page with a violent force and stomping over to the trash for the second time today. On her way back, she passed the door and felt the atmosphere grow dim. It was the strangest sensation, but she recognized it nonetheless. It was attracting her and for a split second, an image of Sasuke ran through the back of her mind. She knew couldn't ignore it.
"Ms. Kurenai, I need to go to the bathroom," she yelled over the music. The black-haired woman swayed her head in time to the music and missed the girl's request. Sakura didn't wait for an answer. She went alone, and was now in that part of the school that seemed to be lifeless and maybe even haunted. The eerie silence tickled her skin and made her hairs stand on ends, but she did not dare to slow down. She followed an empty, unfamiliar corridor and wondered where her feet where taking her.
Gravity was pulling her towards a set of double doors leading to the far edge of the football field. Something in her mind was screaming at her to venture into the cold. Wary, she peaked through the small window and saw a blur of green that made her heart stop. Urgently, Sakura threw open the door and found Lee, crumbling on all fours with a beaten face and a bloodied mouth. Sakura gasped at his battered appearance. She rushed to him, thunderous beats in her ears, and tried to help him up. She then realized she was going to do more harm than good. His face was covered in blood, bruises, and God knows what else. Despite the black-and-blue eye, Lee looked up at his aggressor, leisurely sauntering towards them.
Sakura followed his line of sight and for what seemed like the first time in centuries, she had never been more pained to see the monster coming her way.
Sasuke?
Lee's wrist was badly warped, making him lean awkwardly on his other appendages that were luckily still intact, but blue with ice. Knowing Sasuke's abilities, he could've ripped Lee apart in a second, but Sakura thought Sasuke had that side of him under control.
She was wrong.
I don't understand.
And she never saw how deep his sadistic nature ran.
Sasuke was supposed to be getting better. What happened?
Sasuke kept on, appearing unscathed and disastrously beautiful as always. But Sakura watched as his pent up emotions distorted his features, fully displaying his fury. It shocked her because this much zeal was only present when he was feeding, when he was fulfilling a desire. But was it blood he was after? Something inside him must have snapped. With a good distance left in between them, he stopped, cracked his neck and glared ahead. Sakura swallowed the bile rising up in her throat.
Lee's dying. Lee's dying.
To repeat it over and over was the only way she could believe it.
"Sasuke, why…?" she stammered. He couldn't hear her, even if they were face to face. He was that far gone.
"S-Saku…," Lee sounded out, coughing up blood that splatters onto putrid white. A shaking, feeble hand reached out to her. But bitter words pierced through.
"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Her."
Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Me?
Lee…is dying…because of me?
Why?
Sakura grew frantic, feeling the heavy atmosphere drop onto her like a guilty conscience. Sasuke had a sickness and she was his cure. She was supposed to be the one thing to fix him, but he was breaking, cracking. He was relapsing and coming back worse than ever before.
He's doing this because of me?
Somewhere along the line, she became his poison.
Lee went limp and fainted from the pain, the cold, defeat. Sakura shot a fleeting glance at him and felt her heart welt up with grief. He became collateral damage, forced into a destructive path because of her. The guilt was asphyxiating. And everything was moving by so fast, she couldn't pull coherent thoughts together. She was running only on emotions.
She used all her strength to position him against the wall, hoping he'll wake up sometime soon so he could get away. Far away.
"Sasuke," she stated, standing and inventing strength in her voice. It came out sounding weak and terrified to her own ears. She stepped into the rushing blizzard, the snipping crystal air. Everything else was silent around her. "W-Why are you doing this?"
He didn't move.
And something inside of her brought her here for a reason.
Sakura met face to face with her weakness. The world started to fade away as they shared another instant together. But this wasn't a part of their norm. It was the two of them, alone, in dead space. Sakura pleaded with herself to stop shaking, but with Sasuke so consumed by his desire to kill, it was an impossible feat. He finally exposed his inner, bloodthirsty murderer, the part of him she was dying to ignore, but he was here.
Undeniably in front of her.
His eyes were dead. Merciless.
"I know you're…thirsty," she whispered calmly, carefully. "But you can't do this to him… He's-"
"He wants you," he growled with a low, menacing tone. "He needs to die." He clenched the muscles in his jaw and an instinctual possessiveness blinded him with dark, poisonous thoughts.
No one else can have her.
No one else can touch her.
No one else can taste her.
She's mine.
"He can't have me…"
Sasuke was hypnotized by the way her lips moved to create such words. It was perfect. Everything about her was so perfect. Perfection that was only meant for him.
"…Because I'm already taken," she said, gazing into the depth of his eyes, solemnly.
Why was her voice so soothing?
"So please, stop it… Let me help. I can fix you," she pleaded with her eyes. Such warmth.
Help me? Fix me?
He turned away, unable to stand it.
"…You can't fix me Sakura."
"But I want to!"
"You can't fix what isn't broken. This is who I am."
"It doesn't have to be. You can change!" Her voice was shaking, shrill with desperation. "Please, hear me. I'm begging you. Please." He watched her drop into the snow, on her knees, and her hands fell in front of her. She gripped the snow under her fingers that were growing raw and numb like the rest of her.
"Please, don't kill him. Not because of me."
Sakura looked up at him. He tilted his head in such an angelic fashion and a subtle softness appeared on his face. For a fleeting moment, she reached him, but the moment died when his smile turned into a deceiving leer and the boiling desire to kill anyone in his way manifested yet again. This was natural.
His vampire temperament was the only thing he could feel.
"…Then I'll just kill him for myself."
"SASUKE, NO!"
In a second, he disappeared. In a second, a howling scream rang out into the field.
But it wasn't Lee.
Sakura spun around and through the blinding frost, she saw black blood tainting the purest white. She yelped as a wooden stake ripped through Sasuke's chest, stopping him in his tracks.
"SASUKE!" Without thinking, she ran to him, feeling the blast of ice pelting her in the face and the crushing snow beneath her feet. Her legs felt like lead and her face felt like ice, but her heart was on fire.
With two hands, he gripped the post to remove it, but his hands hissed on contact. Another blaring rumble seeped from his throat as the burning sensation destroyed the flesh on his palms. He planted his hands into the snow, trying to cease the excruciating heat. Blistering sores appeared on flaming palms, exposing the dark gore under his once pale skin. The fiery stake was eating away at his insides and burning him alive.
"Sakura…!" he snarled as she struggling to reach him. Her eyes widened at the mass of blood pooling around him and his damaged hands that dangled at his sides. She continued to sink into the rising snow as she closed the distance between them.
"Don't help him, Sakura." Kakashi, wielding a crossbow loaded with another stake. "I told you, you're not safe with him." The hunter cocked the bow and took aim at the wounded vampire, kneeling powerlessly on the floor. "No one is safe."
"No! I won't let you!" She ended up next to Sasuke. "You're going to have to shoot me first!"
"Are you choosing sides?" Kakashi lowered his weapon when a hint of pink came into his sight. "It would really pain me to hurt my own student, Sakura."
"What the fuck are you doing?" Sasuke growled – Sakura standing over him, arms held out in defense.
"I-I don't know."
I can't control my own body. I can barely think straight. I can only feel.
I don't really know what I'm doing…
"But I do know that I can't let you die here, Sasuke."
You'll disappear forever. You'll be gone and I can't let that happen.
"Because I can fix you," she declared, straightening her posture. Unwavering, like her heart.
Is this a human thing?
To give up your life for someone you could never be with?
Am I really this selfless… or greedy?
"And I will die over and over again to prove it to you."
"You're making a mistake, Sakura," Kakashi warned, lifting the bow.
No hesitation; another stake flew in their direction with no signs of stopping. Her life did not flash before her eyes because her entire life was right beside her. She didn't cry because this wasn't a mistake she would ever regret. She never felt more alive than in this one moment. This felt so right.
To them, this moment was natural.
What am I?
Selfless? Greedy?
Or just really, really stupid?
The Moment
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