"It was you, wasn't it?" Sasuke asked. He had cornered the maid that had brought Naruto breakfast at the back outside of the kitchen. His eyes were swirling in red and black as his anger had yet to dissipate.
"M-m-m'lord...wh-what have I d-done wrong?" the woman inquired nervously; her hands were clenched against her chest and back against the cold wall as she trembled under the man's heated gaze.
"You brought the boy in the garden, did you not?" asked the man; his voice was even and cold.
"Y-yes...my...my lord. I-I did bring yo-young mas-t-ter..." the maid quivered even more upon seeing her lord's rage escalate through his eyes.
"Why!?" Sasuke screamed as his red eyes widened in rage and face contorted in anger.
The maid cringed visibly. "I...he was...he wanted out...so... I-I thought he-he'd like it." she answered fearfully.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, and brought his left hand to choke the lady. Slamming the woman hard on the wall, the man leered, "You..." he snarled; his fangs were potruding that frightened the maid even more. "I told you...to never go in the garden or near those roses before. But, Naruto...! You brought him there!"
"I'm sorry! I'm so-sorry! I never thought-!"
"That's right!" Sasuke slammed the woman again on the wall, eliciting a painful grunt from her. "You weren't thinking! You weren't thinking at all!" the man screamed so loud the maid felt like going deft. "You didn't know anything! Damnit! 'm gon' kill you!"
The maid had never seen her lord so mad over something that to others could only be seen as a petty thing. She had never anticipated that bringing a simple smile to Naruto could result into her on the brink of her death as she watched the man before her opening his mouth with frightful eyes. She shut her eyes so tight, bracing for the pain that would come from her lord biting her neck and sucking her life out of her body.
Sasuke had his fangs touched the woman's neck, ready to bite. However, in a split of second before sinking his fangs, he heard a familiar voice of a boy from a very long ago floating in the air around him saying, "Go back home." that made him stop.
I knew I heard that voice before, but from where? Sasuke thought. The voice that he had heard inside his head had calmed him somehow; his fangs were no longer long, his eyes were now back to its black color, and his face was serene. Stepping back and letting go of the maid, who was trembling in fear, Sasuke stared at the woman blankly. I almost feed on her. He said to his self mentally.
The woman fell to the ground, still trembling with her frightened eyes staring unseeingly at the feet of her lord. I thought this would be my last night here...
"I'm sorry."
The words Sasuke had spoken astounded the maid as she looked up to the man with surprised written on her pale and sweaty face. She had never heard the man say those words before.
"Forget that this ever happened." said Sasuke, before turning his back on the woman and walking away.
Sasuke walked toward the garden in a daze. He did not stop until he was in front of black roses that were shimmering in gold under the yellow moon. The man stared at the flowers, admiring its rare black color and what he thought must be stardust that covered some surfaces on each petals. As he stared at the roses, he felt the sensations he had long forgotten in time resurfaced. He felt his heartstrings were being pulled gently once, twice, and repeatedly. It was a gentle pull, yet it had enough force to dig his past that he did not bother nor wish to remember. The man may not recall his past clearly, and the photos his mind gave him were vague, but the feelings were so strong and vivid. The tugging sensation gradually made it hard for Sasuke to breath. He felt like choking as his chest tightened, and he was force painstakingly to revive one moment of his life that he regretted the most.
Tears finally escaped from a pair of sharp-looking black eyes.
It started with one tear rolling down from his right cheek, reflecting the moon's beam as though it was a clear crystal. Soon it was followed by another one from the left, and then tears started streaming down his face continously like a river flowing down the cliff. Sasuke paid his quiet tears no heed as he bent to pluck a rose and straightened up. Only then he realized that he was crying because of the teardrops on the rose he held.
Tears? Was his first thought. I was only a boy when I last cried my tears. It's been so long. So long I didn't bother to count the years, so how come am I crying now? Why? As he pondered on many things, his slowly put to a stop. There were no blurry pictures of his past, no more can he hear laughters, screams, and cries, and he no more felt.
Sasuke was left numb.
And, he did not like it.
I'm still breathing... I'm still alive... So, why... Why do I feel like...like...I am not living? ... I do not want this... I do NOT want this!
Hatred then filled Sasuke's heart. He gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist, ruining the black rose he held in his hand. Looking up, the man frowned at the yellow moon, and then a scene flashed in his mind's eyes. It was a scene of nightime at a rocky cliff where below strong current waves of water hit the side. On the cliff were two men; one was standing under the full yellow moon and the other was being held around his neck by the former.
Sasuke blinked the images away, and was staring back at the moon. The same moon that he had been under when he had murdered his friend. The man's face, after the brief flashback of his life, was now calm, and he whispered his friend's name. "Naruto." he said and tears started rolling down his cheeks again.
How did I forget about you...? My dearest friend? Am I finally forgiven from my transgressions? From my faults? From me ending your precious life? Is that why...after all these thousands of years, you finally come back for me? At his last thought, he remembered the blonde boy that he had pushed away and realized his mistake.
With black eyes wide in anxiety, Sasuke exclaimed the boy's name and rushed out of the garden, dropping the now crumpled black rose that had already lost its shine.
The night was not young. It was late, and peoples were preparing to retire for the night or were already fast asleep. Streets were almost deserted with a few vehicles and persons passing by. Finally, it became quiet.
Bright street lights lined up both sides of street, yet Naruto was afraid of the areas that light could not reach. Walking warily on the side walk, the blonde boy looked around him; his small hands were held close to his chest. Naruto then frowned as he thought, Now I regret running away. ...wait. I did not run away! Sasuke kicked me out! Along the way, the boy had stopped his trek and instead marched his way forward. And, for quite some time, the boy stomped his way until he had reached a deserted park.
The park was spacious with one flourescent lamp post at the far right corner where a set of three swings stood nearby. There were also a sandbox, and slide. Though there was light, it still gave off an unpleasant atmosphere. To Naruto, he felt like some thing would suddenly appear out of nowhere that would scare him. Nonetheless, the lad went for a bench and laid on it.
Naruto ermbraced his self, and closed his eyes as he waited for sleep to take him. However, not two minuted later he was disturbed by the chilling wind. It was getting colder, and yet Naruto stayed still hoping to fall fast asleep. Unbeknownst to the boy, there was someone watching him with a pair of red eyes that had three black commas surrounding each pupils from behind the darkness of woods.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had been searching frantically for his charge. He had first looked in his entire house in and out, before going to town. Hours had already passed, and yet he had not found the blonde boy. He was beginning to lose his hope.
Landing atop the clock tower, Sasuke scanned his surroundings. How hard is it to find him!? He was frustrated. Even with his exceptional senses it did not help. The man then decided to search even more instead of only depending on his eyes. And so, he leaped up and went away.
It seemed the time the man had spent looking for his little charge was so long he thought it would be daybreak at any moment. But, then again, it was only him feeling that way. And, his hope diminished once again when he could still not find the boy.
You can't find a person if he doesn't want to be seen. He told his self as he slowly walked back home. Defeated, his shoulders were slumped down and his back hunched a little. It was when he thought he could not find Naruto that he felt lost. He could not put a finger on it, but the feeling of heavens crushed down the earth with him in between was so prominent that he was restless. "No." he whispered as he stopped walking and stilled. "I have to find him! I won't stop 'til then!"
Little did the man know, Naruto was at the other side of the block, running away from his assailant.
A while ago the blonde boy was resting only to be woken up by a man hovering over him. It had frightened the boy so much he immediately bolted out of stranger's vicinity, thankful that he was not bound.
Sasuke was rummaging through an alleyway, opening cans of trash and throwing bags of waste when he felt the distress coming from Naruto that made him stopped. The man stood straight and listened to the heart beat that he can hear loud and clear. "Naruto..." he said to the night, before running forward out of the alley.
"Keep struggling and you die." Sasuke heard a male spoke. Looking to his right, he saw a stranger covered in black cloak ready to sink his fangs on Naruto.
"Get away from him!" exclaimed Sasuke as he rushed them. He moved as fast as lightning and managed to grabbed the crying boy. Turning around, the man was about to strike the stranger, however, the said stranger was already gone leaving a black feather on its wake. The man adjusted the boy in his arms, and picked the feather on the ground.
A frown morphed on Sasuke's face upon examining the feather. "Who is he?" he asked no one in particular. "I've never seen this before..." he said.
On the other hand, Naruto was crying silently to his heart content. He had heard of vampires, but never had the chance to meet one until now. It frightened so much he could not think anything, but those pair of red eyes and sharp fangs. It shook him to the core.
Noticing the trembles worsened, Sasuke looked at the boy and saw that Naruto was so lost in the recent incident. The boy's blue eyes were wide in fear, tears were streaming down his face continously, and his small body trembled.
"Let us go back home." said the man, trying to comfort the crying boy who seemed to not hear nor see the man.
Sasuke found his self snuggled in Naruto's bed with the blonde clinging on him inside the dimly lit room. They had only gotten back, and the man headed straight to Naruto's room where he was carresing the boy's head and started humming a simple tune that eventually stopped the boy's cry. Still wide awake, Sasuke looked down to see Naruto had closed his eyes, listening to the man's heart beats. If the the boy could speak the man was certain Naruto would say something of his heart. Without thinking, Sasuke tightened his embrace and sang a song.
"Nobody knows
Just why we're here
Could it be fate
Or random circumstance
At the right place
At the right time
Two roads intertwine
And if the universe conspired
To meld our lives
To make us
Fuel and fire
Then know
Where ever you will be
So too shall I be
Close your eyes
Dry your tears
'Coz when nothing seems clear
You'll be safe here
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Weary heart
You'll be safe here
Remember how we laughed
Until we cried
At the most stupid things
Like we were so high
But love was all that we were on
We belong
And though the world would
Never understand
This unlikely union
And why it still stands
Someday we will be set free.
Pray and believe
When the light disappears
And when this world's insincere
You'll be safe here
When nobody hears you scream
I'll scream with you
You'll be safe here
Save your eyes
From your tears
When everything's unclear
You'll be safe here
From the sheer weight
Of your doubts and fears
Wounded heart
When the light disappears
And when this world's insincere
You'll be safe here
When nobody hears you scream
I'll scream with you
You'll be safe here
In my arms
Through the long cold night
Sleep tight
You'll be safe here
When no one understands
I'll believe
You'll be safe,
You'll be safe
You'll be safe here
Put your heart in my hands
You'll be safe here."
Note: It's short, but I hope you like it. Forgive me for any mispelled words...ain't got time for proofreading. I'm sure I still have issues with grammar, so if you find something wrong please kindly point it out to me, so I could do better next time. Thanks!
Song: You'll be Safe Here by Rivermaya