Chapter Two: Dreaming in Shades of Red

He couldn't tell if he was dreaming in black and white or in color. Sasuke's coloration made it hard to tell. There was black hair, black clothes, and creamy white skin. He was walking towards Naruto. He stopped when they were standing side by side. Slowly, Sasuke turned his head to face him. But instead of the coal black eyes Naruto was expecting to see, Sasuke's eyes were red. Crimson red. Blood red. Naruto tried to think of something to say, but Sasuke was already growling.

"You do not belong here." And then Sasuke's hand was shooting out to wrap around his throat.

Naruto woke up disorientated and struggling to breathe.

When Naruto arrived to work, Karin was already at their desk on her first call of the morning. Naruto waited until she hung up before starting in.

"And what was that?" he asked.

"Well, that was me doing my job. Which you should consider doing before the boss finds you standing around talking." She reached for the phone again, but Naruto beat her to it and covered the phone with his hand.

"That's not what I meant."

Karin sighed before plastering on a fake smile. "Well then, Naruto, what did you mean?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her. "You owe me an explanation."

Karin was immediately defensive. "I don't owe you anything."

Naruto ignored her and continued with his interrogation. "Who were those guys? How do you know them? And what was their problem with me?"

Karin rubbed her temples. "They're my friends. Beyond that, you don't need to know anything."

Naruto huffed before collapsing in his seat. He continued to stare at Karin, trying to decide how best to get the information he wanted from her. He finally asked his next question, something that had been bothering him ever since last night.

"Why didn't Sasuke want me there?"

Karin's flinch didn't go unnoticed by Naruto. His curiosity peaked, he asked his question again when Karin didn't respond.

Karin fidgeted with her pen before she slammed it down on the desk. "Because Sasuke has issues."

Naruto snorted. "That's it? 'Sauske has issues'? Please, I only met the guy for five minutes and I could have told you that. Tell me something I don't know."

Karin eyed Naruto before speaking, slowly as if she was still thinking about what she was saying. "Sasuke is very protective of what he believes is his."

Naruto's scowl depend. "Karin, that makes no sense. I've never met the guy before."

Karin stood from her seat and turned quickly from Naruto. Naruto stood and followed her to the end of the cubicles before Karin broke out into a run. Naruto caught her before she went into the girls' bathroom. He was about to ask her what the Hell she was doing when she spoke, angrily. "Are you sure?"

"What? Am I sure about what?"

"Are you sure that you've never met him before?"

Naruto thought. He was positive. He would have remembered that man from anywhere. Before he could confirm that he was sure, she spoke again.

"Naruto, please. I can't say anything more. I've been given orders and I can't disobey him again."

"Whose orders? Sasuke's? Who is he?"

"I can't, Naruto."

Karin sounded genuinely afraid. The hairs on Naruto's arms were standing up again. "Why does he scare you? Has he hurt you?"

Karin shook her head. "No, Sasuke would never. But he has something that I want. And if I disobey him again, I'll never get it. So, I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything else, but there's nothing you can do that will make me talk. I've already said and done more than I should have."

Naruto sighed before dropping her arm. He was enough of a salesman to know that pushing her anymore right now would not lead to a result in his favor. He decided to give her space, let her breathe, before asking his questions again. He also decided that putting her through a little bit of a guilt trip wouldn't hurt either. So, he pouted one last time at her before turning and heading back to his desk. Karin followed behind him.

By lunch, he was still ignoring her. She had tried to talk to him, several times, but he would always pick up the phone and make his next call. He had already finished the calls he was supposed to make that day and made good progress on the second shift's calls as well. He had never been so productive before. The second shift was going to have a heart attack.

He was in the break room eating his lunch (peanut butter on stale bread, because he still had three days until he got paid) when Karin walked in. He continued to ignore her, just as he had since their conversation that morning. He ignored her as she went to one of the cupboards, rustled around with what Naruto assumed was her lunch, and used the microwave. He continued to ignore her when everything went quite, even though every fiber in his body was begging him to see what she was doing. He continued to ignore her as she sat down across from him. Unfortunately, his nose recognized the smell of what she was holding. His stomach growled.

Karin grinned before pushing the cup ramen closer to him. "A peace offering."

Naruto was torn. He wanted to continue to ignore her, but she had ramen! He debated with himself for a full second before he reached out towards the ramen. "Thanks."

Karin smiled at him while he inhaled his ramen. When he was finished, she reached out and laid her hand on his arm. "Look, Naruto. I know that you're frustrated and confused." Naruto snorted at the understatement. "And I agree, it's not fair. That's why I wanted you to go to that club." Naruto tilted his head in silent question and Karin continued. "Sasuke is very stubborn. Almost as much as you. He likes to deny himself the things that he wants in the belief that it makes him strong."

Naruto scowled. Faintly his chest started to hurt. "That's stupid."

Karin nodded. "I agree. Which is why he needed the proper motivation. After seeing you, I don't think he'll be able to hold out much longer. I think you'll get your answers soon, so…" Karin inhaled, held her breath a heart beat, then exhaled sharply. "…so just hold on, Naruto."

Naruto was feeling dizzy. "Karin…"

Karin shook her head. "Nope, sorry Naruto. That's all that your guilt trip will get from me." She grinned at his wide eyes before her face went serious again. "Just hold on, Naruto. It's possible that someone is just as lonely as you." And then Karin turned and walked out the door, leaving Naruto to stare at the bottom of his ramen cup.

Karin had already left for the day. She had finished her calls before saying she had to run a few errands for a friend. 'Sasuke?' Naruto had asked. Karin had smiled before touching his arm on her way out. Naruto had sighed before deciding to finish the page he was on before he went home. His apartment was beginning to be dead depressing, and he wanted to avoid it for a little longer.

Naruto's last call was an elderly lady who was irate when she found out Naruto's occupation.

"Just who do you think you are that you can call people up and harass them? You should be ashamed of yourself!" And then she hung up.

Naruto was left holding the phone to his ear. It was a good question. Who was he? An orphan with a made up name. No past, and from where Naruto was sitting, no future. He knew that she hadn't meant it that way, but it still hurt.

On autopilot, Naruto left the office and caught the metro train. Exhausted emotionally, he leaned his head against the window and was asleep in seconds.

Naruto was running. He didn't know where he was running from or what he was running to. Black shadows danced on the grey stone of the corridor. He was turning a corner when he slipped and fell. He felt something sticky on his hand and brought it to his face.

'I'm bleeding,' he thought. But then he looked down. He was kneeling in a pool of blood. It was a sticky dark burgundy and had already started to set. Naruto scrambled backwards like a crab until his back hit the wall. That was a lot of blood. Naruto didn't think anyone could survive loosing that much blood. He was feeling the bile crawl up his throat when a dark voice interrupted his panic.

"You do not belong here." Crimson eyes emerged from the shadows. Followed by blood stained lips.

Naruto jerked awake to see a face looming over him. He screamed.

"Whoa! Buddy, chill out!" Naruto stopped screaming and looked at the man. It was the train conductor. Naruto looked at his watch. It was midnight.

"Are you ok?" the man asked. Naruto nodded shakily. The man eyed him before saying slowly, "Well, this is my last stop. You're going to have to get off here." Naruto nodded again and stood up. He leaned heavily against the wall before stepping out onto the platform. "Hey Buddy, you don't look so good. Can I call someone for you?"

Naruto paused before he looked back at the man. "No, there's no one." He then turned and headed towards the entrance of the station.

Naruto knew where he was. He was miles from his apartment, but he knew these streets like the back of his hand. He should; he had grown up here.

He was standing in front of the orphanage that had been his home for so many years and couldn't help the bitter chuckle that came from his throat. The windows and doors were boarded up and foreclosure sign was tapped to the door. 'I don't even have this anymore.'

Naruto stood facing the four-story building for what seemed like forever before he walked to the front door, grasped one of the boards, and started pulling. He struggled for a bit before the board finally gave with a loud crack. He worked three more of the boards off before he could finally squeeze through and enter the once largely populated orphanage.

He found himself climbing the stairs, leaving finger trails in the dust all the way up the banister. He remembered the last time he had walked down these stairs. He had vowed that he would never come back. Naruto pursed his lips together to stop the quivering; fate had a funny way of turning you into a liar.

The door to his old bedroom was open. The boards on the window in this room already seemed to be taken down and the glass had been knocked out. Enough moonlight shone in that Naruto could clearly see the room. He had shared this room with five other boys, but the three bunk beds had already been cleared out leaving a vast empty room. Naruto walked to the far corner of the room before he slid down the wall, wrapping his arms around himself. This had been his corner. The corner where he had imagined his family. Leaning his head against his knees, Naruto wondered if he would ever be able to leave this corner again.

"What are you doing here?"

Naruto's head shot up. He would recognize that condescending tone anywhere.

"Sasuke! What are you doing here?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Naruto's outburst. "I was out for a stroll when I noticed you breaking and entering. I believe that is illegal."

"So's stalking, you freak." Sasuke seemed amused by Naruto's reply. He pushed off from where he was leaning against the wall by the window to walk closer to Naruto.

"If I were stalking you, Uzumaki Naruto, you would not notice until it was too late."

Naruto felt vulnerable with Sasuke standing over him, so he stood and scowled at the man. "What's that supposed to mean? And how do you know my name?"

Sasuke waved his hand as if brushing Naruto's questions aside. "You did not answer my question. That is very rude of you. What are you doing here?"

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. "Not that it's any of your business, but I grew up here."

"You are an orphan." It was a statement, but Naruto answered as if it was a question.

"No, my wonderful parents thought it'd be nice for me to come and play with all the other kids here."

"Sarcasm does not suit you." And that was a reprimand, but Naruto didn't check his behavior.

"Well, you bring out the best in me."

Sasuke eyed Naruto before taking a few steps back and leaning against the wall again. Naruto relaxed a little with the extra space separating them. Sasuke didn't let that go unnoticed.

"I make you uneasy." Naruto nodded, but couldn't think of anything else to say. He leaned back against the wall and stared back at Sasuke. Sasuke continued to observe him before breaking his gaze to look across the room. "It is very late for you to be out. And this is a bad neighborhood to be wondering around in. It is very dangerous."

"You're wondering around in this neighborhood," Naruto shot back.

Sasuke turned to him again and allowed a slow smirk to stretch across his lips. Naruto had a flash back of the dream he had on the train. "Exactly."

Naruto shivered. Sasuke adverted his gaze again and closed his eyes. He was waiting for an answer, Naruto realized. He thought hard before answering.

"I spoke to this woman on the phone today." Sasuke tilted his head to show he was listening, but did not open his eyes. Naruto itched to know if they were still black. "She asked me who I was."

"And what did you tell her?"

"Nothing."

"You said nothing or you told her you were nothing?"

Naruto's jaw dropped. "What kind of question is that?" He was yelling again, but he found himself not caring.

Sasuke still didn't move, still didn't open his eyes. "Well?"

"She hung up before I could answer!" Naruto sounded desperate, even to himself. Desperate to prove that he wasn't 'nothing'.

Sasuke finally opened his eyes, but kept them on the door. "And if she had not hung up, what would you have said?"

Naruto thought. "I would have told her that I was only doing my job and that I wasn't meaning to harass her."

Sasuke turned to face him. "That does not answer her question, Naruto."

Naruto started to pace. "It was a rhetorical question. She didn't expect my life story."

Sasuke eyed the pacing man. "Then who are you, Naruto?"

Naruto stilled. He was standing across from Sasuke. "You know my name."

Sasuke nodded. "Yes. I know your name and that you are an orphan. But that does not tell me who you are. So, who are you, Naruto?" Naruto started to shake his head, but then stopped half way.

"I don't know." Sasuke nodded like this was the correct answer before closing his eyes again.

"Why are you here, Naruto?" Naruto felt defensive again. He crossed the room to stand in front of the man.

"Why are you here, Sasuke?" Sasuke scowled, but apparently decided to answer.

"Karin is a bitch." The reply took Naruto off guard.

"What does she have to do with anything?" Sasuke opened his eyes to look at Naruto.

"She knowingly exploited my weakness. She flaunted you in front of me. Allowed me to get close to you. Your scent has permeated my senses. Your very smell lingers on my tongue. How am I to leave you alone now?"

Naruto swallowed, hard. The answer made him dizzy and he wanted to leave. But this was his room, and he would not give it up so easily. He turned to Sasuke's side and leaned against the open window. The cool breeze felt good against his face and he decided to answer Sasuke's question.

"I wanted something real." Beside him, he heard Sasuke shift, but he didn't turn to look at him. "I wanted to see something real from my past. Something that could define me." Naruto swallowed again, choking back tears that he had sworn not to cry. He looked down at his hands clutching at the window sill. "But, I don't even have the orphanage any more."

"Your answers were never here to begin with," Sasuke said. Naruto refused to look at him or answer. He heard Sasuke sigh. "Go home, Naruto."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't have a home."

"You do. You live in a tiny apartment 12 miles west of here." Naruto wanted to ask how Sasuke knew that, but decided he didn't really want to know.

"No, home is where the heart is." Naruto felt cool, strong hands on his shoulders before he was turned to face Sasuke. He stubbornly looked straight ahead, refusing to look up to see Sasuke's face. But then Sasuke's hand was under his chin, forcing his head up.

"Then where is your heart?"

Naruto stumbled back and Sasuke let him go. He eyed the man before he turned to the door and went out into the hallway. Half way to the stairs, he turned back. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to look weak in front of this man. He wanted to tell him that he wasn't running away, that he knew who he was, that he never bought into that sentimental crap anyway.

Naruto stood in the doorway to his old room. The moonlight shone brightly through the broken window, allowing him to view the entire vast, empty room.

Sasuke wasn't there.

Naruto was distracted. He had stared blankly and that empty room before turning and running from the abandoned orphanage. His hallucinations had never been that real before and the space between his shoulder blades had been itching ever since he realized he was alone in that place.

But it had felt so real. Sasuke's voice, his hands, his coal black eyes staring into his soul. And he had not been dreaming. He had not been imagining. He had been awake and hyper aware of the other man. A man who had seemingly vanished.

'People don't vanish.' Naruto looked at his watch. It was 3 AM. He must be tired.

He didn't notice the man following behind him. He did, however, notice when that man grabbed his hair and threw him into a passing alley. He also couldn't help to notice that the man was holding a gun in his face.

"Give me your money and I might let you live!"

Naruto turned pale. "I don't have any money."

The man pushed the barrel of the gun into Naruto's forehead. "Do you think I'm stupid? Hand over all of your money. Now!"

"I'm not lying." Naruto dug out his wallet and opened it so the thief could see. "All I have is a metro pass."

The man hit Naruto on the head. Naruto collapsed with a cry before looking back up at the man.

"Then you've hidden it somewhere else. Like your socks. I'm gonna count to three. And then I'm going to search your dead body."

"Please! I'm not lying to you. I don't have any money!"

"One."

"I'll let you search me yourself! You don't have to kill me!"

"Two."

"Someone please help me!"

"Three."

There was a gun shot and Naruto squeezed his eyes closed and waited for the pain that was death. It never came. He cautiously opened his eyes to look at his attacker, but all he saw was black.

'Am I dead?'

No sooner had he thought it than he heard strangled yells and a gasping gurgling sound. The black, Naruto realized, was the back of someone's coat. Someone pale with black spiky hair. Sasuke. He was holding the man close to him, almost in an embrace. The man was struggling against him, hitting him with his fists, but Sasuke wasn't letting go.

"S-S-Sasuke," Naruto stuttered out. Sasuke finally let go of the man, who dropped limply to the ground. His head lolled to the side and Naruto was staring in to lifeless eyes. Sasuke shifted, and then Naruto saw it. The horrible gashing wound on the man's throat. It was still oozing out blood, but not nearly enough to be normal.

In shock, Naruto crawled forward towards the man. He remembered a school course in first aid. 'Apply pressure to the wound.' Numbly, Naruto put both hands firmly over the wound on the man's throat.

"Sasuke, call 9-1-1. He needs to see a doctor. He's lost a lot of blood."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke kneel beside him. "Naruto. He is already dead."

"N-no. He can't be. He just needs to get to the hospital." The man was rapidly cooling, even under Naruto's hands. Sasuke reached forward his own hand and wrapped it carefully around Naruto's wrist. He gently removed Naruto's hands from the corpse.

"Let go, Naruto. He is dead. His heart has already stopped beating."

Naruto looked down at his own hands. They were covered in blood. He leaned to the side and puked.

Sasuke's hand was on his back, but Naruto shoved him off. "You killed him!"

"He was going to kill you! What would you have me do?"

"Not kill him! He's dead!" Naruto's voice sounded hysterical, even to his own ears. He dry heaved one last time before wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. Finally, he turned to face Sasuke.

He came first face-to-face with Sasuke's chest where a bullet wound was healing over his heart. There was no blood, simply a black hole where the bullet had entered. He watched as the fatal wound stitched itself over until there was nothing but perfect pale skin. He allowed his eyes to drift up to Sasuke's face. His scream struggled to escape his throat, but his mouth clamped firmly down on it.

Sasuke's once black eyes were red. The red from his nightmares. It perfectly matched the blood on Sasuke's lips and dripping down his chin. Noticing Naruto's gaze, Sasuke licked his lips in a vain attempt to remove the accusing blood from sight. It failed, and Naruto saw instead two elongated canines. 'Fangs,' he thought. He felt like puking again.

Instead, he fell back on his behind and scrambled backwards from Sasuke. His back hit a dumpster, making a loud clanging sound. Sasuke watched him carefully before standing slowly. Naruto stood as well and looked to the back of the alley. Dead-end. He turned back to see if there was another way to escape, but there was Sasuke, standing right before him. Naruto couldn't help the scream that tore from his throat.

Sasuke clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth. "Quiet, Naruto." His eyes narrowed. "You would not want anyone else to come upon us and get hurt, would you?"

Naruto stopped screaming and shook his head quickly. Satisfied, he removed his hand from Naruto's mouth and pressed his thumb against the wound on Naruto's head from where the man had hit him. "You are injured."

"Who are you?" The question came out breathy.

Sasuke eyed him before replying. "Uchiha Sasuke of the Uchiha coven." Naruto strangled back his whimper. "But that is not the question you wish to ask me."

Naruto's eyes remained fixed on the red stained fangs while Sasuke spoke. Sasuke was right. That wasn't the question he wanted to ask, but he was afraid of the answer of the one he did. He moved slightly to his right, but Sasuke's arm was there, blocking his escape. Looking closer to the mouth of the ally, he could see the body of the man and the terrible wound on his throat. Naruto clenched his bloody fists, reminded himself he wasn't afraid of anything, and, eyes still on the corpse, asked his question. "What are you?"

And then there was Sasuke's face blocking his view. His eyes were still red and seemed to be spinning. There were still drops of blood on his chin. "Focus only on me, Naruto." His head tilted slightly back in a haughty manor before saying, "I am a vampire." He said it so matter of fact, as if he were telling Naruto the time. Naruto tried to turn to run to the left, but Sasuke blocked his way with his body. Naruto shivered and pressed his back firmly back into the dumpster. If he was going to die, he was going to face his death head on.

"So, are you going to kill me now?"

"Why would I save your life only to kill you?" Sasuke scoffed. "Though, I am afraid it puts us in a slight predicament."

"I won't tell anyone," Naruto was quick to say. Sasuke shook his head.

"I am afraid that that is not the problem. I told you in your orphanage, I cannot leave you alone now that I have come so close to you." Naruto gasped. It wasn't a hallucination! "And now that I have saved you from death, every instinct in my body is telling me not to let you go." Sasuke growled low in his throat and Naruto could feel the vibration through his chest. "You are mine now, Naruto."

Naruto's body immediately went into self-preservation mode. In school, he had learned about the Flight, Fight, or Freeze response to danger. Naruto was already frozen, and it didn't seem to be getting him anywhere. He also knew that there was no way he could fight against this man. So that left flight.

Naruto ducked under Sasuke's arm and ran. He jumped over the corpse and back onto the street. He could hear Sasuke running behind him, but he didn't dare look over his shoulder. He knew that there was a police station three blocks from here. He didn't know if they could help him, but he thought it would be worth a try. He was about to turn right onto the street to lead him there when he felt Sasuke catch up with him to his right. He veered to avoid the man, turning away from the police station. Maybe he could loop around.

Seven blocks later, and Sasuke and forced him to veer off his course three times. 'He's toying with me!' Naruto thought. He stopped. Uzumaki Naruto would not be toyed with like a mouse! But he felt a shove in his back and his exhausted body made the decision for him. He started running again.

Another sixteen blocks and Naruto hadn't felt or seen Sasuke. He stopped running to catch his breath. He turned to look behind him. The streets were empty. He was almost on the outskirts of the town. This city was bordered by a thick forest. As children, they had scared each other with monster stories about the forest and then dared each other to take steps into the woods. It was here, standing on the edge between the city and nature that Naruto realized that Sasuke hadn't been toying with him. He had been herding him. Like a sheep to slaughter.

Naruto glanced at his watch. It was 5:07. Sunrise was in less than half an hour. If Sasuke was really a vampire, if Naruto could last until then, he'd be safe. He eyed the forest once more before turning back to the city. But Sasuke was there, blocking his way. The man seemed calm. He had since cleared his face of blood and his eyes were back to black. But the bullet hole in his shirt was too much of a reminder to Naruto of what had happened. Sasuke took a step forward.

"What do you want from me?" Naruto cried out as he took a step back.

Sasuke remained silent and took another step forward. Naruto turned and ran into the forest. 'Just make it until dawn.' There was a crack of a branch to his left, and so he turned to his right. They played their cat and mouse game deeper and deeper into the forest. Naruto finally tripped over the root of a tree and went sprawling on the forest floor. He tried to stand, but his exhausted body gave out from underneath him. He rolled, gasping for breath, on to his back to ease the pressure off of his starved lungs. As blackness seeped in from the corners of his vision, he felt the sun finally rising above the horizon.

'I made it,' he thought as he fell into unconsciousness.

He was floating in the ocean. He could feel the waves lapping at his sides and the sun's heat burning his face. For once, he felt completely relaxed. He waved his arms slightly through the water to keep himself afloat. He raised his right hand up out of the water and over his face. Opening his eyes, he used his hand to block out the sun from stinging his eyes.

Blood dripped down his arm. Startled, he sunk a little bit out of his floating posture and started to tread water. No, not water. Blood. He was swimming in a sea of blood with no land in sight. Suddenly, a hand was grasping his ankle, pulling him beneath the surface. His startled yell was choked as blood rushed into his open mouth. He tried to spit it out, but in doing so, he inhaled blood into his lungs. He was drowning, struggling against the hold on him, trying to break the surface, but the hand on his ankle kept dragging him down. Opening his eyes, all he could see was crimson everywhere, including set in a pale face.

"You are mine."

For the second time, Naruto woke gasping for breath. His breath caught in his throat, however, when all that Naruto could see was red. He was surrounded by it. For a moment, Naruto thought that he was still caught in his dream before he felt the smooth texture of silk on his hands.

Squashing his panic, he forced himself to focus. He wasn't drowning in a sea of blood. He was lying in a huge canopy bed with silk sheets and velvet curtains, both of which were a deep scarlet. This was most certainly not his apartment. He debated with himself the value of knowing where he was exactly before hesitatingly crawling to the edge of the bed and parting the velvet curtains.

A deep voice as smooth as the velvet curtains surrounding him greeted him. Naruto choked back a sob of terror.

"Good evening, Naruto. I am glad you are finally awake."