A/N: First of all I apologize for the late update, but school is busy... very busy, so I don't have much time for my little hobby.

Next, sorry for the short chapter, but them again, busy.... plus a small writer's block.

I am very disappointed in the small number of reviews I received. THANKS a lot for the ones who did review!!!! However, I know that people read the story, because I get favourites and alerts, and I appreciate them as well, but people, you reviews, your opinion give me insight on your thoughts, lets me know what you like and what you don't, let's me see that my work is appreciated. so PLEASE, Review!!!

Hmmm... dunno what else to say.... so on with the chapter!!


A shout in the distance. So far, but yet he could feel it laced with hate. It was her voice, filled to the brim with venom. It made him shudder, it made his icy blood boil in his veins at the thought that she expressed such deep feelings for someone else.

Why do I care? The thought sprang in his mind. The wench betrayed me! She can rot in the deepest pit of hell!

However deep inside he didn't feel his words. Alucard's undead features grimaced into a frown. Why do I care?

"Because she is like her..." Answered a slightly deeper voice from the labyrinth of his mind.

A slight chuckle that soon transformed in a full blown laugh erupted from the vampire's chest. "No, she is nothing liker her." With a grin still plastered on his face Alucard began to kill his way toward the blonde's battlefield.

Sparks flew at the contact of their blades. A pair of eyes was burning with hate, another devoid of emotion. She knew nothing but the battle ahead of her, heard nothing but the shifts of his movements and the clash of their blades, saw nothing but the man in front of her. Everything was a blur as the opponents moved with shinobi speed. A barrage of kunai was easily blocked while exploding tags lit the ground with hellish fire. Traps sprang to life from nearly everywhere, making you think they had been preparing the fight for days.

Not even two minutes had passed and the ground was already littered with weapons and scarred by various explosives the two shinobi had thrown at each other.

The raven haired man jumped to the side as his once fellow kunoichi did the same. He was beginning to feel the effects of the time spent in Madara's dungeon, but the Uchiha was nowhere near tired. "I have no desire to fight you." He spoke in his usual, aloof voice.

The blond woman seemed to get even more furious at his words. "You have no right to talk to me Uchiha." her voice dripped venom on each word. "You're desires mean nothing to me. Tonight you will pay for your sins."

Upon hearing her words, a pair of green, loving eyes flashed in his head. I'm sorry, Sakura. He dropped his weapon to the ground, a clear sign of surrender.

"I do not wish to fight you." his voice had a defeated ring to it.

By this time, Alucard had magically managed to get rid of all the ghouls and freaks plaguing the town. The tentacles of darkness absorbed the remaining blood while quietly retreating to their source. He was near the battlefield, hearing the clash of blades with his sensitive ears and saw their bodies deadly dance with his vampiric eyes.

He wondered briefly if a human could see anything but blurs if it were to look at their fight. Surely not, their bodies moved to fast for one's eye to catch the movement, but with his inhuman eyes he could see it all. The way their bodies moved with utter grace, each blow carefully calculated, each move meant to kill. The beauty of the dance almost enchanted him, his warrior senses appreciating their skills.

So this is how you truly fight.

He had never seen her fight like this before, giving it her everything in face of an enemy. He wanted to see more, to see her powers unfold in front of his eyes and bask in their beauty and precision. However, it all ended too soon as her opponent dropped his weapon to the ground.

Ino's eyes widened as she saw her enemy's nodachi hit the ground. Soon her eyes narrowed an annoyance.

"There is no way you leave without a fight Uchiha!" Frustration replaced some of the anger in her voice and eyes.

Indeed, that is just how Ino was. Yes, she hated the man's guts, but also, deep inside she longed for a good fight. She was in known territory, and testing her strength against someone stronger was something she couldn't let slide that easily. Yes, she was aware that Uchiha Sasuke was far more powerful than she was. Over the years she had trained and had been growing exponentially, but so did he, and he had a huge advantage from the beginning. Even now, as her medic eye saw the scars of torture and malnutrition, the bastard was faster and stronger than her. His breath was barely above normal while she almost panted from the intense fight, but if Ino Yamanaka was one thing, she was a proud, stubborn woman. She wouldn't back away from this fight until the traitor paid for his deeds.

Sasuke observed as the woman's demeanour changed from loathing to mere frustration.

Did she not want to kill me a few minutes ago? He was a bit confused at her sudden change in attitude, and he showed it, rising a questioning eyebrow.

"I have no desire, nor do I feel the need to do this. I have already got my punishment."

His voice was cold, as usual, making Ino's blood boil with anger. "How dare you..." a hiss of anger, "how dare you say that you paid for your sins?" her voice grew in volume, "how dare you say you paid for her death?"

The shrill pain in her voice made him shudder, the truth in her words piercing his soul. Warm green eyes appeared once more inside his mind, making his barriers crumble, digging up memories he buried long ago, searching his soul and wreaking havoc inside his mind.

Sakura...

His jaw suddenly throbbed with raw pain and Sasuke realized that for the first time in his life he lost focus during battle. The pain was raw, reminding him that he was still in the world of the living, and for a moment the dark haired Uchiha hoped it was the girl with sparking green eyes that delivered the punch.

All he could see was fury behind a pair of eyes that seemed familiar. The fogginess in his mind registered only one thing.

Sakura, have you come for retribution?

Ino gasped, hey blue eyes widening in surprise at the sorrow in his voice. She lowered her fist, not knowing what to do any more.

Sasuke, are you sorry, do you... regret?

The thought swarm inside her mind, wavering her heart's resolve, making her rethink her revenge.

Do you.... deserve forgiveness?

As his vision cleared, Sasuke's eyes widened. In front of his stood not the pink haired beauty, but a determined, blue eyed, blond kunoichi. Had she delivered that punch? When did Ino get so strong?

"I am never one to back away from my promises, Uchiha."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at her solemn tone. He had never heard Ino talk like that before.

"however, " she continued with more seriousness, "I realized that it will be a greater punishment to let you live in misery than to end your pitiful life." With these last words, Ino walked away, leaving Sasuke with his inner demons.

He heard her words loud and clear, each one bringing him down more than the next. She could have thrown deadly jutsus and sharp weapons on him, but instead, Yamanaka Ino attacked his mind, his soul, the one thing he seemed unable to protect nowadays.

His eyes watched her leave, her blond hair swaying gently with every confident step she took. She had her revenge, she planted the seeds of torture, and now only allowed it to grow, walking down from a fight with the nonchalance that only a winner can.

You won, Yamanaka Ino, mind walker....

A mind walker indeed, waltzed into his conscience and suddenly made it grow exponentially with her words, leaving him in madness.

Green eyes appeared once more, only this time, so slowly, her face came through as well. She looked sad, her once lively eyes blanketed by sorrow. Then, she seemed to see him and her visage turned spiteful.

"You killed my Sasuke Uchiha, took me away from the world!"

"No..." his own words seemed small, unable to protect him from her.

" I loved you and you killed me!" the voice seemed to take a sad tone, twisting the knife that already pierced his heart." Murderer... you talk of your brother when you do just like him. Steal people's lives, murder them!" Then her face changed, her eyes lost life altogether, becoming glassy; her skin lost color and slowly began to rot right in front of his eyes.

''Murderer..." her rotting lips spoke.

"No!" He could feel his body shaking, he could feel the sanity escaping, allowing the demons inside him to go out.

She stopped as she heard his scream and gave him a quick look. His already frail body was shaking, the look in his eyes crazed.

Chakra was swirling around him in chaotic patters as if his mind was no longer able to keep it confined. Soon he fell to his knees, pale hands gripping his hair in an act of despair.

He's losing it.

Ino looked with sad eyes as the great Uchiha Sasuke crumbled to madness. Can I do this to him? Allow him to lose every bit of sanity he has left? Sakura.... would you do this to him?

"Oi. Forehead, are you willowing over that teme again?"

"Just thinking, Ino-chan, nothing more."

"Sakura, do you still love him?"

"I was thinking that even now, after he betrayed us and everything he's done, I can't find myself not forgiving him. Even if I know he will do us more evil."

"....So you do...."

Ino looked at the man one last time and miserably tried to close her mind from his thoughts. He lost all barriers, I can hear everything... Her name was repeated inside his head like a mantra, sometimes laced with apologies. She couldn't take it any more.

Sakura....Sakura, forgive me Sakura....

A cool feeling entered his body, calming his nerves. Soon he saw the darkness inside his mind draw back as a new, soothing force entered. His demons were quiet and blissful unconsciousness came.

"Showing mercy to your enemy, I never thought you'd be that kind of a fool, Blondie." his voice clearly showed that he mocked her and her sympathetic thoughts.

Willing her nerves to calm, since she knew that getting riled up would only give the vampire satisfaction, Ino answered in a tone full of disdain. "Not everyone has the emotional capacity of a teaspoon, Alucard." He snorted at her comparison. "Plus, I don't know if he's my enemy any more."

He regarded her with a strange look, preparing to give a smart retort when he remembered that he was supposed to be pissed of with her. "Whatever Blondie, your call. We leave tomorrow night. Don't be late." and without looking back he began to casually walk back home.

Ino looked at the vampire, walking through the mass of corpses, his boots making squishy noises in the rivers of blood that his weapons created. She realized that while she had her little dispute with Sasuke, the vampire obliterated every nightly creature in the town. And now, he walked among their corpses like he was taking a stroll in the park.

A true killer... she silently mused before turning her attention on the unconscious man at her feet.

He was thin, she realized, almost sickly so, like her hadn't eaten in a long time, which he probably hadn't. Visible sings of torture marked his body, some of them not even fully healed. All in all Uchiha Sasuke looked merely as a shell of his old self, and Ino wondered how did he manage to stay on his feet any more.

Urgh Ino, you're so stupid, you should kill him, not pity him!!! Slit the bastard's throat and be done with it!

Ino quickly shoved the offending voice in the back of her head, while another, softer one emerged.

You should take care of his wounds, just look at him.... from a medical point of view he's a mess. And she knew that, so ignoring the fact that she should probably get her head checked since she just happened to have several voices popping in her mind to give her their opinion from time to time, Ino pumped chakra in her limbs in order to lift the Uchiha and leap off to the nearest hospital.

Luckily, since Alucard obliterated the whole town, the hospital was deserted, so the kunoichi quickly found a room, placed her patient there and placed a nutrient IV in his hand before she began taking care of his injuries.

After a quick scan with her chakra, Ino entered in full medic role and began the tedious job of mending the man's health. He had many internal injuries, mostly bruises in the internal organs, though she found a few cracked ribs as well. As for the external wounds, she applied disinfectant on them, gave them a little push toward healing with her chakra and bandaged the, sure the nin's own chakra would take care of the rest.

She knew that most of his problems were of malnutrition, but that would be something that he had to fix for himself. However, Ino knew that her job wasn't done. In Konoha, above all, above being a kunoichi, above being a medic nin, above being an interrogator, Ino was a mind walker, something that her father began teaching her since she could walk. She knew the human mind like the back of her hand, knew what doors to open and what to close. And right now, the biggest problem about Uchiha Sasuke was that he was as crazy as they get.

She placed cold fingers at his temples and begun a procedure that it was already second nature to her. The procedure began and with infinite patience Ino recreated the necessary barriers his mind needed to keep its sanity. She was amazed by the jumble in his head and the utterly pessimistic thoughts he had. Truth be told, the kunoichi was amazed he didn't kill himself up until now, that depressed his inner mind was.

Well, I guess some people really forget all the good things that happen in their lives.

So, in one last painstaking act, Ino brought to surface all the well buried memories on his childhood, all the memories of times spent with his team that would lighten his mood.

It was early morning when she finished and collapsed on a nearby bed with a throaty sigh, immediately falling asleep.

Alucard stood in one of the hotel chairs, a glass of something red in his hand. From time to time he took a sip of the liquid, taking his time to savour the taste. It was good, but it didn't satisfy him. He knew that nothing would satisfy him from from now on but her sweet blood, the liquid travelling through her veins, giving her life, bringing his pure ecstasy with just one drop. His fangs lengthened and before he could realize it the crave for her life giving liquid intensified. It was a drug and he was addicted to it like a junky to heroine.

The No Life King shook his head slightly, trying to regain his senses. Burning, crimson eyes widened in shock as he came to a striking realization: he craved more than her blood, if the slight tightening in his trousers was of any indication. But, it was impossible, he hadn't felt any type of physical attraction toward a woman since he became a creature of the night, what could possibly change now? Sure, he could understand the crave for her blood, but nothing beyond that....

"They do look the same..." whispered a voice in his head.

Indeed, they did look the same, but the strange woman was nothing like her...

Katharina....

A/N: Sorry for any mistakes.. heheh

Yeah, I know the chapter is shorter than what you guys were used to.... but that's what I could get.

Now, to clear everything up a bit.... as you can see, this Katharina came up! It's not a made up character, the woman actually existed in history, and as far as I found, she was the one Vlad Tepes was smitten with. She wasn't his wife, but they had a couple of kids and he actually planed to marry her. aparently the woman was very beautiful, with long blonde hair and big blue eyes (see any resemblance?). Also her father, some sort of nobleman wanted to marry the girl so other nobles, hungarian if I am corect, but the girl was also in love with Vlad and agreed to be his concubine. This slowly escaladed in a political riot and it seems that this riot was one of the reasons his reign ended.

Anyway, I think it's a beautiful story, and in the future chapters I will put a small scene... how they met(also documented in some history scrolls.)

So...... REVIEW!!!!! .....Please?