There was darkness. Deep, suffocating darkness, and it filled the whole earth.
Dark clouds gathered together in the sky in an eerie essence as if mourning the tragedy of the world below, looking upon it with silence and dread.
There she stood in the midst of all these, screeches and screams and cries filling her ears.
The darkness was blinding and the shouts were loud. Fire broke out from both sides of the earth. Huge birds screeched in the air as they flew past.
They were crying in pain.
Sakura was confused. Where was she?
She moved her legs, trying to search the surrounding and figure out what was going on, but something was hindering her from moving well.
She looked down.
And screamed.
Blood and bashed skulls baked the whole earth. Some beings she didn't know or have heard of before, lay sprawled on the ground, staring at her with cold, lifeless eyes. Their guts were gushed and cut out, gooish liquid pouring out from all parts violently. It was as if a surgeon had performed surgery on a patient and hadn't stitched them up.
It was a gory sight and she was standing on top of it all.
She brought a hand to her mouth to prevent the crazy sound that was going to come out as she fell back, landing on piles of freshly butchered creatures with their flesh and bones exposed.
Her tear ducts stung and a sob hitched from her throat.
Her heartbeat thumped loudly against the wall of her chest and her limbs felt weak.
What was happening?
Why was this happening to her?
Where was she and what was going on?
She kept questioning her sanity, feeling her breathing becoming less of a normal one, when a hand dropped on her shoulder.
She turned her head around abruptly.
She did not understand the dream. She also hadn't seen the person who had touched her. His/her face was blur and dark.
It was strange and scary, and it still brought aches to her chest anytime she remembered it, even now.
She was in one of the university's dining halls with her friends, dancing the fork over her plate of Daigaku Imo as her mind wandered, not listening to what Ino was saying.
Not only was the dream strange, the phone call she had three days ago, was also in that category. It was creepy.
The caller hadn't spoken much. He had called her by her name, said it was nice to finally hear from her and hoped that they meet soon. Then he'd hung up. It was as if he knew her before.
There were questions she wanted to ask.
Who are you?
How do you know my name?
How did you get my number?
It was creepy, and not to talk about the dream.
Come to think of it, weird things have been happening to her these past few days.
She met a crazy guy with the odd but nice looking haircut.
She had her siblings come over but something was off.
She had the creepy phone call.
She had the strange dream.
Was she forgetting something?
No, that was it.
"Sakura." Ino began to call her name but she didn't answer. "Hey, forehead." The blonde snapped her fingers before her face. "Earth to billboard brow."
Sakura shot her a look as she snapped out of the trance her thoughts put her in.
"You're zoning out again." Ino pointed out. "And your snack is going hypothermic."
"What?" Sakura frowned, before she shook her head. "No, no no don't tell me." Before Ino start a motivational speech about how healthy it is to be poetic once in a while, even if the construction of grammar was lacking.
She glanced to the spot beside her and the confused frown returned. "Where's Hinata?"
"Oh, she said she had something to talk about with the dean."
"Her international matters?"
Ino nodded.
"How did it go with the modelling company?"
"Of course I got in, but before we get into that, let's talk about you."
"What about me?"
"What's going on with you?"
"Pig..."
"Forehead." Ino retorted, folding her arms and giving her the look.
Sakura knew that look. It meant she was now her business and she wouldn't set her free till she says something convincing. Believe her when she says Ino will dejuice all the answers from her if she slipped or said something that wasn't in agreeable proportion to her eyes.
Crazy right? Well, her blonde friend was crazy.
"I was just thinking of the dream I had." Sakura confessed, looking down at her Daigaku Imo, even though she was still feeling Ino's hawk gaze on her.
"And?"
"And there was a creepy phone call I received a few days ago."
"Let me guess, you didn't check the caller id."
"I didn't check the caller id."
Ino nodded. "And?"
Sakura looked up at her, puzzled. "And?"
She shrugged slightly. "I just feel there's an addition."
Sakura huffed. "And there was this crazy dude..."
"Was he cute?"
"Ino!"
She put her hands up. "Sorry, sorry. You know me, I can't help asking." She paused and leaned forward a little. "But is he cute though?"
Sakura reached for the plastic spoon on the table and threw it at her.
"Heyy." Ino scoffed, hiding a grin. "So, he is cute." She smirked.
"Inoo, that's not the point." Then she lowered her voice. "He's loco." She added, hovering her index finger in circles over her right temple.
"Who is?" Somebody suddenly asked.
The girls turned their heads and saw a tall boy hovering over them and their table.
He smiled. "Hey ladies." He looked from Ino to Sakura, who was frowning at him.
Where have I seen him before?
Ino watched the guy's gaze on her friend and a knowing smile appeared on her face.
Is this the crazy guy Sakura's talking about? I was right, he is cute. She cleared her throat, abducting their attention.
The boy stretched out a hand for a handshake which she accepted. "Tahashi Kosei." He greeted.
"Yamanaka Ino."
He nodded and turned to the pink haired beside him.
She finally remembered! He was that playboy from before.
She frowned again. What is he doing here?
He flashed her a grin. "May I?"
"W..."
"Of course!" She shot Ino a questioning wide eyed look when she said that but the blonde just gave her a mischievous smile.
Kosei gave her a grateful smile and took a seat beside Sakura who was staring at Ino, promising payback in full.
"So, how long have you known Sakura?" Ino interrogated, even though she knew very well since Sakura had just told her of a 'crazy guy'.
The smile on his face froze, not expecting the question, but he was quick to compose himself. "Not long, unfortunately," he looked at Sakura, "but if she gave me a chance, I would love to."
Know her more. His eyes said, and Ino noticed.
"Interesting." Ino smirked. "Why do you like her?"
Sakura sank deeper in her chair, wishing the ground could open up and swallow her whole.
What was this?!
Ino was interrogating him like as if he was a suitor. Mebuki would be proud.
For the first time this month, she was having a gracious break from lectures, and this is how she was going to spend it?
She could leave. Yes, but she can't escape from Ino, especially when the blonde knew she had an abundant free time this time around.
"Do I need a reason for finding interest in a gem?"
Ino leaned back, studying him. She glanced at Sakura who was looking at her threateningly, speaking with her eyes.
He's good.
I'll deal with you, I promise.
I like him.
Pig, you do know that this is my life and I'm dying right here.
Babe, your life is my life. Who's gonna look after you if I don't?
Urm...
"So, Kosei. " Ino turned her attention to him, cutting off her and Sakura's eye communication. "You think you can be able to deal with this?"
"Deal with what?" He turned to Sakura, propped an elbow up on the table and rested the side of his face on a fist as he stared at her, smirking. "She'd be the one who'd have to deal with me."
"Same place I'm thinking?" Ino mumbled, trying to keep her smirk.
"And everywhere else." Kosei nodded, affirming.
"I'm right here, you know!" Flustered, Sakura stood up, her cheeks painted pink and her ear tips burning red.
This is so embarrassing.
Ino placed a hand over her mouth to try to keep herself from laughing.
"I'm going to class." She took her tray and marched away.
"But you don't..." Ino couldn't stop laughing. It eventually erupted into cackled snorts.
"Let's go together." Kosei said, jumping up from the table and walking towards her.
"Wait up for me." Ino called admist snorts, veins popping up on her temples and her face red as she continued to laugh.
A frown appeared on Sakura's flustered face as she ignored them, walking faster.
She huffed. Did they know each other?
Birds of the same feather, both of them!
"We should've brought Masashi." Naruto lamented, hanging his head.
He and Sasuke were standing in one of the hallways, watching the students passing by.
Shikamaru was in class. He didn't need it of course but he'd said that he would be able to look out for the heir that way, and they knew he was probably sleeping somewhere that was not a class. They weren't worried about it though. Shikamaru was one to act fast if his senses were triggered. He wasn't only smart, he was also strong.
I could be in a class right now. Naruto thought.
We aren't here for mild lectures. Sasuke barged into his thoughts.
Naruto's lips made a thin line. He'd forgotten that his link was still on. Lycans and warewolves used mind links to communicate and pass on information to one another.
They were here to accomplish two things and they had no leads. It set Sasuke's mind in motion.
Konoha's University was the only possible place to find the heir but they haven't seen him since they arrived, neither have they been able to sniff him out, because vampire scents were more intense and more infuriating than those of the two legged creatures.
The heir is the only vampire with prominent powers, so it's possible that he can survive in this world with the blasting sun rays and the suffocating garlic smell from the garlic shops around.
Vampires had pale skin, but there were a lot of people who had pale skin, even ones whiter than snow, and they didn't smell like those goddamn vampires.
But it was possible that the heir had coated and controlled his scent. It was also possible that garlic, fire, the full spectrum of ultraviolet radiation from the sun and stakes had nothing on him.
Sunlight takes away their powers, so if in any way they had coated their scents, it would've been washed clean and they'd be vulnerable.
But the heir was probably not.
Comprehension dawned on him. Why hadn't he thought of it before? The answers to his confused plight was staring at him right in the face. What had clouded his mind then?
Ah, yes. His mate.
With her rare pink hair and big beautiful green eyes, he'd never thought that she would be human.
He'd been stunned when he saw those big, gleaming eyes staring back at him, twinkling with such enthusiasm that it almost drew him in.
He had dismissed it, thinking Selene was being crazy. But after three days, her green eyes and her crazy personality was what frequented his mind.
It wasn't a test nor was it a bluff. Sasuke realized. Though Selene was still crazy.
Why a human?
Not only was she not going to be able to feel the bound, she was also going to be in danger.
The 'no humans as mates' rule was still on. It was stupid. Sasuke thought.
He still believed that if your mate was a human no matter how different and weak the person was, he/she was still your mate and using 'she won't be able to carry their offspring' was downright stupidity. Sometimes, he didn't understand his father and why he worked with Danzo.
He wondered what his mate was doing now. He didn't want to be near her or else the mate bound might get stronger and be impossible to severe, but that didn't mean he wasn't worried about her whereabouts.
He was lost in his thoughts, until they were intruded by her scent.
His breath intake was sharp.
She was here.
But her scent was mingled with someone else's.
The turn of his head in the direction of the pinkette was sharp and quick, it wasted no time steadying on the lady passing by and on the figure walking with her.
A male.
A low menacing growl danced in his throat, threatening to come out.
The frown on his face deepened as he dangerously glared at the boy beside her.
He will kill him.