Chapter Text
Chapter 1: In the deep of the woods
Sakura didn't understand how she ended up getting lost in the forest she had hiked a thousand times before. She should have known better than to go hiking by herself in a place like this one.
Sure, it wasn't so dangerous if you knew where you were going, but what if you got distracted and went off the trail or missed the signpost completely? Now here she was. Sitting in the clearing on her knees, staring at the stones piled together on the ground . Her backpack lay a few meters away from her. Sakura started thinking back, trying to figure out where exactly she came across.
The only thing that seemed familiar was a signpost that read 'Slight Rough Path' – which was clearly misleading when the path definitely wasn't rough, it just looked like that because it was all sharp edges from the rocks piling together.
What else could've gone wrong besides the fact that she simply missed the path? What was she supposed to do now? Should she head back? How long had she been lost for? She remembered seeing the sun going down behind some trees but not much more after that.
But even though it had gotten dark, she could still see everything around her well enough. She felt cold . Really cold. It must be night time then, Sakura thought to herself. Even though she hadn't planned on being here this late, she would've rather stayed at home, safe in her warm bed.
Now she was sitting in the woods, alone, with no idea what direction to go. This place was spooky as fuck. —Oh god…— Sakura whispered as she slowly started walking around the stone structure. Just about every part of it seemed like something unnatural: the jagged edge of the pillars, the wall leaning precariously over her, the rocky floor.
All of these things made it feel like it wouldn't take much effort for the whole thing to come crashing down on top of her. A few meters ahead she found what seemed like another path surrounded by vegetation and moss. Maybe it led somewhere else.
And so, Sakura decided to follow the rocky path, nighttime already falling. She continued to walk until it seemed she reached a dead end. And yet… No matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find any exit. The path only seemed to end into an impenetrable mass of bushes and plants.
She ran her hands along them, hoping they might give way. When that didn't work, she tried pushing her body against them; soon she gave up, exhausted. What should I do? Should I sleep? If so, where am I supposed to go? There was no shelter nearby, and if she stayed in this area it'd probably be too dark to continue anyway.
Wherever she decided to go, there was nothing around. Well, maybe there was one single tree close by, the branch of which protruded into the clearing.
Sakura stared at it. If she climbed up there she would probably be able to see the sky again, see the moon. But how far would she have to climb? Would she be able to reach the branches that seemed like the highest point? After all, the roots were pretty high up as well. Was climbing up there worth the risk? Maybe not. No, it was best to stay put.
Besides, the path she was standing on seemed much safer than the one Sakura thought she saw before. No wonder she hadn't seen anyone else in the past two hours! Cautiously, Sakura turned around and followed the track. The distance grew shorter with each step, and suddenly, she was met with the sight of an old but still standing mansion in an open clearing. The mansion itself didn't look threatening in any way, nor did it seem as if anyone lived in it.
In fact, Sakura wondered if someone actually built it here. Perhaps someone wanted to hide their treasures away from thieves, but what treasures could they possibly keep that valuable and still remain hidden in a place like this? Who knows? Perhaps someone hid away from the world? Curious, Sakura took a closer look at the building.
There were no windows or doors, and only a very small balcony stretched out from its second story, leading to nowhere.
A door was cracked slightly open. 'Who would live in a house like this?' Sakura thought. Maybe it used to be abandoned, or perhaps someone just left it here and never returned.
Whatever had happened, it wasn't as important as taking shelter in the cold night that was beginning to settle in the forest. She approached the building and looked uo to the second story where the balcony was. How was she going to get up there? It seemed too far to jump.
Sakura tried not to shiver from the biting wind. Her breath formed clouds before her face and drifted into nothingness. If she didn't find shelter soon, she was sure she'd catch something worse than pneumonia. The last thing she wanted was to end up like her mother. Her eyes darted around, looking for another way to get to the second floor, but there was none.
All she could do was climb up some vines and hope they would hold. Hopefully the thick foliage would conceal the sound of her footsteps. There were so many things wrong with climbing this particular tree.
First of all, there were too many branches; if she slipped, she'd fall all the way down to the ground, and she really didn't need to break anything. Second, even though she knew every inch of this damn tree, it seemed she couldn't find an easy way up. But she had to get to the second floor!
It wasn't safe to stay outside any longer. She took a deep breath, trying her best to calm herself, then began her trek.
The climb was harder than anticipated, and she felt a stitch in her side when she reached the top. By the time she was standing, her legs were shaking, and she collapsed against the trunk, panting. What if her lungs hadn't recovered yet from all the running and walking she'd done over the last few days trying to collect berries and mushrooms in the forest?
The sun had already started setting, and she could feel herself getting weaker by the minute.
—Come on…—Sakura whispered to herself—You can make it.
As she tried to reach for the iron barrier in the balcony, she tried her best to keep a firm stand as not to slip and fall to her death. Her hands shook with fatigue, and she gripped the metal with all the strength she had left.
—I got this. I made it this far!
Sakura gritted her teeth, focusing everything into her arms and finally yanked her body upwards as hard as she could. One foot found its foothold and, finally, she was through.
She stood on the other side and almost fell. When she managed to balance herself again, she was breathing heavily. After catching her breath, she carefully peeked around. The house itself was dark, which made sense.
With no window lights in sight and the moon hiding behind layers upon layers of clouds, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to leave a light on anywhere. However, Sakura wasn’t one to give up easily.
She walked along the wall and spotted a switch. Pulling it, she was rewarded with a soft blue glow, lighting the whole room just enough for her to see it. After making sure the corridor was clear, she walked slowly inside, making sure to watch her footing.
Her legs still stung from the climb, and she needed to rest them for a while. A large kitchen came into view as she neared the door. She opened it cautiously, half expecting a monster to leap out at her.
Thankfully, the hallway was deserted except for a few shadows moving here and there. Taking in her surroundings, Sakura decided to take note of how big the house actually was. It was bigger than she originally thought!
At first glance, all you could see were stairs spiraling downwards towards the main room below her. As Sakura ventured further, she found more rooms, but none of them were as big as the kitchen.
They had doors instead of windows, and each room was divided up into two equal parts. That must have been how the inhabitants lived their lives without having to go all the way downstairs.
However, Sakura noticed that the rooms were separated by different colored wood walls. In fact, the floor also seemed painted differently.
Sakura walked towards a small alcove that sat beside an open staircase. Inside, she found several pictures on a pedestal, each of a young girl who looked to be about eighteen. Some of the girls wore robes, others were wearing dresses and flower crowns.
One picture seemed to be taken from the perspective of a boy whose head was buried in a book, while a third held up a flower, presumably a bouquet. It was quite cute.
Sakura picked up a wooden box with a latch on top. Upon opening it, she was amazed at the contents of the little trinket box. There were tiny pieces of jewelry, a few coins, and a small piece of paper.
Curiosity piqued, Sakura picked up the paper and unfolded it.
Dear Miss,
We are sorry to inform you that we have lost your most precious possession as it was stolen during the previous night's storm. Please accept our sincerest apologies. You will be given compensation in full.
Sincerely, The Mansion's Advisor
It said there was a “price” attached to the information, and Sakura wondered what it could possibly be.
She folded the paper again and put it back in the box.
Now, the question remained: Why was such an important girl doing in this middle of nowhere mansion and where was the so prized possession that had been stolen? Had the thief really taken it during a storm?
Suddenly remembering that there had once been a staircase leading down to the ground floor, Sakura went back outside.
On the opposite end of the corridor from the entrance, another small balcony extended out towards the woods. She followed the path and discovered a narrow stone stairway leading downward.
Carefully placing her shoes on the steps, Sakura descended until she came upon a larger area below. There was an enormous wooden door sitting at the center of it. Next to the door was a long bench. Atop the bench sat a large, heavy, ornate golden box with intricate patterns carved into the lid.
Sakura frowned – there was definitely more to this place than meets the eye. She picked up the golden box and turned around. Then, she froze.
From the shadows appeared three figures, clad in dark attire and masks that covered their entire faces.
Two of them stepped forward, their movements smooth, their gait deliberate.
Before Sakura could react, she felt a hand grab her wrist and pull her to the ground. Her heart skipped a beat and the air rushed from her lungs as she fell down on her knees.
Her fingers curled into fists as her vision blurred with tears. No, no, no! Not again!
Not after finally finding a shelter that she could stay in safe for the night! ‘Please...let me escape...’ Sakura thought desperately.
A loud bang echoed throughout the empty chamber and caused her to snap her head up.
The three figures were gone as quickly as they had appeared.
Sakura struggled to breathe normally, hoping she hadn't injured herself when hitting the ground. When she managed to stand once more, she noticed something odd.
The door wasn't completely closed anymore; a small crack was visible. It looked almost too small to fit a human body through, let alone her own.
With trembling fingers, she lifted the golden latch and pulled the door open a tiny bit. The smell of stale cigarette smoke hit her nose.
A single, flickering candle illuminated the darkness within the large room. The only light came from the moonlight that poured in through a gap between the curtains and onto the wooden floorboards. Everything was cast in an eerie yellow hue.
Sakura swallowed, wondering if she should have stayed outside. It was a cold night.
She crept closer to the door and peeked around it. To her surprise the room was empty apart from the candlelight that illuminated the far wall of the chamber.
There wasn't even a bed. But on the left corner of the room, something caught her attention…or rather someone.
He was smoking while standing, back faced towards her. He wasn't moving or making any noise whatsoever.
His hair was messy and stuck out in random places. Even with his face turned away from her, she could tell he had pale skin. His clothes looked like they hadn't seen the sun for some time. And judging from his scent, he was either very sick or very drunk. Either way, he smelled awful.
—Hey—she suddenly spoke up.
Maybe this person was the owner of the place?
Still, she knew that his sole presence had saved her of being attacked just now.
Without turning around, she saw him move slightly.
—What do you want?— he asked hoarsely.
—Who are you? —she asked.
He didn't answer immediately, so she decided to step forwards, looking at him suspiciously. Finally, he sighed.
—Fine,— he muttered as he turned around.
Sakura was startled to see him fully facing her.
There was nothing unusual about him, aside from the fact that he had glowing dark eyes. A vampire.
It made sense now why she hadn't been able to perceive the dark presence in the house that gloomed over the building. Now she was scared, and with reason.
Was he going to kill her?
Despite the gory thoughts occupying her head, curiosity mixed with fear, Sakura couldn't help but stare at the boy, her eyes roaming across his face.
From the looks of things, he wasn't exactly old. About the same age as her maybe? She couldn't be entirely sure, but he certainly did look healthy enough.
His skin was pale, yet his face bore little trace of worry. In fact, it seemed almost peaceful and...familiar.
When he noticed her looking at him, he raised a brow in confusion and crossed his arms.
—I don't know what it is that you're looking at.
Sakura blinked as she shook off her daze.
—Uh, nothing,— she replied, clearing her throat nervously.
He rolled his eyes before letting out a small sigh.
—Look, I'm not going to hurt you…
As soon as he uttered those words, Sakura felt a strange chill run down her spine.
His gaze hardened briefly.
— Just don't ask any questions and come here.
Sakura took a step backwards as he moved closer, taking a defensive stance. Her hands instinctively went towards her kunai pouch.
Just as she started fumbling with the strings, however, the strange boy reached behind his back and brought out a gun.
Sakura gasped as she realised what it was.
—Are you crazy?!—she yelled at him.
He smirked at her.
—You wanna try that on me? —he signaled to the kunai in her hand.
Sakura scowled. She wanted nothing more than to get away from him, but her anger and fear wouldn’t allow it.
She looked towards the door and then to him, thinking hard. If she ran, there was no telling what she'd be up against, but if she stayed, he would kill her without hesitation.
It was clear who the victor of this battle would be. She might have had some semblance of a chance at first, but now she obviously had none.
In the end, she chose to remain where she was, which allowed the boy to walk right past her.
He grabbed hold of the handle of the huge wooden door and opened it wide enough for both of them to pass through. Once they had exited the doorway, he slammed the doors shut again and locked them.
This act seemed like a waste of resources as it meant Sakura wouldn't be able to make a swift escape.
—Why are you locking us in here?—Sakura demanded to know.
He didn’t reply, instead pulling her forward by her arm.
—Now keep your mouth shut and follow me.
The second Sakura was forced to take one step, she found that her legs had grown numb and it felt as though there were invisible weights strapped to every inch of her body.
As much as she tried to fight back, it was as though she was being dragged forward along with the stranger.
After walking for what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at a pair of double wooden doors. The boy pulled the largest one open and pushed Sakura inside first before following.
Inside, the room was pitch black.
Sakura couldn't see anything and was terrified that it would never brighten up again. But the boy suddenly lit a lantern hanging in the centre of the room, causing her eyes to water slightly.
When she finally managed to calm down a little, the first thing she noticed was how dusty and musty the place was. Dust particles floated through the air as she breathed in deeply. They tickled her nose painfully and caused her to sneeze uncontrollably.
The stranger stood silently beside her watching her intently. He didn't seem to mind her discomfort however, his expression remaining unchanged as he placed the lantern down next to a pile of broken furniture.
Suddenly, his eyes glowed as another small flame appeared in the palm of his hand.
Without warning, the flame engulfed everything within it's vicinity, causing the room to become completely engulfed in fire.
Sakura's eyes widened as the flames rose higher and higher. With every passing second, the temperature in the room began to drop.
—What are you doing?! Put it out!—Sakura screamed out desperately.
Instead of stopping, the stranger continued lighting the lanterns scattered around the room until all the candles were burning brightly in the room.
Soon the room was lit up in an orange glow.
Once the room was fully lit, the stranger extinguished the flames with the flick of his index finger.
The place instantly felt warmer and the room became silent save for their ragged breathing.
Sakura stared at him, her green eyes glued to him, expecting a response from the man. He looked like he was going to say something, but then he turned away from her abruptly.
Walking to a table near the center of the room, he picked up a bottle of wine and filled a glass with the crimson liquid. Placing the glass on a large ornate desk to his right, he sat down heavily into a chair.
The stranger motioned to his right, signaling her to sit as well.
—Have a seat —he said.
—What are you going to- — she began, but when the stranger shot her a sharp glare, she quickly stopped talking and took a seat across from him.
He gave her a slight smirk which disappeared as soon as it appeared and returned his attention to the bottle.
They remained silent for a while, listening as the silence filled the room once again. Finally, he broke the silence as he drained the last bit of liquid from the glass in front of him, setting it down on the desk with a loud thud.
—Speak.
No answer.
With a heavy sigh, he leaned back in his chair and gazed up at the ceiling. Only then the pink-haired girl decided to speak.
—So, you really are a vampire.
He scoffed at her comment.
—Of course, you will think my name is 'Dorian' or whatever stupid shit names people call vampires nowadays —he muttered.
—What is your real name?
Again, he remained quiet for a few seconds before answering.
—It doesn't matter.
She frowned slightly. He didn’t answer her question.
—And who are you anyway? What do you want from me?
Her frown only deepened even further upon seeing the look of irritation and anger flash across his face.
—Didn't I already fucking say not to ask questions — he snapped, his tone dangerously low.
Taken aback by this sudden change in mood, Sakura remained silent. She didn't dare to speak as fear had taken hold of her, she was afraid of his anger.
It was only when the candle flames started flickering, causing smoke to fill the air, that she realized that he had gotten angry. She felt her heart race at the thought of being killed this instant.
—Just because you can't hear the sound of my heartbeat doesn't mean I can't hear yours— he growled, his voice echoing throughout the room.
Sakura flinched.
Despite his angry tone, his tone was gentle, so it didn’t bother her as much.
—Please, stop.
He stared at her blankly for a moment, clearly confused.
—... Stop what?
She closed her eyes for a brief moment. Why did she even bother? This guy definitely wasn't going to let her leave this place alive...
—Stop threatening me. You already threatened me enough, I don't think you should go any further. Besides, why should I listen to anything you say? You won't answer any questions either!— she shouted.
To her utter shock, he snorted loudly and chuckled at the same time.
—Alright, alright! Let's start with you...are you really human? Are you actually from Konoha?
This caught Sakura off guard. He spoke of her as if she were something less than human.
—You want to know what I am? Then answer me this: Why did you kidnap me?
He sighed exasperatedly before standing up from the chair. Sakura stood as well.
—Do you know who I am? —she asked, trying to provoke some kind of reaction out of the boy.
His lips curved upwards slightly and a devilish smile graced his face.
—No —he answered.
Sakura furrowed her brow at this.
—...Then answer me. Who are you?
Before he could reply to this question, she heard rustling behind her and spun around in panic, raising her kunai in anticipation. But when she saw nothing, she relaxed slightly and lowered the weapon slightly.
She turned back around just in time to watch the boy walk over and pick up the lantern sitting next to his chair.
—If you really want to know,—he murmured as he walked towards her— why don't YOU tell me your name?
Her frown immediately returned.
—I don't understand. How is that supposed to help you? And if I told you my name, you probably wouldn't care, would you?
The man chuckled softly, shaking his head, ‘no’.
—That's true...
As he reached the front of her, he raised the lantern high above his head and brought it closer to her face.
Her eyes went wide upon the sight and she tried to turn her head away, but the boy' grip on her wrist prevented her from moving. In fact, the longer his fingers held onto her wrist, the more strength she felt in her limbs.
It was as though her bones were slowly turning to jelly. It was no doubt because he was strong.
—Answer me now, or I'll burn you. You're gonna answer me eventually anyways— he spat, leaning a little closer to her.
Without thinking, she blurted out.
—My name is Sakura.
—Your name is Sakura?— the older male questioned with curiosity written all over his face, as he removed his left hand away from her wrist.
His eyes flickered to hers and she could've sworn that for a moment there, he almost smiled...but it was gone as quickly as it came.
—Tell me your name— she ordered again, hoping this time he would actually tell her his name.
—My name is...Sasuke—he replied quietly.
Sakura said lightly.
—Sasuke…?
A dark chuckle escaped his mouth.
—Yeah…
His tone sounded far too serious for a conversation about his name. However, she found herself nodding along regardless.
The longer Sasuke talked to her the more comfortable she felt in his presence.
Although she had been scared and extremely uncomfortable, her heart was starting to calm down. Now that they both knew each other's names, she found she didn't need to keep pushing her luck. So she decided to continue talking.
—Why did you drag me here? Where exactly are we?
—We are in this house...it belongs to a friend of mine. That's all you need to know.
—Why does it look as though you've never set foot inside before?
—Because I haven't.
—Are there any rooms upstairs where I could stay? Or at least somewhere nearby that I could sleep?
—There's a guest bedroom upstairs. But I'm afraid you're not allowed to go up there.
—Why not? —she asked, curiosity laced on her words.
—Because I said so — he smirked at her.
—Well, I'm sorry, but I don't believe you. If you don't want me to go up there, then I'll have to take my chances.
—Sakura,— he said as he turned around to face her—Trust me, I don't want you in that room anymore than you want to be anywhere in this mansion. It isn't safe.
—Why isn't it safe?
—Just...trust me and you'll see.
He turned around and began walking towards the door. He was opening the door when suddenly he stopped and turned his head towards her.
— Wait. There's something you should know first.
—What is it?
—If you leave the mansion, they'll track you down. They will find you and kill you. Do you understand me?
She guessed he meant the three figures from before.
—Yes —she responded quickly.
—Good.
With one last glance at her, he opened the door wide enough for her to walk through. Without saying another word to her, he pushed the door open and stepped outside.
She followed closely after him, still feeling uneasy, yet intrigued to know what he had wanted to mean exactly because it was still suspicious.
They made their way through a short hallway and entered another room, this one much larger.
At the other end of the room was an enormous oak bed that looked completely different from the other beds she had seen in the house.
On each side, there was a wall hanging that showed two people holding hands. One of them seemed happy, laughing and dancing around. The other person looked rather sad, looking almost as pale and sickly as the rest of the house. A single candle was lit in between the two people. The whole scene looked like a fairy tale painting.
She turned to stare at Sasuke who had stopped and was watching her intently.
—Who are they? —she asked quietly.
—...Those people are my parents.
She felt a pang in her chest upon hearing these words.She had wondered if he were actually related to them or not and it seemed that she was right.
For a moment, she thought about asking if they were dead, but she gave up on asking. After all, she'd already read about people being killed for supposedly knowing things they weren't supposed to know.
Also she couldn't bring herself to do it.
—Where's the fireplace?— she asked instead.
The young man pointed towards the opposite corner of the room.
—There's one under the window in there. You can use it to start a fire if you like. I have no clue how to get it lit though.
Lies. She had seen how he almost burned down a whole room before.
Still, she nodded silently and walked towards the fireplace.
When she was sure that there was no one else in the room but them, she placed down the lantern she found in one of the hallways, making sure it was close enough to the edge of the mantle so that it would catch fire quickly.
Once she had finished setting the lantern, she turned around and stared at Sasuke.
—Now, what are you going to do with me?—she asked.
He merely shrugged indifferently.
—Will you answer my question now?
He shook his head. She rolled her eyes impatiently.
—Oh come on! Don't be such a brat. What is it?
—Look, whatever happened to you is none of my business anyway. You got yourself into this mess. It's better that you forget about it.
—But I-
He interrupted her by speaking again.
—And I think that you'll answer my questions tomorrow.
—Tomorrow!?—she snapped angrily—You're making me feel like a prisoner here!
—Well, you kinda are. And trust me, tomorrow won't be any better either.
She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.
—Fine. If you insist on keeping me locked up in this room, then fine. We'll do that. Just please, let me go home tomorrow.
She could sense that he was contemplating whether to agree with her demand or not, but then he finally gave in.
—Alright. Tomorrow. But only on condition that you promise me you will answer everything I ask you.
She frowned at him.
—What kind of stupid promise is that? Of course I will! Why else do you think I'm even standing here talking to you now?
The boy stared at her intensely for a few moments, causing her to squirm uncomfortably under his intense gaze, and then abruptly turned around and headed towards the door.
—Come on. Let's go.
Sakura watched him leave the room and sighed heavily. She was tired and hungry and she was pretty sure that she was going to fall asleep soon.
She needed to get some food in her stomach before she fell asleep.
As turned around and started heading towards the door, however, once again he stopped her and blocked her path. This time, however, he moved in closer to her.
As he was getting uncomfortably close to her, she took a step back as fast as she could.
She hated how close he was getting to her, but at the same time, she loved it. The closeness caused her body to heat up slightly.
Not wanting to show any emotion on her face, she lowered her eyes and tried to push him away.
Unfortunately for her, he wasn't going to let her get anywhere near him. She tried one last time to make it past him, but he grabbed her shoulder and pinned her against the wall.
His hands covered her shoulders and firmly planted his body between her and the wall. Her mind went blank for the moment and her cheeks grew flushed when she realized just how close they were to each other.
—Please. Please stop—she whispered shakily, trying her best not to make eye contact with him.
Suddenly she felt his hand move from her shoulder to cup her cheek, causing her eyes to shoot open. Even though she didn't know why she was doing it, she reached for his hand and gently brushed it off her.
—I said stop.
—Then stop me.
—No.
For a few seconds nothing happened; neither one of them said anything, nor did either of them move.
Then, just as she began to relax, she heard a loud bang and felt herself being thrown backwards by his arm.
Before she could recover from her shock, her feet slipped out from underneath her and she crashed onto the floor. Groaning from pain, she slowly sat up.
The sound of footsteps approaching her caused her to turn around and look towards the entrance of the room.
Standing there, a small smirk on his lips, was the man whom Sasuke had called on a whisper 'the blond bastard'.
—Were you expecting a visit?
But Sakura couldn't hear anything else because she fainted and dropped unconscious.