A.N. No, you are not hallucinating, this is an actual chapter. Before you move on, I'd like to sincerely apologize to everyone who was anticipating this chapter months ago. I have no real excuse except that I was busy with schoolwork and my muse had escaped me until of recent. But all of that aside, I do want you guys to know I'm eternally grateful for all the support I've received and I hope you guys won't give this fic up! Even if school gets busy, I'll do my best to update sooner.
Note: I have decided to add Itachi, although I'm keeping his character more in the dark right now. He won't be romantically involved with Sakura, so don't worry, all you SasuSaku fans. He does play a pretty important role in affecting Sasuke's actions and whatnot, hence why I decided to include him.
Well, without further ado, onto the chapter!
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Black Roses
Chapter 4
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Eyes widening in surprise, Sakura took a hesitant step back. Her viridian eyes filled with apprehension, but a hint of curiosity sparked as well. The voice…it reminded her of the dark-haired stranger in her hazy memories. But as quick as the whoosh of a morning breeze, the looming presence and the dark whisper of words were gone and Sakura blinked as her eyes focused on the street in front of her.
That voice…so familiar…
Oddly, she found herself yearning to hear the soft voice of crushed velvet of the enigmatic man again. The pink-haired girl held her hand up to her jugular and ran them tentatively over the light scars of the puncture wounds, the only concrete proof that such a dark chemistry between her and the stranger had occurred the past night. Every time her fingertips brushed past the two needle-like bumps that blemished her skin, her mind scintillated images of the dark-haired stranger and her hands almost felt the softness of his dark locks and the hardness of his toned muscles. She shivered, but whether from the unwanted desire in the pit of her stomach or the cold autumn wind.
Sakura suddenly shook her head, as if trying to filter her thoughts. After all, it was better to worry about quotidian matters, such as school and family, than to obsess after some stranger she had only vague memories of.
No, not just a stranger. He was…a vampire.
Vampires. Blood-suckers. Hardly something that normal people fantasized about, much less desired. Not even willing to believe it herself, she couldn't imagine how these storybook, fictional characters were actually real. But she couldn't forget the ice coldness of the stranger's touch or the
wild glint in his hard scarlet eyes at the sight of her blood. Sakura shivered again, and this time she was certain it was not because of the wind.
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Quickly unlocking her front door, Sakura stepped into the dim lighting of the living room. Addressing the state of upheaval of the room, the pink-haired teen could only guess that her eccentric mother was working on yet another art project. She heard a loud crash coming from the adjacent closet and curiously peered in.
"Mom?"
Another loud crash. Then some mild cursing. A disheveled looking middle-aged woman came out, smiling upon seeing her confused daughter. "Hey, honey, back so soon?" Sakura quirked an eyebrow at her mom's disarrayed fashion. "Let me guess – you have another brilliant masterpiece in mind?" Her mom laughed and put a heavy cardboard box on the floor. "You guessed it – and I promise that this time, it will be a masterpiece." She rolled her eyes when her mom winked. Honestly, parents – must they be so embarrassing? But secretly, she was glad her mother was so content and happy now, even after her dad had died 2 years ago. It took a lot out of her mom to keep up a pleasant veneer after the incident, and Sakura had feared that she would never truly get over the death of her beloved. But time does heal broken hearts, and to see her mom in such a vibrant mood made her happier than anything else.
"Well, if you don't need anything else, I'll be going to my room to finish up some schoolwork." Sakura hoisted her backpack further up her shoulder and started to trudge to her room. Her mother's voice rang out, "Wait, Sakura dear, a friend came by and told me to give this to you. He said it was important for you to read it." The rosette turned around in surprise at the mention of her friends and accepted the outstretched envelope in her mom's waiting hands. She quickly turned into her room and dropped her backpack before returning her attention to the letter. The rich texture of the envelope felt foreign to her hands, and she wondered who on earth would send her such a fancy note. A friend? Somehow, she doubted it. The front only had her name – Sakura, written in fancy, elegant penmanship. The rest of it was blank. Peeling open the flap of the crisp envelope, Sakura reached inside to its contents. Inside was a short note, and something else. Something of a smooth texture…
Another black feather?
Her dainty hand held another straight, sleek black feather. She twirled it in her hands, besot with its uncanny elegance. Her eyes darkened when
her mind settled on the only thing that connected with this feather.
The vampire.
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she thought of the dark-haired man. Her infatuation abruptly turned to annoyance at the stalker-like behavior of this whole ordeal. So he had talked to her mother? Dared to call himself her friend? But at least he had not hurt her mom – if he had even laid a fang on her neck – she shuddered at the thought, images of her dead mother's body in front of her eyes.
Swiftly setting the feather down, her eyes shifted to the other item in the mail – a letter. Bringing it closer, she recognized the same elegant penmanship written on the paper. Green orbs widened as she read the message.
Meet me at the same club tonight. 8 o'clock sharp. Come alone and don't be late.
-U.S.
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Uchiha Sasuke felt the thick, warm concoction go down his throat. Slamming his glass down onto the wooden table, the dark-haired vampire closed his eyes and let the warm feeling of alcohol drown him for a moment. His thoughts wandered again to the pink-haired girl from the previous night. Remembering her soft touch, her untouched sweetness, and her blatant fear mixed with curiosity brought back the smirk on his lips. And he thought with pleasure, that is was soft skin for him to touch, lips for him to kiss, fear for him to drown in, for she was his prey. His.
Mine.
The possessive man chuckled darkly. He couldn't wait to catch her again tonight, to taste her sweet blood on the tip of his tongue. His eyes darkened at thoughts of what other things he could do to this wonderfully innocent prey. Taking another swig of his glass cup, he let out an
impatient sigh at the unbearable wait until the right time.
"Sasuke."
The single utterance of his name caused the young man to tense immediately, the grip on his glass tightening until his hand was stark white. The muscles on his shoulders and arms pulled taut and his back was rigid. Sasuke's face pulled into a frown, his lips in a thin grimace, and his eyes glinted of hard crimson. But he did not turn around to face the person who addressed him. When he finally spoke, the underlining venom was not
missed.
"…Itachi."
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U.S. Uchiha Sasuke. Him. Her mind whirled around the words of the note. He wanted to see her. Again. At the same club, where it all started. The thoughts whizzing through her mind were endless and dizzying, her doubts making her unsure of what decision she should make. Should she go? Go against what he said and take someone with her? Did she even want to see him again? As much as her rational side protested, deep down she knew she really did. She wanted to be around this enigma, to fit in the right piece to solve the puzzle, to figure out who this mysterious person really is. For once, she wanted to break away from her monotonous life and insipid character - to experience something new, wild, and dangerous.
Sakura asked herself again, should she go? Picking up the feather the vampire left behind, she looked at the clock that hung above her bed. 7:05 it read.
55 more minutes.
The answer was yes.
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"What do you want?"
His voice was tight and carefully bland, although he was sure the malicious intent behind the words were not missed. Conversations like these were always strained, even if the man he was talking to was his own brother. They were civil enough to each other, and words were only exchanged when necessary.
An amused noise came from the other vampire. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he did not say anything. Itachi was always something he was not; his brother is calm, cold but polite, conversing even less than he did. On the other hand, Sasuke was rasher, ill-tempered at times, and although he can be cold, sometimes his more violent emotions got the better of him. But there was another important aspect between their differences – the rift that separated them. Power. While both thirsted for it, only Itachi had managed to truly get hold of raw power and wield it. He had seen his older brother's unbelievable strength and shocking cruelty first hand several times. The older brother he used to remember in his childhood was long gone and he found himself lost in the darkness while trying to catch up.
"What is the matter, otouto?" The sound of his brother's voice broke his reverie. Slowly, he tilted his head enough so that his brother's standing figure was at the corner of his view.
"Nothing."
The older vampire raised an elegant eyebrow but chose not to comment. Instead, he walked steadily toward his younger brother in an innocuous gait. He gracefully slunk down onto the chair next to Sasuke and poured himself a cup of the vodka. There was silence for a while. Then suddenly, he spoke again.
"Don't get too involved."
Sasuke frowned at the suspiciously ominous warning. He had an idea to what his brother was referring to, but chose to be nonchalantly unaware. "Involved in what?" His voice was soft and held a challenging tone. But the man sitting next to him seemed unfazed as ever. Subtly, the other powerful vampire turned his face slightly, just so that his scarlet eyes were fixed onto Sasuke's own. Even if the action was almost indiscernible, Sasuke tensed up even more, sensing Itachi's stare on his own shadowed face.
"Remember Sasuke, they are only prey – nothing more. Do not let yourself be emotionally attached, for we have no use for such things." The sotto voce sound reached his ears clearly. A creak of old wood and Itachi was gone.
The brooding young man's scarlet orbs narrowed in annoyance and slight anger. He clearly knew what his brother insinuated – that he was growing attached to his pink-haired prey, that he was showing and feeling too much emotion.
But he knew what Itachi said was true. It was useless and unnecessary for them to feel emotions such as love, passion, sadness. Those are only volatile, trivial feelings experienced fleetingly and dismissed the next. To creatures of the night such as them – vampires – the world of humans worked in mundane and impermanent ways. They only looked on with a blasé expression; to them, life was a meaningless circle of existence, and death was only an illusion that passed them by. Like an endless chain, except the links can never be broken.
The game they played was dangerous. As long as they, the predators were alive, there would always be prey to be feasted upon. In this game, they would forever remain the victors. But the losers paid the ultimate price.
The price of death.
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For the most part, this chapter was mainly filler, although it is important because it builds up more plot, and you also get to see more serious aspects of the story. Don't worry, lots of SasuSaku interactions in the next chapter!
I hope this wasn't terribly boring for most of you. I tried to write in a more audience capturing way so that everyone won't fall asleep. xD
Reviews fuel my writing, so please drop one by if you like how the story is progressing so far!
-NatsuYukili