Chapter 3
Sakura groaned sleepily as she woke on her couch, and the memories of what had happened before her blackout returned to her.
She gasped as she sat up quickly, forgetting how tired she was and searching the room frantically.
"Sa-"
"I'm still here, Sakura, it's alright," Sasuke said calmly, sitting in the same spot she had been sketching only the day before, with his head resting against the wall and his obsidian eyes fixed on her. He was wearing the leather jacket again, now stain free from Sakura having bleached it earlier during the day.
"You bit me," she stated, brushing the two small scabs that had formed over where his fangs had pierced her. The skin there felt raw, the flesh bruised and tender to the touch.
"Yes," he replied uncertainly, almost looking worried at what she might think or say.
"Do you feel better?" she demanded, watching him closely for any hint of his strange behaviour from before he had bitten her, feeling happy that he was acting normally again.
"You're more worried about me than yourself ?" Sasuke looked at her incredulously, sitting up straight. "A vampire just bit you and drank your blood and you're still worried about me?"
He frowned at her, leaning forward with narrowed eyes. "I don't know if you're amazing or just really stupid."
Sakura rolled her eyes as she threw her legs over the side of the sofa.
"Did you want me to just let you die of thirst or whatever you call it?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her sarcasm. "I did what had to be done. And like you said," she smiled at him. "We bonded. It's what friends do."
"Hn," he replied, but he smirked and Sakura noticed that he looked very attractive when he did, and it sent tingles down her arms.
"I'm curious though," he said in a low voice that made the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck prickle, standing and walking slowly to the sofa before kneeling in front of her so that she needed to tilt her head to look down at him, her long hair curtaining both their faces. "It didn't take you much time to make up your mind."
"Well," Sakura said, suddenly self-conscious and trying to hide her blush with her hair. "I care about you, and seeing you in pain like that..." she trailed off uncertainly but her breath hitched when he rose and kissed her forehead gently.
"Thank you, Sakura," he murmured as she looked up at him with surprise.
He made his way to the front door as Sakura watched him with wide eyes, too stunned to speak.
"That's all I needed to hear. It's still night so I have to leave now but I'll be back tomorrow. There are things in this city that you need to see now that you know of my kind's existence. You will need sleep. Goodnight, Sakura."
The door closed softly behind him and Sakura fell back onto the couch, suddenly feeling exhausted. Her limbs were heavy and her movements lethargic.
A side effect of being bitten, she thought, noticing how empty and lonely her apartment felt without Sasuke there.
Sasuke the vampire. Sasuke's a vampire. The same thoughts kept ringing through her mind as she glanced at the window from over the top of the couch. Judging by the stars, she had only blacked out for a few hours. She lay back again and closed her eyes, ready to succumb to sleep once more.
I just saved the life of a vampire.
xxxxxxx
Sakura pulled on dark denim shorts, her black combat boots, and a different tank top with the Starbucks logo printed across the front. She slung her satchel over her shoulder and locked her apartment behind her.
It was 12pm and the air outside was fresh and pleasantly cool, and it still had that after-rain smell that Sakura loved. The blood on the pavement was gone, just as it had been gone in the lobby, in the elevator and even outside her apartment, which Sakura had admitted was definitely strange.
It was Thursday. Most people her age would be in school, but Sakura had other plans, and she, for some reason, doubted that vampires went to school.
It took her an hour of walking, but Sakura made it to the abandoned railway station on the edge of Suna, a few blocks away from Konoha. Gravel crunched loudly under her boots as she trudged amongst the carriages. She barely noticed as the hours went by.
This was one of the only places in Manhattan where trees and grass grew naturally and Sakura loved and couldn't help feeling drawn to the wild and untamed atmosphere that surrounded the place. Overgrown grass grew between the tracks and the trees grew against and even through some of the carriages, shading the area prettily.
Soft wild rabbits and other small animals scattered as she approached and she fought the urge to just grab one and cuddle it.
She giggled and crouched down, digging through her satchel and producing a small piece of meat before holding it out, in the palm of her hand, to the only animal that didn't run from her. A fox with bright red fur and sharp intelligent eyes. She had visited the tracks too frequently for it to be afraid of her, but it had always kept its distance whenever she had offered it food.
This time was different, and it approached slowly and cautiously before quickly taking the meat from her outstretched hand, to Sakura's delight. She waited for it to finish eating before slowly extending her arm further. The fox made no move to run away and Sakura gently stroked its silky head affectionately and scratched its ears.
"So you trust me now huh?" The fox watched her with bright blue eyes.
She stood and continued walking, the fox padding lightly beside her.
"It finally came to you." The voice was dark and quiet and Sakura froze with surprise. She had been sure that she was the only person that ever really visited this part of town. The fox turned and Sakura did the same, and there, watching her from the shadows of one of the carriages only a metre away, was a boy with hair as bright a red as the fox standing beside her.
"Oh, hey," she smiled and waved, recovering from her initial shock. "Been there long?"
"The fox," the boy said quietly, his sharp, pale-blue eyes searching her, "It trusts you."
Sakura nodded and sat, with her arms wrapped around her legs and her chin resting on her knees, curious of the stranger.
"You don't seem to though," she teased, "You look pretty suspicious of me."
"It is only natural for one to be suspicious of strangers," he replied dryly and Sakura guessed he would have raised an eyebrow, if he had one. It was odd for her to see someone so young without eyebrows, but she could also see that this boy was every bit as handsome as Sasuke was, only in a more unique way. She liked the way his pale skin, identical to Sasuke's, contrasted with his hair and the way his eyes were almost translucent, almost glowing in the shadows.
"Yeah, I suppose," she murmured in answer to his statement, trying to make out the rest of him concealed by the darkness.
"I do trust you though," he said softly, shifting closer to the archway of the carriage so that she could just make out what he was wearing, dark jeans and a dark cherry-red T-shirt that hugged his torso in just the right way. "I decided that when that fox decided to deem you trustworthy, I would do the same."
"Do you live here?" she asked incredulously, surprised that he hadn't revealed himself to her sooner when she had visited there before.
"Only during the day," he answered, "I spend my time elsewhere at night."
Vampire, was her immediate reaction but she kept it to herself.
"That sounds lonely," she admitted honestly and he watched her closely.
"Your eyes say that you've experienced this loneliness too," he said.
Sakura's eyes widened with surprise, and she smiled sadly as the fox nuzzled her arm.
"I know the feeling all too well, so you're not the only one." Another person that understands me.
"You do not need to explain yourself. I will not pry," he murmured and lay down along the carriage's wooden floor, closing his eyes. He didn't say anything more and Sakura stood to stretch her legs and quickly pulled her hair into a loose braid to keep it out of her face. She doubted he was sleeping and trudged over to the carriage.
"I'm Sakura. Sakura Haruno," she said cheerfully when she reached the carriage's wide, rectangular arch.
"Gaara no Sabaku," he answered, opening one eye to look at her curiously. "You knew I wasn't asleep."
"Somehow I get the feeling you don't get much sleep," she told him, noticing for the first time the dark rings and shadows that rimmed his eyes almost like makeup. "You have the eyes of an insomniac."
"You're observant," he replied with a small smile and Sakura knew that that was probably something he didn't do very often. She pointed to a spot next to him.
"Mind if I join you?"
"If you wish," he consented and Sakura hopped into the carriage and lay beside him.
It was significantly cooler inside than outside and she extended her right arm so that it caught the sun's rays.
"That mark on your neck."
Sakura went rigid. She felt like someone had just thrown a bucket of icy water at her face. She realised that braiding her hair had only made it more visible, and that she had completely forgotten that it had been there. She moved to cover it with her hand but Gaara caught her wrist in an icy grip.
"It's a bite mark," he said softly, releasing her and sitting up. Sakura did the same. She didn't want to lie to him and betray his long earned trust, so she just kept silent, angling herself so that she didn't have to face him.
"I know what a vampire bite looks like, Sakura." Gaara muttered and brushed the mark lightly with his fingertips and Sakura flinched at how cold they were.
Cold like ice, she thought, remembering what Sasuke's skin had felt like.
"You're a vampire aren't you, Gaara." Sakura turned to look at him again.
"Yes. I am a vampire," he said with faint amusement, "But you knew that."
He examined the bite closely and Sakura could feel his breath on her skin, cool like Sasuke's, which had the same shivery effect on her.
"You felt no pain. You knew the vampire that bit you."
"I'm not going to become one am I?" Sakura asked quickly, worriedly and Gaara smirked with bitter amusement as he lifted his head again.
"No. There is a ritual that must be followed before a human can be Turned."
Sakura almost sighed in relief but stopped herself, worried that Gaara might be offended by the gesture, but that didn't stop him from noticing her concealed relief.
"It is a lonely existence," he admitted, talking more to himself than Sakura, gazing out at the sunlight she assumed he couldn't touch, "One I would advise you to avoid, Sakura."
When Sakura looked at him, she saw the memories of pain clearly in his eyes. She saw the memories of loneliness, darkness, hate, concealed anguish and despair, but she also saw strength and kindness and wisdom.
"What do you see?" He murmured, their eyes locking, and Sakura remembered the disgust in Sasuke's voice when he had said 'vampire'.
"So much pain," she whispered back and he gave her a surprised look, his eyes widening as she touched the kanji on his forehead. Sakura assumed that no one had ever done it before.
"What does it say?" she asked as she traced the delicate lines, "I don't speak Japanese very well."
"It says 'love'," he replied, bemused, looking at her in surpised wonder.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asked curiously, letting her hand drop to her side.
Just as Sasuke's had done, multiple emotions flashed across his face, but this time Sakura recognised all of them. She saw doors close behind his eyes as they became clouded over by his past.
"Why would you be so kind to a stranger?" he demanded; his voice was suddenly filled with confusion, anger, and anguish, and he gripped her shoulders painfully enough to make her want to cry out. But she didn't. "Why would you be so kind to someone you don't even know?"
Sakura was stunned but she felt an ache in her chest when she imagined what he must have endured for her to have been able to see so much hurt and pain just by looking at his face.
She cupped his face in her hands and smiled at him, looking into his pale eyes that were desperately searching her for any hint of deception.
"You stopped being a stranger when you told me your name. That's how bonds are formed, Gaara. Through kindness."
His eyes became large, almost like he had heard what she had said before in another time. She watched as the doors opened again and his eyes cleared; his grip on her shoulders loosened.
The smile Gaara gave her was genuine as he released her and stood, offering her his hand. She grinned as she took it and he pulled her easily to her feet.
"You remind me of a friend of mine," He said and Sakura felt the ache fade and become replaced by a pleasant warmth. "He said the same things and he saved me from a life of pain."
"Then he is wise," she answered, adjusting the strap of her satchel and stepping out of the carriage and into the sunlight. The fox greeted her excitedly and Gaara watched her from the shadows, but the look he gave her was understanding.
"Farewell, Sakura Haruno. Until we meet again."
xxxxxxx
The sun was going down when Sakura returned to her apartment and, after dropping her satchel on the couch, she showered and sighed as the hot water eased the tension from her muscles. After drying her hair, she changed back into the clothes she had been wearing before and went back to the living room just as there as a soft knock on the front door.
Sakura went to open it and grinned widely at the raven-haired boy leaning casually against the doorframe.
"I hope you're ready to go."
"You know I am."