Chapter 21

"Get ready, Sakura," Yugito warned and Sakura took a fighting stance. Now that Lady Tsunade was back and the Mizukage was now on their side, as well as Minato the Druid Chief being on their side as well, there wasn't much for Sakura to do anymore except to wait for orders.

She had been the leader she had needed to be in order to gather the army needed to save the Leaf and help liberate the Mist. She had allied the vampires with the Druids, and she was content now to step down and allow the true leaders to take their places and the control of the war.

She was a soldier now and soldiers needed to train in order to get stronger, especially since Sakura knew that she was constantly at a disadvantage.

Yugito lunged forward, a clawed hand extended above her head, and Sakura ran to meet her. The blonde brought her hand down and Sakura caught the Druid's wrist and used it as leverage to propel herself over Yugito's lithe form, landing lightly behind her. What she didn't anticipate was the Druid abruptly dropping into a crouch and quickly sweeping her right leg 360 degrees, catching the side of Sakura's ankles.

Sakura hit the ground hard and yelped, rolling to the side as quickly as she could before Yugito's enormous cat-form could crush her. The cat hesitated, surprised that Sakura wasn't underneath her and the cat's head snapped up just before Sakura tackled her from the side.

The two of them rolled across the uneven ground, growling and snarling loudly, snapping and clawing at each other viciously. Sakura screamed when Yugito's teeth sank into her arm, the pain shooting all the way through the rest of her body and causing stars to shoot across her eyes.

It was only after her arm had healed and the pain had ebbed away before she realised that the heavy weight pressing down on her was absent and that Yugito, back in human-form, was looming over her, her face wearing an expression of worried concern. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I got a bit carried away. I didn't mean to bite you."

Sakura sat up and shrugged before winking cheerfully. "It's all part of training." Yugito looked at her quizzically. "You were a lot faster than the last time we fought you know," she noted, "Stronger too." Sakura frowned with surprise. "I didn't notice."

Yugito helped her to her feet and shrugged as she walked away. "Maybe it's just me. See you around, Sakura." Sakura waved, watching her go and turned her gaze to watch Hinata and Yagura spar with one another. Hinata was bleeding, which must of meant that the small Druid boy had finally managed to land a hit on her. She saw Tenten also watching from the side lines and walked over to the brunette.

Tenten's dark eyes widened when they fell on Sakura's battered and bloody appearance. "Sakura, your arm!" She exclaimed and Sakura looked down. The arm where Yugito had bitten her was completely coated in red, like a red sleeve.

"My opponent bit me," Sakura explained. "But it doesn't hurt anymore," she reassured her friend. "It's already healed. I'm not really a long-distance fighter you know?"

"I was watching you," Tenten said quietly and Sakura's eyes moved away from the fight to look back at her friend, sensing the change in the Tenten's tone. "Yeah?"

"You were fast, Sakura," Tenten regarded her thoughtfully, "Very fast, almost vampire fast and vicious." Sakura felt the healed bite mark on her arm tingle, remembering Yugito's similar words. "Yugito said something like that too." The brunette looked thoughtful and Sakura watched the multiple emotions flicker quickly across her friend's face.

"I think," Tenten said softly, "That the Vampire Blood might be Turning you, Sakura. Slowly."

Sakura frowned. "Turning? What does that even mean?" She was sure she already knew but she wanted to hear it before she could believe it.

"You're becoming a vampire," Tenten said bluntly, "It isn't unheard of. That's the only explanation I can think of."

I'm becoming a vampire? Sakura had never really thought about it before, the idea was exciting and thrilling to her, but also completely terrifying and frightening. Seeing the look of Sakura's face, Tenten added quickly. "But it's just a theory, I can't be sure. Lady Tsunade would probably know more-"

They were distracted when Hinata was flung backwards through the air, landing hard on the ground and rolling a few metres before coming to a stop and jumping back to her feet, grass and leaves tangled in her long hair, making her look like a willowy forest spirit.

"GO, HINATA!" Naruto roared from the opposite side of the training field and Hinata blushed deep red before she smiled with determination and became a blur, appearing in front of Yagura in seconds and continuing their fight with more ferocity than before.

"He makes her try harder," Tenten observed and Sakura nodded, moved by Naruto's affection and Hinata's determination, before turning away. I guess vampires and Druids really can get along after all.

"Going?" Tenten asked as Sakura started to walk away. "I'm going to visit Sasuke again," she called over her shoulder and the brunette nodded before turning back to watch the fight.

xxx

The infirmary was located just up the hill from the training field, a building built into the stone walls of the cavern, and it didn't take long for Sakura to get there. Tenten's words kept ringing through her mind. "You're becoming a vampire." Had Sakura already known this? She was sure she had, deep down, but she couldn't be certain of it. She felt that she had known it would happen eventually, she was already so immersed in their world it would strange for her not to join them completely, but she also felt that it was too soon.

But what am I really afraid of? She asked herself as she walked through the quiet corridors to the wing were all the mind-control victims were being kept. She froze when it hit her.

I won't be human anymore.

She would lose her humanity wouldn't she? No, she snarled at herself, annoyed by her uncertainty. That's my decision. Only my decision. She pushed those thoughts from her mind as she entered the wing, but she couldn't help feeling the small tinge of doubt in the corner of her mind as she entered Sasuke's room.

Sasuke looked so peaceful when he was asleep, like Ino hadn't ever touched him or tainted him. He looked just like the Sasuke that she had gotten to know back up on the surface of Manhattan, the Sasuke that had opened her eyes to a completely different world, the boy that had given her a new family, a family that actually cared about her. The vampire that had filled her lonely existence.

She pulled a chair right up against his bed and brushed his cheek gently. "Wake up, Sasuke," she whispered softly, "I need you." She doubted he was actually going to wake up just because she asked him to, but his eyelids were flickering which meant that he would wake soon enough. The thought made Sakura smile.

She took his hand, the smile fading. "I miss you," she whispered, feeling her eyes mist over, "I don't know if you can even hear me, but I miss you, Sasuke. And I want you to know," she brushed his fringe from his eyes with her free hand, "That I've never blamed you for everything that's happened because the person that did all those things wasn't you, it was Ino." She squeezed his hand. "And you don't ever have to ask for my forgiveness because you already have it. But if you need to hear it,"

Sakura kissed his cheek lightly and brought her lips to his ear.

"I forgive you, Sasuke."

xxxxxxx

Sakura shivered as icy wind cut through her, right down to the bone, and brought goose bumps to her skin. She opened her eyes and frowned at the peculiar and unfamiliar surroundings. She was lying on what looked and felt like cold black marble.

"Get up, human."

Sakura sat up immediately and froze. She could see no walls around her, only endless darkness in every direction, and she was alone. There was no sign of where the voice could have come from. Cold laughter echoed through the emptiness around her and Sakura jumped to her feet, feeling her hackles raise and eyeing her surroundings wearily, her skin prickling with anticipation and warning.

Her eyes darted around in circles, scanning the darkness for the source of the voice. "Who are you?"

"I think you know."

Sakura frowned because the voice sounded so familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it before. "Why can't I see you?" She demanded and the icy laughter rang around her once again, cold and musical, silky and distinctly female.

"You can't see me because I don't want you to see me. At least not yet."

Sakura growled with annoyance before smirking. "Why? You aren't afraid are you?" The laughter stopped abruptly.

There was a moment of eerie and shocked silence before the girl spoke again.

"You think, that I am afraid," Sakura could hear the disbelief and contempt in the girl's voice and knew that she had struck a nerve. "Of you? Of a human?"

Sakura snarled, offended. "I think you take humans too lightly." The girl sniggered, "You say it like you actually are a human. Or maybe you think too lightly of me."

"How can I?" Sakura demanded, "When I don't even know who you are?" There was silence again before Sakura heard light footsteps from behind her, so quiet that if the Vampire's Blood hadn't enhanced her hearing she doubted she would have heard them at all. She turned around quickly to face the source of the sound before it abruptly stopped. She squinted and could just make out the outline of a dark figure, tall and slender.

"It's pathetic really," the figure hissed angrily, taking an impossibly graceful step forward, illuminating her body but not her face, and Sakura growled warningly when she saw that they were wearing the same clothes. "That you don't know who I am despite the fact that I've been with you for almost a month now. That I've never left your side once." The girl stepped into the light and Sakura went rigid with shock because,

She was looking at herself. An inhuman, colder, darker and more beautiful version of herself. The girl's milk-white skin glowed translucently, as did her sharp emerald eyes and her hair, cherry blossom pink, was short and spiky and elegant, perfect and nothing like her own.

"Who are you?" Sakura breathed, her voice barely audible but the girl standing parallel to her must of heard because her mouth curled upwards in a nasty smile, revealing long and needle-like fangs, her glowing green eyes cold and hard.

"I'm you."

Sakura felt herself go cold, like someone had thrown a bucket of icy water over her head. She wasn't sure of exactly what terrified her the most. The fact that the girl's mouth never moved as she spoke, or the fact that this malevolent being standing opposite her claimed that they were the same person.

"Tha-that's not possible," Sakura stammered, swallowing her horror and taking frantic steps back, wanting to get as far away from the evil Sakura standing in front of her as possible. "I'm nothing like you."

The girl strode forward, smile gone and eyes blazing, taking a step forward every time Sakura took a step backwards. "Just as I am nothing like you, but that doesn't take away from the fact that you are me and I am you." Her mouth still didn't move as she spoke but the voice was unmistakeably hers. That was why it had sounded so familiar. It was Sakura's voice, but colder, prettier and less human.

Sakura felt her back come up against something hard, like a wall, but she could see nothing behind her, only blackness stretching for eternity.

"Don't run away from me!" The girl shrieked, her fangs bared in a snarl, her eyes narrowed and blazing with fury. Her movements were a blur as she suddenly closed the distance between them in seconds, with the speed of a vampire.

Sakura shut her eyes tightly, her breaths ragged from fear and she could feel the girl's cool and icy breath fan across her cheeks, their bodies separated only by inches. I don't want this to be me.

"You've ignored me for all these weeks," she said in a low voice, "You even managed to convince yourself that I wasn't there, but I'm here!" She shouted, "And you can't run away from me. I'm here and I'm just as real as you are!" Sakura felt the girl's fist hit the invisible wall inches away from the left side of her head.

"Can you look at me, human? Can you look at yourself?"

Sakura willed herself to be brave, brave enough to open her eyes. I'm not afraid of her.

"Get away from me," Sakura snarled, opening her eyes, baring her canines, and straightening up, meeting the vampire girl's furious and enraged gaze calmly and without fear, "Now." The girl froze, surprised and unsettled by Sakura's sudden bravery. She took a startled step back, her face doubtful before her eyes narrowed again and she snarled angrily, eyes flashing dangerously once more. "How dare you, human."

"Human," Sakura repeated, taking a step forward and causing the furious vampire to take another step back, feeling more confident. "I am human."

The other Sakura narrowed her eyes further and sneered nastily. "Are you? We both know that that isn't completely true, now is it?" Seeing Sakura's hesitation she smiled cruelly. "I know you, Sakura Haruno," she hissed. "I know how you growl when you're threatened or angry. I know how sharp your teeth are, how you're faster than other humans, how you're stronger than other humans, how your senses of sight and hearing far outmatch that of other humans. Silver burns you. I bet you can't even step into the sunlight anymore. You're more of a vampire than a human at this stage, Sakura."

Sakura stood frozen, horrified by the truth in the other Sakura's words and felt her blood turn to ice when she felt the vampire's cold hand brush her cheek, her body beginning to tremble. "Your skin isn't warm anymore, Sakura," she said softly, venomously, pulling her arm back and froze when Sakura suddenly caught her wrist. "Who are you?" She whispered and the other Sakura ripped her arm free effortlessly and narrowed her eyes, her lip curling upwards, revealing her fangs.

"I am the vampire part that makes up your being," she snarled, "I am what was created within you the minute you drank that blood. I am the inner Sakura that can come out anytime I want. I am what's kept you alive up until now!" She screamed.

Sakura felt empty, detached and, staring at the girl in front of her, how angry she was, she knew that the vampire version of herself wasn't lying.

"You continue to cling to whatever humanity you still have left, too afraid to let it go and accept the inevitable. And you will have to accept it, Sakura. Because you will never escape it." The girl's face hardened. "And you will never escape me." -

The loud crack of Sakura's hand making contact with the other Sakura's cheek echoed loudly through the darkness of their surroundings. The vampire could only gape at Sakura, stunned, her emerald eyes wide with shock as the red hand print appeared across her left cheek.

"That's what Ino's downfall will be and that's what your downfall is because you both act like you know everything," Sakura snarled, "And if you really are me as you say are, then you should know that I would never become like you. It doesn't matter if I'm not human anymore. I still have my humanity. It doesn't matter if I Turn completely because I know my humanity will still be there," Sakura's angry eyes bored holes into the horrified and glowing eyes of the girl in front of her. "And you're jealous of me. Because there's nothing human about you."

Sakura turned away and started to walk, not knowing which direction she was moving in but she knew that it would take her where she wanted to go.

"You're just weak!" The other Sakura shrieked hysterically from behind her, "You're just a stupid human that's weak! You're nothing! You're just weak!"

"No," Sakura said sadly, not turning around,

"You're the one that's weak."

xxx

Sakura recognised that her surroundings had changed. She was sitting in the chair pulled right up against Sasuke's bed again and her head was resting on his chest. She must have fallen asleep waiting for him to wake up.

She was awake now, no longer fighting her inner self in her subconscious, but she kept her eyes firmly closed.

Thank you. I will never forget what you have taught me.

The other Sakura tilted her head in acknowledgment; her large eyes were warm now instead of cold.

"Promise me that you will never lose yourself, Sakura Haruno, and that you will never stray from the path you have laid down for yourself."

Sakura opened her eyes, feeling freer than she had ever felt before.

"I promise."