Chapter 5

Itachi led them in silence and Sakura gripped Sasuke's hand tightly, trembling slightly. What would the Hokage say to her? Had she done something wrong? Was she breaking some kind of ancient law by coming to this place?

"Don't look so afraid," Sasuke said in a low voice so that his brother wouldn't hear them. "It's what he wants. He believes humans to be inferior to us." He shot Itachi a withering look. Sakura nodded quickly and took calming breaths to stop herself from shaking, but she couldn't stop the feeling that walls were slowly closing in around her, threatening to suffocate her and crush her.

They stopped outside a mansion, the tallest building Sakura had seen in the cavern yet and Itachi looked at her icily. "This is where I leave you." He turned to Sasuke. "You know where to take her." Sasuke nodded stiffly and then Itachi was gone; a cool wind ruffled Sakura's hair, marking the direction he had gone.

Sasuke held the large door open for her and they stepped into a well-furnished reception area where a pretty woman with short black hair sat behind a large desk, sorting through paperwork. She looked up at them with large dark eyes as they entered.

"Shizune," Sasuke bowed respectfully and, watching Sasuke's gesture, Sakura quickly did the same. This was foreign territory and Sakura didn't want to make a mistake and make her situation any worse than it possibly was.

"Sasuke Uchiha," Shizune said, returning the gesture and looking at Sakura with a masked face. "And the human." Sakura nodded nervously and the dark haired woman turned back to Sasuke. "You know where she must go." Sasuke nodded, wearing the same masked expression and leading Sakura up a concealed flight of carpeted stairs to the left, behind the desk.

"Listen to me," Sasuke whispered urgently as they got closer to the top. "The Hokage is the leader of the Leaf. The most powerful vampire here, that's how she got the position." Sakura nodded quickly as she digested this information. "Address her as 'Lady Tsunade' and be respectful," he warned. "Lady Tsunade hates disrespect."

"Aren't you coming in with me?" Sakura asked, beginning to panic as they reached the top of the stairs. They ended at a short corridor with cherry-red walls and Sakura briefly remembered the colour of Gaara's shirt. At the end of the corridor was a set of dark wood double doors with golden handles.

"I wasn't summoned," he muttered darkly, "She wants to see you alone." Sakura paled and glanced at the door wearily.
"Don't be afraid, Sakura," he said into her hair, hugging her. "Prove to her that you aren't weak, because I know you. You're strong." He released her. "I have to go now; I'll wait for you downstairs. Lady Tsunade doesn't like to be kept waiting. I believe in you."

Sakura waited for his footsteps to fade into silence before she approached the door. She knocked quickly and waited, holding her breath.

"Enter, human."

The wise, powerful and unmistakable voice of a leader. Sakura took a deep breath, willing herself to be brave, and opened the door.

xxxxxxx

The woman sitting behind the desk was beautiful, golden-haired and golden-eyed, and Sakura didn't doubt that this woman was the most powerful vampire in the Leaf. Lady Tsunade regarded Sakura thoughtfully and beckoned her forward. "Come, human."

Sakura obeyed quickly and bowed respectfully, "Lady Tsunade." Tsunade returned the gesture with amusement. "What is your name, human?"

"Sakura Haruno," Sakura said, almost stuttering and cursing herself for being stupid. Tsunade chuckled with good humour. "How appropriate. Your name matches your hair." There was a twinkle in the Hokage's eye; like the vampire woman was encouraging her to speak and it made Sakura feel brave enough to ask, "I'm not in trouble, am I?"

"No," Tsunade said, intertwining her long slender fingers and resting her chin on them. "Quite the opposite, Sakura. You saved the life of a member of the Leaf and," the Hokage gazed at the faded bite mark on her neck. "Sasuke Uchiha fed off of you. These things cannot be ignored, but I must ask that you keep the truth of our existence a secret. For if you fail to do this," Tsunade's voice took on a low and serious tone, "You will be eliminated."

Sakura almost choked on her own saliva. "Eliminated?"

"Try to see it through my eyes," Tsunade said, cocking her head slightly to the side. "One human knowing about our existence won't make much of a difference, but imagine if all humans knew about us. They would shun us; hunt us, just as they did long ago in the past. It is my job as a Kage to prevent such a thing from happening."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding because to her, what the Hokage said made complete sense, and she could understand why such a situation must be avoided. "I understand, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade examined Sakura closely and Sakura felt like the Hokage's golden eyes were looking into her soul, and she couldn't look away. "You have a pure heart," She said with a satisfied smirk, "I believe you, Sakura Haruno."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though she had just passed an important test. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

"But there is one more important matter to be discussed," Tsunade said seriously, leaning forward slightly. "You will remain here until I see fit."

"But my parents-" Sakura couldn't understand why the Hokage's request didn't upset her, or even shock her. She was being asked to leave her family and her home and she didn't even mind. Wow.

"I will deal with your family," Tsunade said firmly. "I believe you have made acquaintances here already. You will choose one that is the most suitable."

"Sasuke," Sakura said automatically, without having to think about it and Tsunade nodded in approval. "I will notify his family about your new living arrangements. The Uchiha are powerful and more than capable of protecting you. That will be all. You may leave now, Sakura." Sakura bowed and headed for the door.

"Oh and, Sakura?"

Sakura stopped in the doorway and turned back to the Hokage. "Yes, Lady Tsunade?"

"If you are going to walk amongst vampires, you will have to learn how to fight like one. You will return here tomorrow at 10pm. Sasuke must be with you. If you are late, you will be punished. That is all."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Sakura squeaked and shut the door quickly behind her.

She leaned heavily against the door, trying to sort through her muddled thoughts and to calm her furiously beating heart. When she had composed herself, she straightened and, feeling electrified, she almost skipped down the corridor and stairs to meet Sasuke.

He was waiting for her downstairs, just as he said he would be, speaking quietly to Shizune and when Sakura appeared Shizune smiled at her warmly, much to Sakura's surprise. The woman had seemed cold and indifferent when they had first met. "Lady Tsunade was impressed by you," the dark-haired woman said, and Sasuke smirked, looking proud.

"I didn't think she would take on a new apprentice after me," Shizune studied Sakura curiously, "Let alone, that it would be a human."

"Come, Sakura." Sasuke held out his hand, and smiling triumphantly, Sakura took it.

xxxxxxx

"She's what?!" Karin shrieked, "Lady Tsunade actually wants the human to stay?!" She made it sound like the most outrageous idea in the world. Ino glared in silence while they walked. The group had shrunk after the departure of Kiba, Lee, Choji and Shikamaru and they were now headed back to Sakura's apartment on the surface of Manhattan to fetch her belongings.

"I bet it's a dump," Sakura heard Karin snigger to Ino and Sakura silently seethed, doing her best to ignore them. Tenten heard too and smirked. "Well, it's not like your place is any different. I've seen it." Karin growled and went silent.

Sasuke and Neji walked at the front and Sakura guessed that they were probably talking about her, judging by the way they kept glancing at her, quietly so that she wouldn't hear what they were saying of course, but Sasuke smiled every time he looked at her and it made her feel pleasantly warm inside, like her body was somehow filled by warm golden light. Which was ironic, since vampires clearly couldn't abide the sunlight.

They reached the long flight of concrete steps that led to the tunnel that led to the surface of Manhattan. Sakura's world. The world she now had to abandon for a strange and newer world that was completely alien to her.

Excitement coursed through her veins at the thought of being able to finally have somewhere where she belonged, where she was acknowledged. I'm going to be with Sasuke. Sakura almost giggled with amusement when she realised that the only real friends she had ever made in her whole seventeen years of being alive weren't even human. They were vampires. The undead. But Sakura knew that their friendship held more value than any human's, or at least the ones she had grown accustomed to.

"It's 3am," Sasuke said quietly, his steady gaze seeking out every face in the group standing in front of him. "Which means three hours from sunrise. Are you sure you guys still want to come?"

Tenten and Hinata nodded enthusiastically while Neji agreed with a slight bowof his head.

"We're coming," Ino said firmly and Karin nodded determinedly, though why they would want to come to the surface was beyond her.

xxxxxxx

"So I was right, it is a dump," Karin commented bluntly as she looked around the small space, but the others ignored her and helped Sakura pack her things into cardboard boxes, not that there was much to pack anyway.

"We'll leave the boxes at your place," Tenten told Sasuke as she, Neji, Hinata and reluctant looking Karin and Ino headed out the door. "See you around, Sakura," the brunette grinned toothily with a wink and Sakura grinned back. Then the door shut, leaving her and Sasuke alone. The mood in the room sobered.

Sasuke walked over to the window behind the sofa and gazed out at the city lights with a grim expression. "I have a bad feeling about this, Sakura."

"I know." And Sakura did know. Now that the others were gone and Sakura had gotten over the initial excitement of the night's events, she was no longer distracted from just how serious the situation she had gotten herself into really was. Her original sense of excitement became replaced by a cold sense of foreboding and Sakura walked to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She buried her face between his shoulder blades, breathing in his comforting scent as she attempted to calm her troubled mind.

"I've put you in so much danger," he murmured and Sakura could hear the pain in his voice and see the guilt on his face through the reflection on the glass. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. I never meant for this to happen. I just didn't want to keep any secrets from you."

"Sasuke..." Sakura shut her eyes and gripped his shirt tightly. "I don't care. If this is the only way I can be with you, then I don't mind doing this. I want to be with you." Because I think I might love you.

"You don't understand," he said and Sakura looked up, confused, "What do you mean?" Sasuke hung his head so that his fringe hid his face. "Sakura, I don't think Tsunade mentioned this to you and the others didn't tell you either, but currently, the Leaf's at war with the Hidden Rock." Sakura felt her stomach drop and her chest tighten as her body went cold all over. At war? Vampires at war?

"Vampire wars aren't like human wars," he continued in a low voice, "We all fight, regardless of how old we are, and we don't use weapons like guns. It's all hand-to-hand combat; we're strong enough for that." Sakura felt his body tense. "We fight in teams on the surface, undetected by the humans so as not to disturb the balance the Kages have fought to keep between our two species. And now Tsunade wants to train you to fight, but that won't be enough, Sakura."

"Why?" she whispered into his back, finding it difficult to take all of what he was saying in and suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Because," he said darkly, looking at her through the glass. "You're human."

I'm human. It always came down to the fact that she was human and Sakura hated that. "Then I'll become stronger, Sasuke."

"It won't make a difference," he muttered. "I nearly died in front of your apartment building because we were ambushed. Everyone in my team got killed and I barely managed to escape with my life. I would have died if you hadn't found me." Sakura was silent as what he said sunk in. Memories of the vicious wounds in his side and his blood everywhere made her shudder. His wounds would be healing by now, unless of course if vampires healed unnaturally fast as well, then they would be translucent, silver scars already.

"Training so that I can have at least some chance is the only thing I can do, Sasuke," she said quietly, releasing him and moving to stand next to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. His arm wound around her shoulders protectively, like he could shield her away from all these new dangers, but he kept his gaze fixed on the window. "I am as much a part of this as you and nothing we do will change that. I doubt Lady Tsunade will change her mind."

"Hn."

Sakura moved to go and finish packing up her bedroom before the sun rose and trapped them in her apartment until nightfall again, but Sasuke caught her wrist. "Sakura," he said slowly and she looked at him with wide eyes, feeling her skin tingle at his touch. "I will give my life if it means keeping you safe," he said seriously, eyes looking deeply into hers, and Sakura could tell by his expression that he really meant it. Then he smiled and pulled her close. Sakura stopped herself from falling by wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as his wound tightly around her waist.

"I want to be with you too."