HOME | DD

Description
Enjoy! This is for who guessed that my little Haku-kun would be appearing in this chapter. She asked for TomokazuXSakura so...here it is!
----

Sakura braced her elbows on the edge of the keyaki zelkova desk, fingers laced together. She propped her chin upon her laced fingers, gazing at the two people standing on the other side of the expensive piece of furniture. They shifted a bit uncomfortably in her presence, humbled and intimidated by the grandeur of the room. It wasn’t as magnificent as her office in Kumogakure, but certainly fit the powerful woman sitting in front of them.

“Report.”

The first one nodded. He was the taller of the two, and the elder. “We’ve combed all of Konohagakure for information on your former master. So far we have come up with nothing.”

He saw her eyes narrow in annoyance, though it wasn’t directed at him. “I see.”

The younger of the two, ever eager to please their mistress, stepped forward with his calm smile. “Don’t worry, Sakura-sama, something is bound to turn up. Maybe we can look for a lead in Kirigakure.”

“Your old homeland?” Sakura murmured, looking over the two once more. “That would be…dangerous wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t be able to offer my protection that far into a land that I do not own, not even if you bore a message marked with my seal.”

She leaned forward a bit, her gaze serious. “Continue searching. Also…Zabuza, Haku…” She looked over the two. “Maintain discretion. I doubt that Madara-kun would appreciate that I have two of his traitors working for me.”

Zabuza grunted, but Haku nodded with another smile. “Of course, Sakura-sama.” They bowed, and slowly left the room, though Haku’s eyes lingered—almost wistfully—on her face before he closed the door behind him.

-------

“You look like a lovesick puppy.”

Haku frowned a bit, looking back at his older friend\mentor. “I know.” He whispered, but merely leaned against the wall outside of Sakura’s office. There wasn’t anything left to say, in his opinion. He knew how pathetic he seemed, pining over her when she would never return his feelings. She was an Elder, one of the strongest vampires in existence.

And he…he was nothing more than a rogue vampire, created by someone else’s servant and then tossed aside. If it hadn’t been for Zabuza, he probably would have died.

He stuffed his hands into his coat pocket.

Zabuza noticed the melancholy look on his young friend’s face and gave a small grunt. “If you want to please her, than we should try and find any information on her master that we can.”

Haku blinked, before nodding. He slowly pushed himself off of the wall—before a hand slammed next to his face, making a small crack in the wood he was leaning against.

Haku froze, shivering, brown eyes wide. He hadn’t even sensed him coming.

“Tomokazu-san.” He heard Zabuza say, but Haku didn’t pay him any attention—nor did Tomokazu. Tomokazu merely sneered down at the younger vampire, his wolf-like silver eyes glittering dangerously.

“Tomokazu-san.” This time Zabuza’s voice was gruff and…worried?

Tomokazu’s eyes flickered in his direction, before going back to Haku. He seemed to be studying his face, as his own became a perfect mask of aloofness. He hadn’t moved from his spot, and Haku was still trapped against the wall.

“Lovesick…over who, Haku-kun?”

Haku froze, hearing the challenge and barely contained anger in Tomokazu’s voice.

“No one.” Zabuza cut in. “Just one of Sakura-sama’s other spies.”

Tomokazu let out a small snort. “Don’t play the fool, Momochi, it doesn’t suit you.” His steel-colored eyes narrowed. “What makes you think that you’d be good enough for Sakura-hime?”

“I’m not.”

Both Zabuza and Tomokazu blinked.

Haku’s voice was soft, but his gaze was hard. “lease let go of me, Tomokazu-san. I know where I stand with Sakura-sama.”

Tomokazu’s eyes narrowed in suspicion once more, before he gave Haku a sneer and pushed away. “See that you remember your place then.” He then turned around, opening the door to Sakura’s office and closing it behind him.

There was a long moment of silence, before Haku swallowed, and then took a step away from the wall, looking back at it with a frown. The long crack had splintered, and there was a small smear of crimson. Tomokazu had hit the wall hard enough to cut himself.

“Let’s go, Haku.” Zabuza murmured, and Haku merely nodded, head bowed, as they both headed out of the manor.

------

Sakura looked up from the report she had been reading when the door opened. There was no knock, so she already knew who it was.

“That was uncalled for, Tomokazu-kun. I am ashamed of your actions.”

Tomokazu stiffened, but kept walking towards her after a moment. “I was merely—”

“If I seek a relationship with one of my spies then you would have little power to stop me.” Sakura continued coolly, and her gaze was hard as she met his own. Then her face softened at the wounded look in his eyes. She reached for him, beckoning with her fingers. “Come.”

He did so eagerly, and she pushed away from the desk so that he could sit at her feet, his head in her lap. She tugged on a lock of his brown hair, watching as his eyes fluttered closed. “You need to control yourself better, Tomo-kun.”

She felt him flinch at her words, and his fingers clenched in the fabric of her dress. “I know.”

It was in these moments that Sakura didn’t see him as the man who had sworn to protect her with his life…but as the small, lost child she had found so many years ago.

-----

Forbidden Beginnings…Tomokazu

“This place is dangerous, Sakura-hime. You should have stayed on the ship.”

“If I had done that than there would have been no purpose in coming in the first place.” Came the mild retort.

Sasori sighed softly, looking askance at his companion. Sakura made it look so easy, trudging through the deep forest in hoop skirts and a riding habit. Her hair was still perfect in its chignon, and dirt and dust seemed to shy away from her, a miraculous feat that Sasori didn’t think was possible. He himself was covered in twigs, dust, and mud. It had rained here the night before.

Their trek had become an uphill climb about a mile or so in, and Sasori couldn’t help but wonder what the rest of the people on the ship thought of them. They’d already assumed that Sakura and Sasori were mad, for wanting to come to this land at all. Demon Country was, after all, uninhabitable, at least to the masses.

It was true, the area had no human residents. But, humans were hardly the important species at hand. Vampires were aplenty in this land, and the thought of them sent a small chill down Sasori’s back. He was but a newly made servant. How could he hope to protect Sakura from the dangers that lurked here?

Demon Country was, after all, the dumping grounds for the vilest vampires in existence. It was the home of the exiled, the forgotten. Those who had betrayed the most sacred of vampire laws. Those who had consecrated…the Forbidden. Dangerous criminals, whom the council had banished to a bleak, hellish existence.

The island had no humans on it, and so the only blood available was animal blood. It was common knowledge among the vampire race that drinking only animal blood brought about madness. There was merely something about human blood that was needed for a vampire to remain sane, and so to be deprived of it sent them spiraling down into madness.

And an insane vampire was much more dangerous than a sane one. They had nothing to lose, and fought with the ferocity of a rabid beast. Sasori merely let his hand rest against the two pistols hidden in his jacket. They wouldn’t do much, but he didn’t really need them. They were there merely as a symbol of his status as Sakura’s protector.

The sky had begun to darken, and that meant that any exiled vampires in the area would be awakening to hunt. The humans on the boat were safe, for they were far enough away on the ship to avoid the creatures of the night. The sailors had said they would come back in the morning with a boat to pick Sakura and Sasori up—though they had seemed doubtful that the two would survive the night.

Sasori’s hand clenched, and he craned his newly enhanced senses to try and pick up any danger. Nothing. Only the sounds of animals moving through the underbrush and their own footsteps as they continued to climb.

Why had Sakura felt so compelled to come here? Surely the information they had been given was incorrect. It must have been a lie. Yet Sakura was adamant on finding out the truth. She had seemed desperate upon reading the letter. She had trembled softly, before she had ordered two of her subordinates to watch over her manor until she and Sasori returned.

And so here they were, scouring the entirety of Demon Country because of one little rumor. Sasori had read the letter over Sakura’s shoulder, but he still couldn’t understand why she wanted to find the person so badly.

The letter had told of a belief that her old Master had one more servant, one still alive. They had said that the servant lived on this land.

Sasori highly doubted it, but Sakura had wanted to come badly, and so he had, of course, obeyed. Sasori couldn’t help the small twinge of jealousy at the thought of them finding this mysterious person. What if his Sakura-hime wanted to…keep the person with them? What if she took a liking to him? What if they—

Snap.

Both he and Sakura froze, and Sasori’s hand wrapped around the pistol in his jacket, even as he walked towards Sakura, keeping her behind him. She seemed calm, but he could tell that she was tense, waiting and listening.

Finally, she gave a small frown, “Show yourself.”

Sasori’s eyes narrowed as a small figure darted from one tree to the other, as if afraid of them. What kind of vampire was this? For surely it could not be human. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he blinked, looking down to see Sakura standing beside him. She gave him a calm smile before taking a step forward. She ignored his protest and walked towards the shadow’s hiding place.

She knelt down, and extended her hand. “Come out here. I promise I will not harm you.”

Sasori, on the other hand, was ready to kill.

Slowly, a young child stepped out of the shadows and into the only sliver of moonlight that filtered down through the trees. Sakura blinked, because she found herself staring into bright silver eyes, eyes that reflected the moonlight perfectly. His hair was brown—or perhaps just covered in mud?—and was tangled and scruffy.

Sakura gave a calming smile. “Come here. Let me have a good look at you.” She crooked her finger, beckoning him forward.

He lunged.

Sasori leapt forward, but was too late. The young child had slammed into Sakura, pushing her onto the ground. He held her close, and Sasori could hear the child’s harsh breathing, mixed with sobs. Sakura was looking down at the dirty bundle of sobs in her lap, and merely rubbed his back soothingly.

“You’re not mean, like the others.” The child finally whispered between sobs. “So I can’t hurt you. But you…I’m so hungry.” And then he began crying again.

Sasori was still confused, and he walked over to them. He reached forward to grab the child and pry him off of his hime, but Sakura stopped him with a brief look. Then she looked down at the little boy once more. “I see, so I was right. You aren’t a vampire after all.”

The boy shivered, before stilling in her arms. He looked up at her fearfully. “How…?”

“You’re only half.”

The little boy looked down at his hands in shame, before burying his face in her chest and continuing to sob. Sasori, on the other hand, stared at the brown-haired child in shock. A half-vampire? The number of humans in the world that could bear a vampire child were few, so to see a half-vampire was a rarity. But how had the child gotten here?

The boy’s earlier words suddenly made sense. It was one of the half-vampire’s main weaknesses, and also the reason they were a threat to all true vampires.

A half-vampire could not drink human blood. Instead, they feasted on the blood of full vampires. No doubt that was how the little child had survived in this land for so long.

Sasori suddenly felt a surge of panic rush through him. He had to get the boy away from Sakura!

“If you are hungry, I can give you something to eat.” Sakura whispered softly, shocking both Sasori and the boy.

“B-but…I don’t want to hurt you. You’re really pretty.” The boy blushed beneath the mud that coated his skin.

Sakura merely smiled down at him, before silencing Sasori’s protests with a hard look. Then she held the boy close, positioning his mouth near her neck. “Now you can only have a small drink, but I promise I will give you more later if you behave yourself. If you come with me…I promise you will never cry again.”

And Sasori could only watch as the little boy nodded, before biting into her neck.

-------

Tomokazu could never quite remember what happened after that, only that somehow he had awoken on a ship with his Sakura-hime and her gruff, red-haired bodyguard.

The whole trip seemed to become a blur to him, as did his life in Demon Country.

From then on, he knew nothing but happiness. He was attached to his hime’s side by the hip, even as the years passed by and he grew older, becoming an adult. It wasn’t uncommon for him to place his head in her lap or cling to her like a little boy when he felt sad, or if he was jealous of the time she had spent with Sasori.

He held a childish hate for the red-haired vampire in his younger years. Sasori was the reason that his Sakura-hime couldn’t play with him, or give him a bath, or read to him before he fell asleep in her lap. He was the reason that he couldn’t sneak into her room at night when he had a nightmare.

As he grew, so did his hate for Sasori. He began to realize why his hime was always with the redhead. His realization of Sasori’s relationship with the woman that Tomokazu saw as exclusively HIS did not make Tomokazu any more accepting of the it. He swore that when he was old enough, he would make sure that his hime needed no one else but him. Sometimes he would dream of Sasori dying some gruesome death and he becoming his hime’s only solace. Of course, his hime always seemed to know when he had those thoughts, and she would scold him for being so jealous.

He never knew what to say to her when she gave him that disapproving stare. In fact, even at twenty two, he was still getting that disapproving glance from across the room. He tried to ignore it, instead, he fixed his silver-eyed glare on Sasori’s retreating form. It was almost time for Sakura to sleep, and she had asked Sasori if he could go and see if they had any of her favorite wine left, and if not, could he please go get some?

Tomokazu knew what this meant, of course.

A lecture.

He heard Sakura give a small sigh, before she spoke. “It seems we must have a talk, Tomokazu-kun.” She was walking across the room towards her bed, dressed in nothing but a thin chemise. He watched her every movement closely, not wanting to meet her gaze.

She sat herself down primly on the edge of the large bed, before she gave a soft sigh. “Come here.” And she beckoned him forward with her hands as she had done so many years before. He stood immediately, never one to deny his hime anything she asked.

In a matter of seconds he was standing at the bed’s edge, hands hanging uselessly at his side, looking anywhere but at her.

“What is the meaning of your attitude lately, Tomokazu-kun? You are getting far more aggressive than I see fit.”

Tomokazu mumbled something that she didn’t quite catch.

“What is that?”

“I don’t want him touching you.” Tomokazu finally hissed out between clenched teeth.

Sakura blinked. “Sasori?”

“It makes me sick.” Tomokazu looked down at his feet. “I don’t like it.”

“Tomokazu-kun, you seem to forget that Sasori is my servant. I am allowed to do as I please—” And Sakura suddenly found herself pushed back onto the bed, Tomokazu leaning over her. She blinked, surprised at his action. He had never once done anything aggressive against her, or been forceful with her at all. She could feel his warm breath on her face—half-vampires held that human attribute—and his gaze was intense upon her face.

“Tomokazu…” She began in a reproachful tone, but was stopped as a splash of water hit her cheek. Her eyes widened as she looked up into his face.

He was crying.

“Why can’t you look at me the way you look at him?” Tomokazu whispered desperately.

“Tomokazu—” She was stopped as he buried his face in her neck.

“lease…” His words were muffled against her skin. “Just once…just one night…lease…”

Sakura’s gaze lowered, and her fingers trembled softly as she slowly combed them through his hair. “I’m sorry…” She whispered.

Tomokazu stiffened, taking it as her way of reprimanding him for his actions. That she was sorry she could not feel for him that way. He began to pull away, but was stopped as her arms encircled him, pulling him closer.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered against his ear. “…that I have made you cry.” Tomokazu stilled in her embrace in surprise. “I promised you long ago that if you came with me, you would never cry again.”

“Sakura-hime…” His voice was rough, and he merely pressed his face against the cool skin of her neck.

Sakura merely cupped his face with her hands, and then pulled his lips down to meet her own.

--------

So? I thought this was a cute one. It was fun to write Tomokazu because he’s always so expressive, unlike most of Sakura’s men. XD So anyway…after this one the plot will finally get back to normal…meaning there will be some ItaSaku in the next update. I hope you all enjoyed it.

P.S…who caught the little hidden hint towards the title in this chapter? *grins* what COULD it mean, eh?

©Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto

© Tomokazu, artwork, and Forbidden storyline belong to Lady Hanaka

Forbidden...the Muse [link]
Forbidden Beginnings: Tomokazu [You're here!]
Forbidden...the Family [link]

Description
Enjoy! This is for who guessed that my little Haku-kun would be appearing in this chapter. She asked for TomokazuXSakura so...here it is!
----

Sakura braced her elbows on the edge of the keyaki zelkova desk, fingers laced together. She propped her chin upon her laced fingers, gazing at the two people standing on the other side of the expensive piece of furniture. They shifted a bit uncomfortably in her presence, humbled and intimidated by the grandeur of the room. It wasn’t as magnificent as her office in Kumogakure, but certainly fit the powerful woman sitting in front of them.

“Report.”

The first one nodded. He was the taller of the two, and the elder. “We’ve combed all of Konohagakure for information on your former master. So far we have come up with nothing.”

He saw her eyes narrow in annoyance, though it wasn’t directed at him. “I see.”

The younger of the two, ever eager to please their mistress, stepped forward with his calm smile. “Don’t worry, Sakura-sama, something is bound to turn up. Maybe we can look for a lead in Kirigakure.”

“Your old homeland?” Sakura murmured, looking over the two once more. “That would be…dangerous wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t be able to offer my protection that far into a land that I do not own, not even if you bore a message marked with my seal.”

She leaned forward a bit, her gaze serious. “Continue searching. Also…Zabuza, Haku…” She looked over the two. “Maintain discretion. I doubt that Madara-kun would appreciate that I have two of his traitors working for me.”

Zabuza grunted, but Haku nodded with another smile. “Of course, Sakura-sama.” They bowed, and slowly left the room, though Haku’s eyes lingered—almost wistfully—on her face before he closed the door behind him.

-------

“You look like a lovesick puppy.”

Haku frowned a bit, looking back at his older friend\mentor. “I know.” He whispered, but merely leaned against the wall outside of Sakura’s office. There wasn’t anything left to say, in his opinion. He knew how pathetic he seemed, pining over her when she would never return his feelings. She was an Elder, one of the strongest vampires in existence.

And he…he was nothing more than a rogue vampire, created by someone else’s servant and then tossed aside. If it hadn’t been for Zabuza, he probably would have died.

He stuffed his hands into his coat pocket.

Zabuza noticed the melancholy look on his young friend’s face and gave a small grunt. “If you want to please her, than we should try and find any information on her master that we can.”

Haku blinked, before nodding. He slowly pushed himself off of the wall—before a hand slammed next to his face, making a small crack in the wood he was leaning against.

Haku froze, shivering, brown eyes wide. He hadn’t even sensed him coming.

“Tomokazu-san.” He heard Zabuza say, but Haku didn’t pay him any attention—nor did Tomokazu. Tomokazu merely sneered down at the younger vampire, his wolf-like silver eyes glittering dangerously.

“Tomokazu-san.” This time Zabuza’s voice was gruff and…worried?

Tomokazu’s eyes flickered in his direction, before going back to Haku. He seemed to be studying his face, as his own became a perfect mask of aloofness. He hadn’t moved from his spot, and Haku was still trapped against the wall.

“Lovesick…over who, Haku-kun?”

Haku froze, hearing the challenge and barely contained anger in Tomokazu’s voice.

“No one.” Zabuza cut in. “Just one of Sakura-sama’s other spies.”

Tomokazu let out a small snort. “Don’t play the fool, Momochi, it doesn’t suit you.” His steel-colored eyes narrowed. “What makes you think that you’d be good enough for Sakura-hime?”

“I’m not.”

Both Zabuza and Tomokazu blinked.

Haku’s voice was soft, but his gaze was hard. “lease let go of me, Tomokazu-san. I know where I stand with Sakura-sama.”

Tomokazu’s eyes narrowed in suspicion once more, before he gave Haku a sneer and pushed away. “See that you remember your place then.” He then turned around, opening the door to Sakura’s office and closing it behind him.

There was a long moment of silence, before Haku swallowed, and then took a step away from the wall, looking back at it with a frown. The long crack had splintered, and there was a small smear of crimson. Tomokazu had hit the wall hard enough to cut himself.

“Let’s go, Haku.” Zabuza murmured, and Haku merely nodded, head bowed, as they both headed out of the manor.

------

Sakura looked up from the report she had been reading when the door opened. There was no knock, so she already knew who it was.

“That was uncalled for, Tomokazu-kun. I am ashamed of your actions.”

Tomokazu stiffened, but kept walking towards her after a moment. “I was merely—”

“If I seek a relationship with one of my spies then you would have little power to stop me.” Sakura continued coolly, and her gaze was hard as she met his own. Then her face softened at the wounded look in his eyes. She reached for him, beckoning with her fingers. “Come.”

He did so eagerly, and she pushed away from the desk so that he could sit at her feet, his head in her lap. She tugged on a lock of his brown hair, watching as his eyes fluttered closed. “You need to control yourself better, Tomo-kun.”

She felt him flinch at her words, and his fingers clenched in the fabric of her dress. “I know.”

It was in these moments that Sakura didn’t see him as the man who had sworn to protect her with his life…but as the small, lost child she had found so many years ago.

-----

Forbidden Beginnings…Tomokazu

“This place is dangerous, Sakura-hime. You should have stayed on the ship.”

“If I had done that than there would have been no purpose in coming in the first place.” Came the mild retort.

Sasori sighed softly, looking askance at his companion. Sakura made it look so easy, trudging through the deep forest in hoop skirts and a riding habit. Her hair was still perfect in its chignon, and dirt and dust seemed to shy away from her, a miraculous feat that Sasori didn’t think was possible. He himself was covered in twigs, dust, and mud. It had rained here the night before.

Their trek had become an uphill climb about a mile or so in, and Sasori couldn’t help but wonder what the rest of the people on the ship thought of them. They’d already assumed that Sakura and Sasori were mad, for wanting to come to this land at all. Demon Country was, after all, uninhabitable, at least to the masses.

It was true, the area had no human residents. But, humans were hardly the important species at hand. Vampires were aplenty in this land, and the thought of them sent a small chill down Sasori’s back. He was but a newly made servant. How could he hope to protect Sakura from the dangers that lurked here?

Demon Country was, after all, the dumping grounds for the vilest vampires in existence. It was the home of the exiled, the forgotten. Those who had betrayed the most sacred of vampire laws. Those who had consecrated…the Forbidden. Dangerous criminals, whom the council had banished to a bleak, hellish existence.

The island had no humans on it, and so the only blood available was animal blood. It was common knowledge among the vampire race that drinking only animal blood brought about madness. There was merely something about human blood that was needed for a vampire to remain sane, and so to be deprived of it sent them spiraling down into madness.

And an insane vampire was much more dangerous than a sane one. They had nothing to lose, and fought with the ferocity of a rabid beast. Sasori merely let his hand rest against the two pistols hidden in his jacket. They wouldn’t do much, but he didn’t really need them. They were there merely as a symbol of his status as Sakura’s protector.

The sky had begun to darken, and that meant that any exiled vampires in the area would be awakening to hunt. The humans on the boat were safe, for they were far enough away on the ship to avoid the creatures of the night. The sailors had said they would come back in the morning with a boat to pick Sakura and Sasori up—though they had seemed doubtful that the two would survive the night.

Sasori’s hand clenched, and he craned his newly enhanced senses to try and pick up any danger. Nothing. Only the sounds of animals moving through the underbrush and their own footsteps as they continued to climb.

Why had Sakura felt so compelled to come here? Surely the information they had been given was incorrect. It must have been a lie. Yet Sakura was adamant on finding out the truth. She had seemed desperate upon reading the letter. She had trembled softly, before she had ordered two of her subordinates to watch over her manor until she and Sasori returned.

And so here they were, scouring the entirety of Demon Country because of one little rumor. Sasori had read the letter over Sakura’s shoulder, but he still couldn’t understand why she wanted to find the person so badly.

The letter had told of a belief that her old Master had one more servant, one still alive. They had said that the servant lived on this land.

Sasori highly doubted it, but Sakura had wanted to come badly, and so he had, of course, obeyed. Sasori couldn’t help the small twinge of jealousy at the thought of them finding this mysterious person. What if his Sakura-hime wanted to…keep the person with them? What if she took a liking to him? What if they—

Snap.

Both he and Sakura froze, and Sasori’s hand wrapped around the pistol in his jacket, even as he walked towards Sakura, keeping her behind him. She seemed calm, but he could tell that she was tense, waiting and listening.

Finally, she gave a small frown, “Show yourself.”

Sasori’s eyes narrowed as a small figure darted from one tree to the other, as if afraid of them. What kind of vampire was this? For surely it could not be human. A hand was placed on his shoulder and he blinked, looking down to see Sakura standing beside him. She gave him a calm smile before taking a step forward. She ignored his protest and walked towards the shadow’s hiding place.

She knelt down, and extended her hand. “Come out here. I promise I will not harm you.”

Sasori, on the other hand, was ready to kill.

Slowly, a young child stepped out of the shadows and into the only sliver of moonlight that filtered down through the trees. Sakura blinked, because she found herself staring into bright silver eyes, eyes that reflected the moonlight perfectly. His hair was brown—or perhaps just covered in mud?—and was tangled and scruffy.

Sakura gave a calming smile. “Come here. Let me have a good look at you.” She crooked her finger, beckoning him forward.

He lunged.

Sasori leapt forward, but was too late. The young child had slammed into Sakura, pushing her onto the ground. He held her close, and Sasori could hear the child’s harsh breathing, mixed with sobs. Sakura was looking down at the dirty bundle of sobs in her lap, and merely rubbed his back soothingly.

“You’re not mean, like the others.” The child finally whispered between sobs. “So I can’t hurt you. But you…I’m so hungry.” And then he began crying again.

Sasori was still confused, and he walked over to them. He reached forward to grab the child and pry him off of his hime, but Sakura stopped him with a brief look. Then she looked down at the little boy once more. “I see, so I was right. You aren’t a vampire after all.”

The boy shivered, before stilling in her arms. He looked up at her fearfully. “How…?”

“You’re only half.”

The little boy looked down at his hands in shame, before burying his face in her chest and continuing to sob. Sasori, on the other hand, stared at the brown-haired child in shock. A half-vampire? The number of humans in the world that could bear a vampire child were few, so to see a half-vampire was a rarity. But how had the child gotten here?

The boy’s earlier words suddenly made sense. It was one of the half-vampire’s main weaknesses, and also the reason they were a threat to all true vampires.

A half-vampire could not drink human blood. Instead, they feasted on the blood of full vampires. No doubt that was how the little child had survived in this land for so long.

Sasori suddenly felt a surge of panic rush through him. He had to get the boy away from Sakura!

“If you are hungry, I can give you something to eat.” Sakura whispered softly, shocking both Sasori and the boy.

“B-but…I don’t want to hurt you. You’re really pretty.” The boy blushed beneath the mud that coated his skin.

Sakura merely smiled down at him, before silencing Sasori’s protests with a hard look. Then she held the boy close, positioning his mouth near her neck. “Now you can only have a small drink, but I promise I will give you more later if you behave yourself. If you come with me…I promise you will never cry again.”

And Sasori could only watch as the little boy nodded, before biting into her neck.

-------

Tomokazu could never quite remember what happened after that, only that somehow he had awoken on a ship with his Sakura-hime and her gruff, red-haired bodyguard.

The whole trip seemed to become a blur to him, as did his life in Demon Country.

From then on, he knew nothing but happiness. He was attached to his hime’s side by the hip, even as the years passed by and he grew older, becoming an adult. It wasn’t uncommon for him to place his head in her lap or cling to her like a little boy when he felt sad, or if he was jealous of the time she had spent with Sasori.

He held a childish hate for the red-haired vampire in his younger years. Sasori was the reason that his Sakura-hime couldn’t play with him, or give him a bath, or read to him before he fell asleep in her lap. He was the reason that he couldn’t sneak into her room at night when he had a nightmare.

As he grew, so did his hate for Sasori. He began to realize why his hime was always with the redhead. His realization of Sasori’s relationship with the woman that Tomokazu saw as exclusively HIS did not make Tomokazu any more accepting of the it. He swore that when he was old enough, he would make sure that his hime needed no one else but him. Sometimes he would dream of Sasori dying some gruesome death and he becoming his hime’s only solace. Of course, his hime always seemed to know when he had those thoughts, and she would scold him for being so jealous.

He never knew what to say to her when she gave him that disapproving stare. In fact, even at twenty two, he was still getting that disapproving glance from across the room. He tried to ignore it, instead, he fixed his silver-eyed glare on Sasori’s retreating form. It was almost time for Sakura to sleep, and she had asked Sasori if he could go and see if they had any of her favorite wine left, and if not, could he please go get some?

Tomokazu knew what this meant, of course.

A lecture.

He heard Sakura give a small sigh, before she spoke. “It seems we must have a talk, Tomokazu-kun.” She was walking across the room towards her bed, dressed in nothing but a thin chemise. He watched her every movement closely, not wanting to meet her gaze.

She sat herself down primly on the edge of the large bed, before she gave a soft sigh. “Come here.” And she beckoned him forward with her hands as she had done so many years before. He stood immediately, never one to deny his hime anything she asked.

In a matter of seconds he was standing at the bed’s edge, hands hanging uselessly at his side, looking anywhere but at her.

“What is the meaning of your attitude lately, Tomokazu-kun? You are getting far more aggressive than I see fit.”

Tomokazu mumbled something that she didn’t quite catch.

“What is that?”

“I don’t want him touching you.” Tomokazu finally hissed out between clenched teeth.

Sakura blinked. “Sasori?”

“It makes me sick.” Tomokazu looked down at his feet. “I don’t like it.”

“Tomokazu-kun, you seem to forget that Sasori is my servant. I am allowed to do as I please—” And Sakura suddenly found herself pushed back onto the bed, Tomokazu leaning over her. She blinked, surprised at his action. He had never once done anything aggressive against her, or been forceful with her at all. She could feel his warm breath on her face—half-vampires held that human attribute—and his gaze was intense upon her face.

“Tomokazu…” She began in a reproachful tone, but was stopped as a splash of water hit her cheek. Her eyes widened as she looked up into his face.

He was crying.

“Why can’t you look at me the way you look at him?” Tomokazu whispered desperately.

“Tomokazu—” She was stopped as he buried his face in her neck.

“lease…” His words were muffled against her skin. “Just once…just one night…lease…”

Sakura’s gaze lowered, and her fingers trembled softly as she slowly combed them through his hair. “I’m sorry…” She whispered.

Tomokazu stiffened, taking it as her way of reprimanding him for his actions. That she was sorry she could not feel for him that way. He began to pull away, but was stopped as her arms encircled him, pulling him closer.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered against his ear. “…that I have made you cry.” Tomokazu stilled in her embrace in surprise. “I promised you long ago that if you came with me, you would never cry again.”

“Sakura-hime…” His voice was rough, and he merely pressed his face against the cool skin of her neck.

Sakura merely cupped his face with her hands, and then pulled his lips down to meet her own.

--------

So? I thought this was a cute one. It was fun to write Tomokazu because he’s always so expressive, unlike most of Sakura’s men. XD So anyway…after this one the plot will finally get back to normal…meaning there will be some ItaSaku in the next update. I hope you all enjoyed it.

P.S…who caught the little hidden hint towards the title in this chapter? *grins* what COULD it mean, eh?

©Naruto characters belong to Kishimoto

© Tomokazu, artwork, and Forbidden storyline belong to Lady Hanaka

Forbidden...the Muse [link]
Forbidden Beginnings: Tomokazu [You're here!]
Forbidden...the Family [link]