Hola! The second chapter is finally here, dearies. Yes, yes, I know. I took a long time to get it out. But isn't that normal for me? Anyway, I thank every person who reviewed! I can't believe I got so many positive replies for just the first chapter. I love you all. :-)

Anyway, it's my birthday tomorrow (Yay for fifteen years of life!), so I wanted to get this out.

Enjoy. : D

Glorified Atrocities

Chapter Two

The ANBU were, as so often proven, an exceptional group of hunters despite their mortality. But even they couldn't help but be wary of having a vampire lurking within their headquarters. Sasuke was confined in Naruto's room, of course, and they were all confident that the blonde would be able to prevent any chance of escape. Still, that didn't stop many from casting nervous, fleeting glances toward the door whenever they passed Naruto's room. Peculiar, still, was the fact that Naruto had yet to throw the little bloodsucker into a cell and even continued to stay in the room himself. The other ANBU members couldn't help but wonder whether Naruto had finally gone off the deep end or if his courage was starting to border stupidity.

For five days Sasuke had remained chained to the bed, any energy and strength he gained promptly sucked away due to the collar's effects. During the day he stayed up as much as he could before sleep would finally take him. He didn't like the idea of slumbering while so many enemies lingered about but he really didn't have much of a choice. He had always been a light sleeper anyway, so he supposed that nothing would end up catching him off guard.

At night Naruto would sleep with an air of indifference that never failed to infuriate the vampire. It was as if the hunter didn't deem him a threat at all, something that was hardly true even with his restraints. The blonde would come in, get ready for bed without a word, and then unknot the leash from Sasuke's neck. He'd allow the other boy two hours of freedom, though Sasuke was never let out of the room, and would simply busy himself with other tasks.

And though Naruto hid the fact well by acting as if he would normally be awake anyway, Sasuke knew that the other stayed up for his benefit. Sometimes Naruto would look over books and scrolls, of which he didn't really need to read, or sometimes he'd listen to music and stare up at the ceiling. Every so often, though, Sasuke would feel azure eyes watching him.

His options rather limited, Sasuke often spent his time observing the room, taking in every little detail. All information was stored in his mind for future use, the data potentially valuable for any plans to escape.

The two never talked much, the Uchiha too stubborn to break his stony silence and Naruto uncertain as to what to say. Naturally, he was mildly curious about his pretty little captive, but found no reason to actually get to know him. After all, he'd have to kill him soon enough.

When the two hours were up Naruto would attempt to return the leash to the collar, which always resulted in a spar between the two. They'd throw a few punches and perform a couple kicks but would ultimately end up wrestling on the ground until finally Sasuke's lack of his usual potency and vigor would force him to submit.

And so, Sasuke would once again find himself tied to the bed, muttering obscenities all the while of course, until Naruto would slid into bed and grumble an irritable, "Good night, bastard."

The fact he was sleeping right next to a vampire, who's lack of space for mobility forced him to take up the other side of the bed, never seemed to phase the hunter. In fact, Sasuke had at first been insulted by the man's lack of worry but had quickly reasoned it to be a side effect of Naruto's obvious foolishness. So in the end, Sasuke would begrudgingly let the slayer sleep without disturbing him too much and would convince himself that he'd definitely attack the man during following evening.

He had yet to do so, however, and had a hard time truly loathing the arm that slung across his waist during those quiet nights.

On the sixth day, the routine broke.

Naruto failed to return home at the usual time, something that Sasuke had immediately noticed. Though he certainly didn't care about the blonde or his whereabouts, the situation did perk his curiosity.

One hour late turned to two and then to three before Sasuke could finally hear a commotion of some sort occurring outside the slayer's bedroom door. He could hear urgent whispers, words spoken just a tad too low for him to make out.

After several moments, the door was finally opened in a rushed manner, causing it to bang against the wall slightly though the hunters paid that no mind. Ino and Shikamaru shuffled into the room along with Hinata, carrying an unconscious but oh-so familiar body in their arms.

Sasuke shifted away from the bed as much as he could as the others laid Naruto down, their faces schooled into professional calm despite their frantic movements. They were obviously worried, even if they tried not to show it.

The vampire observed Naruto's state in silence, his presence seemingly forgotten due to the ANBU's preoccupied minds. The hunter's natural golden skin tone had been replaced with a sickly pale hue, the flesh appearing to have a bluish tint to it upon closer scrutiny. A thin layer of sweat covered his form, his breathing quick, forced, and rigid, as if merely breathing was causing him a great deal of pain.

Shikamaru tore at Naruto's pant leg, ripping the fabric until the skin on his inner thigh was revealed, making the source of the man's current condition known. A short cut had been slashed along his flesh, starting at his inner thigh and running diagonally toward his knee for an inch or two. A purple acid-like substance, very similar to foam in some ways, covered the cut- Eating at the skin and mixing with the blood that dribbled from the wound. Sasuke recognized the injury immediately and his eyes narrowed with contemplation.

Certain vampires possessed rather special abilities, skills that weren't necessarily pinned on a classic vampire trait. Sasuke was positive that Naruto's situation was the result of being scratched by a vampire with rather special claws, nails that could send a lethal amount of poison into the victim's bloodstream. The Uchiha had met only one person with such a skill, the meeting having been by chance, and had even seen a few mortals cursed with the injury. The outcome? Death. Always.

Unless, of course, you could get the toxin out of the prey's body in time.

Sasuke was only half listening to Ino and Shikamaru's hasty and murmured conversing as they tried to figure out what to do, shy and quiet Hinata's horrified expression revealing that she had little idea as to what she could do. The vampire did manage to catch, however, that the blonde had apparently been cut thirty minutes before, according to his ANBU partner, who had been the one responsible for bringing him home in the first place. Apparently Naruto and Kakashi had been more outnumbered than they had originally predicted and Kakashi had been unable to aid Naruto sooner due to his own need to avoid attacks.

Thirty minutes… The poison is specifically made to be a slow spreading one in order to assure a more sluggish and painful death. So, if he really was scratched only half an hour ago, then it could be possible to…

Sasuke promptly shoved Shikamaru away from Naruto's body, earning a surprised and alarmed gasp from Ino and Hinata. Ino reached for her gun but, much to her bewilderment, Shikamaru held out his hand to stop her.

Sasuke crouched near the slayer's form, parting his legs and settling between them without so much as a word of explanation. The vampire leaned carefully forward, grasping Naruto's thighs for balance as he lowered his mouth to the cut, running his slick tongue along the injury as the purple substance was wiped away. Pulling back just slightly, smoldering gaze locked on the scratch, as if glaring, before Sasuke shifted closer once more. Sharp, elongated fangs sunk deep into Naruto's flesh, mouth covering the wound as he sucked away at the tainted blood.

Ino, weary despite Shikamaru's apparent unconcern, moved to pull the captive away from the ANBU, until a soft moan reached her ears.

The two hunters looked in Naruto's direction, watching as his fists clenched at the blankets and his eyes moved rapidly behind his eyelids. His breath hitched and quickened suddenly before, as Sasuke's gentle administrations continued, his whole form seemed to calm and relax.

Noticing the change in Naruto's condition, Sasuke abruptly withdrew his fangs from Naruto's skin, running his tongue along the cut once more before pulling back and wiping the blood on his lips with the back of his hand.

"He extracted the poison from his bloodstream," Shikamaru explained in a lazy drawl, hands folded behind his head. "With both of us here, I knew the vamp wouldn't bother trying to kill Naruto, since it'd result in his instant death. I figured he must have figured out a way to help."

"B-But won't the poison effect him now?" Hinata's quiet voice was barely audible even with the room's lack of noise, though the others had indeed heard her.

All pairs of eyes shifted to Sasuke, not having an answer themselves.

The Uchiha regarded them with arrogant indifference, scoffing softly at their inquiry. "I'm not as pathetic as you guys. The toxins won't cause any significant harm to me."

Ino still appeared s bit weary, while Hinata looked utterly relieved to see that no one, not even the supposed enemy, would die that day. Shikamaru yawned loudly, making his way toward the door. "Well, now that everything's taken care of..."

The two girl followed the boy out of the bedroom, each casting a small glance toward the two occupants of the room before the door shut behind them, Ino's soft murmur of "Nara, are you sure we can trust him in there with Uzumaki?…" being the last thing Sasuke put the effort into hearing.

Accepting the fact he wasn't going to get any freedom that night, as well as the fact that dawn would quickly be approaching, Sasuke allowed a soft sigh to escape his lips. "Dobe." He uttered, before settling into bed beside the blonde, eyes fluttered close as he absently recalled just how Naruto's blood had tasted.

Delectable.

Though Sasuke had been correct in saying that the poison wouldn't kill him, to think that he'd remained completely unaffected had been a tad foolish. Indeed, the whole night had been spent in a state of mild dementia, his thoughts fuzzy and hardly coherent. He suspected that Naruto must have awoken sometime during the night because he could have sworn he had felt a damp cloth pressed against his head consistently, the blonde's voice whispering words of gruff comfort.

By morning his delirium hadn't completely cleared, apparently, for the vampire hadn't even sensed the furious presence of the man who ran into the room. Eyes snapped open as Sasuke quickly attempted to sit up and clear his blurry vision, though his movements were certainly more slothful than usual.

Kiba Inuzuka glared at the vampire, gun aimed at the creature's heart. How could Tsunade be so stupid as to allow a bloodsucker, of all things, stay?! He had been gone for the last two weeks due to a particularly difficult mission, only to come back and discover that one of the very vermin they hunted had taken up residence there. Technically Sasuke was a captive, which he could accept, but to be allowed to stay with the Uzumaki kid? Complete stupidity on the Hokage's part, no doubt.

Sasuke reacted as best he could but found himself unable to move without feeling obscenely dizzy. He cursed crudely in his mind as he attempted to shift to the side, waiting for the shot to come as he eyes closed in an attempt to help focus on his reflexes.

The gun never fired, however.

"Kiba, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Ebony eyes reopened immediately, gaze trailing to the figure that stood tall in front of him, Kiba's wrist caught in the ANBU's tight hold while the gun lay discarded on the ground. Looks like he's feeling better. Sasuke couldn't help but muse, mild scorn evident.

"What do you think I'm doing?! That's a fucking vampire, Uzumaki. You know that unless the captive is being kept for research or information, there's no point in letting it live. We've gotta kill it, buddy." Kiba stated in a growl, tone suggesting that he thought Naruto to be lacking in the sanity department.

"Sasuke. His name is Sasuke, not 'it.' As for what you said… Killing a fellow ANBU member is punishable by death, ya know." Naruto remarked coolly, releasing Kiba's wrist as he ran a hand calmly through his hair. Inwardly smirking at both Kiba's obvious surprise and the Uchiha's own bewilderment, he continued in a casual manner, setting the black back pack he had been carrying near his feet as he pulled a folded paper from his pocket. "See, granny was lecturing me on all that earlier today, about how killing him was necessary. However, when I mentioned the fact he happened to save my life.. Well, I got her to reconsider. We clearly can't let him go, but killing him won't help, either. Our only other option? Make him one of us."

With the way Kiba gawked at him, one would think that Naruto had grown at least five other heads. "W-What? But he's a fucking-"

"Vampire? Yeah, I noticed." Naruto finished flatly, rolling cerulean eyes in exasperation. "Naturally, he won't have the exact rights we have and there's a lot of limitations on what he's allowed to do, but the fact he is what he is will make him a valuable asset to the team."

Holding out the document so that Kiba could see that the contract of Sasuke's alliance was indeed real and signed by Tsunade herself, Naruto presented a laid-back grin.

"Fine, fine, whatever… But if he tries to bite me or Akamaru, he's going down." Kiba stated at last, snatching his gun from the floor before heading out of the room, offering a small wave as he left.

Shaking his head slightly, Naruto turned around to face his captive, expression momentarily thoughtful as he looked at the vampire. Breaking his inquisitive demeanor, Naruto rummaged through the black bag for a moment before tossing a chilled bag of blood on Sasuke's lap. "You haven't been given any blood since you got here, right? Besides what you took from me, anyway. That's probably why the poison is getting to you so much. We swiped some blood from the hospital, so just drink that." He instructed before pausing with noticeable uncertainty.

"Hey…" Naruto started, appearing just mildly flustered as his gaze shifted toward the ceiling. "Thanks for, you know, helping me last night." Had Sasuke not been blessed with rather keen hearing, the mumbled words would have gone unheard.

Composure returning to that of its usual cockiness, Naruto beamed as he set the bag beside the other boy. The ANBU hunter moved closer to the bed, taking advantage of Sasuke's dazed state in order to lift his chin gently so that Sasuke's shadowy eyes were forced to meet his own regardless of the pale boy's woozy state of mind" Welcome to the team, pet." Smirking at the anger that immediately flickered across Sasuke's face at the nickname, Naruto unhooked the leash and collar quickly before practically skipping out of the room, all before the Uchiha could get in a word of resentment.

Watching Naruto leave with a soft scowl, Sasuke looked at his meal and then at the bag, moving the blood aside as he looked through the sack's possessions.

There, under a few articles of dark clothing, was a porcelain mask.

Kyki's Corner

Thanks again for the reviews, everyone, and I hope you liked that chapter. As always, hugs to those who bother to review and even to those who merely read. Also, please forgive any typos… Not only am I prone to have them, but I'm also not feeling well.