I know vampire fics exist for our beloved Naruto characters (especially Itachi), but for barely a year now, I dreamed of doing one for him and Hanaru (the OC belonging to my best friend who lets me use her), and it involved certain facts on vampire lore, the anime Hellsing/Hellsing Ultimate, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and a few fics from this website that inspired me.

I was originally gonna have this for last Halloween, but other fics got completed with two currents about halfway done. And chapters are named after and based off YouTube composers Brunuhville (fic named after one of his), Adrian von Ziegler, and Derek and Brandon Fiechter. After all this time, they never get old to serve as basis. :) This first was originally called "Lady in Red" by the latter twin brothers.

Disclaimer: nothing except the main OC is mine.

Chapter One

The Man in Red

She saw him in dreams, without ever knowing where he came from - or WHO he was.

It happened for several weeks each night that passed since last October, when her brother disappeared on the night of his birthday, out of nowhere and worrying her to death. Their parents were gone years ago, leaving the two of them managing the art gallery and the music business they started with all their friends from childhood. Two months today came and went to be exact, with no leads. No blood, no DNA matching - absolutely nothing.

She would go to sleep every night on prescribed medication from her doctor, wake up on time and then go about like nothing was wrong. But her friends knew as well as she did that nothing would ever be right again.

Each night she would slip beneath the teal-and-mauve oasis-patterned bedspread an hour after taking her pill and herbal tea, then fall into a deep sleep...and then he would appear in her psyche, lasting in a second which was really the entire night. When she would open her eyes, she would blink away the sun while the face was crystal clear as it was in that single moment. The face was handsome, aristocratic, with a mysterious beauty out of this world. That visage would turn halfway from her so she didn't see everything, but she saw enough: he appeared to be very sad, as if he'd lost someone near and dear to him, or had seen too much to know there was very little true happiness in the world. His gaze was a flash of red spinning with dark of night. Long hair black as midnight was in a ponytail below the nape of his neck, the locks waving in the wind, and his clothes appeared to be red.

He never said a word to her, as though his appearance was enough.

This morning she awoke to the calm flute and ringing gong of her Smartphone alarm. With a murmur, Hanaru pushed the snooze and then stretched before throwing off the covers. Without wasting time, she pulled off her black night dress which resembled a peasant wench from medieval times, covered with flowers of brown, green, ivory, yellow and pink. She made way into the excuse of a bath and shower stall, turning the hot water on and enjoying waking up to hot steam and nature from the pipes, but there was no such thing as remaining in heaven forever.

Hanaru Uzumaki lived in this apartment along with her friend and roommate, Temari Sabaku, for the better part of two years. So much happened to them and their friends it wasn't even funny, that their music recording business and art gallery was based off. Her parents gone, her brother disappeared. Temari's case was similar, though one brother dead and the other gone since his birthday in the middle of January this year. For that, her scary temper increased over the littlest of things. It was nothing Hanaru couldn't handle.

Joined in their group was Shikamaru Nara, Temari's boyfriend, and Choji Akimichi. All had their own problems that brought them together, hers and Temari's already spoken. Shikamaru was their assistant manager and fellow performer for the number, lazy but still got the job done and was very passionate. He just wanted something that didn't involve dealing with ludicrous paperwork and stressed out people in his family's tactician agency. Though it still didn't stop him from saying some things were a "drag". Choji had been his best friend since they were boys, although his weight and love of food brought him childhood bullying, yet it didn't stop him. His father ran the local grill, and Shikamaru lost his in the war against Ame, a smaller country which was constant with rain and suffered tremendously.

Their main manager was Asuma Sarutobi, a war veteran who retired early due to losing his arm and had a mechanical replacement, always smoking much to the disapproval of his wife. But he cared about all of them.

Their group went by the name Higeki-tekina ai - "tragic love". Irony, huh?

Although nothing had been the same since the disappearances of Naruto and Gaara, as well as the death of Kankuro when he tried to find his and Temari's younger brother.

Suddenly, there was a harsh knock on the door. "Is your pretty ass ready yet?" She burst out laughing and turned off the showerhead, grabbing her towel to wrap around. Opening the door, she saw her lifelong friend outside, arms folded across her chest. "Going to make us late when we might as well have something that will break through the department? Is that piece ready soon?" Just like Temari to never let her waste another minute, but she also knew that Hanaru had taken all the time she needed, and the other blonde couldn't agree more.

In her hands was the portrait she sketched as a rough draft, because before she would translate to colors vivid as her dream, it had to be as perfect as she saw it. Temari's cheeks were slightly pink. "At this rate, you could make the mark by Christmas. It'll be a hell of a present," she said with a little sneer, but nowhere near malicious. Though beneath that was a deep anger at both brothers gone like her friend had her only snatched. Anger that she couldn't protect them both, and she was also their big sister!

Sometimes Hanaru shared that rage, because nobody saw it coming. Not with Gaara, then not with Naruto. Neither of them had a connection that the police could piece together. And the new guy who'd been on that job a couple weeks had been telling her that she should very much give up when it had only been two months, if they don't find her brother as they never found Temari's.

"He'll end up being bought by a frenzied girl ridden with hormones, or she would ask her daddy to get it for her. Or better yet, a woman our age with wishful thinking." Her teal eyes sparkled with mischievous emphasis. "Or maybe...my own girl is having some of her own?" Guilty as charged, but how can I be happy when I know my baby brother is missing?

Hanaru rolled her eyes and walked past her roommate, who was already dressed unlike herself. The dress fitted on Temari's goddess form was the black version of the famed Marilyn Monroe, tied around the back of the neck, beneath a tight black leather jacket with studs. Her hair was nothing that the Uzumaki ever saw, and it was held up in four consecutive pigtails which showed off round moonstones in her ears. Just like her to be sexy and blunt even when they were kids. Just the two of them when she had trouble making friends, although that was due to being the daughter of the Prime Minister of Suna.

Both she and Temari loved art, though the latter was the one to decorate their flat with relics of the past, particularly the Heian era. Although Hanaru brought art to life by her hand, rather than just wallowing in it. This man from her psyche and on the current piece of paper proved it.

"The boys would be interested, you know," Temari was saying as she sat down on the edge of the bed, watching her from the fully nude state to now. They had no secrets about their bodies. Hanaru was by then in a mauve blouse and tight gray jeans, fastening on her watch. The three interconnected leather straps were ravished with the ornate watch in the middle, and in the middle of each outer strap was a clear heart crystal in the same setting. Keeping time and looking pretty, just like Grandpa Jiraiya said when he gave this to me.

Black satin snugged her right wrist at the selected length of her choosing, so now the black rose sided with a clear crystal rested face-up. She'd been called a pretty flower with an appetite for the dark and mysterious, which was true in itself.

And the man in my dreams and in the picture I made - it all began when Naruto vanished.

Thinking about her brother began when she picked up the necklace he gave her on her last birthday, less than a month prior. The silver wings closed in on the smooth, round onyx, and dripping from beneath was a natural white quartz. She squeezed her eyes shut, closing her fingers around it, bowing her head forward and letting her long hair cover her face on either side.

"Naruto," she croaked, the pointed ends of the wings digging into her palms, touching important veins.

~o~

They were on the apartment balcony when the sun was setting, the breeze sending autumn leaves in the air and others into the streets in late September.

"Happy birthday, sister!"

She always got him presents when they were kids, and as adults it hadn't changed. "What did you get me this time?" She watched as he removed one of his hands from behind himself. Her throat was too dry to even gasp, but she swallowed at the beautiful necklace which looked heavy but was actually lightweight above her breastbone.

Naruto grinned at her. "Raven wings, Hanaru, and they guard the black stone which is supposed to protect you from all that bad energy and emotions, end a bad relationship, boost your self-esteem, and enhance your sense." And beneath it was the white crystal to absorb evil forces and cleanse the spirit. He got her something that really meant something.

"Little brother, thank you. This is the best present I ever had from you." She bent her head and kissed his forehead. Something she did since they were growing up, because unusual for siblings, they'd been very close. Their parents died when they were kids, but before that, they were both often away because of work, but as far as Hanaru could remember, Mom and Dad never told her and Naruto WHAT they did for a living. They were left in the care of Jiraiya, Minato's father.

And speaking of which: "Well, the princess gets another treasure, does she?" He slapped his hand on her back, making her stand straighter. "Better be getting back to the others, shall we?"

~o~

Hanaru was snapped out of her memory when Temari hit her on the back. "Move it, girl! We're going to be late!" she said, agitated. "And bring that with you." She could be so bossy sometimes; that was why some people asked her why she was friends with her, but that was her business.

The notepad was closed and tucked under her arm as she grabbed her heavy black sweater. There were a few panels of charcoal gray down the front, the cowl wrapped around her neck like a separate scarf, and it zipped up the front. Hella warm and comfortable - but too bad Temari won't bother with tights in this weather.

The women left their apartment, which was decorated with sparse Christmas decorations and a gray atmosphere. In the windows were garland set with traditional red and white flowers as well as pine cones and berries. A bowl of colored ornaments rested on the rattan and seagrass coffee table. The tree was four feet tall, covered with small handmade burlap and plaid presents, other ornaments being hand-painted scenes from ancient times - all of them made with their brothers in childhood. The angel atop had been in Grandpa Jiraiya's family for the longest time, which made it just as special.

The paper lights that hung overhead were painted with red blossoms. Those the women made with their brothers, a year ago on the last family holiday. They were painful, but why would she and Temari not keep their brothers' presences in their home?

Around them, people were still getting ready for Christmas. It was festive, a happy time of year, and she really wished that she could enjoy it. How could she be happy when her brother wasn't here?

Temari, on the other hand, snorted at the sight. "Holly jolly, my ass."

Frowning a little, Hanaru looked at her from the corner of her eye. "I hear you," she said, "but I don't...think that we should hate it just because..."

"Just because our brothers are gone?" the other blonde stated tartly. "No, but this holiday has always been what we loved together. Why should we have the right when Gaara, Naruto and Kankuro can't be here?" Her tone became angry again before she cleared her throat as they rounded the corner for the bus stop that was theirs. Her attitude was suddenly making Hanaru a little frustrated. All this time she let her friend wallow in anger at letting one brother die - and it wasn't her fault either - and another never found in almost a year.

But we still have each other to lean on, and our boys.

Although, whereas Temari had Shikamaru, Hanaru wished she had a guy in the same way. Not someone who saw her as a stay-at-home housewife, but someone who treated her as an equal. Someone who knew how to put up with her. But NOT to replace Naruto.

Hanaru dropped the subject of Christmas when she chose to busy herself with looking at the envelope she picked up from the mailbox before they left the apartment. The electricity and gas bill, which was her responsibility whilst Temari's was the water line; they split share of the rent. She opened it up and was relieved that the numbers were low, for the time being. Prices rose, prices lowered every day. But she hated it personally when they went up. Temari was more vocal about it than she.

They finally arrived at their stop, and then a block down before turning two blocks right to their studio, the banner bearing 悲劇的な愛.

In the window was the only major poster of their group, with herself behind her brother, Temari behind Gaara, and Shikamaru and Choji. It may look like your average Gothic, punk rock youth group, but it was so much more than that. That dress Hanaru had been in at the time of its capture was reminiscent of a spring day in the gardens: pale gold with orange blossoms, shimmering white and pink with little hints of green, but Temari was the opposite with the smooth black leather vest and skintight pants, the vest opened to show her navel and low to show that cleavage. The boys in leather trenchcoats and their signature colors - Gaara in maroon because it was warm but also deep and moody, like he was at times; Naruto's being orange because he loved being bright and standing out.

Even when they were kids, her brother was hyperactive and loud because he hated being invisible. Who didn't like that?

"Girls finally decided to show up, did you?" It was expected to see Asuma outside the door at this time, since inside the studio, smoking was prohibited. His mechanical lower left arm, covered by a woolen glove to the elbow, grasped that cigar between fore and middle finger, his mustached lips blowing out the smoke into the cold, winter air. His eyes fell to the elbow-length notebook in Hanaru's arm. "Let me guess, the latest, Hanaru?" he asked with a slight curl of the lip in amusement. She nodded. Asuma then dropped the cigarette and smashed it with the toe of his boot, his cue to lead them inside.

Shikamaru was at the conference table, which was seated for twelve people round, when the executives would come, but today it was just them. He was busy looking through the papers, and Choji fasting on one of the donuts he'd brought in. Kind, sweet Choji to do that, but also to go ahead before they started. Sometimes Temari would be the one to tell him that it wasn't healthy for him, and that was one of their little disagreements - but it wasn't anything extreme as a bully directly calling him "fat".

Without a word, Hanaru put down the notepad, opened to the face that haunted her dreams and daylight hours for weeks now. Shikamaru lazily looked up from filling out a document, and his eyes widened. Choji just about choked on the sweet filling in his mouth. Asuma leaned over her shoulder, humming with interest.

"I have to say, it's more...original than the red rose surrounded by black ones," he noted. When the studio was founded, her first canvas for display was something along the lines of suitable but average at best. "What inspired you?"

She shrugged. "You are all going to laugh."

Shikamaru scoffed. "If it's a real drag, how could it be worse than filling papers to allow the next selling deal of When the Night Falls? I've been waiting for something interesting and exciting than that." He tilted his head to the side so to get a better, straighter look, brow furrowing in deep thought as he tried to piece if he may have seen that face before...

I don't even know if I have seen him before. I never knew someone like him, but it feels like...

"Think about all the attention this bad boy could get from girls in front of their boys, or by themselves and start hunting for honeys that look like him," Temari said with both hands on hips, giving them a little shake. Her idea made her boyfriend look up at her with an upturned, knowing smile at the thoughts she could be having.

"Hanaru," Asuma said, taking the book from the table and looking it up and down, "you never did say where you saw the idea."

"You're right," she agreed. "I don't know. Just that ever since...Naruto has been gone, he appears in my sleep."

Shikamaru perked up. "Dream guy?" he said. "Why am I not surprised? I'd say this is your way of saying that it's time you got someone for you - or that fate is telling you to do that." She looked at him sharply from the corner of her eye. Finding someone while my brother is gone? It's so selfish, but you're right.

Choji took another look at the sketch from over Asuma's shoulder. "What are you gonna call it?" Hanaru shrugged. She hadn't thought too much about it, not even something that was sure to catch public eye as well as their native Onibaba - "Demon Woman" - or the German Nosferatu which took on the Dracula myth.

"All I can think of is 'aka no otoko'."

The man in red.

The fics that inspired me were "Setting Sun" by Rise of the Blossom, "Eternal Mate" by deathskeith, and "You Mate Only Once" by LifeAndDeathShinobi. Reasons you'll see later on with the powers of all the vampire characters.

Trobar De Morte, another favorite group of mine, also had to do with the foundation, particularly their song "When the Night Falls". Now it becomes a song for Hanaru and Temari's group. Sadly, I can't even find the lyrics to the song, though there are so many other versions of the same name by different artists.

"Onibaba" and "Nosferatu" are two of my favorite horror classics of all time.

Reviews appreciated, and happy Valentines Day. :D