[STOP!

As of now, all previous chapters have been rewritten. I HIGHLY suggest you take a look at those before reading this chapter, there have been some pretty important changes.

Thank you!]

::

Tempest

- Chapter Four -

In Which There is a Scuffle

::

A week into life at Cross Academy and Sakura had already developed a routine.

She woke up in the morning - every morning - to the sound of Yuuki shuffling into the room, quickly growing used to her roommate returning at dawn but still wondering just what she was doing instead of sleeping. She'd get a couple more hours of sleep in until it was officially time to get up, shower, dress (still sending glares at the skirt), and head out to meet up with Naruto, Sai, and Zero for breakfast. Her new friends began joining the group for the morning meal after a day or so and, much to Yuuki's amusement and Zero's slight annoyance, Naruto and Sai's presence began to draw other students to the table as well.

The other teenagers still seemed wary of the Prefects, particularly the scowling boy more so than the smiling girl, but neither had made any attempt to drive them off so the table began to fill with friendly faces and happy chattering.

After a pleasant breakfast, it was off to class. Her fellow K.A. representatives had already seemed to settle into Cross Academy life as well and began to sit elsewhere in the classroom after a couple days. Sai still seemed to enjoy Zero's company, but he'd found his own group of artsy students to befriend, tentatively showing off a couple of his sketchbooks and beginning to relax out of his usual stiff air of formality. Naruto was nearly continuously mobbed by other students, joking around with his new friends and putting smiles on the faces surrounding him with his usual amusing charm.

They were each carving their own niche and Sakura was pleased, glad that things were going so well after her initial worries.

The whole Aidou incident seemed to have blown over - though a few girls still seemed to be holding grudges, keeping their distance from her and sending her occasional sour looks - and more students had started befriending her. Shindo Nadeshiko, Shashin Tobari, and Fujimoto Kasai were still her most constant companions, taking seats near her during class and spending their free time getting to know her. As classes began to really start, Sakura dived headfirst into her studies and balanced her time dedicated to her education between hanging out with her new friends – afternoons spent in either the Sun Dorm's commons room or one of their dorm rooms, chatting and studying – at Cross Academy, checking in with her mother and friends back in Konoha, and training with Naruto and Sai.

They'd taken the first few days off to become immersed in Cross Academy, eventually looking together for a suitable place to train, free of prying eyes and unwanted visitors. Wednesday evening, the three had journeyed out into the forest behind the Sun Dorm in search of a place to claim as their training grounds. Near the smaller of Cross Academy's two lakes was a small clearing, a good distance away from the buildings of students and teachers, and they quickly decided that it would do just fine. Yuuki rarely actually returned to the Sun Dorms at the end of the day, stating that she had Prefect duties in the evenings, but Sakura often waited until at least 11 PM before she snuck out, dressed in some comfortable workout clothes and carrying her pack of weapons. There was, after all, a strict rule that Day Class students were not allowed out at night.

The trees surrounding Cross Academy were nowhere near as tall as the ones she was used to in Konoha, but they were perfectly sturdy enough for her crouch and jump in, making sure her reflexes weren't getting rusty as she jumped from branch to branch. They stuck to light sparring and target practice, enjoying midnight runs through the forest that didn't feel quite as freeing as back home.

Sakura reveled in the nights she got to spend with Naruto and Sai – as happy as she was that they were making friends in the school, she missed her boys.

By Friday, she was relaxing into life at the school.

And here she was now, spending the last minutes of the final free period by cleaning up her Math notes as she listened attentively to Tobari, Nadeshiko, and Kasai finish perfecting their plans for the trip into town the following day.

"We should stop by that new café – the space themed one – before picking up sweets at Amaihanasu!" Tobari said, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear before her gaze flickered to Sakura. "You mentioned wanting to stop by the bookstore, right, Sakura-san?"

The pinkette nodded, spinning a pen in her fingers before she leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand free.

"If you girls don't mind! I want to find a new bookmark for my collection."

Nadeshiko, still sitting next to her, smiled and returned the nod, twirling one of her braided pigtails around her finger.

"Kasai-chan wants to stop by the flower boutique for some new plants for her room, but that place irritates my allergies. How about we split up and I'll show Sakura-san the bookstore?"

"We can meet up there afterwards." Tobari answered, looking thoughtful as she glanced out the window of the large classroom. Her black curls bouncing, Kasai followed the blonde's gaze and nudged her shoulder playfully with a giggle, both girls obviously growing excited at the sight of the sun beginning to set.

Nadeshiko was the next to grin, quickly stuffing her belongings into her messenger bag before turning back to her friends.

"Afterwards, if it's not too late, how about we do a little window shopping on Main Street?" Her gaze flickered to Sakura and her smile widened. "We can show you our favorite shops, Sakura-san!"

Before she could reply, the final bell rang and there was a collective squeal from the girls in the room.

And so continued Sakura's routine.

After The Incident, she'd decided it would be best to not join the Day Class girls at the gates to the Moon Dorm anymore. Her three friends had been a bit surprised at her reluctance at first, but soon understood and left her to her own devices, promising to let her know if anything interesting happened when they met up again after seeing the Night Class. Sakura found the free time to be the perfect opportunity to call her mother or Ino, recalling the day's events as she walked back to the Sun Dorm.

She had glazed over a few details of her first day to her mother but Ino had demanded more information when she mentioned an embarrassing run-in with an upperclassman. The blonde had, of course, laughed at her expense before quickly turning the conversation onto the subject of Aidou Hanabusa himself – "He's at least cute though, right, Forehead?", "An entire class of attractive students? How much for you to sneak a few photos of this mysterious 'Night Class'? Or at least a pic of this Aidou guy!" – until Sakura threatened to hang up on her.

She did not want to think about that frustrating boy.

After offering Nadeshiko, Tobari, and Kasai waves in farewell as they rushed to leave the classroom, the girls replying with quick goodbyes as well, Sakura turned back to her notebook and finished off a few notes before taking her time with gathering her belongings. She glanced up, sending Naruto a smile and a wave as he was pulled out of the room by his own group of new friends, the boys chatting animatedly over one another. Yuuki had rushed out with a squeak once she had finally woken up, realizing that the Day Class girls were already on their way to the Moon Gate. Which left her, Sai, and the slumbering Zero the only remaining students in the classroom.

Sai leisurely made his way down the steps, pausing next to Sakura as he greeted her with a smile and a nod before a student she recognized as one of his new artist-friends poked their head back into the classroom.

"We'll meet you in the Sun Dorm commons room in an hour, Sai-san?"

Pleased, Sakura glanced to the taller boy, who replied to the other student with a nod, waving when they slipped back out of the room. Nudging his shoulder and picking up her bag, she walked down the steps with Sai in a comfortable silence before she paused at the bottom of the rows of seats, glancing up to make sure Zero was still asleep.

"Could you bring your sharpening stone tonight?" With a flick of her wrist, she slid the kunai hidden in the sleeve of her uniform into her hand, holding it up to him as she frowned. "I need to get mine replaced – my blades are barely sharp."

As an example, she pressed a fingertip to the tip of the knife and had to apply quite a bit of pressure before the metal finally pierced the skin.

Sai frowned, taking the kunai from her to inspect for a moment as she sent a bit of chakra to her thumb before brushing it over her finger, quickly healing the cut.

She wasn't particularly fond of open wounds, after all.

"Of course, Hag. I think Dickless' weapons are in need of a good sharpening as well."

She smiled in thanks – unable to hold back her giggle at the familiar nicknames; she never thought she would have grown to miss them - and he returned the knife to her, walking with her out of the classroom and into the hallway, sure that Zero would awaken on his own eventually.

Neither had noticed how he'd stiffened and shifted the brief moment the smell of blood had been in the air, his eyelids fluttering under his silver bangs.

::

Shiki Senri had mixed feelings about Amaihanasu, the small confectionary shop in Okunote.

As much as he enjoyed going to buy pocky and other sweets for himself (if he sent someone else, they never bought enough or got the right flavor and, more than once, he'd received a crushed box of broken treats), it wasn't always certain that everything he wanted would be in stock. Of course, he could always order a supply of sweets elsewhere, but that would take too long for his tastes.

With one of Rima's parasols in hand and the hood of his – model-worthy, expensive - jacket pulled up (he'd rather not have to deal with any fangirls that were out enjoying their Saturday, thank you) he set out for the town. It was a pleasantly cloudy day and, fortunately, it looked like it might rain, the air already smelling clean and crisp with the approaching shower. But it was still just bright enough out to give him a headache, so he slipped on a pair of fashionable sunglasses as he traveled past the Cross Academy gates.

The walk was short but he found himself wishing Rima or Takuma had been able to accompany him, deciding that he'd buy them some treats as well after he stocked up on pocky. Bored and moderately tired, Senri followed the path he'd come to know very well, turning down familiar streets and passing familiar shops until he made it to the inner shopping district of Okunote's downtown.

Quickly traveling past the quaint park in the center of the square, he was soon stepping into his favorite sweets shop, ignoring the perky girl who welcomed him from behind the counter at the entrance to the store, and bee-lined for the pocky. He could hear giggly voices and, with an inward sigh, assumed that there must be a group of girls – mostly likely from the Day Class - somewhere in the store as well.

Best to avoid them.

Trying to remain unnoticed by the girls, wherever they were, he made sure his hood was pulled up enough to keep them from recognizing him and continued to the back-left corner of the shop, stopping short as he noticed someone standing in front of the familiar pocky display.

Tilting his head down ever so slightly and lowering his sunglasses the barest amount to look over the rim, pink filled his vision and he paused, recognition quickly flooding in.

It was that Konoha girl – the one that had flipped Hanabusa on his back on the first day of classes.

His lips threatened to quirk at the memory and he contemplated the pink-haired human from his place behind a display of cotton candy.

Hanabusa had been sulking all week. The girl was never in the crowd of Day Class girls in the evening and, with each passing day, his pout had deepened the point that even the squealing girls had begun to notice. Senri found it fairly amusing, watching the blond frantically look around for her every time they stepped through the gates and have an inner tantrum when he didn't see the girl. Ruka constantly teased him about it and Hanabusa was at his wits end – he had actually tried to sneak out early one morning when the Day Class was heading to class.

Of course, Kaname had intercepted and punished him.

The (ridiculous) attempt hadn't been mentioned to the Chairman or his children – had the blond not considered the consequences of the Prefects catching him trying to meet a human during the day? – and even Hanabusa's cousin had called him an idiot.

But, it was still very amusing.

Senri watched the girl as she hovered over the pocky, a lock of pink hair curled around her finger, and waited for her to make her decision and leave. Part of him was growing impatient and wanted to just slip past her to grab his snacks, but, just as Kaname had mentioned on that past Monday, there was some sort of strange, powerful air surrounding the exchange student. It was stronger now than the evening he'd first seen her and he was met with that odd mix of an urge and something unknown and worrying that kept him at bay, vaguely wary of the girl. The clouded smell of her blood was sweet and perhaps he could understand Hanabusa's interest in the girl, but Senri was only hungry for one sort of treat right now.

He waited patiently, quickly moving forward when the pinkette finally made her selection and rejoined the three other girls. The slight, pleased quirk of his lips quickly changed to a small frown as he was instantly aware of the blatant lack of strawberry pocky on the shelf. He stood there in front of the display for a few minutes, trying to make sense of the scene.

After a moment, two very key words caught his attention and he looked in the direction of the checkout counter.

"When will your next shipment of strawberry pocky be coming in, if I may ask?" A pretty voice chimed.

He grabbed a couple boxes of chocolate pocky and moved silently through the aisles to the front of the store once more, gaze catching sight of several boxes of his favorite flavor of pocky being slipped into a paper bag designed with the shop's logo, which the pink-haired girl then took in hand.

"Not for another week, sorry!"

What.

Senri couldn't go an entire week without his favorite treat.

The group of girls exited the shop and he quickly took their place, rushing to the counter and glancing over his shoulder to keep track of which way the girls went once they left the store.

He ignored the employee's greeting and quickly made his purchase, losing a couple precious minutes and not bothering with his change as he moved to leave. Bag in hand, he hurried out of the shop and took a sharp right turn, popping open the parasol as he followed after the girl. She was a ways ahead of him and turning a corner down a street, out of the square, but he'd soon catch up with her.

He needed that pocky now.

::

"The flower shop isn't on Main Street with the bookstore." Tobari said as she flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. "But it's not too far from there, just in a different direction, so we'll meet you and Nadeshiko-chan there like we planned. Sound good, Sakura-san?"

After enjoying a pleasant, late lunch at Gingakei – with sandwiches shaped like stars and cupcakes with icing that looked like pastel galaxies – the girls had chatted in the park for a while before visiting a few more shops around the square, now finally deciding to head onwards. They'd be splitting into pairs, the pinkette following Nadeshiko to the aforementioned bookstore while Tobari and Kasai ventured to their own destination.

Sakura adjusted her hold on her single bag, having limited herself to only window shopping and a few treats from the candy shop, and nodded. Glancing up to the sky, she frowned at the grey clouds in the distance and pulled her blue satin bomber jacket tighter around her – there was a growing chill in the air now with the approaching storm.

"We might have to cut our day short after that – it looks like it's going to rain."

The other girls nodded and parted ways, Kasai and Tobari continuing down the street while Nadeshiko led Sakura down a different path. It was the most direct route to the bookstore from the shopping square, the brown-haired girl had told her, but it meant traveling through a few empty streets to bypass the more busy areas of Okunote's downtown and the longer route.

About five minutes into the trip through the silent buildings and quiet backstreets, Sakura's well-trained senses set off a flurry of alarms.

She quickly became aware that they were being followed.

Sakura had become very adept in identifying what her instincts were telling her and, right now, they were screaming that she and Nadeshiko were not alone. Eyes narrowed as she glanced suspiciously over her surroundings – this path was deserted and shadowed, little more than an alleyway, and they were surrounded by tall buildings – she was comforted by the pair of kunai holstered out of sight, strapped to her forearms under the sleeves of her jacket.

Searching for a safe path out or some sign of a more populated street, Sakura noticed leaves of a tree poking up over the edge of a building farther ahead and she focused her senses for a moment in hopes of hearing pedestrian voices in the distance. With no luck, she grit her teeth and felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck. Their stalker was moving in.

She had no idea if they had hostile intentions, but there was no way she was going to let her guard down and risk Nadeshiko's safety. Looping her arm gently through the crook of the girl's elbow, she pulled her friend closer slightly. She didn't want to scare the brunette and send her into a panic, but she had to warn her if they were about to meet some sort of confrontation with a potentially unfriendly stranger. Sakura ducked her head a bit to speak quietly in her ear, her grip tightening around the handles of her purchase from Amaihanasu reflexively.

"Please try to stay calm, Nadeshiko-san. I don't want to alarm you, but I think we're being followed."

The other girl glanced at her in shock, blue eyes wide with sudden worry. When Nadeshiko's step faltered, Sakura gave her arm a comforting squeeze and guided her forward, voice still low and calm.

"How well do you know this path? What's up ahead?"

Nadeshiko gave a scared nod, pressing closer to Sakura and, much to the pinkette's admiration, resisted the urge to look behind her.

"Th-there's a small courtyard at the end of the l-lane. Just an open space with a couple benches and trees and three more branching p-paths. The bookstore is down the rightmost street."

Sakura nodded in approval, fanning out her chakra to see if just maybe she could feel something. When her scan turned up just a pair of vague flutters somewhere behind her, she wasn't relieved. A weak returning signal meant either normal humans or something that was unsettling far-removed from the living.

Grimacing, Sakura sent a glance to Nadeshiko, who was staring at her as they walked.

"I don't know if whoever is following us means us harm, but, if I tell you to run, Nadeshiko-san, I want you to run as fast as you can to the bookstore."

The other girl's eyes widened slightly and Sakrua gave her arm another gentle squeeze before she continued.

"Stay inside the store and wait for me. If Kasai-san and Tobari-san make it there before me, I want all three of you to stay together and go straight back to the Academy. Okay?"

Sakura was surprised to note that Nadeshiko's worried frown and adamant reply filled her with a feeling of appreciation and fondness.

"What about you, Sakura-san? We can't just leave you behind!"

She sent her a soft smile and a quick wink, guiding the brunette around an out-of-place cobblestone that was jutting up in the path.

"I've been taking self-defense classes since I was little – I can handle myself. I'll be fine."

"B-but-!"

She was cut off, however, as the pair finally entered the courtyard, passing one of the three trees in the urban clearing. Jaw clenched, Sakura quickly took in her surroundings.

As Nadeshiko had described, there were three paths branching out from the courtyard, not including the one they had just entered from. To her right was a small tree, just tall enough to reach up over the top of the building behind it, and a bench next to it. Beside the weathered bench was the path that led back towards Main Street and the bookstore – their exit from the twisting streets and alleys.

To her left was a shadowed path that led deeper into the maze of buildings, an overturned trashcan spilling its contents into the darkness – the absolute worst path, Sakura decided with a frown.

Across from her was the last path, bordered by the remaining, smaller, trees on the left and another bench on the right. The path seemed to lean more to the left as well – another bad exit.

It might have been a nice place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee or something after a day of shopping, but, now, the courtyard was eerily quiet – silent except for the occasional rustle of the leaves in the breeze. Sakura couldn't see Main Street down the right path, but as she focused her senses again, she could hear cars and pedestrians in the distance. Not letting her guard down, she quickly led Nadeshiko past the tree and bench and towards the way to safety.

Only to freeze as a figure emerged from the shadows of their exit out.

Sakura was instantly on high-alert as she took in the sight of the unfamiliar man's red eyes and deranged expression, her fears confirmed as the vampire grinned at them. He exited the alley and they stepped back reflexively, Nadeshiko's eyes wide with fear while Sakura's glare was pinned to the tall, brown-haired man.

Before Sakura could say anything, there was an amused, slightly strained, laugh from behind them and the girls spun around, backs to the remaining paths as another man emerged from the way they had come.

Another vampire.

The two teens moved towards the center of the courtyard as the red-eyed men approached, gazes flickering from vampire to vampire. Nadeshiko gave a worried whimper and pressed closer to Sakura, who, in turn, tried to put the scared girl more behind her, inconspicuously unclasping a holstered kunai hidden in her sleeve by feigning playing with the button of her jacket.

"They smell tasty..." The first man muttered, brown hair messy and dirty and his red gaze flickering to his companion. There was something off about his voice – inhuman and evil – and if the sound of it put Sakura on edge, she could only wonder how badly it must have affected her friend.

The other vampire, dressed in a tattered and stained black jacket, replied with another amused laugh before he nodded, showing off his elongated canines.

Sakura felt Nadeshiko flinch in response and her senses were screaming at her and she heard the third vampire approach before she saw him. She quickly maneuvered Nadeshiko around, backing her towards the pair of trees as the last vampire slunk out of what had been their next best escape route.

Nadeshiko gasped, both arms gripping Sakura now as she dropped her shopping bags to the ground. Gaze flickering between the three enemies, the pinkette gently removed her arm from the girl's hold and nudged her towards the trees, falling into a defensive position and depositing her shopping bag to free her hands, reaching up to quickly tie her hair up with the red ribbon holding back the braids at her temples with practiced ease.

"Stay behind me and remember what I said."

The other girl shivered as the men watched them, fear radiating off of her in waves.

"W-who- What are th-?!"

She was cut off as the vampire blocking the right path rushed forward, intent on tackling Sakura. She tensed, pivoting on her leg as she spun to kick her attacker in his side within moments of him drawing close enough, knocking him more to the side before she slammed her elbow down into his back, effectively stunning him for a few precious seconds.

The newest vampire of the group moved next, rushing at her with an angry growl and outstretched, clawed hands. She quickly caught his arm and dropped down, using the momentum to force him to roll over her and slam him into the ground. Pinning him to the cobblestone with his head in a chokehold, she snapped her attention to Nadeshiko and shouted over her shoulder.

"Run!"

Sakura was relieved to see that her friend didn't hesitate to follow her order, running across the courtyard and towards the now-empty path to safety. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the speed of the final vampire.

He quickly beat Nadeshiko to the alley and snatched her arm, yanking her back. The girl screamed, desperately trying to free herself as she tried to tug her arm free and fight him off at the same time. Nadeshiko managed to land a weak hit to his face and the vampire quickly retaliated by backhanding her across the cheek with a snarl, the force enough to send her sprawling to the ground.

Sakura could clearly hear the moment the girl's head connected with the ground and she sent her unmoving body a terrified glance. Expression quickly changing to one of anger, she delivered the vampire she was restraining a hard punch to his face before dropping her hold on him, jumping to her feet to run at the vampire looming over her friend. She tackled him into the wall with the full force of her body, shoulder connecting with his side, before he could touch the unconscious Nadeshiko. Dazed, the man couldn't respond in time as Sakura gripped the front of his shirt and bodily threw him away, chakra surging to her hands.

She quickly dropped to a knee, pressing her fingers to Nadeshiko's neck and gave a breath of relief when she felt her pulse under her fingertips. She'd just been knocked out. Taking a quick moment to adjust her body into the recovery position, Sakura crouched down in front of the girl protectively, facing the three vampires. With a flick of her wrist, she held a kunai in one hand and bared it at her enemies, emerald gaze boiling in fury.

"Leave now, or I will kill you."

All three laughed and she growled under her breath, watching them carefully to see who made the first move. Within moments, the brown-haired vampire darted forward, clawed hands ready to slash at her. She dodged, dropping down further to duck under his reach and collecting so much chakra in her free fist that it began to glow blue. Extending her leg to keep her balance, she buried her fist in his stomach with an angry "Shannaro!"

The vampire was sent flying back from the force of her punch, his back slamming against the stone wall behind him with a satisfying crash and thud, sending bits and chunks of stone flying as they broke free. Blood spurting from his mouth, the man collapsed in an unmoving heap and, with a smirk, Sakura deemed him out of commission.

Her attention was brought back to the remaining vampires as they snarled angrily and Sakura ran at them the moment they moved, meeting them in the middle and attempting to keep them as far away from Nadeshiko as she could.

E-Level, her mind supplied. Former humans, turned vampire, turned insane. They weren't necessarily strong, driven mostly by hunger and blood lust, but three versus one wasn't a match she was comfortable with.

'Two versus one.' She inwardly corrected, aiming a chakra-reinforced kick at one vampire as she slashed at the other with her kunai. The man who received her kick grunted in pain and doubled over for a moment and she quickly leaned out of the way of the other vampire's attack. Not far enough, though, and his fist glanced off her cheek, the skin and bone stinging and her reflexes causing her to jerk her body out of his reach.

He quickly backed away from her glowing fist as it flew at him, fangs bared and red eyes wild and starving as he jumped away. The vampire that had doubled over recovered and sprang up, slashing upwards at her neck furiously. She managed to catch his wrist in her glowing hand, inches from her throat, and squeezed. There was a noticeable crack, the sound echoing through the quiet courtyard, and the vampire gave a wretched scream, Sakura moving quickly to grab the front of his hoodie. She spun on her heel and threw him in the direction of the brunet slumped against the wall, watching in satisfaction as he tumbled down the dark alley with the overturned trashcan.

She knew he wasn't out of the fight, but she'd bought herself a few precious moments.

Instincts screaming, she quickly turned and narrowly dodged the clawed swipe of the final vampire, bringing up her kunai and stabbing through his other hand. He shrieked, yanking his hand back reflexively and slicing through the skin, blood spraying from the wound. A quick uppercut to his chin, his head thrown back as his jaw snapped shut, and Sakura urged chakra into her kunai and arm.

Lengthening the reach of the blade – a handy trick courtesy of Asuma-sensei, she sliced at his exposed throat, teeth bared as the knife cut clean through his neck, severing flesh and bone. With his head sent flying, effectively removed from his body, the vampire froze in place and almost instantly disintegrated, the blood staining her sleeves flaking off into a shower of dust.

Her relief was short lived, however, as she was tackled from behind, hitting the ground with a painful thud and a surprised yelp. She squirmed and kicked wildly at the body that was lying on top of her, trying to pin her down, and, for the briefest, panicking moment, she felt hot breath on the back of her neck. Moving instinctively, she slammed her head backwards to connect with the vampire's face, hearing a crunch as she smashed her skull into his nose.

He yelped and she took the moment to throw him off of her and roll over. Head aching, she rushed to her knees and threw her kunai at him, growling in frustration when it whizzed past his head, only barely nicking his cheek - her aim was off, disorientated from the headbutt.

Her gaze briefly followed the blade as it flew past him, bouncing off the far wall, and she had a quick, panicked moment to note that the vampire she'd knocked unconscious earlier was nowhere to be seen.

With no time to think, she quickly flicked her remaining kunai into her hand and jumped to her feet, leaning backwards as the hoodied vampire slashed at her, blood streaming down his face from his broken nose and cut cheek. She twisted and turned, dodging his onslaught of attacks and maneuvering around him in the center of the courtyard as she searched for an opening.

Her back to the still-unconscious Nadeshiko, she raised her kunai to block a strike from him and, for the briefest moment, her gaze flickered to the image of the scene behind her, reflected in the metal of her weapon.

Just before the edge of the blade was buried in the vampire's forearm, she caught sight of a fourth arrival standing over her unconscious friend, a glimpse of mahogany hair, light blue eyes, and the brown-haired vampire held aloft in the newcomer's grasp, a hand wrapped around his throat.

She nearly paused to fully look over her shoulder in surprise and the moment of hesitation earned her a bruising kick to her thigh and a clawed hand slashing at her extended arm. Hissing in pain, she returned her attention to vampire in front of her, tightening her hold on the kunai as she ducked under another attack, her arm burning and the scent of her blood in the air.

The vampire narrowly avoided a chakra-enhanced punch and she used the distraction to drive her kunai into the space where neck met shoulder, her gaze flickering to her discarded knife laying a few feet away. A swift kick to his knee to throw off his balance and she quickly landed a punch to his stomach, reaching up to grab the back of his head with both hands when he hunched over as the wind was knocked out of him.

Sakura pulled his head downwards with a cry and threw her knee up to meet in the middle, connecting with his throat and crushing his windpipe. Wheezing and choking, the hoodied vampire crumpled, collapsing to his knees. She quickly ripped the kunai still buried in his collar free and combat rolled towards the far wall.

Snatching her second kunai, Sakura spun around and raised both knives, the blades crossed in front of her, wrist over wrist, and the hoodied vampire frozen in shock barely a foot away. His clawed hand was still raised mid-attack and the blades scraped against the pale skin of his throat, caught between the knives.

Red eyes wide with a sudden flash of fear, his gaze darted down to her raised arms before back to her face, quickly realizing that he was trapped.

Sakura smiled sweetly and sent chakra to the blades, the energy encasing the metal with a blue glow and extending their reach. She pulled her arms in opposite directions with a hard tug, the sharp knives scissoring and slicing through his throat and spine.

Decapitated, the vampire turned to dust in moments, falling into a pile in front of her. Sakura dropped to a knee and panted, reaching up to grip her wounded arm before her gaze flickered back across the courtyard.

Just in time to see another pile of dust get caught in a breeze, carried away from its spot next to Nadeshiko.

Breath caught in her throat, Sakura jumped to her feet and raced towards her unconscious friend, dropping and sliding on her knees to stop next to her. Worry etched onto her face, she raised a green glowing hand to the brunette's head-

And paused.

Biting her lip, Sakura's mind worked furiously. As much as she wanted to heal her friend of her injuries – as easy as it would be – she needed an alibi for what had happened. She was certain she'd be able to convince Nadeshiko that they'd been confronted by a trio of thugs, who had knocked her unconscious, and Sakura had fought off with the help of-

She stopped again, glancing to where the final pile of deceased vampire ash had lain. Sakura replayed the brief scene she'd seen reflected in her kunai again and again, trying to make sense of it.

Whoever that boy had been had helped her – saved Nadeshiko while she was facing the hoodied vampire. There was no way she would have been able to intervene in time and her friend might not even be alive right now if not for the mystery boy.

Sakura closed her eyes, focusing on the memory of his appearance before a sudden, lightning-quick, feeling of recognition flashed through her.

She'd seen that face somewhere before.

Lips pressed together, she tried to focus, searching through her memories and wracking her big brain for just why her mystery helper seemed so familiar.

Groaning in frustration, she opened her eyes and glanced down at Nadeshiko and – boom – it hit her.

Night Class.

It had been days ago and barely a moment worth remembering, but she'd seen that boy amongst the group of white-clad Night Class students. A passing pretty face mixed in with the other attractive students, but, there was her answer.

Sakura sat back on her legs as her mind processed this information and she turned her attention back to her friend – she needed a reasonable explanation for why Nadeshiko had been knocked out, but that didn't mean she couldn't alleviate her injuries a bit.

Scanning her body with a gentle flow of chakra, she was relieved to note that the head injury wasn't too bad and she shouldn't have a concussion. Still, she soothed it away until it would leave Nadeshiko with just a sore bump and a nasty headache. A dark mark was blossoming on her cheek, threatening to turn into a black-eye, and Sakura healed and urged it away until it was just a delicate bruise dusting her left cheek.

Just enough to pass as a strike from a human – not that of an inhuman monster.

Job done, she allowed her mind to wander back to the subject of the Night Class boy.

She hadn't even heard him arrive, hadn't sensed him, and yet he'd disposed of one of the vampires with an admirable speed before disappearing without a trace.

Her mind reeled at the thought.

Sakura might have never even known he was there if it weren't for that lucky glance at her kunai. Reaching up to rub her forehead, she tried to make sense of the implications that, not only had the boy apparently been familiar enough with vampires to protect her friend, he'd been able to kill a vampire on his own.

Green eyes widening, she was hit with a sudden thought that filled her with a sudden, intense feeling of apprehension, her breath stuttering in her chest.

Within moments, she was pulled from her flurried thoughts by a soft groan below her and Sakura gaze dropped down to Nadeshiko, who was shifting slightly where she laid. She quickly stopped the flow of her chakra that was monitoring her system, pulling her hands back as she watched the brunette's eyelids flutter.

As she came to, Nadeshiko tried to sit up and Sakura was quick to help her, her arm behind her back and her expression gentle.

"S-Sakura-san?"

"You're okay, Nadeshiko-san. We're safe."

The girl reached up to rub her head, wincing when she touched her sore skull, before she looked to Sakura, eyes quickly widening in concern.

"You're hurt!"

Shit. She'd been so preoccupied with the girl's injuries and the mystery of the Night Class boy that she'd forgotten to heal her own injuries.

"W-what happened? Did those men hurt you?"

Here was the moment of truth of how much Sakura could manipulate the story. What she'd give to have Ino here to search through the girl's mind to see what she remembered...

"After that thug knocked you out, they tried to gang up on me. I managed to fight them for a bit until a passing samaritan helped run them off."

Nadeshiko stared at her for a few moments before nodding slowly, reaching up to rub her cheek gently with a groan. Sakura breathed an inward sigh of relief, hoping the bruise on her own cheek didn't look too bad, and released the girl to stand before slowly helping her to feet as well.

"That terrible! Boys shouldn't hit gir- You're bleeding, Sakura-san!"

Green eyes dropped down to the ruined sleeve of her jacket, blood on the frayed edges, and she cursed under her breath. Nadeshiko sent her a panicked look and grabbed her arm to inspect, blue eyes worried.

"One of them had a knife."

The brunette glanced up at her sharply at the reveal.

"You need to get to a hospital, Sakura-san! How deep are the cuts?!"

Sakura inwardly grimaced. Upon further inspection, she was relieved to note that the jacket had taken the brunt of the vampires clawed attack and the wounds were fairly shallow. A quick brush of healing chakra and she'd be good as new, though she'd have to wear a bandage over the 'wounds' for a few days, just in case.

"They're mainly just scratches, I'm fine."

She sounded about as bad as Sai – she needed to step up her acting skills.

"A-are you sure?" The girl still looked worried and it brought a soft smile to Sakura's face. She took Nadeshiko's hand and turned to retrieve their discarded belongings.

"I'm sure. We're safe now, but I really want to get back to Tobari and Kasai and head back to the Academy." She paused, glancing up at the darkening sky and catching a raindrop with her cheek. Frowning, Sakura quickly grabbed their shopping bags.

"The storm's here..." Nadeshiko muttered, taking her bag from Sakura as she looked up at the sky as well, lips pursing when rain hit her glasses.

Nodding, the pinkette turned towards the path back to Main Street, pausing when she glanced down at her bag. Eyebrows furrowed, she looked inside the bag from Amaihanasu, lips turning down in a confused frown.

Three of the five boxes of strawberry pocky were missing and, in their place, she found chocolate flavored boxes instead.

What.

::

"She... killed them?"

Senri nodded, resisting the urge to glance around Kuran Kaname's personal dorm room as he stood in front of him.

"The pink-haired Konoha girl?" Ichijo Takuma asked incredulously when Kaname turned away in thought. "She killed a trio of E-Level vampires?"

"Two of the three," Senri corrected, "I disposed of the third."

When Senri had smelled the tell-tale scent of E-Level vampires, barely a minute into tailing the Konoha girl in hopes of trading for some of her pocky, he'd cursed his rotten luck. Of course, he'd be the one to have to intervene and save a couple of Day Class girls from a vampire attack. He'd quickly taken to the rooftops, running ahead in search of the feral vampires and hoping to dispose of them before they attacked the girls.

It would make things so much easier if they didn't need to end up erasing the humans' memories.

But the approaching storm was dulling his sense of smell and, when he realized that he'd lost the trail, he'd been forced to double back and search for the girls, finally finding them trapped in a small courtyard by three E-Level vampires.

Senri had been moments from biting his index finger to summon his blood whip when he'd fully taken in the scene below him.

The air was thick with the scent of fear, but, with slight surprise, he'd realized that a vast majority of it was radiating off of the brown-haired Day Class girl, who was hiding behind her companion. The Konoha girl – Haruno Sakura, his mind finally supplied as he had remembered Aidou mentioning – on the other hand, was supplying very little fear to the overwhelming smell of terror in the air. Apprehension, worry, anger – these were the main scents he could smell coming from the pink-haired girl.

He hadn't even realized he was just crouching there on the rooftop, watching as the girl dodged and attacked swiftly, protecting the other human. Senri was glued to his spot, attention pinned to this 'Haruno Sakura' before he was finally snapped out of his daze by her shout.

"Run!"

When the brown-haired girl had been caught and knocked unconscious, he'd realized, yes, right, he needed to intervene and save the girls.

But then the E-Level had been tackled by Haruno and thrown across the courtyard and she'd crouched protectively in front of the unconscious brunette, suddenly holding a strange weapon in her hand.

"Leave now, or I will kill you."

There was no hesitance in her voice, only determination and assurance. It was a promise. One that he'd found himself readily believing.

There was no small trace of the smell of fear coming from the pink-haired girl anymore, only anger. Fury. And Senri was shocked to find that it sent an involuntary chill down his spine.

He had simply watched in a surprised, enraptured daze, eyes following her dodges and the monstrous punch that sent the E-Level flying, his eyes widening in shock as her fist glowed a bright, beautiful blue. She moved with a grace no human should possess, frighteningly strong and nimble as she fought off the feral vampires.

She used the odd blade with practiced ease, not bothered in the slightest at the sight of the E-Level dying as she decapitated him. Even when Haruno was tackled to the ground, he found himself wanting to keep watching – wanting to see what she did next.

It was the small movement out of the corner of his eye that finally tore his attention from the battle and he realized that the vampire she'd sent flying with a single punch was approaching the unconscious Day Class girl. Light blue eyes flickered back to the Konoha girl and he understood that she hadn't noticed.

Senri was finally spurred to action and he silently dropped down behind the E-Level, gaze darting to Haruno to confirm that her back was to him as he quickly disposed of the weak vampire.

He'd been mere seconds away from returning to the rooftop when the scent of fresh, sweet, alluring, powerful, enrapturing, overwhelming blood filled the air. Senri had froze in his spot, attention instantly on the pink-haired girl as his eyes darted down to her suddenly bloodied arm, finding himself unable to move – something urging him so, so strongly to have a taste, to sink his fangs into her skin, to revel in the taste firsthan-

With a rush of self-control that required a near herculean amount of effort, he'd torn his gaze away from Haruno and jumped back to the rooftops, staying behind just long enough to watch her kill the last E-Level and win the battle.

Okay, maybe a little longer.

Just long enough to snatch a few of those strawberry pocky boxes when her back was turned, replacing them with the chocolate flavored ones that he'd bought - as a show of peace...

And then Senri had quickly returned to Cross Academy, bee-lining for his and Takuma's room and demanding to speak with him and Kaname.

It was obvious that he needed to report this to the Night Class' President and Vice President.

"You're certain that she didn't see you."

It was a statement more than a question and Senri nodded at Kaname, his expression calm and serene now that he was in the presence of the Night Class leader.

"Yes. Her back was to me the entire time and I left the scene before she could search for me."

Kaname nodded to himself, his hand gripping his chin as he turned again to face the window of his room. Takuma glanced from his roommate to Kaname, his eyebrows furrowed and expression slightly worried.

"What does this mean, Kaname?"

The Kuran was silent and Takuma turned back to the younger vampire, his expression serious.

"Shiki, have you told anyone else about this yet? The Chairman?"

Senri shook his head, dropping his hands into the pockets of his jacket – resisting the urge to smirk at the feeling of the traded pocky boxes.

"I came to you and Kaname-sama immediately." Blue eyes dropping to the floor, his frown turned thoughtful as he mused aloud. "Is it possible that she's... that maybe she's a Vampire Hunter? That all three of those Konoha students are Vampire Hunters?"

"Chairman Cross would have notified me if he was allowing a trio of young Vampire Hunters into the Academy." Kaname immediately replied as he took a seat, his expression nearly indecipherable. Takuma, who had known him for so, so long, could pick up the barest edge of frustration and confusion in his eyes and he frowned as well, green eyes traveling to the storming sky outside.

"It's unlikely that she's the only one of the three that is powerful – we've all felt that strange aura around them." He paused, meeting Kaname's eye. "If they're not vampire hunters, then just who are they? What are they?"

Kaname laced his fingers together, resting them in front of his mouth for a moment before he closed his eyes. It was quiet in his room for a minute or so, silent except for the rain beating against the glass, before he returned his attention to Senri.

"I'll call an impromptu meeting amongst the class later this evening when everyone is awake. You will repeat what you have told Takuma and myself to the others and we'll see if anyone has any knowledge they can offer up for answers."

Senri quickly nodded, bowing respectfully before he turned to leave, unable to keep himself from replaying the memory of what he'd witnessed again and again, the smell of the girl's blood still heavy in his mind.

::

Kasai and Tobari had, of course, gone into a panicked flurry when Sakura and Nadeshiko finally arrived at the bookstore, several minutes late. The pair had apparently been waiting for a while, already beginning to worry and wonder what had happen, and the sight of their disheveled and injured friends had been met with only a brief moment of relief.

Sakura had relayed the confrontation – or, rather, her slightly edited version – back to the girls before they unanimously agreed that they should return to the Academy immediately. She took a quick moment to step into the bookstore's restroom and wash off the dried blood on her arm and try to clean up her ruined jacket. Glad that dead vampires didn't leave stains, she and the other three girls quickly caught a bus back to Cross Academy, heading straight for the Sun Dorms.

"You're sure you don't want to report the incident to Chairman Cross?" Nadeshiko asked as they walked through the main hall of the Sun Dorm. "He'd probably get the local authorities involved and you can press charges if they find the brutes that hurt you, Sakura-san."

Suppressing a grimace, the pinkette sent her a weak smile, rubbing the back of her head.

"I'd rather just put it behind me, honestly. It'd be so troublesome to involve the police..."

Great, now she sounded like Shikamaru.

Still, the last thing Sakura needed was putting the local police force on a wild goose chase for some non-existent corpses and raising more questions about how a fifteen-year-old girl had managed to fight off three grown men and come out with just a couple cuts and a bruised cheek.

Tobari frowned at her but Kasai seemed to understand, giving her shoulder a comforting pat.

"Besides," Sakura continued as they approached a corner, "I'd rather just return to my room and rela-"

She cut herself off as she found herself mere feet away from Yuuki and Zero.

The former's face lit up as she recognized Sakura's hair before her expression turned to one of shock as she noticed the bruise on her face and the ripped sleeve of her jacket. Great. Sakura really didn't want to put more stress on her roommate, but it looked like she just had the worst luck.

While Yuuki certainly did, Sakura did not miss the way Zero stiffened next to her, his gaze instantly darting down to her injured arm and his body tense.

"Sakura-san! What happened?!"

Zero seemed to be snapped out of his thoughts and he stormed forward alongside the worried Yuuki, his expression rather surprising.

He looked pissed.

"What happened?" He repeated his fellow Prefect's question, before she could reply. "Who did this to you?"

Sakura noticed how Yuuki's gaze flickered to him quickly in surprise before she returned her attention to her injuries, quickly taking her arm and inspecting the shredded fabric.

Kasai and Tobari were silent and Nadeshiko reached up to her own bruised cheek, stepping forward to reply.

"We– Sakura-san and I, we were kind of attacked by a group of thugs in town." She paused, self-conscious suddenly when the Prefects' attention quickly turned to her, Yuuki swiftly moving to check the other girl's injury. Nadeshiko sent Sakura a small smile here, reaching to pat her shoulder. "She protected me and fought them off."

She must have forgotten the 'passing samaritan' Sakura had mentioned, the pinkette inwardly noted as she watched the Prefect's expressions change from worry to shock.

(She was perhaps a little proud to note the slightly impressed look in Zero's eye.)

But, as they seemed to process Nadeshiko's answer, relief flooded their features, especially more so on Yuuki's part. Letting out a breath, the other brunette faced them with a serious expression, glancing back at Zero briefly.

"Come with us, you should tell the Chairman about this immediately!"

Sakura didn't have to feign a tired look, rubbing the back of her neck as her shoulders slumped.

"Actually, Yuuki-san, I'd ra-"

"Sakura-san already turned down our suggestion of talking to Chairman Cross." Kasai interrupted, stepping forward to put her hand on her shoulder. "She's really exhausted from everything."

Tobari was quick to nod, moving to join the group as she sent Sakura and Nadeshiko a small smile.

"They're both really tired – I think they'd rather retire for the night."

Sakura inwardly regarded them with surprised fondness – maybe her panicked grimaces hadn't been quite as suppressed as she thought.

"And I was unconscious for most of the fight, so I wouldn't be much help anyways."

Yuuki's expression was far from relieved at Nadeshiko's explanation and Sakura caught Zero's gaze dropping to her arm again.

She frowned thoughtfully for a moment.

"It's just a scratch, Zero-kun, I promise." Lavender eyes snapped back up to meet her green gaze, lips thinned into a frown as she smiled softly.

"At least..." Yuuki, paused, crossing her arms over her chest as she sighed. "At least check with the nurse if it starts to bother you, okay? Both of you."

All four girls nodded and Yuuki let out another sigh, quickly taking Zero's arm and tugging him down the hall as they continued towards their destination.

And Sakura and her friends returned to their journey to their rooms, chatting quietly amongst themselves and looking through their purchases from the day.

The pinkette, however, paused for a moment, turning to watch the Prefects leave, her gaze narrowed thoughtfully at the boy's back. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she turned away, following after the other girls.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she flared her chakra, sure that Sai and Naruto would feel it and know that she was calling for them.

They needed to talk.

::

notes: FIVE FUCKING YEARS AND IM FINALLY BACK HELL YEAH

as I hope you've all noticed, ive gone back and rewritten the old chapters and made a few changes. I hope they're well received?

I can't apologize enough for the years-long hiatus for this fic (and my others oops) but I should? Probably? Be working actively on this fic from now on.

ive commemorated my return to tempest with cover art, which can be found on my tumblr (frostmarris) and a super fucking long chapter. Hows 9200 words feel?

anyways, thanks for being patient and coming back if youre an old reader, and welcome if youre new! I hope you enjoyed! please leave a review if you did!