Yoru No Koishii

D’Ceandre: Good evening, ghouls and boils. And happy Halloween. Hmm, in commemeration of the date, I should really see if I can’t get another chapter of my Yugioh fanfic up. Ah well… wrong story. But another update. And not months in between, either.
Trouble: *Gives an ill hidden snort*
Hime: *Looks at her a moment, then pushes her off the back of the chair.*
D’Ceandre: Thank you.

******

“Shh. It’s all right.” I can’t stand to see him so upset, and, for the moment, I’ve even forgotten Gaara, a dangerous thing to do at any time.

I move to pick him up and feel him flinch against me, and for a moment that insecure part of me, the part I’ve never been able to get rid of, worries that he’s rejecting me. But I squelch the thought mercilessly. It was me he ran to, after all. It must have been something Itachi did to him.

It’s impossible to not notice the way he winces when I sit him on my lap, and my eyes whirl angrily as I begin to imagine what the bastard might have put him through.

“What did he do?” I’m going to kill him very slowly and painfully, and I begin thinking up ways to torture him that would shock even the snake. But I force myself to relax when he shivers and looks away from my eyes. Yes, I’ll admit it, I do look a lot like Itachi, and seeing me, with my sharingan activated, probably isn’t the most consoling thing after one has been at his mercy. Sighing, I pet him gently, trying to soothe him, though it becomes even harder to keep my anger in after he explains what happened.

“I thought… I thought he had killed you.” I’m a little surprised by the depth of emotion revealed in that sentence. But then, Naruto’s always worn his emotions out in the open.

“It’s harder to kill me than that.” I answer with a tiny smile, running my fingers through the smooth blond locks again. I’m not just being proud with that statement either; I’d never leave Naruto here alone, not if I had the tiniest amount of life or chakra left in my body.

I look up as Gaara speaks, frowning at him. He probably could kill me, but somehow, that doesn’t worry me either right now. He’s looking a lot better, really. I hadn’t noticed before. Well, it looks like maybe he has some things to thank me for. Though he probably doesn’t see it that way.

Don’t fight with Gaara? I’ll try, if it will make him happy. I won’t make any promises, though.

But whatever he sees when he looks at me seems to be enough, because he just sighs and leans against me. But there’s a tenseness in him still, probably not anything someone who didn’t know him really well would notice. But I do, of course. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t.

“Naruto…” I don’t want to ask the question, since I’m pretty sure I already know the answer. “Did he… hurt you?”

His silence is answer enough, and the fury rises within me again. “I’m going to kill him.”

Smartass redhead. But I’m trying to get along with him, like my pet asked, so I answer civilly. Hmm, Naruto doesn’t seem to like my plan, though. Oh well, I’ll think up something else.

“And you’re going to help me.” I tell him, giving him a quick kiss and then sitting him aside, quickly going through the seals that release the bracelets. Then I begin to show him the connection jutsu.

Naruto’s gotten good at copying things. I’m surprised at how fast he picks it up, but then, that’s expected, if he’s the fourth hokage’s son, like I’ve heard. Mere rumours, but I have to admit they do seem likely.

It’s not long before we’re finishing the jutsu, and I can’t help but feel anxious. Does he trust me enough to let me in? Sure, he loves me, and he trusts me enough to follow me blindly here, to let me use him in my plan without any explanation, but still… this is different.

And then suddenly I can feel him, and something else, too. This isn’t like merging with Takara, where I could feel her demon in the background. Kyuubi’s right there, and I feel a moment of fear at how free the creature seems. But the evil intent that went along with the cat seems muted here, and I’m surprised when he actually reaches out with what almost seems like a soothing gesture.

Naruto cuddles against me again, and I forget about the fox for the moment.” After all, as long as Naruto controls him, I’m not really that worried. There are other things to be concerned about, though he’s unhappy enough when I mention them. I don’t like it either, but I need some time to recover, before I face Itachi again. Just a day or two.

I look up at the scratching at the door, and am a little surprised when Gaara moves to open it. I had figured he would have just ignored it or something. Maybe he really has changed more then I thought.

It’s the kit, of course. I really should give her an official name. I suppose Kit does well enough, though.

“Half-demon.” I hear Kyuubi say in my mind.

“Is she? Well, that would explain why she’s so smart. Can she understand us?” Naruto seems a bit surprised that I can hear Kyuubi, and I wonder if he realises just how loosely the seal holds the fox. The one seal that Orochimaru had never been able to copy. Or maybe had never been willing to copy.

I’m pleased at the answer, though, and decide to start looking through the old records once we get back to Konoha. Not many people know it, and probably that small number is more then the Inuzuka clan would like, but their dogs are actually part demons, which is what gives them their ability to communicate with the clan members. I actually wonder if the family isn’t part demon as well, but hat doesn’t matter at the moment. No, I want to figure out just how they developed the bond, if I can. If I can manage it right, the Uzumaki clan might be able to develop its own secret gift.

I watch as the fox greets my pet happily. She’s so playful and carefree, just the same as he used to be. The same as he still is, from time to time.

“She was in Itachi’s room earlier.” Really? I could just see her trying to protect him from my brother. Hmm. That gives me an idea.

Another little known secret. Snakes are impervious to the sharingan. I know this from experience, having tried it out before. Of course, I couldn’t test the Mangekyou on any of them, but I don’t think it should really make that much difference.

Naruto steps back fearfully as I make the snake appear. I should have thought of this; of course he’d be afraid of it. I try to soothe him as I pick the snake up and carry it closer to him, ignoring Gaara’s threatening tone. I know the snake won’t hurt him, though. Unlike Orochimaru and his giant demon, the snakes I summon don’t demand anything, though I often try to make sure I’ve got something on hand for them to eat. Never humans, though.

I hold Naruto long enough to be sure he’s really relaxed, before giving the snake his orders and escorting Naruto to Itachi’s door. It kills me to leave him there, but at least now I can be sure he’ll have some measure of protection.

******

“Would you stop staring at me?” I tell Gaara testily. We’re back in my room, me stretched out on my bed, and the redhead leaning against the wall by the door, looking at me as if he’s not quite sure what I am anymore, and is trying to figure it out.

“Maybe Naruto isn’t as much of an idiot about you as I thought.” He admits. I snort. Yeah, right.

“The Dobe’s still as much of a baka as ever. He just has an unusually large amount of luck.” I sometimes wonder if it was my luck, or a rare unlucky streak of his, that had him fall in love with me. Kami knows I don’t deserve it, and he deserves better.

“Hmm.” Gaara answers, finally looking away, closing his eyes and leaning back against the door, and it’s my turn to watch him, considering. I sit up, after a moment, and he opens his eyes again, looking at me curiously, and not a little cautiously, as I begin a set of seals. The bracelets that hold him unlock and fall off, and he stares at me in shock, even as I hear the sound of miniscule amounts of sand slide across the floor, from cracks and behind the furniture, as he instinctively calls for his element.

There’s not much to answer, considering we’re in the middle of the forest, and it’s barely enough to circle his wrists in wide bands, but I’m sure he’ll manage to pick up more as time passes.

I lay back again, closing my eyes and pretending I’m not at all concerned by what he might be doing. Still, I almost expect to feel the sand slide across my throat and around my neck, to choke me. After a moment though, I hear him move, over to the loveseat that sits in one corner. Then silence again.

I can’t help it. I open my eyes to see what he’s doing, only to find him apparently meditating, ignoring me as completely as I had been ignoring him. Smirking a bit, I close my eyes again and rest. Gaara, for the moment at least, is no longer on the list of people I have to watch out for, and I need to gather my strength if I’m going to destroy Akatsuki.

******

Aw, the boys are getting along, for the moment a least. Somehow I doubt you can expect a nice lifelong friendship, though. It’s just a matter of convenience for the moment.

Vox: Yay. I’m glad to hear that. I’ve actually recently upgraded to highspeed, which means I can download and watch the episodes all the faster, and watching the episodes usually puts me in a writing mood.

Baddaytoday: Well, first of all, I hope you have a good day tomorrow. :D And don’t worry. If I don’t finish this, then how would I be able to write a sequel? Not that I promise it will appear any time soon, but I’ll try.

Well, till next time.