The Lineage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


The Lineage
By 11


Chapter 18
Wolves: Inherent Hatred

“Let’s give her back now.”

Emerald eyes did not even deign to glance in the golden wolf’s direction. Teeth bared in a wide grin as he stares me down.

I return his gaze evenly, despite the unnatural tingling in every cell. Excitement or fear is impossible to tell, both are borderline.

The gold wolf tries again, “We only took her as a precaution to return the prisoner.” She insisted, though who she was trying to convince became irrelevant the moment the pack leader showed up.

No, Hinata was caught so we couldn’t immediately start running away, or we could, but at least then they’d have the satisfaction of killing one if most or all of us somehow managed to get away.

“I’m returning her now.” The gold wolf stated quietly as she began to lift her paw from Hinata’s body. The red wolf’s head snapped in her direction with a fierce snarl and she recovered her position, though glaring as she did so.

Gaara’s eyes fixed back on the party of vampires.

Sakura cursed again. “Who could have known they’d changed leaders.” She hissed angrily, “We should have known. I’ll bet this one never even validated the old pact once he took control. Luring us out here under such pretense… bastards.”

And we were fools to fall for it, though it seems a three way war has become inevitable either way. No matter what action we could have chosen to take, this guy’s just looking or a fight, he’d start one anyway. One way or another.

“Sorry you had to come.” I whisper to her, if I can placate her anger even a bit, maybe she’ll stay calm enough when they do attack she can use that head of hers and manage to escape.

“I don’t blame you.” She whispers back to me, and I glance at her, though her eyes remain fixed on the wolves. “It was our stubbornness to start, and I chose to come. I knew the risks. As did Tsunade.”

Which explains her violent opposition if I wasn’t stupid, I definitely should have figured this out earlier. “What’s worst in this situation is that if he manages to massacre most of us, the Order will lose all three sannin heirs.”

I assume they’re important.

“Damnit.” Sakura curses again and I can hear as her teeth grit together angrily, jaw set in rage.

A twitch in her hand betrays her longing to grasp her swords and lunge at the wolves. Is it fear or timing that holds her back, she doesn’t want to make the first move.

“I will not go with you until you release her.” Kiba growls lowly at the red wolf, and the larger wolf’s lips curl up in amusement.

Kiba edges his feet back over to the vampire side of the border. As if his movements do any good. Poor wolf, I can practically taste his apprehension for Hinata.

I’m worried too, I guess. But I don’t think that gold wolf will kill her. As long as that ‘Temari’ has her, she’s probably safe. Red moves near her, I’ll be making the first move in this war.

“So what will you do, vampires?” Gaara taunts, tilting his head in a cocky manner, “Will you just leave your clansmen? Or will you fight us for her?”

Sakura growls. Now I know what he’s doing. He’s trying to get a reaction first, to provoke a reaction from us first. At least that puts the ball in our court, and we – probably – won’t be the first to act.

“Well?” he barks snappily, the edge of impatient clawing into his voice. “With this large an escort she must be awfully important!”

Hinata starts to laugh, and the red wolf’s head snaps in her direction. Every bristle of fur standing up in anger and disgust at the sound of her.

“Shut up blood-leech!”

Hinata grins, watching him from where she lies pressed to the ground. “You have the wrong impression – if that’s what you thought by capturing me, you should have picked a different hostage.”

“What?!” Gaara barks in cold calm fury.

She only smiles, and the tension in both ranks becomes tangible enough to choke the air. “I’m worthless to my kind, that’s why I was the first and only to come. At least originally…” her gaze rolls over to our party before falling back on Gaara.

Green eyes whip back toward us, resting on me before flickering over the others, his eyes dwindling only on those not clothed in the plain military cloaks and armor padding.

Shino, me, Sakura and Sasuke, we’re the only ones. But his eyes ignore Shino, sweeping back over the three of us, settling back on me. Black lips twist up and his back arches, shoulder blades scraping together in anticipation of sorts.

I feel my parasite churning in my gut, and like bile tries to rise to my throat, so I have to swallow him back down. His deep growling echoing inside me.

He’s asking for it.

We’re not going to give it.

He’s provoking me.

He’s provoking us, are we really going to give him that satisfaction?

Yes…

My parasite hisses and I clamp my mind tightly down on him, and he writhes inside like a snake’s head grasped only so it cannot move in it’s entirety. I can feel his irritation and frustrated snarls as I stare back into green eyes.

Those eyes that tell me exactly what he wants, the spill of blood, his eyes that dare me to give him just a taste of red.

In the eye of my mind I can clearly see my hand crushing through his skull, shards of bone drowning into those green eyes erasing the source of this angry burning in my blood.

A growl curls from the back of his throat, as if ready to spring forward. My body tenses and makes ready to leap away, the blood coursing fire through my arms and legs.

I hear the soft sound as Sakura’s hand slides beneath her cloak to grasp the hilt of her blades. A heavy paw steps slowly forward. Then Sasuke takes three deliberate steps forward.

“Sasuke?” Sakura whispers in some surprise, and the two of us stay completely still, Gaara suddenly focused entirely on Darkeyes.

“I think we can drop the pretense. You have the intent to start a war.” Sasuke begins, his voice calm and controlled. He knows he’s treading on dangerous ground. He’s also too close, if Gaara chose to, he could kill him and I might not get there in time.

“Are you instigating-?!” Gaara starts in a threatening snarl, to turn the situation toward us, and there’s a visible shift of apprehension among the vampires before Sasuke cuts him off again.

“ ‘If’ it’s a war you want,” Sasuke cut in, “there will be plenty of carnage when the regen attack.”

“IF!” Gaara snarls, “If the regen attack! There’s no guarantee of that, your kind has been engaged in that so-called war for millennia!”

“No,” Sasuke smiles calmly, “I assure you that they will.” And there’s such conviction in his voice it’s almost impossible not to take him seriously. “And there will be more than enough vampires to wet your claws and teeth, if you so wish.”

Gaara quiets, eyes luminous and large compared to Sasuke as he steps toward him, teeth still bared. Something has struck him about Sasuke, though I can’t place what it might be. Then he shakes his head and his legs lock in place, immovable.

“I have no interest in matching the side of the order – killing newborn regen is hardly a challenge at all!” he spits.

Sasuke’s smile never once wavers. “Then perhaps I can provide you with some ‘things’ better to fight and slay.”

I see Sakura’s face contort in confusion. I don’t get it either though. Is he bluffing? But he sounds so sure of himself, he doesn’t sound the least dishonest. Is he that good at lying or…?

I can tell Gaara’s confused as well, staring Sasuke down, searching his eyes and face for the barest hint of a lie – apparently he sees none. His hesitation is the opening Sasuke pounces upon.

“Why don’t we discuss this privately?” he suggests still smiling. Gaara blinks and straightens his back as if considering, he’s still puzzling if Sasuke can keep his word.

I’d say that Darkeyes makes a decent diplomat and mediator, except that right then Shino decided to ask the stupidest question ever. “What else is there to slay?”

He said so quietly he probably thought no one could hear him, at least not the wolves. But Gaara’s ears prick and he rears back from Sasuke, teeth pulled back in a snarl. “You dare to lie to me?!”

“It’s not a lie.” Sasuke insists, “There is a way for you to get exactly what you want, and your war, if we could only discuss this privately.”

I’m already moving, because Gaara’s not listening, and Sasuke has no intention of retreating. “You lying piece of filth!! DIE!!”

His whole body shifts and rears back, a huge paw raised, claws extended to full length flashing black and steely in the moon’s light. Lashing forward, he bears down, and Sasuke knowingly refuses to move an inch.

Gaara’s cry rips like so many tempests throttling through the forest and the whole of the land seems to resonate with the sound. My ears are left full of ringing and the steady panicked pulse of my heart as blood pours from the ribbons across my arm.

“He wasn’t lying.” I snarl at the wolf, my free arm tight around Sasuke’s side. “Because I am more than a match for you.”

Green eyes gleam and his jaws open wide in a grinning salivation. Sasuke’s hand grips harsh nails biting my shoulder. “What are you doing?!” He hisses angrily, “I had a plan! Now you’ve-!!”

He seethes, and I wonder if he even registers that I saved his life. But I don’t have time to wonder, I’m too focused on cutting emerald eyes that sing for blood and battle, and I feel the resonance of that feeling inside me as well.

“And you would fight me?” He wonders voice a venomous worm that strikes itself against my every sense, until I can no longer stand the smell and lash back out.

“You will die by my hand.” He snarl at him.

“Perhaps.” His huge red body ripples with laughter, “Perhaps first I’ll crush that worthless little girl.”

Kiba’s eyes flash at that, and he lunges forward, gaping maw his teeth latching against Gaara’s throat.

But a thick branch of claws catches him in the face. Red’s body twisting against the motion with a great resonating snarl thrumming into Kiba’s ears.

The moment his jaw loosens the slightly, and Gaara has tossed him to his back his claws ripping into his belly the other resting heavily against his throat, hard enough to crack.

Sasuke’s nails bite hard on my skin before he releases me and rises to step forward again. I don’t know what he thinks his plan is – but I will not let it kill him.

“Enough of that! Are we going to fight or not?!” I demand, and Sasuke turns to look at me from his shoulder. Teeth grit in anger, dark eyes swirling with frustration and an urge like he wants to scream at me.

He can scream all he wants. I’m not letting him anywhere near red. Some plan, to get the wolf far enough away the rest of us can escape – it’s all I can think of with that outrageous claim he made.

“So you aren’t backing down you bloodsucking shit?” Gaara snarls back, paw still pressed against Kiba’s throat, grinding against his airpipe so that Kiba’s keens become so small as to not be heard.

“Not if the shit-smelling mutt isn’t.” I return with a growl. His teeth bared in irritation to my manner, his paw stamping harder against Kiba’s throat. Poor bastard.

“And let that worm go, I want to be able to tell when I spill your blood. His smell will interfere with yours.” I snap impatient.

Surprisingly Gaara’s huge paw rises and he bats the battered wolf aside in favor of standing before me, body wound tight to spring. The wolves and vampires step back.

“I will enjoy ripping that smirk from your face, and laughing at your agonized screams!” He laughs, claws slipping in and out against the dirt, his body leaning forward on the balls of his face.

“Don’t cry when you’re the one carved to bits,” I return sneering back at him. “Gaara!”

With a snarling cry he leaps forward, a huge mass of crimson fur and gleaming maw. I dart to the side and roll back over the ground. Leap forward, he pivots on massive paws and accelerates after me with an earth-shattering roar.

I feel my muscles begin to stretch and burn as it’s all I can do to leap around the terrain, keeping just steps ahead of him. Gaara may be exceedingly large, but he is also incredibly fast.

I leap around the side of a slate ledge and my leg cracks solidly against the back of his neck. But he turns and I leap away his jaws snapping shut with a resounding clap as he narrowly misses biting off my leg.

I redouble by speed, and ignore the burning strain in my legs and will my body to move faster. I can barely buy enough time to come up with a counterattack as I am now.

Gaara snarls and tires of the chase, and lashes back around to intercept my more obvious path. My foot stabs the ground and I turn to lunge away. Gaara’s claws rush toward me, and I whirl away, feeling the light scrapes across my shoulder.

I move again, unheeding of the wound – if I had strayed a moment longer those claws could have rent into me completely!

Well I’m not doing badly yet, but I’m not doing so good either. I can’t even figure out how to effectively attack him! How do you kill a werewolf anyway?! I really should have requested a gun with silver bullets from Shika or something!

Stop crying about it you big louse!

I’m not!

Come on! He’s not invincible – that’s flesh you know!

Yeah protected by a thousand pounds of claw and another thousand of sharp and greedy teeth!

Shut up! Just watch him.

Spinning and lunging and leaping, running – I keep glancing back. Fast as he is he’s striking everything down as I lead him through the trees. He leaves stumps and bits of crumbled stone on his wake – he’s actually being slowed down as it is.

His head thrashes and he roars after me, urging his own feet to carry him farther. I only hit him once before, but it’s the same I need to get behind him again.

I need an opening.

He’ll give you one, just wait. He’s tiring on the chase, he’ll get sloppy in a bit, I should think.

You think? I wonder back in agitation, my jaw set. I lurch forward, I’m going to try it, just to see.

I dash up the side of a pine and catapult myself backward aiming down at his spine. But his body whips around and his jaws are there to meet my body as I fall.

My toes touch down to his teeth, and his jaws snap shut loudly as I leap off and continue running. The blur of red fur and gleaming teeth bellow after me.

I said wait! He’ll give you an opening! But you have to make it monotonous, or he’ll stay on his toes! Idiot kit!!

My molars grind and I pull forward, Gaara’s snapping teeth just feet behind my hurried heels. I run the length of a slade ledge and leap off spiraling into the air, my body falling around so I can look back at my opponent.

He momentarily pauses at the edge before leaping off after me. I whirl away twisting my body, but I’m already losing momentum.

IDIOT!! Keep OUT of the air!!

When else am I supposed to take time to breathe?!

My parasite screams first even before I register the claws ripping through my back. He’s not even in pain, he’s just angry, and the fury burns through me more tangible that the stinging pain as red flows from my backside.

I land and pivot against the ground turning the other direction. Gaara hits the ground, claws staining the earth with red before he twists his body and lurches after me with a roar.

Before I wasn’t doing badly, now I probably am. I need to get on his backside long enough to strike – I need to find a way to get past his thick hide and do some damage!

Gaara’s feet slam against the earth still and he howls in rage. My own feet pause lightly on the ground ready to spring again.

“You bastard!! Toying with me?!”

The hell I am!!

“You’re not even out of breath!” he snarls loudly, “Furthermore you dance around, and give me just enough chance to keep the chase but enough that I barely injure you! You’re not even fighting me! Let alone using half your power!”

My power?! It’s all I can do to run away!

Let me out.

My back’s been clawed open – I’m ignoring it now, but it hurts like hell!

Let me out!

“Fight seriously you blood whore!!”

Fuck you bastard! Where do you get off being a smelly hairy asshole?!

Let me OUT!!

No!

I refuse to draw on my parasite! There’s too much risk involved!

I could kill him!

It hurts this body! There’s too much strain!

We’re getting better! Let me out!!

No.

I could kill him. I could give him the fight he wants.

You could kill us both.

Only if you insist on being so weak, brat…

I rear and my skin starts to crawl as a familiar burning presence starts to rupture through coarse thick crimson fur. Green eyes flame brilliantly brighter, fading green to yellow and gold.

His black and mottled flesh begins to burn and an orangy fire surges up around his skin.

He rears back and roars, and the sound strikes like a thousand beating irons, hollow caves, and rattling chains all spun and battered into a single churning pot of echoing agony and terror.

I can see his ribs as the skin pulls back and his fur thins down in the glow of orange and vague red, his fur bristled pins in his skin, the flesh pulled tight across his skeletal frame.

It strikes me for an instant how truly tiny he is, but then he’s still a good twice my size even with his body pulled to the point of becoming… he’s a hellhound, a fucking hellhound – hellfire and everything.

I catch the distant cries of the vampires and wolves as they start at the fire and retreat further into the periphery, my eyes catch on the gold wolf and Kiba, Hinata’s seemingly small body pressed tight to Kiba’s back

The wolves bound away from the epicenter of flame and destructive miasma. The vampires retreat as well, tiny miniscule shadows slipping back behind stone and trees, thin gaunt specters hardly noticeable if my eyes don’t catch on everything that moves.

Gaara cries out and turns with a snarl to his side, a lash of his flames whipping out towards the retreating shadows. They’re too slow – it’ll hit. But one turns to meet the flame, and I recognize the large broadsword that swings up to block the fire.

Sakura glares back at the hellhound and he screams in fury as he shifts his attention from me to her. “Maybe this will make you serious!” he snarls through that grating thousand grating nails voice, “If I crush her body?!”

No! Shit!

Let me out!

Bastard!

Sakura turns to run again, sword still by her side – but Gaara’s already caught up to her. She has no choice but to fight.

She swings her weapon toward him – and her blade might have cut straight across his skull but he ducks under and the sword embeds at his shoulder as his teeth rush forward.

Sakura!! Let me out!

That Bastard! I’ll fucking kill him!!

She screams out as his jaws set hard into her shoulder and side – thick streams of red pouring into her clothes and staining the ground.

“GAARA!!”

I don’t recognize my voice as my own. My body, but I don’t know it, lunges forward, and already my body begins to come apart.

Give it to me. It’s yours. Take care of us.

My skin is not my own and the red fire consumed me as I bear past slashing claws, and ignore the thick smell of her blood on his breath as he releases her to snap his jaws at me.

Her body falls to a crumpled heap, and I steer toward her. My legs over her thighs to propel myself toward him. His jaw set into my arm and I push back.

I feel foot-long teeth sinking in and I press forward even more. The thick of his lip pressing against my tendons, and still I drive him back.

He chokes and rears back from the pressure, thick heavy tongue pressing in vain against my limb – I follow him back, until I’ve turned his body from where Sakura lies.

He roars around my arm, and my body vibrates with flame and the sound of death and metallic shit. I see myself as if from far away, and my body is not mine, because I am not myself.

My eyes sting with the red burn I know is there, my body aflame and red and burning high – but I feel nothing. This has already become a state I can endure. And I am entirely aware as my lips peel back in a grin.

I am fully conscious when my leg plants against his chest and throws him back. I watch from a foot away as his body twists and turns, teeth and claws lashing back toward me.

I am completely aware of my action, I see it even before I do it. My hands move, then my feet, and then my body. Then I am under him and he begins to rear, claws to slash down at me. Better he fell forward and try to crush me…

My hand moves, and I feel every second as my hand peels through thick furred flesh, layers and layers of fat and skin and warm and pulsing sinew and fiber.

I’m feeling past his ribs when he starts to scream, my fingers wrapping idly around the hard and marrow, and it shocks me how small and human his bones seem to be beneath that wolf guise.

I am aware of myself entirely this time, but I hardly acknowledge it when Gaara rips himself off of me, and his chest remains a gaping whole. His body shifts and molts and his fur tears away in clumps when I seize his sides.

His tail drops of it’s own accord, and before long… he’s only a half-wolf, the other half… is something I’m not sure I could call human, though a rounded skull has begun to protrude as his snout shortens. Large blades of teeth still set in his maw.

A grotesque mishmash of something human skeleton and fur and teeth and claws and half-shed flesh dripping from that frame. He roars but the sound is grating and smaller and he snaps his mouth shut snarling.

I, we, don’t waste time, and I tear forward to finish it. His claws raise in time to block me. Sharp edges dig deep against my torso and shoulder. My hand just falls short of ripping those eyes of his.

A quiet growling remains in the back of his throat but I can read the intensity of excitement and apprehension he still has in him even now. Almost human pink lips curl into a grin.

I can’t move forward. I force my legs to move and his claws lash into my belly deeper.

His claws hold my arms back – I still can’t reach. He’s only postponing the inevitable!

He presses his claws deeper with a snarl, and I push back. My blood flowing hot down my body.

Despite its loss I can still feel it pulsing so vibrantly beneath every fiber of skin, fueling me forward. Just a little more.

“I’ll kill you…”

His whisper curls out and now my eyes are in line with his. His claws curl inward and I have to act quickly before he crushes my ribcage. “Don’t think so.”

I’m not sure if I say it aloud before I rear back and lunge forward – the final stretch, my arms left behind.

My skull collided harshly with his. My eyes wide open to watch. His eyes seem to shatter to pieces in his skull.

Green color floods into them before they roll inward. I’m staring into white and blood red veins.

I can’t hear a bloody thing – my skull is ringing. It feels hollow and empty – the bone fractured in spider web patterns. If he doesn’t go down now… I’ve lost. I’ll die.

My parasite pulses through me and my vision blanks. I feel my body fall to the ground. My muscles tighten and jerk. My parasite is screaming, and I don’t know if I am too – all I know is that it feels like I cracked my head open.

I can see it too, my head thrashed open. There’s a fracture extending through my forehead broken neatly open like an eggshell.

I feel the hot of my blood dripping down my forehead, and staining the ground from where Gaara lashed into my shoulder and belly. The marks on my back are still open too, and clotted with dirt and bits of grass and leaves.

“…ruto… Naruto?”

No I’m not dying yet. Even if my skull’s cracked open. My eyes slowly begin to focus again and I register Sasuke hovering over me, brilliant dark eyes staring into me. He looks so distressed like that, disturbed and… relieved?

“You’re okay…”

My ears are starting to work again and I can hear movement, I hear Gaara’s pained laboured breaths, but they sound so small and short… is he dying? Did I kill him? Can we go now? Sakura…

“Sakura…?” I ask first, the moment I can squeeze words past my tight dry throat. The insides are like sandpaper… and I’m bleeding too much.

“She’s fine. She’s conscious now.” Sasuked tells me, “Shino and Haku are looking after her, otherwise she’d be over here too.”

I turn my head towards Gaara’s pained voice. Vaguely I note that for such an action there’s no way my skull’s been opened up. I don’t see that great red wolf, I don’t even see that beast-like demon with dripping flesh and great clawed limbs.

It’s his voice, I can tell… though it’s smaller and weaker. But his body is so small, there’s people dressed half in fur all around him, all crouched around him anxiously. A golden-haired female barks harshly at the others to back away and give him space.

He looks so different in human shape, still a mat of red hair on top of his head, but his body is so small… so pale, and battered looking.

He’s still bleeding from his chest, and his head is covered in the red stuff too. Looking closely I can almost pick out exactly where my hand went in.

He’s barely conscious and slowly those green eyes open, thick lines of black around them – so dark I wonder if it’s a kolh outline or if he seriously just doesn’t sleep enough.

I bring my arms up under me and my fists claw against the dirt dragging my body forward toward him.

“Naruto, stop.” Sasuke warns, “You’re still bleeding too much, we’re going to transport you and tie up the openings. You’ll be fine, but you can’t move right now!”

“No.” I mutter darkly, my arms aching as I push them to pull my lead-like body forward. I’m less than two meters away now…

“Then let me help at least.” Sasuke grinds his jaw, but I wave his hands off. Green eyes turn toward me. I can see clearly the dark bruised spot where my head broke his skin – the flesh scraped up different directions.

Green eyes widen at me in surprise, and I can barely guess at what register’s there – it’s like fear but not. It’s desperation – he thinks I still plan to fight. But he – Gaara’s already reached his limit too.

His teeth grit shut at me, and his eyes flicker gold the familiar blaze of orange coating his arms, as his nails chip into the dirt.

“Keep away from me!” He warns. But it loses it’s effect when his throat is raw and the rage can’t come through as well.

The gold wolf yells at him to stop abusing his body – even she can tell he’s at his limit, but his eyes don’t leave mine and he just tells her, Temari, to shut up.

“I can’t.”

He snarls and I can tell from the way his skin is shifting that he’s trying to turn back into a wolf – but it’s too slow and it’s taking all his energy. “Idiot!” I snarl at him. “You’re such a jerk!! And there’s one final thing I’d like to say!”

Ha. You’re trying to act cool, but you have nothing to say.

- and now thanks to my parasite I forgot what I was going to say!

“You got off easy!” I eventually snap angrily – not wanting to stay silent for too long and look more stupid. “If you ever hurt any of my kin I’ll kill you for real!”

Green eyes regard me silently, his flames already faded, his face seems startled and his mouth twitches before his head rolls back and he starts laughing.

I hear his bones grind together and crack and he coughs through his smile, teeth snapping shut as blood pours past pearly whites.

“Gaara! Stop that!” Temari tells him angrily, “You’re ribs are busted already! Don’t make it worse!”

He sighs out and stares up into the sky. “So that was you cutting me a break, huh?” he grins, green eyes rolls sideways towards me. It’s strange. I know he’s the same as that red wolf, but there’s no malice in his now.

“I’m glad.” He says calmly regarding me. “That was the most fun I’ve had in years.” His voice suddenly twists into something more familiar, that sends shudders through my spinal cord – “I’d like to fight you again sometime…”

No way in hell… I’m not ever fighting you again if I can help it!

`

I open to dark eyes above me. His warmed hand rests against my neck. “You’ve healed up nicely in the past few hours.” His soft voice tells me, “How do you feel?”

“Like shit.”

“That’s to be expected.” And with a sigh he removes his hand and sits back. I turn my head to look at him.

My hair wrinkles unnaturally and I realize there’s a bandage around my head. I reach up to pull it loose.

“I wouldn’t sit up right away, take your time.” Sasuke’s surprisingly calm for being so angry at the start of this.

“I don’t know what your plan was… but mine worked better.” I mutter, sitting up anyway. My head spins and I shut my eyes to shut out the spinning sensation. It fades relatively quickly.

“I suppose it did. Though I was able to employ the same plan.” Sasuke notes, “Gaara was much more open to discussion after your scuffle.”

“So he’s already conscious?” That thought leaves a bad taste in my mouth – I’m weaker than a wolf kid. Lame! “How long was I out?”

“Only a few hours, only eight I think.” Sasuke informs me, “It’ not surprising. You sustained what should have been longer lasting injuries afterall.”

I glance down at his hand, the fist clenched, pale skin drawn over hard bone, the last traces of peach color ebbing away to the bony white. “Isn’t it the same thing when Kiba touches Hinata?”

He glances down where the last of the color faded. “I suppose.”

“Am I wolf?”

“What?” Sasuke’s body seemed to jerk in aversion to the very idea. I kind of doubt that idea myself, but there has to be a relation somehow. “Do you smell like a wolf? Is that what you look like when you take that shape?!”

“No.” I’m a much ‘smaller’ wolf… but actually It’s a normal sized wolf! Not small at all – those guys are just huge when they’re wolves!

“So the logical explanation is-?”

“-I’m not a wolf.”

Sasuke stared in annoyance, “Idiot.” What?! It wasn’t a baseless connection! Not entirely anyway!

“But there has to be some relation as far as the fact that I also make your skin ‘burn’ right?” I pursue the point I was attempting to make.

“And that Gaara guy, his flesh got flames on it too, kind of. And his eyes changed colors. Yours do that too –” I continue, and a tremor of surprise passes shortly through dark orbs hardening them, “And mine. What does that mean?”

“Not all the wolves have that ability to distort their shape and use foxflare – Gaara is an unusual case, even among his kind.” Sasuke tells me, his words seem short and clipped. “I suspect it is what allowed such a young wolf to become the pack leader.”

“But there’s got to be something in common between us then. Body temperature maybe? Are wolves considered ‘alive’?”

Sasuke frowns. “Yes.”

“So I’m alive. I’m really just human?”

“No.” Sasuke snorts, “Not human.”

“But I’m not a vampire either, right.” I have had it! How many times has this conversation fucking come up and I have gotten zero answers?! It’s a very simple question, and it probably has a very very simple answer! So just spit it out!!

“Don’t you think it’s time you fucking tell me what I am-?”

Then a pair of cold lips cover mine. His soft silvery muscle slides into my open mouth. His cool hands curling around my neck – and screw thoughts!

My lips press back to his. My arms reach to pull him onto the bed with me. His legs conveniently fall to straddle my hips.

I hardly notice it before his skin begins to radiate heat, the softest of whimpers sending pleasant vibrations through my skull and spine. My hands settle on his hips and jerk him closer.

The barest hiss as our hips contact, and I can feel he’s already half-hard, my own desire standing to meet him. My mouth eagerly devouring his hot wet muscle, my tongue stroking along the underside.

I can feel it all so clearly, that thin veneer of skin of the tongue, just a tiny puncture and the blood would flow out so easily. I rub him over my teeth and he moans into me.

I can barely even remember the last time I tasted his blood – it wasn’t so long ago was it? Feels like it though.

His hips shift against mine and I buck intentionally forward so he arches and groans, his hand still gripping against my neck, almost to the point that I can feel a prickle of pain as the hairs begin to twist together.

I move my hips again and he moans, one of my hands rises across his back, feeling across the spine, and the edge of his scapula.

His tongue moves against mine, and his lips mesh to mine again and again as he tries to delve deeper, as if the taste is too little, but the tremors of his skin make me aware that it may well be ‘too much’.

I can feel his body burning and his skin seems to shake and jerk in either direction – a want and revulsion to the same stimulus.

Dark eyes open a bit and he moves back from my mouth. But my hand rises to his neck and holds him still and I move my body forward to catch him again.

He gasps and moans when my body pushes itself flush to his. His hardness pulses life against mine, and I nearly growl into him. My tongue coaxing his back to motion, and his whimpers drive me forward.

You know I could swear there was something vaguely important we were supposed to be talking about.

Less thinking, more stripping! Lose the shirt!

My other hand moves form his hip to snake up his sweater. The cool skin jerks beneath my touch as it heats beneath my hand. It makes him squirm against my hips, and I buck against him.

The friction elicits a gasps, and he pulls away successfully. His abused lips take the chance to seize at air before my mouth invades his again.

Suddenly his teeth clamp down on me harsh and quick and I start at the pain pulling back, my grip loosened. He lurches away from me, and my mouth fills with blood and I clamp down to stem the salty metallic flow.

Sasuke rests against the opposite wall, the same startled flush and uncertainty I recognize from so long ago. Except he bit himself, and I just lavished my attention to the wounds.

“I guess I should have bit you first and saved you the trouble,” I wonder, my voice husky and low from lust. Sasuke does not betray a reaction and I take the chance to admire the flecks of my blood on his lips bruised dark red.

He rests against the wall, and slowly the color fades again, and his eyes fall to black – his body’s tremors slowly calmed.

But he kissed me. Jerk.

“Why do you do that if it hurts?”

“I guess I’m a bit of a masochist.” Sasuke replies snidely. “I said it doesn’t hurt. There’s only a little when contact is terminated. I told you.”

“Well you terminated it.” I fight the urge to pout at him – it’s not like it would help anything.

Though one day I think I really want to try and make him completely ‘alive’, and touch him everywhere until I could feel the heart in his chest beating harshly in rhythm with my own.

“We need to head out to see the other’s anyway. I suspect we’ll be heading back to the Lair soon.”

Disappointing. We barely just got here.

Still I shrug and stand, “Do I have a new shirt or what?” I ask, I notice my pants were changed, and they’re clean so I’m not complaining. Sasuke tosses the dark cloth at me and I slip it on to follow him out of the trench.

“Naruto!” Sakura hops up first, before Shino or Haku. She runs over to me but stops before barreling into me. Green eyes bright and searching, “Huh. You look fine – did he even hurt you?”

“Yeah, I guess.” I blow it off shrugging.

“They were minor injuries.” Sasuke tells her, “Of course he’s fine now.”

“What happened with Hinata?” I wonder, and Sakura gestures over where Hinata sits with Kiba and Temari. I start toward her, Sasuke and Sakura steps beside me.

“Hinata, you okay now?”

“Oh yes. Perfectly fine.” She states simply, porcelain doll-like face turned toward me in utter and complete calm.

Of course I suppose she would be since she’s sitting there chatting with her wolf-lover and the same gold wolf Temari that nearly crushed her before.

Freaking wolf-girl. Freaking wolf-people, they all smell like they’ve never heard of soap! They all smell like musk and sweat and ugh! I wish I hadn’t walked over here.
Sakura grimaces, “Hinata, how can you stand the smell over here?”

Temari glares, “The same way we can tolerate the stench you give, leech.” She bites out in annoyance.

“No offense, really,” Sasuke covers for her, “I’m sure it’s unpleasant on both sides, and we appreciate all of you bearing with our company.”

“By tomorrow no one will notice the smell anyway.” Kiba huffs, dark brown eyes rolling over to me in some odd expression of uncertainty and rage. What the hell did I do to him now?

I don’t have much time to contemplate it though when a blur of flesh and fur launches itself at me from somewhere and it’s all I can do to dodge it and lurch to the side. The fury attacker turning on it’s toes to lash back at me – an attack I recognize!

“Gaara?!” I snarl angrily. “What the hell!”

“You’re awake.” He states with an odd feline grin before launching himself at me again. This time he’s too close, and I can’t dodge. My arm rises to stop his fist, my own clenched bludgeon aiming towards his face before he leaps back to avoid it.

“So what?! That’s no reason to attack out of the blue!” I shout at him. Who knew as a human he was actually fucking faster?! At least he doesn’t have as much power in his blows, but I get the idea that’s just cause he’s not seriously trying to kill me… yet.

My hand twists around his wrist and my other comes hard to nearly connect with his throat – a well placed blow that would have struck his head from his shoulders. Green eyes glitter in glee at me, even from where I hold him to the ground. He’s such a creep.

A claw presses slightly to my side, and I shudder glancing down where his hand half-formed wolf presses a well places slash that if he had followed through would have torn out my internal organs. Geez!!

“Not bad.” I snarl.

“I should have fought you in this form to start with.” The red wolf smirks, “I would have won so much easier.”

“You didn’t win – dumbass.” I remind him, I think his face annoys me, kinda.

“Neither did you.” He grins, his claws curling around my side, his body lurches forward toward mine – a tiny amount of space. I start but can’t move – not like there was any time!

His teeth latch against the side of my throat, and I freeze mentally as I realize his teeth are holding solidly against my jugular. He bites down I’m fucking dead!! Shit!

His mouth is so dam hot – I have no idea how that’s possible, and when his tongue laves over the veins I feel my pulse jump and the skin feels like a fucking hot iron brand was struck against my skin – and I can’t help the gasp at the feeling.

Then he falls to the earth and rolls from under me, in an instant back on his feet. Short little jerk with hands on hips and smirk on face. I can’t believe it!

He’s hotter than I am?!

That didn’t sound quite right.

But he is!! His skin is-! Its-!!

I know, now shut up about it already.

“We should definitely do this again sometime.” He grins, tapping his lower lip with his index finger. It’s so weird how his body language is contradicting his tone – the way he said it kind of made my skin crawl.

His voice still sounds like he’d rather tear me limb from limb… Gaara is such a creep. Kinda… Did Sasuke see that? I stand up, my hand rising to my neck, I look over and my eyes lock with dark abyss-like orbs.

I feel the heat beneath my hand and in my neck. I feel my pulse shooting beneath the skin, and it’s slowly calming down in the absence of contact. I wonder idly if that’s how Sasuke feels when I touch him?

If so I might be able to understand the ‘pain’ after aspect. Now that it’s faded away, somehow my skin feels so empty.

Empty? Fuck that.

My parasite burns beneath my skin and I relish his presence steaming through my blood and mind.

I don’t need that psychotic’s outside shit-heat.

I smile to myself, and Sasuke looks away after a moment. I look back to Gaara – I have no idea what’s in this psycho’s head, but I have to admit he’s strong. I’m kind of pissed by it though, but I think he is too for some reason – so it’s mutual.

“So you’re planning to leave right away again?” Gaara wonders, “That’s no fun at all.” He grins, and I feel my skin prickle again – it’s so wrong that everything that comes out of his mouth sounds like a threat of some kind.

“You’re all invited to stay in our territory for now,” He offers, speaking primarily to Sasuke it seems, who he had apparently decided must be the leader of our group – and probably is in actuality.

“Tonight is the Festival of the Dead, you should all join in the festivities.” He suggests, his tone dark and venomous, yet beneath some kind of strange happy coating – it’s strange to hear. “Won’t you stay?”

“Of course,” Sasuke responds, “Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we won’t intrude too much. I realize that we would be encroaching further into your territory to participate.”

“Not at all,” Gaara assures as the procession of wolves and vampires begins to move inward into wolf territory. Green eyes slide towards me, glittering with something between bloodlust and excitement.

“It’s my pleasure.”

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