The Lineage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


The Lineage
By 11


Chapter 19
Wolves: Festival of the Dead

It’s so bright. It’s so… colorful!!

We’d never get away with this much color back at the ‘High Lair’ bunch of stiffs are so damn addicted to black! Ugh! I almost forgot how much color there actually is besides dark, blue, black, and green.

There’s lines of red and orange and glowing yellow lanterns in a thousand different paths. All lined with carts selling gadgets and gizmos and flashy combs and brushes and toys… not all of which I can name.

But they sparkle and shine, and the shapes range from balls with threads and loops from the sides to painted planks with triangular juts and holes and slits all through the wood.

Assortments of food and meats line the stalls and the smell fills up everything. I don’t even notice the smell of the wolves anymore. A section of the forest is almost entirely illuminated by lanterns.

Ribbons of gold and silver, red and blue line the trees and paths. The people in fur paint their skin in patterns of swirls and disks and lines and blotches to accent features.

Those in wolf form their hides ripple with the dyes and shine casting light back into the brightly lit melee of the festival. As the vampires stroll in, Gaara stalking at the front, Sasuke and I nearest, the wolves look up and several seem to recoil.

The wolves move away, glare, some cover their noses and snarl in batant contempt. Whispers glance from the shadows, and some stare and point in my direction.

I can’t help but wonder if maybe we really are not so very welcome. I feel out of place anyway… and the color’s hurting my eyes.

I’ve been living in the ‘monkey house’ too long – I don’t even notice the smell of the wolves, though they all seem to notice our stench.

“Is it true? Is it really?”
“No it is impossible.”

The whispers have gotten louder, and the wolves giving us less girth as Gaara leads our procession for now. “How is that possible? It can’t be…”

“But it’s true?”
“What is?”

“Impossible!”
“But it is!”

“Don’t fuck with me!” a wolf snarls from somewhere, louder above the not-so-quiet murmurs of the other furred beasts.

A dark shape lunges forward toward out group, and Gaara’s head snaps to the side, his neck twisting like a burned rope and he releases a violent snarl toward the other wolf, the huge shape melting away before his leader.

The blond youth’s eyes dark and brown burn with a fierce intensity as he regards Gaara, “What are vampires doing here?! This is our sacred festival for the dead! Their kind aren’t even allowed on our lands!”

“I’ve allowed it Kankuro,” Gaara’s reply is deathly calm, “and anyone who wishes to stand against that decision will take it up with me.” Emerald eyes flash in violent menace, “Those that act on their own – I’ll kill.”

Harsh bastard. He rules these dogs with iron claws.

A hard twisted smile snaked across the red wolf’s mouth, in regards to the dusty blond wolf. Kankuro’s body shakes and his fists close up in anger his knuckles turning pale.

His jaw sets, teeth grinding against each other, the pressure causes his gums to look inflamed. “I… will not accept that.” The wolf finally growls lowly.

A snarl starts in the back of Gaara’s throat, but the blond wolf is the first to lunge. With a roar Gaara shoots forward to meet him midway.

I leap back from the grappling beasts as thick fur coats their bodies their shapes morphing into huge sets of jaws, teeth clacking and the deafening sound of their snarls and howls.

The vampires stand away watching the battle – and I can’t help but admire red’s ferocity. It’s over in a matter of seconds – a huge crimson paw crushing against the blond wolf’s throat, claws ripped through shedding blood to the dusty ground.

“Never question me again,” Gaara growls loudly, pressing deeper against Kankuro’s throat, as the blond wolf’s body thrashes and writhes, the bare gasping of whines scarcely escaping his abused throat.

Temari stands to the other side watching with some apprehension. “If you do, I may not spare your life little brother.” Gaara spits the words at him like poison before lifting his paw.

He retracts his claws harshly and Kankuro coughs a yelping whimper as the sharp appendages rip through already damaged flesh.

“I…” Kankuro coughs and wheezes, as he struggles to get to his feet, eyes glaring mutely at the ground – frustration, anger, humiliation, “submit…”

Gaara sniffs lightly and turns back toward the vampires, his thick hide shedding back to skin and furred cloth… oh wait, that’s just there so sanity’s sake or something. They’re all actually walking around naked aren’t they!

What a delicious concept…

Shut up.

“Carry on!” Gaara barks to the surrounding festival-goers who quickly scurry out of his way, milling around, a bit like rubber-neckers on a high-way.

Kankuro’s body sheds back to its fleshly form as well and Temari approaches him, lifting him up and helping him move to the side.

“I apologize for that.” Gaara says easily, green eyes fixing on me briefly before skipping over to Sasuke – who he has apparently decided is the leader of our group, and I guess he sorta is, but I should totally be too!

“None will question your kind now, you should feel free to enjoy yourselves. If you are not inclined to food there are many games and events.” Gaara moves back toward us, as we vampires all move back together after the brief tussle.

Sasuke nods his head in gratitude, a thin smile on his lips. “You are very generous, Gaara.”

“No, not at all.” He returns to grin stepping beside me. A hot firm pressure suddenly applies itself to my backside, nails grazing past the layers of cloth to pinch my skin – I move before I can think.

My other-wise fall is broken by a wall of soft cloth. “Naruto?” Sakura clucks her tongue at me. I stare back at where I was standing, Sasuke across from me, and Gaara beside me, looking back at me with a very strange look.

Did he just grab my ass?!

“Naruto!” Sakura hisses again, “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.” I mutter and look down at myself. Then behind me at what appears to be a clothing rack, actually some of the wolves are wearing over-garments that are not cloth. They’ve also got colorful ribbons but I don’t care about those.

“I’m sick of wearing all black. I want to dress in something colorful too!” I decide loudly, and instantly regret it. I had no reason to try and save face – I may as well have just ignored it but… hey wearing something other than black might be nice.

Sakura frowns and looks over the jackets and scarves and other assorted items. She steps forward with a skeptical look lifting up a red blouse with draping shoulder strap and her lips thin.

“Okay, then I’ll wear this.” Sakura states simply looking to Gaara, and I stop listening since it concerns something about the compatibility of paying systems.

“Fun! This could be orgasmic!” Shino decides instantly heading toward where a bunch of funky looking hats are. I do not get that freak – don’t think I ever will.

Haku seems to share my thoughts though after a moment of standing on the periphery he steps into the side stand to pick around in the bright clothes to, at least, sneer at everything.

“Found anything you like?” Sasuke asks me dubiously as I reach and pull down a couple of brightly patterned jackets.

No, too weird. No, I hate lapels… oh-! Oh this is just retarded!

You’re going to wear that?! My parasite recoils to the back of my stomach with disgust.

Oh yeah!!

“This!” I declare grinning, as I hold up the garmet triumphantly. Sasuke stares and has no trouble keeping his expression blank before it dissolves into a piteous sneer.

“What? It’s orange.” I grin at him.

“It’s hideous.” He tells me incredulous.

“At least you’ll be able to see me from a mile away.” I laugh as I slip the jacket on – oh this is surprisingly comfortable.

“Why would anyone have trouble seeing you from a mile away? Besides that why would anyone have to?” Sasuke arches a fine eyebrow, “Intending to get lost somewhere?”

It’s so warm! But not too warm, definitely breathy… not too thick either. “Yes, I definitely want this one.”

Sasuke sighs and shakes his head, I was listening, I just don’t intend to dignify that with a response. Because when I think about it… there really is one. I want to see Shika again before I go back to Lair.

I need to sort things out with him or something, though if we do meet I wonder if I’ll be able to again… ugh. I’m bad at this, I’ve left it too long.

“So what are you getting?” I wonder changing the subject. Sasuke frowns as he scans the jackets, and picks out the darkest colored thing he can find – which here, is a low sloping shirt a dark shade of blue.

“This?” he frowns at the garment, his lips pulled back as if he could snarl – because the shirt is obviously going to bite him or something.

“No imagination.” I shake my head at him; of course he’d have to pick something the closest shade to black that he can find. I think he’s the only one who enjoys the dark colors and not just because ‘everyone wears them’.

“You picked ‘orange’ of all things.” He reminds me with some disdain.

“It’s flashy!” I defend myself easily. I wore the jacket out of the stand, nice that there’re no tags on these things.

I guess Sakura dealt with the transaction part of it because I didn’t do anything after that. Or maybe I just had my first shop-lifting. Hm….

“One more!”

A loud cry from Shino, nearby, catches my ears’ attention.

“Oh dear god…”

“I know that was so good! I’m going to shit myself!” Shino’s cries sound completely obscene… so of course I have to rush over and see what ‘it’ is. “Hey one more – one more! Please!”

“Gods…”

I jog over and it’s a wide stall that looks a bit like a bar-stand or something. Shino looks like he’s high and hyperventilating. Haku is shaking and nearly collapsing on the counter – geez.

Shino’s face is flush, so is Haku’s, and their skin looks jittery and shaky and they’re both panting really bad… uh wait.

“Dude…” I wonder as Sasuke steps up behind me, “why do they both look like they’re uh…” how do I put this tactfully?

Fucking something good? Orgasm?

No thanks, maybe later.

“Oh no… these idiots.” Sasuke frowns, a cross look etching porcelain features into something contorted. “They’re drinking wolf liqueur?”

The wolf behind the counter forces a grin, a burly guy with big arms, “I gave them the good stuff too actually.” He looks back at the two panting vampires, “Might have been too much for them though…”

I frown and touch my hand to Shino’s upturned cheek turned bright pink. At the contact he squeals loudly and I lurch back as if he’d burned me – his skin is hot! Really hot! Like someone-took-a-flame-to-him hot!

“What did you give them?” I demand, “They’re burning up! What’s wrong with them?!”

“It’s their own fault.” Gaara’s voice disturbs me, and the shop owner straightens his back standing erect, eyes fixed on his violent leader.

“What?!”

“He’s right.” Sasuke concurs as Sakura joins us. “Wolf liqueur is really not something vampires should take a whole glass of all at once.” Sasuke gestures to the empty glasses on the counter.

“What is it?” I wonder.

“Was it ‘Never’?” Gaara asks the tender. The wolf starts and cowers, though Gaara hasn’t put any menace into his voice, at least not yet. The wolf obviously regards his leader as a ticking bomb.

“Yes, leader.”

“But what is it?” I insist. Haku’s breathing is starting to come down and he finally lifts his head, holding his head in his palm like he has a headache bigger than his ego. Shino’s erratic breathing has also begun to even out again.

“Never, is a fire whiskey,” Gaara tells me, jagged teeth flashing me a grin, “of course it burns vampires. When consumed in large amounts it’s said that even a corpse’s blood with begin to flow again.”

“That’s Firebrandt!” Sakura gasps, “Vampires used to drink it too. But it was deemed dangerous and the Order actually outlawed its consumption a few hundred years ago. Vampire consumption of Firebrandt, or Never, is banned!”

Illegal drugs.

Yup – sounds like.

“Hey! I want another one!” Shino demands suddenly, focused entirely on the tender. The wolf’s eyes flicker to Gaara first – he’s probably wondering if he did something wrong he could be hurt for. Has he?

“Go ahead then.” Gaara shrugs. “You know the rules though.”

“Rules?” I wonder.

“It’s called ‘Never’ for a reason. Even wolves can’t function with too much in our system.” He tells me, leaning a little too close – it’s not like he’s imparting some huge secret or anything.

“Never: never more than three glasses in a night, never more than once a week, and never more than one week every month.” Gaara lists the rules with an odd purr, “It’s pretty powerful stuff. Want any?”

“…Yes.”

“Naruto!” Sakura barks at me, and then looks to Sasuke for support.

Sasuke crosses his arms, “I might try some…” he muses. Sakura grits her teeth and scowls.

“Fine!” she hisses, “One of us has to be sober!”

Why we’re not driving or anything.

“Here you are.”

Never, it’s a deep black color almost yogurty viscous liquid. It’s shiny at the surface and seems almost like it’s bubbling somewhere in the middle where the liquid is moving too fast of it’s own accord within the shell of surface tension.

… I’m going to regret this.

Black cum.

I really don’t want to puke, so kindly shut up.

I lift the glass edge to my lips, and the smell and taste of blackberry, rubber, and licorice assaults my senses like a thick tidal wave or cloud of potent spice.

It scalds down my throat and I slam it back to the counter barely having swallowed the top layer. The thick viscous taste bubbles through my insides. I feel my muscles turn to jelly. It’s like I’ve swallowed acid!

My mouth gapes open, my breath shallow and rough, and my mouth and throat burns, my stomach seems to shake and vibrate within me. My parasite is moaning and crying out, it’s presence shifting through me like so many pleasurable stings.

Gaara’s hand touches my shoulder, and I hiss at the intense heat burning at my flesh – I’m not enough as it is! I feel a cool hand on my other arm, and I nearly moan as the cool pressed to my skin – and I wish that hand could extend all over me.

Anything to alleviate the burn… I press against the chill, and I hear Sasuke’s soft start, his lithe fingers trembling slightly as my heat bleeds into him – no doubt staining his skin a dark flesh color.

“So was that enjoyable?” Sakura sneers, and in the aftermath my throat aches as I raise my eyes back to the glass. As the burning and fire begins to die, my mouth is heavy and begging for more Never.

I reach for the glass again, before I even know what I’m doing. I can hear Sakura impatiently huff to herself. Sasuke’s other hand covers the glass as I raise it to my mouth. My lips touch to his skin, and it’s so cold, so soft.

I move to wrap my lips around his knuckle my tongue pressing to his skin and burning the cold to heat. I feel him shudder, “No more Naruto, we don’t want you to end up like Shino and Haku over here.” He tells me gently.

“Spoil-sport.” Gaara’s voice cuts in, a playful kind of viciousness, and his claws scraped against my shoulder as he withdraws. I remove my lips from Sasuke’s hand as I stand, and he withdraws from my shoulder as well.

Sakura walks briskly forward, still huffy about the Never, and my throat still burns too much. My mouth is fine, my tongue tamed where it touched to Sasuke’s skin – and I realize how much I want to kiss him.

I want to stick his tongue down my throat, to drink in his blood to erase this burning brutal taste. The sound of a kind of music distracts me, it’s a flute and a harp, a violin, a fiddle, a series of drums – all beating a harsh and blinding rythym.

A wide space where wolves have congregated together where their bodies move in a ruthless and grating pace together in sway to the music. At the center the wolves clear as the beat picks up and a golden wolf crouches low in human shape.

Her body and musculature snapping in every direction following the pace and beat. The beat of the drum and the whine of flute like strings that pulls action from every limb and joint to dance her like a puppet across the center.

I glimpse Hinata and Kiba moving against each other to the side somewhere and her eyes catch mine briefly before shooting me a slow calculating smile before turning back to her partner.

Sakura frowns, “What is this?” she wonders incredulous.

“Dancing.” Gaara’s voice seems to snarl, in a politeness that belies it’s tone, “What does it look like?”

“It’s too snappish, too rough.” Sakura scoffs delicately as she glares at Temari’s body, a rough and tumbling thing that snaps and twists and clashes agains the ground and her own muscle that fights her movement.

“There’s no grace to it, no form or technique.” Sakura declares with some disdain. “Dance is like an elegant battle, and hers is too rough, too unpredictable. Its one vital difference dance cannot be a guileless as real battle.”

“Well if you think you know everything there is to know.” Temari calls from the floor, “Why don’t you show me how you would do it?”

Temari’s mouth twists in a smirk, “Or are you all talk no bite, blood-leech?” Emerald eyes flash at the golden wolf angrily.

“You’ll regret posing that challenge, I accept.” Sakura spits as she casts aside he cloak to step onto the dance floor. The wolves clear to the sides to make further room, and the beat picks up again to a deafening roar.

The fiddle plays a heartless tune so wild and frantic it’s like the beat of dying bird’s wing. The drums beat steady then die then pick up and fall and pound and rain and smash – a thousand different sounds from storm and a crumbling sea.

Temari moves her golden body a silken snake her skin and fur melding seamlessly through her movements. Her arms lash out and reach twisting in arm. Her limbs act as many pronged spears that guide her body through momentum.

Sakura’s form twists and twirls. Her arms a languid fluid lance and strike and blow. Her feet twist in patterns across the floor, a complicated series of steps, half-steps and lashes before backtracking and following through again.

I can almost imagine her blades twisting from her hands, and I am strongly reminded of the time in the tunnels. There her body dancing with the flash of steel whirling around her chopping her enemies to fleshy bits and bloody pieces.

“It does look like fighting doesn’t it,” I wonder aloud to no one in particular, now able to ignore the burning in my throat, the ache finally beginning to dim and fade.

“I agree…” Gaara’s voice purrs too close to my ear, “Shall ‘we’ dance?” I launch away from him, before his teeth can sink into my shoulder, his hand lashes out, claws following me as closely as they can.

My feet pivoting on the ground, pealing off in the opposite direction as I escape his lashing strikes. I hear him laughing as Gaara follows up behind me, and he’s smaller now, and even faster. I find myself changing direction every few steps.

He hasn’t caught me yet – but this is ridiculous!

“Hey! We have a separate are for brawls!!” someone yells at us.

“Face me Naruto!” Gaara calls out to me, traces of blood lust burning through his words. It’s frantic and desirous rapture to his voice. I can imagine facing him, his jaws sinking into me and ripping my body apart.

“I have no interest in fighting you!!” I shout back angry, an edge of desperate panic to my voice. I mean shit! What the hell! He hardly gave me any warning!!

I pause too long to say that – and his claws catch around my wrist. Red welts rising up where the sharp edges bite my skin. I cry out and his teeth latch into the tip of my ear. Sharp teeth biting harshly and I feel blood!

“I won’t hurt you, Naruto,” he purrs, too-hot tongue licking over my ear before tracing the burning member across my throat, his arm pinning me to the ground. His body crouched over mine, “much.”

I feel a shudder rip through my spine, and I slam my elbow back into his side. “Get off!” He starts back momentarily and I shoot out from under him. Turn only a moment to strike back. He catches my arm.

I twist it, and seize his wrist instead launching forward, the opposite of my instinct to run away. I force his body back, and his legs flail up as I do so.

I pin him under me, his back to the dirt, his hands bound by mine at his sides, one up one down. I start realizing I haven’t bound his feet but he doesn’t do anything – yet. Teeth bared in pearly smirk, “Well… if you’d rather be on top…”

HUH?!

Dude! Fuck him!!

NO!!

“Well as fun as this looks,” Sasuke’s voice cuts in. I look up at him, his eyes cold, emotionless, black pits that give away nothing.

He continues tonelessly, “The girls are done with their dance-off, so perhaps we should see some other games and events.” He suggests.

Unconsciously I lick my lips, “Yeah, sounds good.” I agree hopping off of Gaara quickly; if I don’t he might act like a viper and bite me the moment I’m within range.

He leaps to his feet, and I tense for a moment, but he stands nonchalant, no obvious movement made ready to spring at me. Sasuke and he regard each other a moment, dark eyes locked with fierce viridian.

“If I may suggest, the ‘disk’ game is rather popular. If you would care to participate.” Gaara gives his input easily, voice calm, passive, and always bordering with something violent beneath the surface.

“Perhaps.” Sasuke acknowledges though he makes no movement.

“Are we going to play games now?” Temari’s voice asks smoothly as she and Sakura step up beside us, their journey quick with the barest disruption of air indicating their speed.

“I suppose,” I shrug in response, “Who won the dance-contest then?”

Sakura tossed her head, “Our styles are considered too different to compare!” she scoffs, “Apparently that jerky motion of yours is considered a dance anyway, even compared to my graceful movements.”

“It appeared to be a tie.” Temari’s voice grinds in diplomatic obscurity, her tongue choking back the anger she must feel toward Sakura just now. “We’re heading toward the disk games?”

“I guess so.” I wonder scratching my nose – geez, I’m glad they showed up, something felt awkward about just a minute ago.

“Right this way then,” Temari grins spinning on her heel, leading us. Sasuke stands walking next to me, I’m on the outside, Gaara on the other side staring over in this direction.

The field is huge and there’s a row of tossers at the end we reach, the field then expands outward a great distance, with wolves dashing back and forth across the ground – I can feel the vibrations of the earth in my feet because of it actually.

Kind of scary – it reminds me of when that pack came after us that one time. The whole world seemed to pound with their feet, the air full of their roars – so loud, it made my body shake.

“Wolves play this game the best I think,” Gaara states, walking to my other side to explain the rules to us ‘silly vampires’.

“There’s a series of disks thrown, as you can see, at high speeds and the contestants have to retrieve the most in a certain amount of time, the game play time ranges from one minute to ten seconds.”

He finishes as the game ends and the wolves all dart back and add up the numbers, a new game begins in moments. Way fast… and I never realized how long a minute could be. A battle to the death can take place in seconds too.

But this game seems kind of familiar in a way too, “It’s just like fetch.” I laugh suddenly. “Where dogs go chase a stick or frisbee – kind of like that, except there’s a way to win.”

Gaara gives me an odd look and for a minute I wonder if he’s going to try and attack me again, but he only grins – way too malicious looking but, I’m getting the idea that he means it just as a normal grin. “Then perhaps you’d prefer a game of ‘Snatch’.”

“Snatch?” Temari wonders, “But vampires don’t have-”

“It would be the equivalent of dogs chasing their tails,” Gaara explains, “if you’re so inclined to look at it that way, except it’s someone else’s ‘tail’ you’re chasing.”

Innuendo!! It’s totally innuendo! Fuck him!!

Shut up.

“So it’s like when dogs sniff other dog’s butts.”

Idiot!

Crap… that is innuendo! Shit I played right into that!

HAHA!

Shut up!

Gaara’s grin widens, and I feel Sasuke’s presence chill my side, “Well if you want it that way.” He says with a strange smirk as he turns away leading us to this new game…

Ah shit. I really said something stupid… somehow. But come on! That was just-!

Sexy. Do him.

-Dirty! That’s playing dirty! What about Sasuke?!

Darkeyes? You’re too scared you’ll break him to fuck him, I’m getting tired of it. If you’d get the balls to do it though – I’m right behind you! If you know what I mean…

Pervert.

You’re the pervert, I merely fan the flames.

It’s another field. This one is much larger, and there’s a few trees interspersed, and it’s hilly. There’s a pack of wolves lurching around in different directions, and teeth and jaws are snapping all over the place – this doesn’t look terribly vampire friendly.

“The game is where a wolf will chase another wolf – assigned by a number drawing system, and that wolf is also being chased by another wolf – so you have someone you’re hunting and someone hunting you.” Gaara explains.

“But the object of the game is to catch the other’s tail in your mouth.” Temari starts again, “Vampires don’t have tails.”

Gaara’s eyes flash toward her in anger too much like violent fury, “Of course, which is why they’ll wear sashes.”

“Sounds fun!” Sakura agrees.

“Alright then.” Sasuke you too?!

“Good then let’s begin the game, right after this one.” Gaara’s grin is too wide to be just pleasant, and his eyes too sparkling to be just a little excited…

The other game ends too soon and before I know it I’m number 17 with an orange sash tied around my waist feeling terribly uneasy.

And stretching my legs hoping I can run fast enough that whoever I’m being hunted by won’t bite off my butt in the process of catching the sash. And in moment’s we’re dashing off across the lawn- now where’s Haku my luck number 2?

I dash off looking for him, but I can barely look before the crimson russet wolf is on my ‘tail’ – not pun intended – jaws gaping wide just behind me.

I take off before his jaws can snap shut on me. Stupid Gaara! Figures I’d be his target! Not like this game could get any worse.

His paws pound faster up behind me, and I try to pull ahead but he’s catching up, so I change direction spiraling back the other way, but not before Gaara’s nose reaches just to my hip.

Then it gets weird. His tongue reaches out to swipe across my backside!

I screech and take off at a bolt – but he’s still right behind me?! Shit! Did he even try to get the sash or is he just going for my ass again?! This is a pain!

I startle as his nose suddenly comes up behind me, his muzzle – fucking huge wolf! – nuzzles up against my backside. I lift off the ground and twist to the right, taking off in another direction. Geez! What the heck?!

“Dude are you even trying for the sash?!” I call back irritated, the wolf’s feet pounding the ground behind me, leaving indentations on the grassy knolls.

His voice curls up past his throat a menacing snarl and a mirthful laugh. “You move too much – maybe if you stood still?” he suggests too easily, something too sinister and ulterior in his words.

He’d probably tackle me to the ground and maul me or something!

Or fuck you – his tongue’s fucking huge like that… it’d feel good.

Pervert.

Stingy.

Suddenly Gaara snarls out in pain – an ear-splitting roar, and I stop as he rears back toward his back end – his tail gripped tight enough to crack the bone. A pale alabaster hand clenched tight around the appendage.

Sasuke grins, calmly at Gaara. “Got you. This means you’re out right?” Gaara glared back at him emerald eyes thinned to slits between russet brows.

“I am not your target, Sasuke…” his whole voice seems to drip with anger – restrained and wildly begging for violent release.

Sasuke cocks his head to the side, still gripping hard onto the red wolf’s tail, “Are you sure?” he asks curious, as if he forgot already. Then he smiles and finally releases him, Gaara’s body whirls to face him, paws spread before him as if to fight.

“I must have been mistaken,” Sasuke agrees amicably, “I was sure I was after you, Gaara.”

For the record, I think I was after Haku but… I think he might have actually already disappeared from the field.

“So Gaara’s out already?” Sakura wondered dashing toward us, her sash still firmly in place.

I shrug – “I guess he is.” Althought at this point I don’t want to play anymore – it’s not even a decent game of tag like this.

Sakura nods and darts behind Gaara – he snarls as her fingers twist in his tail, then she’s beside me, and with a quick movement my sash is gone. So is Sasuke’s…?

“I won!” Sakura grins.

“Wait we’re the only ones left?” I wonder aloud.

“Pretty much, Haku dropped out a while ago, his target was Sasuke – Sasuke I was your target but I already went full circle, I’m the last one.” Sakura grins, “So I win.” She seems happy for some reason.

“That was a dirty trick Sakura!” Temari growls as the golden beast bounds over shedding off into her human shape to stalk forward – her arm grabbing for Sakura, her nails carving crescent shapes into her shoulder.

“It was not – it was completely legal. I told you exactly where to find your target didn’t I?” Sakura smirks back at the blond.

“But then the moment I latched onto their tail you came from behind to yank mine!” Temari snarls angrily, “That’s dirty!”

“There were no rules against such a thing.” Sakura tosses her head, detaching Temari’s nails from her arm, the uncomfortable feeling apparent as her skin burns bright pink and red where the gold wolf seized her.

“It is when you lie about having a target who’s not me!”

“That’s your fault for believing me, silly!”

An eerie howl cuts through the evening twilight and all voices fall silent, even the dull beating of music has stopped – the howl comes again. Once, twice… twelve times.

“What is it?”

Red mouth grins, “It’s the Main Event.”

Then the wolves all silently shift and move toward the far-east end of the festival. A slow pace that starts to pick up as they move, bodies shift in time and human limbs more often than not shift from smooth and sleek to thick hides of dusky fur.

Powerful muscles push huge beasts forward, faster and faster. Jaws bared shut let no sound escape. Gaara’s body, so small with pale slender limbs and thin tendons holding his bird bone structure together, shifts.

Bone stretches past the veneer of skin and it rips and tears as it lengthens and spreads, russet bristles shooting up from every pore and follicle. His body towers past me and he moves faster, ahead even farther as the pace picks up.

I hear the steps of Sasuke and Sakura somewhere just behind us, and I quicken my movements to keep up with red. The others hurry just behind. The lights of the festival are left.

I glance behind us as we leave behind the structures and lights, a thousand ribbons of color all left behind – the grounds totally empty.

Still the pack moves forward as one dark shadow a slow quick pace, not the back-breaking speed I’ve known them to use but a quiet hunting pace. Then the last of the stragglers leave the wood and lights, and Gaara reaches the front of the lines.

His lips peel back with a growl before his chest expands to the size of a room – powerful lungs letting loose a roar like thunder shaking the earth beneath him as he shoots forward – breaking into an all out run.

All the wolves chorus back in a series of howls as they take off, bodies streaking forward. A thousand and one giant paws stab into the ground with a sound as if they could split the earth to pieces.

I move forward, as fast as I can to stay right beside Gaara – because it feels like an earthquake and I’ll be trampled if I fall even one step behind. I can’t tell if Sasuke and Sakura are behind me anywhere anymore.

Emerald eyes glance back at me and his jaws gleam before me as he drives off hard to the side – I follow, my legs beginning to ache slightly as I force them faster to match his stride.

It must be so much easier to maintain that speed with such huge powerful legs. I pull alongside him and with a snarling laugh he darts at an angle speeding faster between trees, leaping a stump, twisting around the dark passages through uneven earth – and again I follow.

Like a damn game of tag… is it?

I pull faster – my body is no longer aware of itself. If I stop to think about it I’m sure it hurts. As long as I don’t acknowledge that pain I can keep going – I can push myself faster.

“A little more.” A vicious whisper I hardly catch before he pounds ahead even farther – and I fight to keep up. It seems in any contest of speed I can’t catch him either.

My legs are starting to burn again, and my parasite hisses in agitation at this prolonged duration. Just a little more. A howl catches us from behind and slowly another chorus of howls picks up from the pack.

Gaara slows, eyes casting toward the sky past the trees. My eyes follow and I start slightly at the streaks of white and silver that drift through the air in the same direction of the pack’s ‘run’.

The red wolf howls back to the pack and he moves slanting toward their sound. I catch myself up next to Gaara as we glide back toward the collective. But the collective is breaking off into many parts and portions.

The sound turns mellow as they do so, the sound spread out like a slow steady pacing song, their paces slow as well. I can tell why when we clear the trees, and there’s a huge cliff.

It’s a precipice deep imbedded into the mountain range and the wolves gather at the sides in groups and pairs. All stand howling up at the misting drifts still moving through the sky, gravitating it seems towards the dark basin in the mountains.

But their sound isn’t angry or violent, they sound so contented this time – it’s nearly musical to hear it. To think wolves could make this sound too.

All silver and shining, strands of white and shimmering mist, transluscent and bright, barely there but shining, gaseous spheres and streaks that move toward the basin and seem to fall straight down into it. I can’t even tell what this is supposed to be…

I hear Sakura step beside me, Sasuke not far beside her. She gazes at the scene before us, and her voice catches in her throat, and when she does speak it comes as a whisper, her eyes locked on the ghostly wisps.

“I’ve heard of this place… the point of the thousand peaks…?” she wonders, her voice so small I barely catch it.

“What?” I whisper back, loathe to really say anything with the quiet din of the wolves and the spectacle of these ghostly misting streaks.

“It’s supposedly sacred ground…” Sakura breathes after a moment, there’s a shining from the bottom of the basin now and the howls have aligned into a single steady humming sound. “To think they had a festival like this…”

A malevolent whisper, “It’s the one time when they dead are allowed to cross between worlds – the festival of the dead.”

Suddenly the wisps stop moving and the light in the basic streaks upward, not like a shot, or even a bursting bubble, more like the spreading of a pair of wings, and it billows up and the sky is filled with light.

It’s as if we never left the festival. The wolves howls grow louder and less congruous and the lights begin to shift and there’s patterns there that I can’t make out. Moving and drifting together in some complex shape I can’t quite pick out.

The wolves leap and prance and howl – the sound is so comforting, so benevolent this time, it makes my whole body thrum with life and sound – it’s as if they’re calling. Specific words I can’t make out.

The shapes extend and the patterns congeal and fall apart to remake again, and they drift downward again, as if unable to stay up so high above the basic without something to support them.

I catch the shapes of quadrupeds, of human shapes with limbs, of small tiny forms with barely any definition. My eyes san distinguish an old and mangled body with eyes that aren’t quite eyes as that spirit shifts downward too.

A pale figure whose face takes the shape almost human – her sightless eyes cast toward me and I wonder at the blood in her hair, and the stains on her mouth. Suddenly she stops drifting, the wisps fighting against it and she drifts toward me.

Her hand is stained with red and she reaches toward me, sightless eyes staring through me, her mouth moves to form words but I can’t distinguish them.

My parasite flares and my insides stretch against my skin, a familiar burn suddenly catch at my eyes and I feel my parasite filling me up, extending through my limbs and center.

My eyes sting with the sensation but I can see her clearly now, the red woman with blood all over her – her fangs clearly seen past ruby lips and her pale ice blue eyes look into me with a kind of relief and sadness all the same.

Her lips move, she’s trying to speak but no sound come out. Her hand drifts toward my face – as if touching me will help her speak to me.

In her eyes reflected, there’s herself and some guy – a last testament to the living? But I’m not interested. I’m sorry if she has unfinished business, but it’s not mine.

“… Kuu… you are…”

A crimson thread of mist reaches up and winds around the figment and holds her wrist fast. She starts and tries to jerk away but is held immobile, a second spirit catches at her throat.

Her hair tied back at one side, and I think I recognize her clothes… like something Shikamaru wore last I saw him. A hunter? I don’t understand it though. She looks at me too, long red hair, she’s a human, no stains across her form; she is sinless.

But the dark mark of the betrayed marks her wrist, and she pulls the vampire back by her hair and throat.

Her eyes see into me and I stare back because her eyes are the same blue as mine. She smiles sadly, and her lips move as well – but I can distinguish the words this time: “I’m sorry, my son.”

Then they both topple back into the mass of misting shapes – the vampires eyes filled with tears, looking to me with pleading. But the basin of darkness swallows them up and for a moment I heard the vampire scream.

My parasite coils back at my center and the burn in my eyes recedes. The misting shapes return to the mass of silver and white as they all begin to descend and fade the light dies and the howls cease as well.

‘My son’? My mom? I knew she was human… but a hunter? What’s that supposed to mean? Who was the vampire woman with her? Betrayal? What betrayal? What the fuck?!

“Naruto, what’s wrong?” Sasuke’s voice disturbs my thoughts as darkness descends again.

“A ghost came up to me, a vampire, she tried to tell me something,” I start, but I can’t get the rest out – then a hunter came and dragged her down, but she called me her son, so I don’t know what that means…

Sasuke shrugs it off, “Then it was probably a lost one trying to fulfill her last wish by telling the living.” That’s what I thought too… “Nothing to do with you, so don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah.” I agree, then turn to look at him, watching his reaction, “Then a hunter came up and dragged her down. The hunter called me ‘her son’.”

Sasuke doesn’t move, not even a muscle twitch or twinge of showing any resonance of knowledge. “What did she say exactly?”

“-I’m sorry, my son.-” I repeat.

Sasuke nods, “Then perhaps a hunter who has taken pity that you are one of the kind she hunts.”

“Then why ‘my son’?”

“Clearly she’s one of those types – calls everyone my daughter, my son. Likely a religious person.” Sasuke figures with a nonchalant brush-off, before turning back to me.

“Perhaps Gaara could tell us if we’re going back soon, since the spirits world is closed now.”

“Yeah I’ll go ask,” I suggest, “just a minute.”

I turn toward Gaara, he’s not too far away but he did walk since we arrived so I move briskly to reach him in an expedient manner. But it definitely seemed like that vampire woman knew him – that pleading look of hers. Those tears?

There’s no way it was faked, or just because of a last-will. And ‘My son’, would she have looked at him like that if that’s all it was? What about their eyes – they were the same shape, the same blue… she’d given him such a strange look.

Love.

What?

My parasite shudders and curls up inside me. The answer to that query is ‘love’.

A woman I’ve never met who calls him her son who looks at me with ‘love’ in her eyes…? My mother?

Probably. I don’t care, let’s go. I can’t wait to sleep this off. And you still haven’t gotten laid!

Get your priorities in line.

We have priorities? That’s new!

Be quiet.

“Hey, Gaara?” I start as I catch up to him falling into step beside the giant beast. “Is this about the time we head back now? Since it’s over?”

“I suppose.” Gaara says turning towards the basin again, eyes scanning the lines of wolves drifting away, some sticking close to the edge as if waiting will allow them a second chance to see shapes. “Run with me.”

It’s not a question, and I don’t really stop to think, when he takes off into the woods I follow. It’s not even something I need to think about, although in retrospect I probably should have been a brat about it and stayed put.

It’s not too far away when we stop, but was probably far enough to not be overheard – given that no one followed us. It’s just a regular clearing, nothing particularly unusual about it except that there’s a huge wolf named Gaara before me.

He sheds his skin – and stands before me as before; that strange small youth whose bones could break in my hands and whose voice can make me shudder. Dark rimmed eyes focus on me as he turns, a strange mockery of a smile on his face.

He saunters toward me. “Finally…” a strange ruptured growl, and in seconds he’s right in front of me.

“You wanted to talk about something?” I question starting back as his hand grips my hip, his other rising to my shoulder – an agonizing burn that slides up my neck, white-hot fingers burrowing into my hair.

“Talk, fuck, it’s all the same.” That strange twisting voice tilts as he leans forward, and the burning iron brand that is his mouth covers mine – a quick violent movement our teeth clacked hard somewhere in there.

Immediately after I stumbled back, wrenching away from his face – his hand still fisted in my hair. Fuck he burns though!

“What the hell, Gaara?!” I snap at him my hands gripping his forearms – my nails digging in deep in warning. But it seems to have the opposite effective, his body shivers and he moves forward again.

“Is it so strange? Haven’t we been playing up to this all night?” if he’s trying to be sexy he’s failing – unless the tone that sounds like ‘I’m going to kill you’ sounds to some like something arousing.

I’m effectively terrified …a little – although at least when he’s in human form I can deal with it – I think – if he was in wolf form, I’d have to ask my parasite for help!

Get away from him.

What?

Get away from him now!

Weren’t you the one who said earlier ‘fuck him’?

Shut up! Forget what I said – get away from him now!

I can feel the stinging too. Something about Gaara – those flames are leaking out somehow aren’t they? His mouth latches onto my neck and I hiss as his tongue burns my flesh a bloody red, tracing up and down along my veins already boiling blood.

“Gaara! Stop it now!”

I dig my nails in harder, and he pulls back from me – his hand in my hair tightening, and his claws press hard into my hip, forcing me to bite back a moan of pain.

Green eyes stare back at me through the darkness – annoyance, impatience, and evident lust bordering on something violent I never want to see.

“Alright leech, how do you want to play then?” a snarl dripping malevolence – you’d think he was about to kill me rather than rape me.

“Why the hell are you doing this anyway? I don’t get it – before or now!” I hiss back at him. I’m not losing my cool – and at this point I am most definitely stalling.

“Why?” Gaara repeats with a snort, his claws loosen, and he pressed forward backing me until my legs strike against some kind of jutting wood. “Because you and I are the same – we’re the only ones akin enough to be the other’s equal.”

Equals my fucking dick! Get away from him now!

Does it hurt that much?

It did before it does now – shit, if he wasn’t a damn wolf!

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Why aren’t you running?!

Maybe he knows something…

RUN!

I want to know!

“As if you’re unaware.” He laughs, his leg sliding between mine and I only flinch as this burning extends to my inner thighs – shit! He should stop bobbing his knee up and down!

I latch my hand onto his hip instead, to keep his leg still, “Enlighten me.” I growl back.

“Well you were once human too, weren’t you?” Gaara muses with an almost sarcastic look as he tests the hold I have on his leg.

“Continue.”

Gaara grins and flexes his leg again, glaring back at me. Stupid-head. I release his leg regardless, and try not to make much noise as the heat burns through my pants, and stirs parts of me that I’d have sooner left unattended.

My parasite has started hissing too, so apparently he agrees – the uncontrolled burning flames he’s giving off are really agitating me.

“I assume it’s different for leeches,” Gaara smirks, “But for me, my pact was made by shadow bond – since the blood rite and sacrificial route are too barbaric for my kind.”

He leans up and his lips nip my ear. “Wolves take care of our kin.”

I shudder and my parasite snarls within pressing into parts of me despite the pain to drive back the unwanted heat. Too much – like a fever that will drown us, not incurable, it won’t kill, but it smarts like a bitch and we just don’t like it.

It wasn’t so bad when it was just the one touch – but this constant thing is really taking a toll on my skin, probably.

Gaara’s leg snakes out and that wood behind me is snapped in half and he pressed forward roughly. My body falls hard against the earth and I yelp when my head strikes a stone – violent bastard! Then his mouth is on my again.

My parasite snarls and extends to alleviate the burn – a thousand and a thousand more curses rush through m head in quick succession – anything to distract from the unpleasant burn.

It wouldn’t even be so bad if he could pull back the flames, but the more he goes on the more he lets those damn things out – and it burns to the point of pain.

Gaara’s hips bear down on mine and our teeth clack violently together when he tries to go too deep. His hands claws in the earth, quick abrupt jerking movements – like Temari’s dance it has no pattern no flow, and no ebb.

Rough – animalistic – burning and painful. Somehow that in and of itself doesn’t make me mind so much – Gaara’s hot, I’ll give him that, but he has to learn to control those flames, and maybe be a little less psychotic!

Suddenly Gaara’s body is gone and looking up I catch pale skin, dark eyes, raven hair and a hand burnt red after tossing the wolf in the opposite direction of myself. “Sasuke?” I wonder sitting up.

But he turns and suddenly there’s a pain in my skull – ringing around my head and I collapse back to the ground. It hurts – the world is spinning, the burn is dying away but the cold blast where Sasuke struck me makes my mind so muddled.

My eyes can’t focus, I can’t keep them open… did I pass out? “What did you do that for? I thought you were comrades or some-such.” Gaara’s voice breaks into my consciousness.

I still can’t see but I hear quick steps – something smacking, skin on skin, nail involved. Then Sasuke’s icy voice winds its way into my ear. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Well you don’t want him – you’re not screwing.”

“Are you insane pulling something like that? Don’t ever touch him!”

“Why because you want him?” Gaara’s snide voice bites back. A cold atmosphere and I wish my head would clear more – I don’t even remember what they’re arguing about. Damn my head feels rocky.

“… He has a purpose to serve.” Sasuke again, “Just like you.”

Gaara laughs. “Do we have a deal or not?” Sasuke’s voice grounds again.

“And that one is also integral to your plan, false prince?”

“I promised you war, I promised you vampires to hunt and kill – you are avoiding the question at hand here.” Sasuke’s voice snarls, “I will uphold my end of the bargain and you know I can. Will you honor yours?”

I blink back the darkness and turn my head – slowly their forms come into focus – Sasuke is the taller one, Gaara is the shorter, and Sasuke’s hair is more blurry… Why is Sasuke standing so close to him? No, Gaara moved toward him?

That bum – does he do that with everyone?

Gaara takes Sasuke’s limb and raises it to his lips, pressing his red mouth to the pale inside of Sasuke’s wrist.

“I belong to you, Sasuke.” His voice hints at a smirk – and even from here I can see the bright red stain his lips and hand leave on Sasuke’s wrist.

I don’t understand it – what are they even talking about?

Don’t care. My parasite growls and finally realize why the burn receded so fast – my parasite has been busy putting our own heat into those places to cool them back to the comfortable hot of my own skin. My heads still swimming but my nerves are alright.

I let my eyes slide shut when Sasuke turns from Gaara and steps toward me – his cold arms lift me up and soon he’s warm as he carries me – I feel the wind so I know we’re moving quickly, it feels like forever but only takes a moment.

He stops and we descend – the trenches. I recognize the smell – this is my trench, there goes my fantasy of him carrying me back to his place. Hmph – spoilsport. Sasuke lays my body gently on the ground.

He must have still thought I was out cold because then his hand touches my forehead, brushing some stray hairs aside, and then lingers at my cheek – a whisper barely heard, a sigh. “Wonder what you were thinking…”

Talking about Gaara? Sasuke I only really want you. I hear him shift to go, and my arm bolts out on it’s own, my fingers seizing his wrist – the same one Gaara kissed – I’ll erase it and make my own mark.

“Naruto?” to his credit Sasuke only sounds vaguely started, and I force my eyes open to see him as he turns back to look at me, a careful mask of no expression in place, “So you were awake?”

He makes no move to pull away or to return to my arms, so I make the choice for him, and pulling just a little too rough with a start he stumbled backward and my arms latch around his shoulders, pulling his back to my chest.

“Naruto!” Sasuke starts wriggling in my grasp, testing his space, but by no means making an effort to escape me. “Naruto – what are you doing?”

I’ll just be honest.

“I really want you.” My heart is hammering inside of me and I can feel his skin quivering where I touch, the cool flesh turning pink and warm.

“Let me touch you. Let me inside you.”

I feel him start, and glancing at his face I catch the hint of pink through his face as his blood begins to flow and brings a flush to pale cheeks. Dark abyss eyes stare ahead to someplace not really here.

I press my mouth to his neck, and peel his sweater down his shoulder, my hand moving over the newly bared skin.

He starts at the touch and I catch his recoil – dark eyes staring back at me is something between want and uncertainty.

My other hand drifts to the hem to drag his shirt upward, my hand grazing along his stomach, soft supple ridges of muscle and sinew and malleable flesh that turns hot and quivering under my hands.

He moans and turns away from me, his hands catch at my wrists, “That’s enough – not tonight.” He means to be firm, but his voice comes out weak somehow and I can tell in his movement that he’s aware that he missed his mark this time.

I let him go, and catch him again so he’s facing me. “Don’t run.” I tell him before standing to him – my arm trapping his waist, the other catching the back of his neck to hold him when I claim his mouth.

He pushes back against me, and my eyes lock on the mottled red marks still staining his wrist – and I can’t describe the flash of rage that fills me. I release him from that hold my arm still tight around him – and move to seize his wrist.

His voice curses at me when the skin strikes, too harsh to be gentle, and I hold it tightly, willing that mark to erase to be replaced with mine – but it’s slow in coming too slow.

“Naruto – let go.” Sasuke orders quietly, his voice calmer now, glaring quietly at me, but I don’t need that anger. He’ll have reason to be upset after this.

He growls when I raise the inside of his wrist to my lips – and I hear him yelp as I bite down hard on the skin.

It’s been so long – too long since I’ve tasted this, the thick crimson flavor of salt and spice and metal and life. His life in my hands – and I hear him cursing me again, his nails digging hard into my chest.

“Naruto! Let go, now!” he orders again, and I leave my tongue to lave the new wound – pressing tightly against the flow of red, thick crimson bands that fill up my mouth.

I could drink him in until his body falls to the ground unable to stand – but not tonight. I pull away and take in his face – furious, irritated, but not fear, never fear, and something else…

… lust.

Lust…

I take the edge of his sweater again and pull up, he starts and grunts in annoyance as I take and discard the garment, pulling him back against me my mouth devouring his.

My tongue wars with his as the wet muscle attempts to bar my way even after I’ve forced past supple lips to reach inside. A spreading heat that makes his mouth a moist cavern of soft sinew and fleshy interior.

His velvet tongue running next to mine and I have the urge to bite down hard, his lip or his tongue is fine – just another taste.

The last was too brief – I want that thick red of his to fill me up, I want to feel it running hot and into me, I want to feel that pulse flowing inside of me.

His body squirms against me and I drag him down to lay him on the soft earth. Hands clutch me tighter and dark eyes open wide and I leave off his mouth – lips dyed dark red abused and swollen, and I want to mark him more.

But dark eyes have locked on mine and they seize me by their sharpness and color – black bleeds to red, and suddenly I feel my eyes burning too – and I don’t know what’s happening.

Crimson red – ensnaring dark pits of blood and darkness, ebony and red, and I’m falling with nothing there beneath me, I’m falling in the abyss of those eyes.

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