High Stakes

Sasuke switched between staring at his watch, and watching Naruto in the bathroom. Sasuke had managed to get Naruto back into the room, but had several cuts and bruises from the experience. For as weak as Naruto should have been, he certainly had enough energy to put up a good fight. At least his wounds would heal when he went to sleep. He looked down at his watch again, he only had less than an hour before the sun would rise, and he really wanted to speak with Naruto.

He looked back over at the bathroom. Naruto had quit throwing up, had put on a pair of Sasuke’s sleeping pants, and was now tending to his bites. He had absolutely refused any help from Sasuke. Sasuke clinched his fists, “Damn hungry bitches.” He muttered. “Naruto.”

“Stay away from me, Dracula! How many times have you sucked my blood too? Freaking bats.”

“For the third time, I’m neither Dracula, nor a bat.”

“Shut up, or I’ll garlic and holy water your ass.”

“Can we talk about this like rationale adults?”

“No!” Naruto slammed the bathroom door shut.

Sasuke ran a frustrated hand through his hair, “Naruto, you need to lie down and rest. I know you’re weak.”

Naruto stuck his head out of the bathroom door, “And that’s just what you’re waiting for, isn’t it? You want to finish me off.”

“I’m just worried about you!” Sasuke immediately regretted saying that. But it seemed to calm Naruto down.

“If you’re worried about my safety, then you’d let me leave. I’m in more danger here than I would be anywhere else.”

“I told you not to leave the room.”

“Could have mentioned vampires!”

“Vampires aren’t nearly as bad as that freak that’s after you out there.”

Once again, Sasuke was surprised with Naruto’s stamina, he hadn’t even seen the fist coming until it connected with the side of his face.

“Don’t even pretend that you understand.”

Sasuke growled, “How is it you can continue to fight me, when I haven’t been anything but civil to you, but you can’t seem to protect yourself against this guy who…” Sasuke stopped when he saw the look on Naruto’s face. Obviously, the boy’s stamina was finally used up. Sasuke picked Naruto up in one swoop and set him down on his bed.

“I don’t want to stay here…” Naruto muttered.

Sasuke pulled his shirt off and got in bed beside Naruto, “I know you can read my mind as well as I can read your’s. Surely, you can tell that I’m not going to hurt you.”

Naruto frowned, but didn’t say anything.

“If you’ll stay around here until I wake up tonight, to make sure you’re healed, I’ll even help you move out.”

“Fine.”

“If you wake up during the day, remember I’m not any more dead than I am already.”

“Couldn’t care less…” Naruto closed his eyes and immediately fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Naruto woke up in a sweat. His heart was beating quickly, and there was only one thing on his mind: Kiba. He looked over at the sleeping vampire next to him and then over at the clock. The sun didn’t set until 8:00. It was only 7:40. He could still get away before Sasuke woke up. “I didn’t plan on breaking my promise to be here, but I’ve got to see Kiba.”

He slid out of the bed and left the room, not bothering to dress.

He was almost out the door before Kakashi’s voice stopped him. “Where are you off to?”

“I have to go see a friend.”

Kakashi roamed over Naruto’s body with an analyzing eye. “Let me call a car for you.”

Naruto watched Kakashi as he put the order through on his walkie-talkie. “You’re letting me leave?”

“Friends are important.” Kakashi shrugged.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Naruto stepped up to Kiba’s front door and knocked. There was no reply so he turned the doorknob. The door swung open. Kiba was never so careless as to leave his door unlocked. His stomach twisted as the piece of evidence confirmed his nightmare. He pushed the door open. Kiba’s place was trashed just as badly as his had been. Naruto tried to turn on the light so he could see better. “Kiba?” He called out. He hoped Kiba hadn’t been at home. He hoped Sai was long gone.

There was a moan in response, and Naruto felt his heart break. “Kiba?” He ran to the sound, tripping over several pieces of debri. He made out a rather large lump in the kitchen. “Kiba.” Naruto dropped to his knees. He could smell the blood before he actually saw the rather large stain in Kiba’s stomach. “Are you okay?”

“Naru…ahh…You’ve got to leave…Sai…”

Naruto pulled Kiba into his arms, “Kiba, we need to tend to it.”

Kiba shook his head, “I think he killed Akamaru…” Kiba stopped talking as tears welled up in his eyes.

Naruto swallowed back his own tears. He knew the stab wound might be fatal. And he could tell by Kiba’s paling complexion that he didn’t have long.

He was wondering what he could do when the idea of Sasuke flashed across his mind. He knew they had some weird vampire connection where Sasuke could read his thoughts. Maybe he could get him to come and save Kiba.

“He’d never make it here in time.”

Naruto jumped slightly at the unexpected voice. Kiba groaned.

“You’re Gaara.”

Gaara made a slight bow of the head, and looked over at Kiba. “He doesn’t have much time left. I can hear his pulse slowing down.”

Naruto squeezed Kiba’s hand, “You’re a vampire too, right?”

“A much more knowledgeable one than Sasuke.”

“Can…can you help him?”

Gaara leaned up against the side of the wall, “The only thing I can do is turn him.”

Naruto closed his eyes. Kiba was only dying because Naruto hadn’t taken care of Sai like he should have. He couldn’t let him die. “Okay.”

“It’ll come at a price. Are you willing to pay?”

“What price?” Kiba writhed in his arms, and suddenly Naruto didn’t care what Gaara wanted. “Okay, just save him.”

Gaara knelt down and put his lips over Kiba’s neck. Kiba dug his hand into Gaara’s shirt as he felt the slight pain and then the strange pleasure rush through him.

Naruto watched in sick fascination. He had always thought the idea of vampires was overrated, and he had been horrified when he was nibbled on by Sasuke’s harem, but the way Gaara ran his hand down his friend’s crotch, the pleasured sounds Kiba was making, and the way Gaara’s mouth moved, made him change his mind.

Kiba let out a strangled sound before he went limp in Gaara’s grasp.

“What did you do to him?!” Naruto screamed, scared maybe Gaara hadn’t been there to help him after all. Maybe he had just smelt the blood and came to finish him off.

Gaara removed his fangs and licked his lips, “I killed him.”

“You said you would save him!”

“I said I would turn him.” Gaara put his wrist in his mouth and with a fang cut himself. He put his bleeding wrist in Kiba’s mouth and watched as his blood dripped down Kiba’s throat.

Kiba’s eyes shot open. He grabbed Gaara’s wrist and greedily bit into it. He had never felt so hungry before. Gaara grunted and pulled his wrist away, “That’s enough.”

Naruto watched in complete astonishment, “Kiba!”

Kiba looked around, finally recognizing his surroundings. “Naruto? What happened?” He pulled up his shirt and watched as the wound closed itself. “What did you do to me?”

“Sleep.” Gaara ordered in a cold voice.

Kiba’s head lolled to the side as he fell asleep.

Naruto reached out and felt Kiba’s neck for a pulse. It was there and steady. “You really saved him.” Now that Kiba was safe, Naruto looked around for the dog. Naruto ran over to it. He wasn't sure where a doggy's pulse was, but he couldn't find anything. "He's dead."

Gaara held out his wrist and watched as the cut healed itself. “Good. I will not suck the blood of a dog. Now we need to discuss your payment.”

Naruto sighed, guilt welling up inside of him at the dead pet. But there was nothing more he could do about it. And now he had to pay Gaara. He stood up and looked down at himself, forgetting he was only in a pair of sleeping pants, “I don’t have my wallet on me.”

Gaara pushed Naruto up against the counter and ran a hand from his jugular down to the hem of his pants. Naruto couldn’t help but shiver at the strange sensation it sent down his body. “That’s not exactly the kind of payment I had in mind.”

//Naruto. Why aren’t you here?// Naruto recognized Sasuke’s voice as it echoed through his head.

“Don’t answer him.”

Naruto raised his eyes in surprise, “You know I can talk to him?”

“I know a lot more than that.”

“So what do you want from me?” Naruto tried to ignore Sasuke’s prodding mental touch.

Gaara handed Naruto a piece of paper. “Ever heard of a Beloved?”

The word sounded familiar, but Naruto couldn’t place it, “Not really.”

“Well, you’re Sasuke’s Beloved. And there’s a ritual you need to complete. These are the instructions. I want you to do it.”

Naruto looked at the folded piece of paper, “I don’t feel comfortable doing any rituals.”

“And you can’t tell Sasuke anything about this.”

//Naruto. Where are you?// Naruto looked over at Kiba, ignoring Sasuke. He wasn’t sure what he had agreed to, but he was sure he was paying very dearly for the deal he made. “And what about Kiba?”

“He’s mine. As his sire he has to follow any command that I give him. As soon as I know you’ve completed the ritual, I’ll set him free. And if you don’t agree, I could always use a sex slave.”

“How do I know you’ll keep your part?”

Gaara took a few steps closer to Naruto until their bodies were touching, “I’ve already bitten you twice, don’t you feel anything? Surely you can sense that I’ll keep my word.”

Gaara slipped his hand inside Naruto’s pajama bottoms. Naruto gasped.

“Do you feel anything?”

Naruto groaned. Now that Gaara had pointed out to him what he was supposed to be feeling, he did have a sense of loyalty towards Gaara. And it didn’t take much for Gaara to make him feel good.

The hand disappeared and Naruto mewed at the loss.

“Complete the ritual, and I’ll make you feel more than you’ve ever felt before. Now you can answer him.”

Gaara went over, picked Kiba up, and walked out of the trashed apartment.

Naruto opened the paper and sighed. According to the instructions the only remaining steps for the ritual were sex and the exchanging of blood.

//Naruto.// Even in his mind, Naruto could hear Sasuke’s growl.

//Sorry. I’m coming back.// Naruto took a deep breath. He told himself he hadn’t grown attached to Sasuke, and that he had the will to betray him. And even though Gaara wasn’t dead, Sasuke was still accused of trying to kill him. And he told himself he would never fall in love with a murderer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sai stepped down the darkened alley. He glared at the figure leaning in the corner, and jumped slightly when he heard a dog's bark.

“He wasn’t there.” Sai yelled over the constant barking.

“My mistake. Silence, Akamaru." The little vampire dog grew silent immediately.

“I didn’t kill Kiba though. I just hurt him, like you told me to.”

Gaara nodded, already well aware of Sai’s work a few hours earlier. He pulled his knife out of his jacket pocket. “You did well.”