Anime: Naruto
Characters: Gaara and Sasori
Genre: Supernatural
~I don't own Naruto only the idea of this story you're about to read... Pickles
A/N:I know I usually right the author's note in the bottom but I felt spontaneous this morning and so I've decided to write this on top. It's been a while since I've written anything Naruto related and so I felt compelled to do something about it. This is an AU styled Naruto piece and well I hope you like it. Again as with the Night World fic, I've been writing this for a while but haven't had the confidence to upload until now. Please leave a comment on this giving me pointers if you'd like or if you have anything you'd like to tell me. My albino rabbit is staring at me creepily so I'm going to take him on a walk. *6/20/12 to prove how long ago I wrote this my rabbits passed about five months ago which is a pretty long time ago (I still miss them *sniff sniff*). On with the story then…
Never trust the eyes of a killer
All of his life Gaara had been told he was a monster, a demon, to bring only destruction and misfortune upon others. Even his father, the leader of the small village he was born in, hated him because he was born with the family curse. The village had almost wiped out his whole family and others like them in the past but left his grandfather alive since he wasn't born a monster, a vampire. It wasn't Gaara's fault that the smell of blood stirred a great hunger within him or that his appearance was one that brought even men to their knees. With blood red hair, pale skin and shimmering sea green eyes the young teenager had managed to evade death many times resorting to his appearance or in some cases the long canine teeth that sprout whenever he hunted.
One day, however, Gaara had taken things too far when the village hunters had decided they'd gang up on him. As such he reacted as any animal in his position would, but the consequences were much more severe. The hunters approached the red head a few minutes before the sun made its slow succession down the vast horizon, cornering him at one of the most sacred of trees in the village. Two of the men held him down while the others had taken turns hitting, kicking and spitting at the defenseless teenager. He knew there was nothing he could to stop his abusers and so he waited for it to end. Once the beating was over he would finally be able to stumble away and find something to eat. Whenever he fed he found his wounds healed faster and senses grew stronger, but only when he'd had his fill.
The beating felt like it took a lifetime for the poor boy, who had taken to staring at the fresh, green blades of grass dull as the sun fell ever so slowly. He'd do this often when he was driven away by his father or the other villagers who were disgusted by his mere presence. He'd find himself on the ground by this tree praying, no begging, to be normal as he tore at the ground with his long clawed finger nails. He'd be out there ripping at the earth that he'd wish would swallow him up just once and leave him be. Suddenly he came back to the present beating, as he felt his clothes being torn off savagely by the largest of the men. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, quickening his heart rate and his breath became silent, he didn't know what they intended to do but every instinct in his body told him to kill.
"You're an abomination, nothing but a common whore with your looks" a gruff voice bellowed into his ears as the redhead let out a gasp at the sudden contact with his un-expecting organ. "What are you going to do, you pathetic monster?" rough calloused fingers wrapped under his chin and turned it towards the voice even as he tried to look away. Still weak from the beating earlier he felt himself being manipulated easily as blood fell from his nose, mouth and various cuts, but the wounds they were about to try and create would never heal.
"Stop" the monotone voice that Gaara always spoke in was leveled, even as his rage and fear were at war within him. He feebly tried pushing the nearest person away but found the two holding him down still strong as ever. Sighing he lowered his eyes and just hoped for the earth to just swallow him.
"Stop? You think you can order us around you dirty demon?" A bout of laughter echoed in the forest as the men advanced towards him. A kick precisely aimed to his rib elicited a loud crack and a gasp as air was driven out of the teenager's body. A hand grabbed at his hair and brought his face up towards them and a punch struck him across the face.
'Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm' the mantra was repeated in his mind over and over again until the red head could no longer hear the laughter or the strikes. Taking in as much air through his mouth he opened his eyes and glared at the men.
"Still have some fight in you" One of the men smirked and nodded to one of the other men as they brought out a long pointed double edged steel sword and pointed it at him. They waited for a reaction to spread across his face, but nothing happened. Sea green eyes stared at the point with a bored glaze as he waited for it to all end. "Trying to act tough boy?" a hand grabbed onto the crystal pendant with scarlet red sand and tugged off roughly. The strands of the lace holding the rare looking necklace together hung loosely between the calloused fingers the offender domed.
"Give it back" Gaara hissed as he fought against the two men holding him down with more vigor this time. There was no way he'd let this jerk take his most prized possession, not now, not ever. He didn't care who it was that had taken the necklace but he knew that that person was now on his list of people he'd kill. He didn't even know who had given that pendant to him or when the transfer occurred, but all he knew was that the person was the first to have cared for him in a sincere way and that they'd promised to come back for him in the near future.
"So you do know how to feel emotions" a dark chuckle emitted from the man holding the pendant between his index and thumb letting it fall before his struggling captive and catching it in the palm of his hand. He held it up to Gaara's face and examined the sand as it swayed eagerly inside the crystal. It looked very expensive, especially in these parts of the village, and the color red was not a color used often. Jealousy boiled within the hunter as he threw the pendant on the ground and stomped heavily on the object repeatedly. Sick satisfaction erupted on all of the men as they saw the crestfallen look on the demon's face. How they'd long to see the monster feel as low and unwanted as he really was, he deserved it, he shouldn't be alive.
"Get away" The tiny whisper came out as a primal growl that slightly startled a couple of the hunters, but the man who'd stomped on his pendant simply smirked as he took a step forward. "I'm warning you now that I cannot be responsible for anything I do"
"What can you do boy? You are weak and pathetic" the voice had ruptured something delicate within the red head, something that he knew would have been better left unsevered, for now all he saw was red. Pulsing red, it looked delicious, smelt ravishing, it was… magnificent. Especially as the redness within them all began to flow faster as they scattered about at the sight of elongated canines beginning to form.
All Gaara could feel at this point were the wild rage of the animalistic instincts he'd kept contained for a while and his body becoming much lighter as he flew about in the world of euphoric, warm ruby like liquid. All he heard were the distant horrified screams that filled his ears, tempting him to run faster and drink more, basking in the renewal of energy. The scent of rich iron and adrenaline caressed his nose eliciting a warm shiver as the last of the hunters dropped, devoid of any of the life sustaining liquid. A sigh escaped the red head as he sat down in the middle of the mess he'd just created and took in the pleasure only a true predator felt after a good day's meal.
"Not so pathetic now am I" Gaara muttered as he picked up the pendant next to him and wrapped it in the scraps left on his shirt. Anger stirred again in the teenager and he wanted to hurt the man who'd done this to his most prized possession but he knew he couldn't. The man was dead, as were the rest of the village's hunters and he was to blame. Of all the things that could happen, it had to be this, now he definitely knew he was going to be in trouble, but he didn't care. He was delightfully stuffed and beginning to feel tired, so he let his eyelids begin to ascend over his sea green eyes and his mind wandered into a peaceful world.
…
Day light came and as usual the red head growled at having been woken up from his only escape from the misery that was his life. Shifting from his spot on what he presumed was the floor from the stiffness in his muscle; he felt the faint weight of restraints on his wrists, which for some would have been scary, but not Gaara. The redhead opened his eyes slightly to see the crudely made metal restraints on him, not only that but he wasn't in the forest anymore, but in some kind of cave. In hindsight that actually made sense since he had yet to hear the songs that the birds usually sand in the morning as well as the slight breeze that would warn him of the new day.
Sighing the young teenager sat up carefully trying not to make too much noise (if any really) because having people scream at you early in the morning was not the most pleasant of experience to have (he'd know). Blinking the tiredness away, Gaara began to tedious task of flexing his wrists until the restraints finally gave out. He watched content as the metal began falling to the floor with a low thud, when would they finally learn that those stupid tales that metal affects vampires were lies? Turning his head to the window he felt the sting of the light against his sensitive eyes immediately closing them again to help adjust.
Unlike most of his ancestors, Gaara could go out in the sunlight without any real trouble. Sure it did hinder his eyesight and at night he would be tired, but other than that he was perfectly fine. If it weren't for his strange appearance (blood red hair and pale green eyes were definitely not the most common of features) he could have passed as a normal citizen, as he'd always wanted. Stretching his back he heard the door crack open an inch as well as a smothered gasp behind him, it was then followed by horrified screams for help. Turning around the red head only got a glimpse of the woman who had been at the doorway moments ago before four men armed with sharp spears arrived at the door.
"The demon is alive, he's awake."
"Kill the monster"
"Stab it with the wooden stake"
"We should have never let him live"
The voices of various people enveloped the room as both the women and men yelled at him in anger. "Why?" you may ask, well that probably had to do with the fact he just murdered the entire hunting group and well as you can guess my the remarks, vampires weren't exactly the most popular species in this village. Especially since his ancestors used to be one of the worst of the vampires, they'd indulge in daily banquets of human sacrifices and raped many of the village's women. The result of which was a cross between vampires and humans that were infertile and usually went berserk from the hunger for human blood. It was after centuries of living with the abuse that the village finally took control of the situation and went on a killing spree. They were actually able to eliminate the vampires and hybrids within a decade and reclaim their lands, but they still harbored all of their hate for the species. Gaara couldn't really blame them for their hatred, but he resented how they treated him. He didn't even feed on people (minus what happened last night), he only hunted wild animals and yet they still treated him like a murderer.
Sighing, the young teenager allowed the men to harshly escort him out the cave with the spears pointing at his back forcing him forward. He began to quint his eyes in a vain attempt to shield them from the light's strong rays, but it didn't really help especially since the sun decided to shine extra bright today. The redhead took to looking down until the familiar sound of a man chuckling made its way to his sensitive ears.
Risking the view, the young vampire was met with the sight of his "father" standing in front of him with a smirk on his face. He and his father had never been close, well that was an understatement there, his father pretty much prayed for his death every day. Literally anything Gaara did was under the careful watch of his father, one mistake and the first one to scream execution was, as you'd guessed, his father.
"You screwed up this time. I won't even try to save you demon, you don't deserve to be saved" the harsh words hit hard in Gaara's heart. Working extra hard to keep his face blank the teenager merely glanced at the fire burning behind his father. It crackled and soared high into the air trying to outshine the brilliant sun that seemed to want the torture to continue until it could no longer stay in the sky. The ravenous flames were surrounded by the men and women, even the young impressionable children of the village. Most had frowns on their faces, but some were bold enough to be smiling happily at the sight of the beast being led to his death.
'So they plan on burning me' Gaara sighed as he felt himself be stripped once more of his robes (don't worry he was left in his under garments), he'd just noticed they had redressed since the attack last night, but this time he didn't fight the people undressing. He had the nagging feeling that no matter what, this was inevitable. He felt hands brush harshly on his skin, never to feel anything again, that is, if the villagers had anything to say about it.
A strange calming rush circulated the redhead as the fire danced forward and backwards beckoning to him in the natural seductive way it always would. Somehow the redhead knew what was to come long ago, even before the massacre and had come to accepted it. He no longer had to beg the earth to eat him up; no longer did he have to deal with the abuse, no more hatred or loneliness. It felt…. almost freeing. That in itself was a sad thing; only in the face of death could this poor creature feel freedom.
Sea green eyes were scanning the pit for one last time looking into the eyes of the village people who were there to witness his ultimate demise. Those were the people who watched him for seventeen years, ever since his birth up until now plotting his death in their minds.
"Watch, my people, as we get rid of the last of the beasts" His father shouted out from his spot behind his son. In the background the frantic yells of his other children rang, begging the village leader to let their younger brother live. They were probably the only people who wanted him alive, and yet they wouldn't step anywhere near him. It was a sad reality as the redhead smirked at the irony of the situation. Step by step he could feel the heat creep closer and closer upon his exposed feet.
"Any last words?" The old voice that could only belong to Baki, his old teacher, softly asked before more oil was added onto the already blazing fire. The lone vampire merely shook his head staring straight at the rambunctious flames licking hungrily at the space before him. "Goodbye" the words seemed so far as a harsh push was struck to the back of the redhead's neck.
'It's over' Gaara thought as he felt himself freefalling forward towards the heat he was welcoming. He waited for the pain and the deafening sounds of being eaten by the flames, as well as the fabled white light seen upon meeting death. When he didn't any excruciating pain his eyes fluttered open in confusion only to be met with frightfully darkened face covered with a black cloth and dangerously obsidian eyes that were currently glaring out into the crowd.
"You all make me sick." The growl erupted from the man who wore a black cloak with what could only be described as red clouds. His eyes scanned the opening and his eye narrowed upon meeting the village leader. "Hurry the hell up guys, I hate to be kept waiting and this piece of shit is really pissing me off"
'Guys?' The redhead looked around only to see the flashes of black that seemed to magically appear from nowhere in particular.
Craning his neck he saw a man with long coal black hair tied back into a pony tail wearing a similar cloak, his eyes were a crimson red with three dark black spots on them. Further back there was another man (?) with long blonde hair that was half up with a large portion covering his left eye. Gaara tried to see more but upon not being able to he looked down to see he was being held bridal style by the man in the cloth covering the bottom of his face.
The redhead flushed as he tried to get down from the embarrassing position, but couldn't upon feeling the arms tightening their grip on him securely. He was about to protest until something inside him told him that it wouldn't be wise to go against the man, not now at least. Instead the teenager tried to make himself as small as possible as he avoided the heated glare coming from his father. Turing to crane his head once more he was amazed to see more men appear, all of which were strange in their own ways.
" Jashin would be happy to have all of these sacrifices" A pale man with slicked back gray hair and maroon eyes spoke up with a smirk on his face. He also wore the same cloak but in his hand he held a rather large scythe. I could tell he was annoying to everyone else since the others seemed to roll their eyes at him.
"Shut the hell up, Hidan. Nobody fucking cares" the man beside him spoke up but this one looked very strange with blue skin and gills on the side of his neck. He looked almost like a shark with his teeth lined along his gums and his dark beady eyes. In his hand he held a huge unusual looking sword, but Gaara instantly knew there was more to the sword than it looked.
With a swift glare the man holding Gaara managed to quiet the others down and then a huge stare off began between the villagers and the man in the cloaks. Although Gaara had been thoroughly confused by the situation judging from the horrified expressions (a disgusted face was the only thing that came from the village leader) the redhead had a feeling the entire village knew something he didn't.
"You have some nerve coming back Sasori of the red sand." The gruff voice of the village elder sounded from behind Gaara's father bringing everyone's attention to the old man. Everyone marveled at the old guy with turban around his head as well as long white eyebrows protruding above the black sunken in mass that was his eyes. Beside him was his sister who was equally as old but her wrinkled face definitely showed her anger.
"Nice to see you to Gramps" The cloaked man replied sarcastically towards the two elders stunning everyone in the village as he cemented his identity. Gaara's sea green orbs widened as the realized just who the man holding him was. Sasori of the red sand, the man who was single handedly dubbed the father of puppetry and most feared criminal in the village. His name itself was earned after he used his weapon puppets to stain the sand around him red with the blood of those who opposed him. One day he disappeared leaving the village after a huge massacre occurred. He was suspected in being the one who had done it and before they could take him away for execution he simply disappeared.
'So this is the vampire criminal who got away' Gaara thought as he looked between the elders and Sasori. He hadn't seen this many people look this peeved since the last time he'd hunted a little too close to home and accidentally snacked on one of the milking cows.
"You are no family of mine you monster" Ebizo, the elder, announced in a voice devoid of any emotion as he placed a hand onto his sister's shoulder comforting.
"Harsh un" the blonde foreigner replied in an annoying tone of voice as he dug into a bag and took out some clay. The redhead stared in confusion at the action but decided not to bother asking what the other guy (Gaara at this point was still unsure of the gender of the blonde).
"Shut it Deidara" Sasori grunted out as he handed the teenager off to the blonde. The other took the young vampire without any trouble and backed off. When the blonde was far enough away he was able to see the long canines that were peeking out the corners of his mouth.
'Other… vampires?' Gaara mused as he shuffled uncomfortably in the other's arms.
"I can stand on my own. Put me down" Gaara ordered in an authoritative way before he heard a chuckle. The blonde looked down for a second before the world turned black once more and the redhead was once again plunged into an unconscious haven.
~to be continued ~
