I'm sorry it's been such a long time, but at least I think this is a good one. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Hurt pride

Sasuke found Suigetsu texting on the sidewalk right in front of the night club. When he noticed Sasuke approaching, he flipped his silver hair to the side and smiled nervously, shoving the cell phone in his pale jeans pocket.

"Hey, Sasuke, what's up?"

He reached out and stole the phone from him, before looking at the text he'd been about to send.

Sasuke's on to me. I think texting is safer at this point."

He looked up and Suigetsu shrugged and tried to laugh it off. "It's nothing, I just thought…"

"Nothing?" Sasuke repeated angrily. "Whose phone is this? If Madara or whoever the fuck else in that stupid organization finds this text they can probably trace back the number to here."

"I had to take the chance…"

Sasuke interrupted him again. "Why? So you could text this? Seriously?"

"You don't understand! I wasn't done."

"What else did you want to tell them?"

They were raising their voices and a few people around stared. Suigetsu sighed, leaning a bit closer to Sasuke.

"I wanted to ask if Shino is an undercover agent from the Akatsuki."

Sasuke shook his head in disbelief. "Shino? An undercover agent? What is this now some cop show?"

"Yes! I mean no! Why do I have to explain everything?"

"Shino's just a friend of Kiba's and Ino's and he's been living with Kurenai and Asuma for a long time. As far as I'm concerned he's no threat."

"I thought you were supposed to be smart," Suigetsu said impatiently. "Look, the Akatsuki keeps old, powerful vampires in check. They're good at doing that. They don't want anybody else to form a group like theirs. So they need someone undercover, like with Kurenai and Asuma for exemple."

"Why Shino?" Sasuke asked, still doubtful.

"Because he doesn't stand out," Suigetsu spread his arms. "See? You never suspected a thing."

"And why did you?"

"Uh, maybe cause he followed us here."

Sasuke frowned. "You didn't think of telling me this before?"

"You were too busy with your boyfriend."

"Is that jealousy I detect in your tone? Cause I don't have time for drama Suigetsu."

"From the guy who makes out with three people in one night."

"Can we skip to the part where you tell me where Shino is right now so I can go break his neck?"

"I don't know where he is," Suigetsu sighed, looking away. "He was watching us from a distance the whole time but he just left a few minutes ago."

"So did Naruto," Sasuke mused. "You think he's following him?"

A cold chill in the night air sent shivers running down his spine. Suigetsu placed his hand on the small of Sasuke's back briefly.

"Come on we'd better go after them."

They started walking very quickly, senses alert. Suigetsu demanded his phone back.

"Can I send my text now?"

Sasuke threw the phone on the concrete and crushed it with his boot as he walked past it. Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"I guess I'll take that as a no…"

After a little while Sasuke got frustrated. They had almost reached Kurenai's house and still nothing.

"I can't feel anything. Naruto isn't there. That idiot probably got lost. Where the hell are they?"

"Next time you might consider keeping him on a leash," Suigetsu said.

A few minutes later they stood in front of the house and indeed Naruto and Shino weren't inside. Kiba, Hinata, Sakura and Shikamaru were in there as well as Kurenai and Asuma; but no trace of the two others.

Sasuke pushed the door open harshly as he was ready to demand answers.

"Sasuke?" Hinata said softly as she looked up. She had been playing some board game with Kiba and the others. Vampires playing board games.

"Where's Naruto?" Kiba asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," he frowned and looked over at Kurenai. "What can you tell me about Shino?"

…

Naruto hadn't seen it coming. He had been so troubled by everything that had happened recently, more specifically between Sasuke and him. He should've been more careful.

That guy whose name he couldn't even remember had showed up out of nowhere as he was walking in the city at night. At first Naruto had been glad to see him, thinking he could ask directions to figure out his way back to the house. After all, he wouldn't want to be outside when the sun came up.

But before Naruto could even begin to ask anything, the vampire had attacked him. His appearance was pretty sketchy, he later noticed, with his black shades and hood pulled over his head. Naruto wouldn't have recognized him at all if it weren't for the vampire sixth sense thing.

So he attacked but Naruto defended himself fairly well at first. He was high off Sasuke's blood and he felt powerful.

"The fuck are you doing?" He asked, annoyed with this situation.

The strange guy didn't answer. He was very calm as he continued attacking him relentlessly. His technique was different from Sasuke's or those guys from the Akatsuki who had attacked them back in Japan. He was just always trying to grab him and push him down. Through the fight he led Naruto to an alley between two closed stores and pinned his legs to the ground harshly while holding his arms behind his back, bending them in an unnatural way. Naruto had no idea how it happened. Before he knew it, he was screaming out in pain because his arms were breaking.

"Let me go you asshole," he practically sobbed. He wanted to be strong but he was simply so sick and tired of all this. He didn't want this life. He wanted nothing to do with it.

"Sorry," the guy said calmly, "I've got nothing against you personally. I'm just doing my job."

Naruto struggled like crazy but there was no way he could get free from that guy's hold. He was too strong.

He flinched when he heard gun shots. Then he realized. There were humans standing on the side of the street, holding guns in their hands, and they had shot him. And the pain was a few seconds to come, strangely enough. But it did as Naruto's blood gushed out from the wounds onto the ground. He wanted to scream out in pain once more but no sound came out. He was losing consciousness. He felt like he was dying. He thought that this maybe wasn't such a bad thing. But at the same time survival instinct kicked in and he struggled weakly one last time before passing out.

…

They were in a plane when he woke up. More precisely in the back section of a small plane. Naruto was restrained, his hands tied behind his back. His arms still hurt, and his chest where he had been shot. But the bullets were out. His body was healing itself. No matter how amazing that was, he still felt like shit. His mouth and throat were dry. He was so thirsty.

Coming out of his daze, he saw that the vampire with the shades and hoodie was in here, watching him. There were also two others, wearing black shirts with red clouds on them. These were Akatsuki assholes, for sure. Naruto had been caught and he felt like a complete idiot.

He felt so weak that the sound of the plane's engine almost lulled him back to sleep. But his strong will kept him awake. He needed to find a way to get out of here. Because he wasn't sure what Akatsuki would do to him, but it sure couldn't be anything good.

Naruto wanted to see outside but the windows were blocked. Shit, it couldn't be day already. That would mean they were far away. He tried to calm himself, even though his heart was beating really fast in fear. Well, call it a vampire's special ability or whatever, but he had the feeling it was still night. He couldn't have been unconscious for very long. Sasuke had given him so much blood earlier. He had felt so strong and he still did, no matter what. So he had to find a way out.

"Hey, where are we going?"

Shades and hoodie guy stared at him for a moment, as though surprised he was awake. Then he said, "It would be better if you stayed quiet, Naruto."

"What do you want from me?"

"You're on the Akatsuki's wanted list. Ideally I should've brought you and Sasuke together but I figured it'd be easier to deal with one at a time. You know, take the weakest one out first."

Naruto sat up straight, angry. He struggled, trying to figure out if his arms were healed enough to break out of his ties.

"I'm not the weakest one!"

One of the other Akatsuki guys scoffed at that. "Says the guy who was taken out in less than two minutes. By Shino of all people."

"Hey shut up," the other replied.

Ah yeah, so that was his name. Naruto remembered now.

"You bastard," he spat. "You were supposed to be friends with Kiba, and… and that blonde girl and those other people. You were with Akatsuki the whole time?"

"Aren't you a sharp one," Shino said although he was clearly mocking him. Naruto knew that much. But he didn't care about that. He was getting stronger every second.

He clenched his fists, gathered his strength, and gave it his all. Before the others could react, the ropes got weaker until they broke completely. There were bloodied marks on Naruto's arms but he barely even noticed. He was mad with rage. His emotions were heightened. He felt like a wild creature who couldn't even control itself. He was thirsty – bloodthirsty.

Naruto fought the two guys he didn't know. The space was too restrained for Shino to enter the fight too. He seemed a bit panicked as he watched. It didn't last long. Naruto used fists, knees, elbows, and even his head to hit them. As he crushed them loudly to the floor of the plane flashes of his previous fight with Akatsuki filled his mind; a head cracking open on a rock, blood splashing everywhere. And now he was doing it again. He had become a killer. There was no going back.

The small room was filled with blood. As Naruto looked up, he couldn't see Shino anywhere. A door was open so Naruto headed there, breathing hard, fists still clenched. Apparently Shino was trying to pilot this thing.

"It was on automatic," he explained without turning to look at Naruto. "Now is no time to fight. You damaged the plane while fighting you idiot if you keep this up we're going to crash."

"I don't care!" He yelled so harshly that Shino did look behind his shoulder this time. Naruto frowned. "How stupid do you think I am? I'm not letting you take me to the Akatsuki headquarters to be executed. I'd rather crash the damn plane…"

There were windows here; they were above the sea and the lights of dawn were coming. Apparently Shino was protected by his getup. But Naruto's skin started to hurt. He ignored it though. His maddened blue eyes saw the exit door and Shino tried to block his way but he was pushed aside roughly. Naruto forced the door open and he threw himself out without thinking twice. The plane was going to crash anyway. It was out of control, no matter what Shino tried.

Naruto was covered in blood, gashes, bruises and scars from all the fighting. He was physically and emotionally drained. But somehow he knew he wasn't going to die. This went through his head as he fell in the sky. And the funny thing was, despite the situation, well it was quite something to fall from this height. He actually enjoyed this moment of pure freedom. Until, after what seemed like such a long time even though it really wasn't, he sank in the water.

It was so cold, ice cold. He was so deep in the sea. The cold was seeping through his ripped off clothes and all the way to his bones, it seemed. He started swimming but he wasn't reaching the surface. Could vampires breathe underwater? No – he found out soon enough. Well, then could they die from drowning? Just as he started panicking and choking, his legs kicked and trashed and finally he emerged. The oxygen filled his lungs and he coughed a few times, waves crashing in his face.

But drowning seemed like the least of his problems now. The sun was coming out. Fear seized his heart. There was such a long distance to the shore. He felt like he was enveloped by the darkness of the water. He had always been scared by the seas and oceans; scared of the unknown. Who knew what could be lurking in there? Okay so maybe he was being paranoid, but he still didn't like it.

He jumped out of his skin when he heard a loud crash in the distance. Of course, the plane. Well, at least now he knew in which direction to go. So he started swimming. What if Shino was still alive, or those two other guys? Surely they would come after him. There was no time to lose.

Soon his skin hurt too much and he couldn't take it anymore. Naruto was scared and he felt so vulnerable. But his body was strong and fast, thank god. He would have to thank Sasuke for all that powerful blood he had given him. Well maybe not thank him. He hated that bastard. Stupid guy.

Naruto dived under water. He had no choice. Still swimming so, so fast, propelling himself with his strong legs, he was surprised by his train of thought. He was still thinking about Sasuke. The Akatsuki wanted him too. His maker. Naruto felt protective for some reason. He didn't understand it. Instincts, maybe.

Had Sasuke gone through something like this before because of the Akatsuki? Had he been shot? Had he escaped? Had he been scared and vulnerable? Somehow, Naruto hated the thought of that happening.

Soon enough, all thoughts left his mind, as he needed to breathe again. So he came out of the water and again his lungs were filled with air, so he could dive in once more. He was hurt from the daylight hitting him straight in the face. He could only hope that would heal fast enough.

Naruto was swimming so damn fast. He had never thought it was actually possible to swim this fast. Then again he wasn't human anymore. So he supposed that explained it. In any case, he was glad. Plus no one seemed to be pursuing him. There were boats in the distance, signs of life. He wasn't that far from the shore. He could barely feel his legs and arms due to the cold but they kept obeying him anyway, moving so, so fast, and like he was the most skilled swimmer in the world even though he had never done this outside of a gym's swimming pool before.

He eventually reached a beach. It was so early in the morning so everything was quiet. Besides it was way too cold for anyone to come here this time of year. Shaking, trembling, panting, and still coughing water, Naruto made a run for it. Everything was like a bad dream. All of this, since the very beginning, since he had met Hinata back home, had been like a long, horrible nightmare.

Finding shelter under the trees, he sat against a large trunk and curled up on himself, hugging his knees. He just wanted to feel safe. The light was still there. It sneaked through the trees and hurt him every time. His skin was red and sensitive all over, like a really bad sunburn. Wasn't there a place where he could feel safe?

No… not somewhere, but someone. Sasuke. The next instants were strange. It was as if his subconscious took over. He screamed out Sasuke's name, though no sound came out of his lips. It was the equivalent of screaming at the top of his lungs, but with his mind. Well there was a connection between them; that he couldn't deny any longer. But would that really work?

Well even though he had doubts, he still kept thinking Sasuke's name over and over like a mantra. He couldn't stop. He hated to admit, but he needed him. He was alone, and he had no one else.

…

Kurenai couldn't tell him anything pertinent about Shino, and neither could Asuma or Ino. All they knew was that he was a nice guy, a bit dorky, and he liked to collect and study insects. Very helpful information. Apparently they had known him since forever and never suspected a thing. In fact, they were offended that Suigetsu and Sasuke even dared suspect him. In other words, that conversation was leading absolutely nowhere.

Until dawn, Sasuke and Suigetsu were out looking for Naruto everywhere, from the city to the least frequented areas. They found themselves in dark, dangerous spots but couldn't be bothered with humans anyway. Sasuke was just trying to detect Naruto's presence. But they had no luck and soon needed to head back toward Kurenai's home.

This town – this country, or even continent – was depressing. Sasuke wished he could just go back to Japan. His home, originally, was England. But he had lived in Japan for so long now. It was where he felt most at peace. He wished he could be there with Naruto to help him out through becoming a vampire. Sasuke wanted to take Naruto to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and all the other great cities, the small islands, everywhere. They could travel together while he taught him everything. And if Naruto wanted to visit more of the world then they could move on to another country, then another. Perhaps it was just some silly maker's instinct but that was how he felt. He wanted to make him discover everything.

Naruto had sort of just happened in his life, so very recently. There had been absolutely no way to expect it. But now Sasuke found himself craving his presence, like he had been missing something before without even knowing it.

And now they were stuck in some country he didn't know, with Kiba's friends as their only protection and hideout. What a joke. They hadn't been hiding from the enemy. Suigetsu was always around and Sasuke wasn't even sure he could trust him yet. And now Shino was an enemy too. Enemies were everywhere. They could never be safe. They should have stayed in Japan. Changing locations was pointless when the enemy was on top of the world. It had been foolish to think otherwise.

The city was slowly beginning to wake up when they reached their safe house. Suigetsu had to stand under the rooftop to be safe from the sun. Sasuke wanted to stay outside just a little longer. The pale sunlight tingled rather than hurt. He was so powerful and resistant after centuries of being a vampire. Sometimes he liked to stay out in the sun just for a few moments.

"You a masochist or something?" Suigetsu raised a brow. "Your skin's gonna get red. That would be a shame."

"Just go inside Suigetsu," Sasuke replied, annoyed. He didn't even bother looking at him.

"Suit yourself…" And with that Suigetsu disappeared in the house.

It was a few seconds later that Sasuke felt it. Although weak and faraway, a distinct voice called for his help.

A whisper escaped Sasuke's lips. "Naruto…"

Closing his eyes and frowning slightly, Sasuke concentrated with his sharp supernatural senses, letting his long black hair be blown softly by the cold wind. He could feel where Naruto was, if his senses didn't betray him. He started running, opening his eyes, letting his feet take him there in an incredible speed, uncaring that humans might see him. They would ignore it. Humans usually ignored what they couldn't explain.

That was an unusually strong spiritual power Naruto was using. Calling him like that, from a long distance wasn't the most surprising thing. The fact that Naruto had actually thrown his powers into that call, so that Sasuke could feel his presence and detect his location, was rather amazing. Not all vampires could do such a thing, no matter how old or powerful. Some were simply more skilled than others at telepathy.

As he got closer and closer, Sasuke started feeling Naruto's pain and despair. So he ran even faster. He got to the bunch of trees where Naruto was hiding – it was too small to even be called a forest or woods – nearby a small beach. He found the eighteen year old curled up on himself in the shade of a tree, holding himself. He was a total mess, dark clothes ripped off and blond hair all tangled and hiding his eyes. He was injured all over, although it didn't seem to be more than sun burns, cuts, scrapes and bruises. He was trembling so badly. Sasuke didn't know what to do. He put one knee down and hesitantly brought a hand closer to Naruto's fragile body.

His own skin hurt a bit from running out in the sun but he couldn't be bothered. The light didn't reach here, for now. They were safe. He just wanted to know what had happened to Naruto. When he finally pressed his hand to his shoulder, he flinched. But Sasuke kept his hand there and slowly Naruto calmed down. But he was still shaky, like he was really cold. Sasuke realized his clothes and hair were damp.

"Hey… you're gonna be okay. Just… what the hell happened?"

"A-After the club… I got lost and…" He started hesitantly, in a weak, rasp voice. He curled up on himself even more, pressing his face into his arms, like he wanted to sink into the damp ground and disappear. The wind made him shiver.

"And what? " Sasuke asked.

Naruto wasn't answering and he got impatient. He knew he shouldn't, especially not when Naruto was already so troubled, but he reached out to read his mind. He saw everything like Naruto was telling him the story with images. He saw Shino attacking him, breaking his arms. He heard the gunshots and felt Naruto's pain. He saw the scene in the plane and the escape. He felt everything that Naruto felt in the water and all the way to here.

"Fuck, Naruto… I told you to stay close to me… None of this would've happened if…"

Wrong move. Naruto was suddenly filled with anger and frustration. He smacked Sasuke's hand away and jumped to his feet. He stepped away only to stop again, leaning against a tree. He couldn't go any further because he wouldn't be protected by the shade any longer.

Without looking at Sasuke, he asked, "Is that why you saved me? So I had to stay close to you at all times, like a fucking leash dog? Huh? Cause… I'm not sure I want this life…"

Despite his harsh words, anger seemed to be seeping out of him. He closed his eyes and bloody tears rolled down his cheeks. Clearly he was exhausted. The wind created an opening in the leaves and the light hit Naruto's face and he flinched in pain. Immediately Sasuke was next to him, holding him in his arms, protecting him from the hurtful light. Naruto gave in. His body went weak and he leaned into Sasuke, pressing himself closer, squeezing his eyes shut. Everything was quiet. There was nothing but the wind. Sasuke entangled his long pale fingers in Naruto's tangled hair. Mixed in with the smell unique to Naruto, which Sasuke loved so much, there was the smell of the sea and the scent of other vampires' blood.

"We'll go to a hotel…"

"What?" Naruto whispered in his chest without looking up.

"I don't want to go back to Kurenai's. It's not safe. We can't trust anyone. Just each other, all right? And well… I guess we can trust Shikamaru and Kiba. But that's it. So… I'm going to rent us a hotel room and then I'll get us plane tickets 'cause I don't like it here. We're leaving and we'll… find a place where we… where you can be safe."

"Is there really such a place?" Naruto slowly pulled away, composing himself. He wiped his eyes and flipped his bangs out of his face. Looking at Sasuke's shirt, where his tears had left stains, he made a face.

Sasuke didn't know what to answer to that, actually. Eventually, he said, "If not… I'll just kill them."

Their eyes met. "What?"

"I'll kill the Akatsuki. All of them."

"Look I don't know much but um… I know enough to tell you what you're saying makes no sense. So good luck with that and… send me a postcard from hell."

"I will," Sasuke tilted his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "At least you won't be stuck with me anymore. Since you hate it so much, that would be a relief for you."

Naruto just looked at him, hesitating. He still looked tired but it seemed he had regained his senses for the most part. His eyes were clear. At least his skin wasn't red anymore. His wounds were slowly healing. He stood straight, just a few inches shorter than Sasuke. He had a certain elegance, truth be told, even now, despite the ragged appearance. A beauty that no one could take away from him. Naruto's eyes were a deep, dark blue. His eyelashes and eyebrows were as blond as his hair and his skin a pure, pale gold, almost ethereal – very vampire like. His lips were full, his traits delicate but not too much. His jaw was defined and his body was stunning; thin, athletic, slim and graceful. Yet he would always have that boyish look, since he was only eighteen years old. Sasuke realized he desired him so badly.

"Well we're stuck here now, that's for sure," Naruto finally said, clearing his throat. His voice sounded better now, recovering from swallowing all that salty water earlier. Sasuke almost cringed at the thought; mustn't have been very pleasant.

Looking up briefly he chuckled. "Yeah." Indeed the sun was quite intense. Even in the shade it was annoying. In those circumstances, the cold wind was only soothing.

Naruto ran his fingers through his hair and looked away. "Look, you're not that bad. I didn't mean it… like that. I just want… I don't know I don't want to live my whole life with assholes like that trying to kill me. I don't know how you do it."

"Well they were always around but they were never that annoying. I guess… I guess I broke one more rule and it was one too many."

"Don't you dare try putting this on me!" Naruto exclaimed with accusing eyes studying Sasuke's face. He was actually intimidating when he wanted to. Well, almost.

"I'm not. It's my fault, but I don't regret it. Not one bit." He leaned closer to Naruto. What? They were stuck. Naruto had said so himself. Might as well find something to do until the stupid, annoying sun came down.

"What're you doing?" Naruto swallowed hard and backed away until he hit the same tree he was leaning on earlier.

Sasuke leaned even closer and glancing down, he took Naruto's hand in his. Naruto held his breath and looked at him.

"I guess I was just lucky enough that Hinata has really good taste. I like you…"

"Thought you liked Suigetsu," he replied. He tried to pull his hand back but Sasuke held on to it, and now their hips were almost touching, and so were their lips.

"I don't. That was just to mess with you."

"You like me?" Naruto raised a thin, pale brow and scoffed. "What's there to like?"

"Teenagers these days and their low self-esteem…" Sasuke teased.

"That's not what I meant! You just… You don't even know me, so how could you say that?"

"I know you're an adorable baby vampire and you're mine, and you got away from Akatsuki all by yourself. I was worried about you…" he smiled teasingly, biting his lip with one fang. "Now I'm proud of you. I wanna… reward you."

"Are you still drunk or what?" Naruto said but his voice sounded weak. They were so, so close.

"No… I told you, you bring out that side of me."

"Sasuke, don't."

He tilted his head, just about to kiss him. Even though Naruto protested, he wasn't pulling away.

"Oh come on, you know you want it."

"I know this. If you ever call me an adorable baby vampire again, just one more time, I will kill you. I don't care if you're my maker or a thousand years old or whatever bullshit… I will… kill you."

Oh, this was rich. Sasuke smiled, like, genuinely smiled. "I'd like to see you try."